The power of the foot
Maccabi Tel Aviv's ability in the series against Hapoel sharpens the insight of "how bad Maccabi was during the Yannis Sapropoulos era".
After all, today's Hapoel is exactly the same team that defeated Maccabi three times (even without Jacoben Brown in one of the games!), Including in the Cup semifinals.
After the first two games in the current series all that remains is to be amazed.
It's inconceivable how far Maccabi of Sapropoulos was far from realizing its potential, from playing the type of game that suits it, from highlighting its advantages over the entire league.
One of the other advantages that Maccabi has in this series is the habit of playing intensely in the playoffs.
Maccabi is used to playing three games a week all season.
Since Hapoel did not register for Europe, it is a different story for it.
Playing every three days, cumulative fatigue, the search for energies from mental places, and the need for a deeper bench.
In all of these, Maccabi has an overwhelming advantage, even before the qualitative advantage of the leading players.
Red color alarm
Unlike the regular season where you can play small ball and shell threes, the playoffs are always decided in color, through the aggressiveness and willingness to sacrifice the body.
We also learned this recently in the Final Four of the Champions League when Hapoel Holon could not cope without a dominant high.
And even though she came without Zizic to the series, Maccabi Tel Aviv goes through the color in almost every attack, where the pure talent of Roman Sorkin shines, who performs the coveted leap, and does so in style, elegance, and almost zero effort.
A Star Is Born.
Sorkin drowns in Young.
A Star Is Born, Photo: Alan Schieber
The statistics betray the gap: Hapoel scored more baskets than 2, the same number of threes in better percentages, and won 14:20 in assists.
So how did she lose?
Because Maccabi squeezed six more offenses, and went to the line 34 times, against only 19 of Hapoel.
About 70 Maccabi points were within the point and from the line.
And there is also the character test.
This is already the second game in which Scotty Wilbkin shows impressive leadership, one that Maccabi was very lacking during the season.
He does not stop talking and commenting to his friends, which at least seems like constructive criticism.
He pulls Williams from a confrontation with the referees, scolds Jake Cohen for being late in assisting on defense, organizes a gathering near the penalty line and briefs.
And when necessary, delivers proper devotion and knocks out the regular threes.
Once the Scot split him and a silent movement for the crowd after his three went up to Maccabi in Brown's layup.
But by and large, this is the Scot that Maccabi dreamed of.
And it's a shame he's only now being discovered.
Maybe it's also a matter of contact with the coach and the expectations set for him.
Wilbkin.
This is the Scot that Maccabi dreamed of, Photo: Alan Schieber
Election economy
We have already written a lot about the large number of foreigners in the league.
But ahead of each series, each coach is obligated to pick his own foreigners and can not switch them between games.
For example, Maccabi did not register the injured Zizic, but would have been happy to bring him back in Game 3. She can not.
Neither did Caliro and Kyrie Thomas.
Hapoel left Paul Stoll on Citizens, after backing the period of Jacoben Brown's injury.
This regulation has important significance for the playoff experience.
The faculty he has opened is the faculty that will close.
Eliminate substitutions every game.
A message of group stability and identity throughout the series.
But now Hapoel can not even replace James Young, who looked really injured and played on one leg in the third quarter.
With Josh Evans' softness and Tokoto's extremely scattered play, the verb is totally dependent on Jacoben Brown and Bar Timor.
And the truth is that Hapoel returned to the game precisely when Young crawled out to a painful and dismantled bench.
Brown vs. Dibertolomeo.
Hapoel is very dependent on its player, Photo: Alan Shiver
Young went four minutes to the end of the third quarter in 67:51 for Maccabi.
When Young is on the field, Hapoel plays for him, building him shooting skills.
And in his absence, she returned to the instinctive play of an almighty coordinator, most often Brown and sometimes Timur, who could only regret the years spent in Jerusalem with a coach who did not recognize his talent.
A witch on a broom?
Danny Franco should take the four minutes to end the third quarter and try to replicate them in Game 3. That includes the freedom for Jacoben Brown to create and throw (17 points in the third quarter), and Gil Benny's leech defense, just without the silly offenses.
And explain again to Jacoben Brown his importance.
He reminds Chris Johnson of Holon with the silly fouls he makes far from the basket.
Hapoel has one more game left to try and recreate the big cup days.
But it is highly doubtful that she has the physical, mental and emotional strength to do so.
It will probably not be enough against a talented, high-quality and much deeper Maccabi.
Since the beginning of the Stone Age, Maccabi has been playing at a rate of 100 points per game, and insists on playing through a color transition and not around.
So even when she starts with a shocking 1:14 to three, she leads with confidence, because Sorkin grinds the color, and she knows the stats will straighten out with the help of Scotty and Nanley.
Avi Even.
Maccabi at a rate of 100 points per game, Photo: Alan Shiber
Stone also manages to finally bring out positive and effective basketball from the tremendous talent of Derek Williams.
So many weapons produce points.
Maccabi wanted by default, which is refreshing to see and true to its character.
The deterrent effect is back, and Maccabi will end the series on Wednesday.
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us
