Hapoel Yerushalayim is starting to remind me of Limoges of the early 1990s.
The team, which was characterized by an iron defense and finished games with a particularly low score, won the European Championship (the Euroleague at the time).
Currently, Jerusalem is following the same path.
To remind you, the French team was also built from the underdog position and so was Jerusalem.
Every time she is not a favorite she beats the commentators and predictions.
That team was also coached by a Serbian coach - Bojidar Malkovic, one of the greatest of all time.
Jerusalem is a group with limitations and its great advantage which it recognizes.
It was clear that if yesterday's final went to a high score, she would lose.
She has no tools for offensive plays.
It is built on defense, team play and tempo control.
When the game goes in the direction of 70 points (and yesterday it was even less than that) she can beat superior opponents.
The Cup of Hapoel Jerusalem.
Celebrations in Mahane Yehuda market, photo: Alan Shiver
It happened to her at Drive In against Hapoel Tel Aviv in the quarterfinals and yesterday in the finals.
What the Euroleague teams fail to do to Maccabi Tel Aviv, Jerusalem did for them defensively.
The team that scores 83 points in the Euroleague, ended the evening with only 61 points.
This is the most brilliant gray group there is.
A team whose outstanding player is coach Alexander Dzikic.
There is no more accurate definition of what is happening in the capital city than: a coach's group.
Within half a season, not only a method was built but also a belief.
Please note, every time there was a significant game on the agenda this season, it was Jerusalem's.
And every time it was close this season, it was hers.
On the losing side, Oded Ketch begins the journey to stay in the position next season with a big minus.
In the summer, when the issue comes up for discussion, they will remember well what happened in mid-February.
Oded himself will remember the loss for a long time, at least until he advances to the Euroleague playoffs and wins the championship.
The Hapoel Jerusalem players are crazy.
This is how you take a trophy, photo: Alan Shiver
Ketch and Maccabi will analyze for a long time how they lost when they are a better, deeper team and when the other team is full of fouls.
They will remember well how they did not bring this game to the places they wanted and how they fell into every possible trap.
The cup week will bring Maccabi to renewed reflections.
Lorenzo Brown's contract was recently extended.
Next in line was supposed to be Wade Baldwin.
Oded Ketch.
Painful and sad, photo: Alan Shiver
When Brown was out the last few weeks with an injury, Baldwin was excellent.
This week Brown returned to play.
At the same time Baldwin's trophy week was terrible.
Something probably doesn't quite work out in the combination between the two, in the fight for dominance between the two stars.
Apparently, what happened this week will be taken into account regarding the future of the guard in the team.
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