Stories of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season: Dominant Real Madrid holds off resilient Maccabi Tel Aviv at home

We're stepping away from our standard EuroLeague coverage for this week because we're attending some games in person to tell some of the most important stories of the 2023-24 season. Enjoy!

Stories of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season: Dominant Real Madrid holds off resilient Maccabi Tel Aviv at home

This Real Madrid team is special. Regardless of what haunts await them — the best EuroLeague team in the regular season is notoriously cursed, and never manages to lift the continental title in May — they are a sight to behold. With a record of 20-3 heading into Round 24 of EuroLeague action, which places them five games ahead of rivals Barcelona in the EuroLeague standings, Los Blancos hosted Maccabi Tel Aviv. 

Maccabi came into the game off a 15-point win over an in-form Panathinaikos side. The Israeli clubs season can best be described as resilient. Political conflicts back home have forced them to concede their fortress of a home court, Menora Mivtachim Arena, for the entire season. Home games are now played in an empty Pionir Hall in Belgrade. For a team that was one win away from last season’s EuroLeague Final Four and struggled significantly on the road, their 13-10 record heading into this matchup is as impressive as any other accomplishments for the 2023-24 EuroLeague season. 

This Maccabi squad is talented and athletic. Their core of Lorenzo Brown, Wade Baldwin IV, and Bonzie Colson is one of the best 1-3 trios in EuroLeague. They are dynamic — capable of spotting up, running pick-and-roll, or attacking in isolation. Surrounded by the likes of Josh Nebo and Jake Cohen in their regular starting five they have the physicality to match up with anyone. Tamir Blatt offers a skilled creator off the bench, James Webb III more athleticism and shooting (4-of-6 from deep on the night), and Roman Sorkin and Jasiel Rivero provide depth in the frontcourt. 

Even without their homecourt, they are an intimidating matchup. The loss of it will likely make this a “what if” season that these players, coaches, and staff will always ponder but for now, it’s not stopping them from fighting for every single game. 

“I think that the key is our continuation from last year and our character. We were lucky to get some continuation from last year. I think that’s the most important thing — that we keep the core of the team,” Oded Kattash told FanSided at the postgame press conference. “That’s what kept us competitive, also character-wise. We’ve been through a lot of difficulties. We’re not playing [at] home, we’re missing home, we’re missing our crowd … We can’t look more than three to four days ahead. The schedule is crazy, we postpone some games in Israeli League at the beginning of the season which make us play like, we play, in the middle of the schedule we had to play like 15-16 games in 40 days. Something crazy like that.”

Real came out on top in the Round 24 matchup by a score of 106-101 despite a 9-0 run in 55 seconds from Maccabi to make it a one-possession game with just over a minute remaining. Their squad remains one of the most impressive EuroLeague has ever seen. That’s no surprise, they are the defending champions and brought back Facundo Campazzo this past offseason. 

Real’s victory was expected, and they now remain undefeated at home. But continued dominance is not easy in EuroLeague, no matter how good your team is. Being at the top of the standings in this competition means opponents bring their best against you every night, everyone wants their shot at the kings. Real has matched their opponents' energy for every game. Their mental and physical focus never wanes, something great teams across sports and leagues have always struggled with. But not Chus Mateo’s Real Madrid. 

“It’s not easy to keep this level. Along all this season it’s not easy to keep it until the end. For sure we are going to find some problematic moments, like in this moment we are not in the best shape possible,” Chus Mateo told FanSided in the postgame press conference. “Right now we’ve got two injuries, two very important injuries [Sergio Llull and Edy Tavares], and once they come back we have to give the same level.” 

“For my opinion, my teams are full of unselfish people. And this is one of the key points,” Mateo added. “All of them are trying to help each other on defense and all of them share the ball. Of course it’s not easy to keep the same level for all the season but the most important thing is for me [us] to be together once the problems come to the different moments in the season. And for me I am very happy after this performance.”

Behind strong performances from Vincent Poirier and Dzanan Musa Real Madrid improved to 21-3. The number one seed is all but guaranteed for this club but a handful of potential playoff opponents await them, and EuroLeague’s inaugural play-in tournament adds a new element of randomness to potential matchups in April. 

As things stood before their Round 24 match, Maccabi, Olympiacos — a rematch of last season’s championship game, fellow ACB club Valencia, or Partizan Belgrade — a rematch of last season’s tumultuous playoff series that’s as well known for its Game 2 brawl as it is for its incredible basketball are all potential opponents. 

Real is prepared for all of them and fears no one. Regardless of what history tells us, this Real Madrid team is poised to go back-to-back for the first time since the 1960’s. Fate is not on their side, but everything else is.