Hapoel Jerusalem may have blown Hapoel Gilboa Galil out the past two games of their best of five quarterfinal playoff series, but don’t let the scores fool you. They have been anything but a cakewalk or walk in the park.

After falling to the Galilee team in game one by the score of 88-85 at the Jerusalem Arena, Yotam Halperin’s squad has had to battle hard in both victories. On the road last Tuesday Jerusalem took a 96-61 win and then on Friday the Reds recorded a 87-60 victory in order to put themselves in the position to be able to advance to the semifinals with a win on Monday night back up in Gan Ner in game 4.

With Guy Kaplan’s team losing guard London Perrantes in game 2 along with not having the services of not only Tyus Battle but also Sacha Killeya-Jones, Gilboa has been shorthanded in on court quality but have not lacked both on and off the court desire and drive to make Jerusalem work for their wins.

So far, all three meetings have been aggressive battles which perhaps has given Jerusalem a good test as they look towards their ultimate goal, a third league championship.

The rough and tumble play has toughened up the Reds which could be a very important factor in a bets fo there semifinals series against Hapoel Holon. However, Jerusalem still needs to get by Gilboa in a game 4 that will be on their home court which will no doubt be a challenge no matter who will be playing as Guy Kaplan said, “We have five players that will be on the court and will play proudly. We have pride as a club and we will go into the game on Monday which won’t be a basketball game, but a physical game and a playoff game. We will give it our all.”

One of the Reds hardened veterans, Suleiman Braimoh who returned to Jerusalem midway through the season after having begun the campaign with San Pablo Burgos in Spain knows full well what his team has experienced so far and what they will need to do in order to reach the promised land.

“This was a game in which two teams fought hard. We got some 50/50 balls and there were shots that went our way. It wasn’t pretty and ugly but, we found a way to get it. Now we are to the next one. Credit to them and it shows a lot of character. I’m happy that we responded to the challenge with a quick turnaround. It’s good for us as we can learn from it and we can build on it and keep on pushing.”

Braimoh for all intents and purposes is the heart and soul of Hapoel Jerusalem. He may not like it, but he is also their leader. He sets the tone for the Reds and he will be the one who is the straw that stirs the drink. The Nigerian native began his Israeli experience down at Hapoel Eilat in the 2018/19 season and it’s been a love affair ever since joining the Reds the following season where he has been since then save for a few months earlier in the season in Spain.

“Su has been here and he’s a great player,” big man John Egbunu told The Sports Rabbi following the team’s 3 game win. “It’s fun playing with him, he’s a veteran and he understands this league. He’s been leading us really well.”

When it comes to aggressive games, Braimoh is the guy you want to have in the trenches with you. He will fight for his team and lay it all out on the table every single second he is on the floor.

“It’s definitely a relief and it feels good, I’m not going to lie,” Braimoh said about returning to Jerusalem. “I always play for my coach’s trust and teammates respect and I try to play and put my best out there for the fans who pay good money to see us play. I do my best as I don’t want to sell them short. It’s sheer effort. It always feels good in life to be appreciated. The fans have been amazing all season, through the lows and through the highs and have been there when we needed it most.”

Head coach Yotam Halperin is well aware that this series is making his team tougher and that will be the special ingredient to find their way to the league finals.

“You’ve seen the games. They are very aggressive games. I’m in favor of aggressive games and it was a playoff game with two teams that wanted to win. it’s not easy to play against a team that plays so aggressively, but I am happy that in the second half we were no less aggressive than them. That’s important to me.”

“Gilboa is trying to hurt our offensive game and they are making us think. Sometimes it works quickly and sometimes less. It’s not easy to win a game in the first or second quarter no matter who you are playing. It’s the playoffs and both teams are aggressive. Gilboa have come in with clear tactics that has not allows us to start off well. The final score doesn’t really tell the story and I am happy that in the second half we were able to play better defensively and also play offensively better as well.“

Egbunu, who also joined Jerusalem during the course of the season is also a player who will make sure he’s noticed in the paint with his strong play and heavy handed dunks. The 27-year old certainly understands the importance and benefits of playing an aggressive series against Gilboa, “It’s definitely going to help us. We want to be an aggressive team every time we step out here on the floor and we want to continue to push the tempo. We know that they are very good on the offensive rebounds so with a team like that we know we have to be aggressive, boxing them out and doing things like that.”

Halperin identifies the most important factor in succeeding in aggressive games is the fan support and that is something that Hapoel Jerusalem has never lacked. With the fans pushing his team in a tough game, the former star guard knows that they can be the make it or break it point for the club especially as the season hits the stretch run.

“In these types of games it’s what you need to have, the fans. The basketball will come. When you are there playing with aggressiveness things will be OK as you will find a way to win even when things are upside down. We did it somewhat in the first half but we did it more consistently in the second half to win the game.”

The Jerusalem bench boss would be very content to see his squad be able to dictate the aggressiveness for the entire 40 minutes and be consistent in both halves as that is what it will take should Jerusalem want to win the title.