The last derby proved: it's all a matter of timing Israel today

1. For Hapoel Tel Aviv, it was one of the most magical periods. In a little over a month, it defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv three times - two of them by Yad Eliyahu - when one of the victories also brought it to the cup final.

For Maccabi Tel Aviv, it was one of the darkest periods. It experienced a professional crisis that led to a low that was not seen for many years, and beyond that also a loss of dignity - so much so that the third loss to the Reds in the Cup was indigestible and led to the dismissal of Yannis Sapropoulos. The consecutive Euroleague sent the Greek coach home, but this loss in the derby to teach you what a blow this was to the Yellows.

Three months have passed and the picture is different.

It's only 0: 1 to Maccabi in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, but the losing streak is broken and things on the field look significantly different.

The main difference between Hapoel's winning triangle in the derbies compared to the loss on Thursday is timing - the teams' playing ability is completely different between the two periods.

Hapoel was fit to meet the then Maccabi (mid-December-mid-February), Maccabi is suitable to meet today's Hapoel.

2. Time has changed things.

The Reds withdrew, suffering injuries that also forced them to make staff changes (Paul Stoll temporarily replaced Jacoben Brown) and suffered a moral blow when they failed to get into the top house.

In the days before the playoffs, Hapoel tried to make a "return to fitness operation" by increasing training and intensity.

The team may have started to look better, but the bottom line is that there is no button that can be pressed and suddenly cause a jump in individual and team fitness.

The road at Maccabi was the opposite.

With Avi Even on the lines she has stabilized and looks much better.

It is no exaggeration to say that it is currently at its peak.

There were falls on the way, but by and large it can be said to be somewhere else from that period.

Here is the key to the picture, at least at the beginning of the series.

Tokoto tries to keep Wilbkin.

The Yellows came with a great desire for revenge, Photo: Alan Schieber

And there are other elements that brought about the big change between that month and this game.

On a mental level, Maccabi's vengeance worked hard.

The previous losses were a kind of shame.

At the professional level, Scotty Wilbkin looks completely different: in two of the three losses, he averaged only 12 points and 3 of 16 of the three.

This time he sniped 31 points, including five threes.

Hapoel, which found defensive solutions for him (Gil Benny, JP Tokoto), did not find them this time.

And there’s Jacoben Brown, who has returned from injury and is still not in full personal shape.

On top of that, he committed the fourth and fifth offense (which at least one referee could have given up) during the second half.

Without Brown, Hapoel will not beat Maccabi - nor will it beat weaker teams.

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