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"The heart went down to places it was not": Ness Ziona celebrates promotion to the European Cup final

Chairman Mizrahi Tama, star Selden rose on a difficult day and Tal Dan played with staples on his head. Urbani Ness Ziona advanced to the European Cup final where no less than the star of the Syrian national team awaits them.

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• Urban Ness Ziona

• Tal Dan

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Saturday, 24 April 2021, 07:57 Updated: 08:04

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A season that will not be forgotten.

Ness Ziona players celebrate (Photo: Berni Ardov)

1.

Urbani Ness Ziona qualified for the European Cup final yesterday (Friday) after a dramatic 80:81 victory over Russian Pharma Perm in the semifinals held by Yad Eliyahu and will meet tomorrow (21:00, live broadcast in Sports 5) the Polish Steel Ostrov in an attempt to become the third team in Israeli basketball European.

In front of 3,000 oranges in the stands, Brad Greenberg's players managed to recover from a delay of 8 in the third quarter, a foul problem of several key players and an injury to captain Tal Dan to come out with the victory thanks to a three-pointer of today's hero - Wayne Selden.

"In Selden's three, my heart went down to places he was not, and when it was over, it was an amazing feeling. I cried, yes, I was very excited," said Ness Ziona chairman Yaniv Mizrahi and Nimrod Levy, one of the team's standouts with 14 points. “Throughout the game we talked about that we need to keep up with what we are doing, keep up with our defense, make the big moves. Wayne scored the threes, and we were able to continue in spite of their momentum. "

After the game remained members of Ness Ziona for several minutes to celebrate with the crowd at Yad Eliahu refused to go home, and went out at the Kfar Maccabiah there stand vigil all teams on Wednesday, received the Sabbath Kiddush and went to rest with most players Admit that they had a hard time falling asleep from the emotions of the game.This afternoon the team will return next to Eliyahu for the concluding training ahead of the Polish team.

The team estimates that all 4,000 tickets for the final game will be sold, with hundreds of tickets left only for the final sold to fans left at home in the final game yesterday: "I have never seen a Ness Ziona game with such a crowd, it was a crowd that encouraged and pushed throughout the second half. "The audience in the final with the same energy of the second half and in larger quantities, no one stays at home, all of Ness Ziona reaches the final," added the chairman Mizrahi.

More on Walla!

Selden dedicated the victory of Ness Ziona to his basketball friend who died in an accident: "He was with me here"

To the full article

A touching sports and human story.

Selden celebrates (Photo: Berni Ardov)

2.

As mentioned, the protagonist of the game was Wayne Selden who came to the game hours after discovering that his friend Terence Clark had died the night before in the United States in a car accident. The 19-year-old Clark, a University of Kentucky player until recently, announced he would be drafted and was expected to be selected between the first and second rounds, but his plans were cut short. Many players in the United States recognized the young talent, when Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown even last night called on NBA officials to allow one of the teams to call on Clark's name on the eve of the draft and fulfill his dream.

Selden told the people of Ness Ziona at breakfast about his personal tragedy, and he seemed very preoccupied, except that on the floor he recorded his best performance in Israel - 24 points, including 4 of 6 from outside the arc, despite 3 of 14 for 2 points.

"Levin deserves so much, he has a hard day today after his friend died and he deserves this victory," said Nimrod Levy and chairman Mizrahi added: "Wayne is in a very good period lately, he is adapting to European basketball and that is the result.

He is a player at very high levels, we all knew that, he was happy for him that he managed to put the unfortunate case aside and fought like a lion. "

Played with a large bandage on his head.

Tal Dan (Photo: Berni Ardov)

3.

Another hero this evening, who could easily have been the tragic hero, was Captain Tal Dan.

Dan came up with a bandage in his hand after being injured in the game against Hapoel Haifa but managed to play.

During the second quarter he suffered a severe blow to the head that began to bleed on the parquet, and for long minutes the game was stopped while Yad Eliyahu workers cleaned the blood stains.

Dan went down to the dressing room and returned to the parquet wearing a large, clumsy bandage on his head, and managed to play a few more minutes in the second half.

"Tal Dan writes a historical story, for himself, the children, the grandchildren and the whole of Ness Ziona. He opened his head and they did not sew it, and he was pinned to the head because they could not sew it. He is a lion and he writes the story of his life," concluded Mizrahi chairman Gila Because after the injury one of the fans of the team, a surgeon by profession, sent him a message that he was in the stands and offered to go down to the locker room to treat and sew Dan.After the game Dan was stitched in the head and is expected to be fully fit for tomorrow.

Ostrov separates them from a historical degree (Photo: Berni Ardov)

4.

Standing between Ness Ziona and the title is Stal Ostrov, the only team to beat it this season in the European Cup.

Ostrov's victory last night, 66:77 over Romanian Urda, did not surprise anyone, as she was considered a clear favorite to face.

In the first game between the teams, which was only a protocol in the home stage in a bubble in Poland, Ness Ziona played long minutes with the substitutes.

The Polish squad includes no less than seven foreigners, with one of them, Torian Green, a former Bnei Herzliya player, playing little and not participating in the semi-finals.

The star of the team joined during the season, Trey Kal, who scored 19 points in the semi-finals, and who has been representing the Syrian team since last summer.

Guard Chris Smith is recording a great season as well, with other top players being quarterback James Florence and two inside players - Joseph Sobin, who was part of Croatia's wide squad and talented Swedish forward Denzel Anderson.

The leading local player is Poland national team player Jakub Garbatz.

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