The men’s State Cup final between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem is set to take place at Yad Eliyahu on Thursday (21:00 IDT / 14:00 EDT).

Maccabi’s path to the final came after convincing victories over Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan in the quarterfinal (104-72) and Elitzur Kiryat Ata in the semifinal (102-67), while Jeruslaem defeated Hapoel Galil Elion in the preliminary round (89-69), Hapoel Tel Aviv in the quarterfinal (84-79) and Hapoel Beer Sheva (74-69). Given the atrocities of October 7 and the ongoing Swords of Iron War, this season has differed in all sports competitions. The State Cup is no different, with it coming at the end of the European season rather than earlier in the calendar year, which has had its challenges.

“The Cup week has caught us at a suboptimal time after the European competition,” Maccabi coach Oded Katash said, referring to Maccabi’s elimination from the EuroLeague by Panathinaikos in the deciding game 5 of their quarterfinal series last week, following which Maccabi won its State Cup semifinal game against Kiryat Ata. “We know that there’s been a fall in energy, but I’m happy with how the semifinal went. The last couple of days the players have recovered and they will be prepared. We need to go out and know that it will be special if we win. The Cup is a competition which gives an opportunity to everyone. If we win, we need to be proud and happy. We need to go in without a fear of losing.”
“To win we need to treat Maccabi like any European team – they’re a great team,” Jerusalem assistant coach Yonatan Alon said.

The matchup is a repeat of last year’s final, with Jerusalem winning that battle 67-61 at the Arena in the Holyland’s capitol city. While Jerusalem is the reigning champion, Maccabi is going to try to clinch its first title since 2021 when it defeated Maccabi Rishon Letzion 86-69 in Holon. Three Maccabi players who lifted the trophy in 2021 will be there again this Thursday – however Maccabi’s captain, John DiBartolomeo will be the only one still wearing yellow and blue, with Oz Blazer and Yovel Zoosman wearing red.

“Obviously, not to win last year was disappointing. With Maccabi, the Cup is always one of our goals,” DiBartolomeo said. “It’s a huge challenge for us. Jerusalem has given us challenge over the last few years, so we’re expecting a tough and physical game tomorrow.

“There are lot of returning players from both sides, it’s a good rivalry,” DiBartolomeo continued, referring to last year’s game. “Every year, when we start the season, this is one of our goals. To win in our home gym would be special, something that I haven’t done before.”

“I think it’ll be very special,” Jerusalem captain Levi Randolph, who was a part of the team that won last year’s Cup, said of the upcoming final. “As a player, that’s what you train for, to be on the court in a packed gym, a lot of fans, a really good team. For me, it’s a dream to come into this environment.”

The two teams have met twice this season in the Winner League (with their third matchup scheduled early next week, just three days after the State Cup final), with Maccabi winning both games – 90-85 in Jerusalem in February and 90-78 in Tel Aviv March. Given what’s changed since those games – including the addition of veteran Alex Tyus and the return of Noam Dovrat for Jerusalem and the injury to Maccabi’s star Wade Baldwin IV – neither game can provide too much insight as to what will be the result in the final.

“We don’t have a lot to take from the earlier games,” Alon said. “This game will be a different team to what it was three months ago and last year. We need to make the most of the opportunity.”

“I can tell you a secret – we would prefer to be with Wade for the game,” Katash said. “He’s a big part of us, we miss him – we missed him in the EuroLeague playoffs and we’ll miss him tomorrow. But we can still do good things even without leading players. We expect it to be a challenging game. We have a lot of respect for Jerusalem and we will need to be precise.”

The game is sold out, with upwards of 11,000 people expected to be at Yad Eliyahu. After the year that we’ve had in Israel, let’s hope that it’ll be a good game which is worthy of a final.

“It’s been a long year playing,” DiBartolomeo said. “As a basketballer, this is what you dream about – playing in a packed house, one game for a championship. It’s not only great for us, but also for Israeli basketball and the fans.”