{"id":89039,"date":"2023-06-12T18:56:17","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T18:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=89039"},"modified":"2023-06-12T18:56:17","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T18:56:17","slug":"stay-focussed-and-leave-everything-else-behind-hapoel-tel-aviv-has-title-in-sight-in-decisive-finals-derby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/stay-focussed-and-leave-everything-else-behind-hapoel-tel-aviv-has-title-in-sight-in-decisive-finals-derby\/","title":{"rendered":"Stay focussed and leave everything else behind: Hapoel Tel Aviv has title in sight in decisive Finals Derby"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It couldn\u2019t have been scripted any better. <\/p>\n<p>Hapoel Tel Aviv came back and came back with a vengeance as they pounded Maccabi Tel Aviv into Israeli basketball history book oblivion by a record setting 112-74 victory to knot up the 2023 championship series at 1-1 as the teams will now head to a do or die game three on Tuesday night back at Yad Eliyahu.<\/p>\n<p>The Reds owned the Yellow &#038; Blue every which way on this night from hours before the tip-off until the final buzzer and then some.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"iw\" dir=\"rtl\">\u05e0\u05e8\u05d0\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc\u05d0 \u05e0\u05d5\u05ea\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05e9\u05de\u05e2\u05d5\u05df \u05de\u05d6\u05e8\u05d7\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d4\u05db\u05e0\u05e1 \u05dc\u05d3\u05e8\u05d9\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d0\u05d9\u05df <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GcIG9lEa3r\">pic.twitter.com\/GcIG9lEa3r<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sports Rabbi (@thesportsrabbi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thesportsrabbi\/status\/1667935591554510849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 11, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nWhether it was causing havoc at the entrance to the Drive In for Maccabi chairman Shimon Mizrachi who without a League ID card was made to wander from door to door until he was allowed in with a ticket in hand, to the delay of the game when dozens of flares were set off in the Hapoel section it was all Red all game long.<\/p>\n<p>Mizrachi had once said if it\u2019s 10 make it 20, if it\u2019s 20 make it 30 to his players a number of years ago, well that\u2019s exactly the medicine that Maccabi was forced to choke down their throats as Xavier Munford, Jordan McRae and company kept pounding and pounding away at them. <\/p>\n<p>Danny Franco\u2019s team was unstoppable from the outside, dominant on the inside and outplayed Oded Katash\u2019s crew just as they had done to them in game one. Hapoel ruled the boards 43-31, dished out more assists 26-20 and was by far the better team. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This has been a process here over the last there years and it\u2019s a chance now to play for a title,\u201d Captain Bar Timor explained. \u201cWe are very excited and want to do the best that we can. It\u2019s basketball and it\u2019s the most beautiful thing in the world. Sometimes there is no explanation. We expected to win and wanted to win and we were as surprised that the game began the way it did. But most importantly we evened up the series.\u201d<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_88846\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88846\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0219.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-88846\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0219.jpeg 1280w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0219-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0219-610x610.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0219-440x440.jpeg 440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-88846\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bar Timor &#8211; Photo Credit: Dov Halickman<\/p><\/div><br \/>\nJ\u2019Covan Brown wasn\u2019t the shell of himself from last game and Chinanu Onuaku was a force in the paint on both sides of the court. It\u2019s quite amazing how two games could be so different and lopsided and went to either end of the spectrum. Chances are that game three will be a battle on every possession in what will be a contest where the fittest will survive. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of adjustments,\u201d Munford said. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t get out and run and play our game because we didn\u2019t get rebounds at Maccabi, so it\u2019s going to look like that. When we play with intensity and get our stops then we can play our game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Franco also chimed in, \u201cThere are games that start like this and it doesn\u2019t matter what you do, your shots are going to go in and the other team\u2019s won\u2019t. We have to enjoy what we did here but we need to get up after this game and understand that we really ticked them off and we have to deal with that on Tuesday.\u201d<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_89013\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89013\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0386.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-89013\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0386.jpeg 1280w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0386-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0386-610x610.