Omri's 3 column
Hello everybody,
It’s been a packed opening month of the season, and as far as my personal expectations go, the NBA is exactly what I imagined and hoped it to be. It is clear to me that there will be ups and downs, but overall I am glad for my personal ability and of course the success of the team so far. A .500 record (8-8) is an excellent achievement for our team, especially in a strong league like the NBA, the team is very happy.
A whole month of games aside, I feel I’ve made it to the next level personally. I worked very hard for the entire summer to make the adjustments and obviously it resulted in a change. When you train and practice against the world’s best players, it has its impact and I think I am already a different player than I used to be, even though it’s only just the beginning. I expect myself to make more progress and do the best I can so that next summer I can help the Israeli national team.
The differences between the NBA and Europe are highly significant. Take a technical issue like the bigger courts, on one hand you might have more time to aim shooting from outside, but on the other hand you play great defensive players which shows in strength, aggressiveness and quickness.
There are amazing players here and it is a great experience to play against them. When you play about 15 games in a European season, the time you have to prepare tactically is extremely different than the 82-game season here. Here you’ve got to make adjustments very quickly, because one day you meet LeBron James, and two days later Carmelo Anthony or Kobe Bryant. You don’t get a whole week to prepare for a single game, but that’s life here and you get used to it.
One thing that is absolutely incomparable is the fans. Fans here come to see a show and get a family experience. They expect a show – jerseys thrown to the stands, posing with basketball stars for photos, mascots and halftime spectacles. In Maccabbi, the fans come for a “war”. What the fans in Israel care about is winning and nothing else. It’s crazy. There are the fan organizations of the Ultras on both side of the court, and the songs and dances in the stands. It is very different. There is no doubt that fans in the U,S, cheer and are very supportive, but first and foremost they come to see good basketball, to see a show, and if they don’t get it, they don’t come.
We’re not talking about setting goals yet because it’s still early. We’re taking it one game at a time. December is going to be a tough month, with games on the road at San Antonio, Cleveland and Denver among others. If after this month we’re still at .500, we might be able to start talking about goals, but right now we’re not there yet and I think that’s the way it should be.
On a personal note, I’m really happy that people in Israel are following and keeping track of the games. I know that people wake up very early in the morning to watch the games, and it’s great to hear that and get feedback. I hope to keep that up.
Thank you everybody!
Until next time,
Omri.
Taken from "One" website
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