The Tel Aviv Derby Finals series is about to begin as Maccabi and Hapoel are preparing in earnest ahead of game one which takes place on Tuesday (8:50pm Israel Time) at Yad Eliyahu in a much anticipated best-of-five clash.

Both teams represent Israel in the Euroleague as the reds advanced to the quarterfinals and fell to eventual finalist Real Madrid while the yellow-and-blue had a rough start to the season which led to them battling it out for a Play In spot in standings but came up short. Now they will face each other for Israeli basketball supremacy as Maccabi will look to win the championship that was not awarded last season due to the breakout of the war with Iran while Hapoel will try and break a 50+ year drought.

Will Rayman and Oz Blayzer spoke in depth about their thoughts on the upcoming series.

“I think we’re all really excited for the game,” Rayman began. “it’s a Euroleague matchup and I feel like it’s going to be really fun to play and I know everyone coming out is really excited and this is what we’ve been working for the whole year, so it’s time to get it done.”

Blayzer also spoke about hailing the opportunity to play for the championship, “It’s fun to reach these stages. We’re coming off a very long season, with a lot of things going on around us, the security situation here and there, and a lot of uncertainty. So it’s great to finally get started. We’re excited, but as we’ve said many times, it’s just another game and nothing beyond that. I also took part in finals with Jerusalem and a lot of water has passed under the bridge since I was there, but now I simply want to win for Hapoel.”

Both teams have good momentum going after each swept their respective semifinals series but the finals will be an entirely different story, however, Rayman shared what he thought would be the keys to hoisting the championship plate, “Our depth, our flow, playing together like we’ve done all season to get to this point. So yeah, we just got to stay together and keep working hard and trust our game.”

Interestingly enough, Blayzer, perhaps, has the most experience in playing for the championship having featured for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Jerusalem, Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion and Maccabi Haifa in the finals which can be very helpful to his teammates.

“I think experience really speaks for itself here. You have to bring a sense of calm, especially in a best-of-five series. You can’t panic because of a certain run or something like that. You have to stay very focused on every possession, every game on its own and take it step by step. A lot of it comes down to energy and composure. I believe in the guys we have here, there are a lot of players with plenty of experience. It’s going to be a fun series, an enjoyable one and I hope we’ll win it.”

Both teams have players that will not be playing in the series due to injury including Tamir Blatt for Maccabi and Elijah Bryant for Hapoel, but there are some other players who have stepped up for each squad.

“I mean, obviously, you know, Jimmy is one of our best players,” Rayman said. “He’s signed for three more years, so he’s a huge piece for us. We also got Oshae Brissett back too, so that’s another huge piece. We need both those guys and we’re ready.”

Over at Hapoel, Blayzer identified Jonathan Motley as a player that has really made a huge difference for the team as they have navigated through the playoffs, “I think he’s feeling good physically and I think he’s comfortable. He’s getting touches, he’s getting opportunities. I think he’s enjoying himself on the court and we’re all enjoying what he’s bringing as well. Hopefully, we’ll be successful.”

Last season, Maccabi almost won the championship as they led 1-0 in a best-of-three finals series against Hapoel Jerusalem, but Rokas Jokubaitis’s game two performance was wasted after the reds won that game in overtime and the series never came to an end to the war with Iran. Rayman wants to make up for that, “I want to win very badly. I mean, this championship is like two, so yeah, you know, it’s just for last year’s team, this year’s team and we want to make a statement.”

While Maccabi’s chemistry has been good all season long, at Hapoel, Blayzer said that the players have really connected nicely during the playoffs with a solid mix of Israelis and foreigners really playing as one unit.

“I think our chemistry has been very good recently. We connected during this run and there’s really great camaraderie between us. Everyone knows their role and what they need to do. We’re all pretty much on the same page. We’re just waiting for it to start. I think Israeli players have a very significant role in winning titles in this country. We’ve seen that over the years and I’m happy to be part of that.

“We have Israeli players with a lot of experience who can contribute a great deal and I think you can see that. At this stage, though, it’s less about Israelis versus non-Israelis. It doesn’t matter. We’re one team and everyone has found their role. We’re together until the end and we really want this for the club, for the fans, for ourselves and for the history of the organization, to do it and bring the first championship to Hapoel.”