Even if Hapoel Tel Aviv beat Maccabi ten games in a row that season, Maccabi will rise to the 11th game as a clear favorite.
Hapoel is a club that is built and nurtured by the being of the underdog, and he also came inferior to this series, despite the three early victories.
Even in the eyes of the certified professional auditor, the one who first examines the budget, the salaries of the players, the depth of the staff and the number of foreigners, and assesses the potential for overall talent, Maccabi should have easily won the series.
And apparently the depth of the staff really decided in the end, only that Maccabi barely used 40% of the talent and budget available to it, and Hapoel was close to the maximum capacity.
And this is the real goal of an athlete - to bring the individual and team talent to the optimal realization.
It may not comfort Hapoel, but it can encourage and point out that it is acting correctly, it may spur Maccabi on a different approach for the coming seasons.
Not only for a local championship, but also and mainly to be more successful in Europe.
Williams with Avi Even.
Wonderful forward play, Photo: Alan Schieber
At the start of the current playoffs the new installation was introduced by the principal, which freezes the roster throughout each series.
It is not possible to exchange strangers in between games, only between series.
To me it immediately reminded me of Omri Caspi's suspension from Golden State because of the injury, despite his great season there, because in the NBA the roster is finally closed and he is frozen throughout the playoffs.
Like in a poker tournament, there is no more BUY IN, no more ADD ON, no more shopping and extras, but your chips, now try to win.
For us, it hurt both groups.
Hapoel lost Young on the way and was happy to dress Paul Stoll to have another ball carrier, a tough guard and three-pointers.
Maccabi desperately needed Žižić to get more power under the baskets, but because of his injury and uncertainty about him, Reynolds, who just seemed miserable and directionless, was recorded, up to 0 minutes in game 4.
Scotty Wilbkin celebrates at Drive In.
0 Respect for Hapoel Tel Aviv fans, Photo: Alan Shiver
In retrospect, the one who was most helpful to her is Caliro.
But it seems to me that in the end, the new installation actually helped both teams focus on and arrive at their exact configuration, which should also be the permanent structure of basketball in Israel: two star foreigners, another one or two medium and helpful foreigners, and the rest Israelis.
Throughout the Euroleague season I have criticized the overly talented top five brought up by Avi Even.
In our league Sorkin became a peg in the top five, but in Game 4 Even Stone realized he owed another top five and also raised Blazer.
A much more balanced quintet with 3 "stars" and two warriors.
The more talented Maccabi is on paper, without character and fighting it will not win.
Oz Blazer may not have contributed much statistically in 27 minutes, but Maccabi is so much better when he is on the field.
Hasel on defense, extra pass, no-ball movement.
Jacoben Brown's injury in Game 3 came from a blow to his abdomen by Blazer, who helped on defense and stood in the way like a brick wall.
But the impressive part was Blazer's upright jump from the hardwood floor, a Bruce Lee-style dragon jump, directly from his back to his feet, that showed what fitness and what a triumphant being he was.
Hapoel Tel Aviv fans in another shameful display of drinking glasses, Photo: Alan Shiver
And next to it Sorkin who becomes a monster in color.
High quality second jump, the ball stays up and not down, blocks every shot in the environment.
Now think about Maccabi's European season, and give the credit and minutes that Nanley received to Oz Blazer, and those that Reynolds received to Roman Sorkin.
And you have a different and elite group.
But the foreign laws and tax relief that were introduced to help Maccabi, in the end, hurt it.
Makes Maccabi bring in too many mediocre foreigners, who only stress the coach who has more configurations to test and try.
Then at the end of the season it turns out that only two foreigners have justified the investment in them: Scotty Wilbkin and Derek Williams, who finally exhausts part of his portfolio of huge talent, plays first inside the ring, then snaps threes.
Maccabi has been waiting for this Williams all season.
And so, in the most important game for them, Maccabi went down to a rotation of only seven and a half players.
Which was to prove.
Hapoel Tel Aviv players. End of season, Photo: Alan Shiber
So what did Bar Timor need to reach the peak of his career in this series: averages of 17 points, 64% for threes, 5 rebounds 4 assists and an index of 19 in 31 minutes: a place where he is loved, a coach who believes in him, understands him and trusts him.
But also an injury of one stranger that left the verb with only three.
And an injury to the star that caused him to take even more responsibility.
As Fracture said, until now when he failed to stand out, it was not because of him.
It was because of coaches, and rules, and unnecessary strangers.
And we will continue to lose such players if we do not change the rules.
On the other hand there are players that it is in their hands.
Williams.
His tremendous acting, Photo: Alan Schieber
Gil Benny, for example, who is an excellent example of every young player in the country, how you can play at the highest levels even if you are 1.80 m tall.
So obviously defense and combat is the basis, but it's not enough.
When you get to free throws, it should be inside.
My son will not just survive on the defensive ticket, if he hits 1-5 from the field and misses two critical free throws.
The example for him could be Peyton Pritchard of Boston, who does everything on defense like him, but also hits.
Throwing the full drinking glasses on the pitch is such a lousy and dumb act that it's hard for me to take it seriously.
The idiot (s) who threw are not Hapoel fans, as Bar Timor was almost injured in a skating that caused the justified stoppage of the game.
They are also not sports fans, just as the fool who threw the firecracker at Malcha was neither a Hapoel Holon fan nor a sports fan.
These are just confused boys that someone told them that to be a verb fan is to hate.
Hapoel fans.
Hating is not enough, Photo: Alan Schieber
To hate Maccabi, to hate the world.
Throwing iron rods from the top podium to the bottom in Elijah's hand is a sympathy for something.
To stand shirtless and swear for two hours is an expression of sympathy for your team.
And the job of the chiefs is to shift, at least in part, the weight of sympathy from hatred of the other towards self-love.
From a sense of inferiority to pride.
And there is a lot to be proud of in Danny Franco's team this season.
It is good that Sefi Shemesh calmly conducted the hearing, gave one more chance and made sure that the series would end on the field and not in court, which would have further intensified Hapoel's feelings of deprivation.
And so what will remain in the memory of this series is the sporting battle of Bar Timor and Idan Zalmanson against Roman Sorkin and Oz Blazer.
The Israeli spirit.
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