Scotty Wilbkin and Derrick Williams were the ones who led Maccabi Tel Aviv to a 1: 3 victory in the quarterfinals against Hapoel Tel Aviv.
They were the owners of the house, but those who were responsible for cracking this tough series, were generally Oz Blazer and Roman Sorkin, who made it clear to the Yellows - without Israelis it would not work.
The truth is that Sorkin has already accustomed us to the fact that he has become very dominant.
It was felt before the playoffs, but in the series against the Reds he had a heavy responsibility, as Anta Žižić was ineligible and Jaylen Reynolds was simply out of business, and he was still up to the task - and big time.
He started in the top five in all games of the series and finished with very good averages: 12.5 points and 8.3 rebounds and an index of 17. During the series he also had six blocks.
Although now Zizic is back, but it is not clear what fitness he is and how many minutes he can play, so the responsibility placed on Sorkin will remain large.
Sorkin celebrates Hapoel. Accustomed us to the fact that he has become very dominant, Photo: Alan Shiber
With Blazer it was less predictable.
Until the series his status was eroded.
In the final part of the Euroleague season he did not even get dressed, and the trend seemed to be to end his career in yellow at the end of the season.
The thing is, this is a player who did not intend to give up.
He fought against Hapoel Tel Aviv for his future at Maccabi - and significantly increased the value of his shares. From game to game you could feel that Avi Even trusts him more and more, for the simple reason that Blazer gives his all and helps him with many solutions on the floor.
In the fourth game, he has already started in the top five, and for this victory, which saved a headache of the fifth game, Maccabi owes Blazer a lot.
His mani-time move won the game with an offensive rebound and an offense squeeze, which led to two from the line with impressive composure.
It is not yet known if the big improvement will keep Blazer at Maccabi, but he has already received first prize for this period;
After a few years out, he is once again on the squad for the World Cup qualifiers window.
Blazer celebrates.
Was in the right place, Photo: Oded Karni
Speaking of Israelis, the one who slipped in the opposite direction and disappeared in the playoff quarterfinal series is Yiftach Ziv, who won only 18 minutes of play in all four games together.
Too bad.
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