When it comes down to playing Derbies no matter where in the world and in whatever sport it all comes down to wanting it more. Which team is going to see their players step it up and do what they need to in order to be victorious. From diving for a loose ball to getting down and dirty in the paint and trying to get the best position it all comes down to desire.

As Hapoel Tel Aviv big man Jaylen Hoard said, “At times I felt that (that Maccabi wanted to win more) and one of the guys said they (Maccabi) looked like they wanted it more due to the offensive rebounds).”

Sure talent plays a big factor too and if the two teams would be on totally different planets with entirely different level of play the Derby of course would not be as competitive as one would want it to be.

However, in Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv’s cases they are as close as two teams could be in terms of talent, roster and experience.

At the end of the day, when you get these two teams together locked in battle it’s all about the drive, desire and who wants it more.

Sunday night saw the yellow-and-blue get by the Reds 95-78 in a game that was fairly tight for opening half, but one could see where the winds were blowing as the first quarter came to an end. Jasiel Rivero who ended the game with a double-double scored a pair of clutch baskets while captain John Dibartolomeo drilled home a triple at the buzzer to pull within 4-points in what was a lackadaisical period of play.

To begin the second quarter it was Jake Cohen’s turn to find points inside and hit his shot from the outside to start pulling away and when you add in Bonzie Colson who looks like the player who missed performing at Yad Eliyahu the most well then you’ve got quite the team.

“Jake and I definitely have a lot of experience with derbies,” Dibartolomeo said. “There is some anxiousness and nervousness before these games especially on our home floor and with the momentum we’ve had right now there was a little extra pressure and the beginning of the game kind of showed that. Jake is the ultimate professional and he is always ready to compete when his number is called and he was amazing. He completely changed the game when he came in and that is what we expect from him and from a lot of our leaders and I am happy that he played well.”

Colson and the Maccabi fans definitely have a love affair of sorts and it’s clear that a packed Yad Eliyahu on Thursday nights for Euroleague play has been missing for everyone, fan and player alike.

“Bonzie is full of energy,” Katash said. “When he plays at home it helps him as well. He is a barometer for us and he grabbed so many offensive rebounds. When he is on, then we are playing properly and we can run. When he gets to his spots then we know that the team is playing correctly.”

The energy that is created can’t be taken for granted ay The Yad and that’s also why the Euroleague Director of Competition Diego Guillen was in attendance as the yellow-and-blue would like to get continental clashes back in Israel sooner rather than later. With close to 11,000 fans in the stands for the first time since October 5th when Partizan Belgrade came to town, Yad Eliyahu finally had the buzz that it had been missing for games against the likes of Hapoel Eilaqt and Kiryat Ata.

“The crowd is something we definitely missed,” Colson said. “We missed playing in front of our crowd here, even in the Euroleague. We knew how important this game was to us, the club and the city. It’s a long season, there are ups and downs and as long as we continue to do what we know how to do we will be OK.”

Dibartolomeo also spoke about the fans and their effect on the game, “The crowd is incredible and it’s something that we miss this year. It’s hard to explain how much it means to us especially on our home floor as we have built it into a fortress where Euroleague teams don’t want to come. The fans were a big reason that we were able to play well on the defensive end.”

Hapoel tried to threaten on a number of occasions, but they just weren’t there for one reason or another despite having close to 2,000 fans in the stands for a road game.

Perhaps it was a Hapoel roster that has continuously gone through changes with additions and subtractions due to injuries. J’Covan Brown who recently returned to action from being on the shelf for quote sometime ended up getting the start back in a place that he is always very comfortable operating in. How many times have we seen good ole J’Covan carve Maccabi up at Yad Eliyahu? Probably way too many to count.

However, this version of Brown wasn’t nearly the same as the one everyone has been sued to seeing. Sure, he scored 11 points but was 3/11 from the field and dished out 8 assists but also turned the ball over 4 times as well. It’s been common place for J’Covan to do as he pleases, but a step slow and perhaps not the best match for this version of Hapoel Tel Aviv which ended up leaving Dez Wells out of the squad perhaps will see head coach Danny Franco forced to make some unpleasant decisions later on this season.

“As a coach you have to make decisions,” Franco began. “J’Covan is not 100% fit where he could have really controlled the game and we aren’t there yet. We are still at a stage where we are still trying things out to be and maybe it doesn’t make a difference whether we have a big game and it’s February where I can register him or not.”

“We tried to give him a secondary role, but with an injury to Bar Timor and Tomer Ginat and Kyle Alexander there were too many players who were hurt that couldn’t be consistent enough and give it their best. But since J’Covan can defend taller players and I wanted Will Cummings in the lineup, I had to make a decision. So I said, let’s go with JB although I wasn’t 100% set on it. But he’s a part of us and the way he came into the game shows.”

As for the infirmary at Maccabi Tel Aviv, it’s was certainly surprising to see Lorenzo Brown registered to play in his game and also put in 15 minutes of action. After missing out on the club’s Euroleague game at Anadolu EFES in Latvia last week and with word surfacing that maybe he won’t play again this season, the guard forced his way into the lineup as he wanted to make sure he would be available for a crucial game.

Sure the Derby is important as is the Israeli Classico which will be played on Friday afternoon in Jerusalem, but the Euroleague is still the most important competition that Maccabi is currently in especially since they have 8 games left and can still find their way into the playoffs directly or the play in.

Recently signed guard Joe Thomasson was on hand for the Derby and soon enough he will start to get minutes as he will try to integrate into the team as quickly as possible.

But both Maccabi and Hapoel need to focus on the bigger picture here, zoom out just a bit despite having to play a ton of Israeli league games this week and try and finish off their respective continental campaigns as best as possible. Use that as a springboard to then come into the important stages of the Israeli league raring to go.

What the their respective rosters will look like by then is still up in the air, but one thing is for certain that there won’t be a dull moment for either squad.