Balagan. Plain and simple. The Israel National Team’s performance against Poland was clearly one that was filled with chaos. From the starting 5 selected by head coach Guy Goodes until time ran out in overtime, the blue-and-white out together one of their worst showings in quite some time as they fell to Poland 90-85.
The scene in Lublin was off to say the least from a questionable starting lineup that included Tamir Blatt, Bar Timor, Rafi Menco, Tomer Ginat and Roman Sorkin who couldn’t but a field goal until well past the midway point of the opening frame. Nothing seemed to click form the get go for Israel and luckily that was also pretty much the case for the hosts which kept Goodes’s crew in the game. Following a number of wholesale changes, Israel began to find the bottom of the basket in an arena that did not have air conditioning and their head coach compared to a sauna.
But for the most part the blue-and-white played chase while chucking up one 3-pointer after the next for a total of, 47 shots from beyond the arc. Yes, you read correctly, 47(!). While Israel dished out 29 assists, the game plan was either not there or nor followed and that is a big, big problem especially in a game that the team needed to advance to the next round of play with a chance to also take a 4-2 record with them.
Poor management throughout the contest saw both Nimrod Levi and Yovel Zoosman foul out well before crunch time and cost them dearly as the game came down to closing stages with Israel sporting a lead. However, they saw that lead evaporate quickly thanks to Mateusz Ponitka and Jaroslaw Zyskowski who was not fouled and drilled a corner triple with under 3 seconds left to send the game into the extra session that eventually led to Igor Milicic’s squad taking the win.
“We weren’t planning on taking so many 3-point shots but our inside game didn’t give us very much,” Goodes said after the game. “We took a lot of 3’s and shot at low percentages but if we would have fouled at the end, we wouldn’t have lost this game. Nimrod Levi and Yovel Zoosman fouled out and when we headed to overtime in this sauna we were finished. This is the first time we have played in this type of heat and it’s the year 2022. We lost concentration at the end and they scored some 3’s but the good news is that we still held onto the point differential.”

Guy Goodes – Photo Credit: FIBA
The heat and the effect on the players was a hot topic so to speak after the game and while Goodes is correct that in the year 2022 FIBA can’t allow a World Cup Qualifier in the summer months to take place in an arena without air conditioning, the situation was the same for both teams.
“It’s a shame to play in this condition, in such heat,” Goodes continued. “We are in 2022 and it can’t happen that there is no air conditioning as both teams were sweating like pigs. In all of my years in basketball this is the first rime that this has happened.”
The bench boss also reflected on his team’s poor start which was a repeat of the first game between the two nations which was held in the fall of 2021.
“We started poorly because this is a national team and not a club team. National teams sometimes need to find their own pace. It was a sauna but the start really doesn’t matter but the end of the game. We were there and we had to win this game.”

Nimrod Levi – Photo Credit: FIBA
Win the game they did not and now Israel is a a very precarious situation as they ready to play Estonia at home on Sunday night in the Drive In Arena. Should Israel win they will advance to the next group stage which will see them play the likes of Luka Doncic and Slovenia, Finland, Germany and two others. While the competition will be stiff, the bigger issue is that the blue-and-white will go into the next round carrying their 3-3 record while the three teams mentioned will be 5-1 or 4-2 putting Israel at a disadvantage before the ball is tossed up for the tip-off.
If Israel loses they may be eliminated already after just the first round which will depend on the game between Germany and Poland as well as point differential. But that is not what the team wants to even think about, “We have to beat Estonia and it’s in our hands. Every window has its own life and you can’t compare this one to others.”
ALBA Berlin point guard Tamir Blatt spoke about his part in the loss and what the team did wrong as a whole, “I turned over the ball 8 times which is not something that I would usually do but now we have to look ahead as we have a big game on Sunday against Estonia. Perhaps we came into this game under pressure and we kept saying we have to win, we have to win and that put us under stress. If we would come into the game wanting to win and playing together then I think things would have been a lot better.”

Tamir Blatt – Photo Credit: FIBA
Blatt’s ALBA teammate Yovel Zoosman analyzed some of the reasons Israel lost the game, “We were missing the little things. We led by 6 points near the end of the game and we had to be a little but more intelligent. We tried to foul but they moved the ball forward and hit an open shot. It all starts with the small things, defensive rebounds, turnovers, getting back on defense and to quickly inbound the ball after giving up a basket. We didn’t do those things well enough and I hope that will change in the next game.”
“We lost but we have to continue on. It’s great to be with the guys again and I feel like I am at home as an Israeli. It’s a great honor to represent the national team and it’s something that I can’t describe in words. All in all I really enjoyed being here,” Zoosman concluded.
Still not sure why Kattash was replaced as head coach. As far as the wizards keeping Deni out ? Unfathomable – very likely would have been a different result with Deni.