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0386-440x440.jpeg 440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-89013\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Danny Franco &#8211; Photo Credit: Dov Halickman<\/p><\/div><br \/>\nMaccabi on the other hand went into the lockerroom after the gene was delayed by Hapoel Tel Aviv fans flares and never quite came out to play the game. After just ten minutes it was already 36-17 for the reds and the rest as they say is history as the yellow-and-blue suffered their worst lost ever in Israeli league play. <\/p>\n<p>Despite the League administration holding a dog and pony show <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3qBVXzU\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">press conference<\/a><\/strong> at the Toto offices the morning of game two to discuss violence and other disturbing issues that have offered with more frequency at games of late, the league Chairman Ari Steinberg has yet to prove that he can put his strong words into actions. While he claims changes will come and a number of Tweets about the league and Basketball Association plans for next season were quickly put together and sent out, the jury is still out in a big way. <\/p>\n<p>The flares that are lit up by Hapoel Tel Aviv fans need to stop as per Onuaku who tweeted as such during the break to wait for the smoke to exit the building. Not only are there dangerous as was seen in the Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Hapoel Holon game when they fell through a barrier and set fire to seats below that were thankfully unoccupied, but it also throws off the entire mindset and focus of the game which was seen in the opening contest of this series for Hapoel and game two for Maccabi.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"zxx\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ysE1K0589i\">pic.twitter.com\/ysE1K0589i<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sports Rabbi (@thesportsrabbi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thesportsrabbi\/status\/1667964298100916224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 11, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nSo weak is the Israel Basketball Association\u2019s kangaroo court, they will only rule on the actions and disturbances of both teams on Wednesday which is of course after the series will be over. There should have already been penalties handed down the morning after game one. <\/p>\n<p>Regardless to all of the extracurricular activities, there will be a deciding game three on Tuesday and either it will be Maccabi winning their 56th league title or it will be Hapoel Tel Aviv capturing their first championship since 1969.<\/p>\n<p>The odds say Maccabi will take the win as they will have the home crowd backing them in a packed arena with close to 11K people of that 1,500 will be Hapoel supporters plus another 1,500 who will descend upon Yad Eliyahu looking to get in as apr team officials.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_88987\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88987\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0378.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-88987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0378.jpeg 1280w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0378-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0378-610x610.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/IMG_0378-440x440.jpeg 440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-88987\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Xavier Munford &#8211; Photo Credit: Dov Halickman<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n\u201cIt\u2019s an amazing atmosphere and fans in Tel Aviv are amazing,\u201d Munford noted. \u201cThis type of game brings out a a lot of emotions. We got to stay focussed and leave everything else and the distractions behind and focus to go out there and get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Franco also reflected on the flares and other off court activities, \u201cMy job and that of the players is to just focus on basketball and to realize our dreams. Anything else shouldn\u2019t take us away from our jobs. The guys are professionals and anyone who wants to win a title needs to know how to deal with these types of situations.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The yellow-and-blue faithful have been crucial for the club\u2019s success and were the prime reason that they had such a terrific home record in Euroleague play. But that was also without traveling fans in the stands whereas that won\u2019t be the case in a Derby final game three.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Bar Timor about the championship list in the Hapoel Tel Aviv locker room:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe see it all the time and it gives us the drive to add another season to that list\u201d\ud83d\udde3\ud83d\udd34 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zPIgZqA0a7\">pic.twitter.com\/zPIgZqA0a7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sports Rabbi (@thesportsrabbi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thesportsrabbi\/status\/1668276130095169538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 12, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nCan Maccabi finish off their season on a positive note with a title in hand? Can Hapoel win their first league championship since 1969?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone of us were around in 1969,\u201d Franco commented. \u201cWe aren\u2019t playing for that but what is happening today. We are 40 minutes from a championship and I hope and believe that we will do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Timor did look back in a big way at the club\u2019s last title, \u201cWe see it all the time in big on the wall in the lockerroom and it gives us the drive to add another championship to that list.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It couldn\u2019t have been scripted any better. Hapoel Tel Aviv came back and came back with a vengeance as they pounded Maccabi Tel Aviv into Israeli basketball history book oblivion by a record setting 112-74 victory to knot up the 2023 championship series at 1-1 as the teams will now head to a do or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":89041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[168,97,4,5118],"class_list":["post-89039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holy-land-hoops","tag-bar-timor","tag-hapoel-tel-aviv","tag-maccabi-tel-aviv","tag-xavier-munford","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stay focussed and leave everything else behind: Hapoel Tel Aviv has title in sight in decisive Finals Derby - Sports Rabbi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/stay-focussed-and-leave-everything-else-behind-hapoel-tel-aviv-has-title-in-sight-in-decisive-finals-derby\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stay focussed and leave everything else behind: Hapoel Tel Aviv has title in sight in decisive Finals Derby - Sports Rabbi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It couldn\u2019t have been scripted any better. 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