If the Hapoel Jerusalem and Bnei Herzliya Israel State Cup semifinal game was spectacular, well then the Tel Aviv Derby took it up yet another few notches as Maccabi and Hapoel gave the soldout arena plenty of unforgettable action in what was an instant classic that saw the yellow-and-blue outlast the reds 95-93 in overtime.

There were some stunningly great plays from both teams that were absolutely at the highest of levels whether it was from Levi Randolph or Yam Madar, but this game belonged to one player and one player only.

Rokas Jokubatis put his fingerprints on the game from the get go, with stellar shooting, deft passing and just all out grit, drive and desire. Rokas was rocking on the Jerusalem Arena floor throughout the entire game.

With 27 points and 8 assists and 4 rebounds as a 32 efficiency rating in 35 minutes tied the bow around his game very nicely.

Rocking Rokas sure has a nice ring to it.

Jokubaitis has been quoted many a times over the past few weeks before and after many of Maccabi’s games, be it in the Euroleague or in the domestic competition, about the club’s frustration about not finding ways to win, effort and how the poor results that the team was unacceptable. You could hear it in his voice how upset he was when the yellow-and-blue would fall to yet another continental foe.

“He’s a great kid that was a part of a winning teams for the large part of his career,” Maccabi Head Coach Oded Katash said. “We are all upset from what is happening with our play in Europe, it’s not easy and I understand his frustration. It’s not what Maccabi expects and it’s not what we expect and it’s not fun, but this is the reality. But it is what it is and we need special people here like Rokas to help us make it through these tough times. There isn’t team in Europe that has gone through what we have and it’s not fun to be an athlete and experience that. He understands it and also wants to succeed so badly as does the entire team.”

It was without a doubt driving him crazy, perhaps driving him nuts to see his team lose one game after another, but he also knew that a win here, in the State Cup over Hapoel Tel Aviv would be one giant step towards a worthy title which will be decided on Thursday night when Maccabi tips off against Hapoel Jerusalem.

Jokubaitis went to the rim with authority, he had oodles of confidence each time he took one of his patented jumpers and it was clear that he was going to do whatever he could in his power to bring home the victory and give the faithful fans something to cheer about.

Levi Randolph, who was also a key contributor in the win, chimed that this is the Jokubaitis that the team all knows and loves, “Rokas is a great player and a very hard worker and for me we’ve seen it all season long but his play gets overlooked by a loss. In the lockerroom we know what he can do and he played big here and made some big baskets for us. There are a lot of variables this season like playing many away games, lineup changes, and we are building. We are starting to become a team and so many guys played big in this game.”

There’s no question that it wasn’t easy with a very game reds team on the other side of the court and without Jaylen Hoard suiting up for the yellow-and-blue, which meant everyone would need to step up to fill the void in order to come out on top. And for the longest time, it looked that Maccabi would come up short in their goal, falling behind by double digits, 66-56 late in the 3rd quarter and then by 7-points, 79-72 with time ticking down in the final frame.

But in both instances Jokubaitis was there with a big basket to make sure that the gap narrowed and didn’t widen allowing the reds to break the game open and put Maccabi in a situation where there would be no return.

Jokubaitis arrived over the summer after having spent three years at Barcelona in addition to a trip of season before that with Zalgiris. At only 24 years old, it’s hard to fathom that the Lithuanian floor general is in his 6th Euroleague season but what makes this one different from all of the others is that he is in a totally different role than he had been previously. He is now a leader with a game in and game out starting role whereas the past few seasons he had been more of a role player coming off of the bench and in reality complimenting the starters.

This is Rokas’s first true chance at being the lead fiddle and as head coach Oded Katash has explained a number of times, the transition is not as simple as 1-2-3. It takes time to understand a learn a new role despite it being just playing basketball.

With that, Jokubaitis had sat out the last Euroleague game due to ankle pain and it was not a shoe-in that he was going to play against Hapoel Tel Aviv explained Katash, “Rokas has some ankle issues and he should be ok. He had a great game here although he had been doubtful. There were matchups in this game and we tried to manage his minutes. Rokas is starting to really develop this year and his role is very different than the one he had in the past. He has a lot of upside, he’s such an amazing person and everyone is happy that he is here with us.”

Was this Jokubaitis’s coming out party? It certainly looked like it

Can he do it again on Thursday night when the Cup will be on the line? Well, that will be the real test for the point guard as he will have a chance to lead his troops to the title that they have lost to Jerusalem the past two seasons.

However, if what we all witnessed on Monday night against Hapoel in the Derby was the real deal, then despite the club’s ups and downs this season, they will be in Jokubaitis’s good hands when the ball is tipped off at 9pm on Thursday back at the Arena.