Hapoel Tel Aviv is regrouping after a heavy 96-75 loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first game of the Finals series. The club is already focused on Thursday’s next game and on who will be available to play, after officials described the defeat as a major blow.
According to team sources, Dan Oturu may be added to the roster even though he has not practiced fully for the past two months. The club hopes he can contribute in the decisive moments of the series and is expecting him to complete a full training session on Wednesday. There is also concern over Tomer Ginat, who reportedly had trouble walking after Game 1 and is considered doubtful for Game 2. He will try to practice today and undergo a series of tests that will determine whether he can continue in the finals.
Hapoel is also optimistic that about 7,000 of its supporters will come to Thursday’s game and create a strong home-like atmosphere. Head coach Dimitris Itoudis said, “The atmosphere yesterday was great and I thank the crowd, I expect 10,000 fans on Thursday.” Guard Bar Timor added, “We took a heavy blow, it was not an easy game. It was about attitude, less about basketball. We will come to fight. We have time to fix it. We cannot afford to come like this again.”
Itoudis said the loss should give the team more motivation, adding that all the players were below their level and that there was nothing positive to take from the game. He said Maccabi looked different after three straight losses to Hapoel and that his team now needs to prove it understood the message. Separately, Hapoel is not planning to drop the issue involving Jalen Hoard, who was involved in a confrontation with a fan. The club says a Maccabi player provoked the crowd during the game, and in the coming days it will decide what steps to take, including a possible complaint to the Israeli Basketball Association and the league office.
