Hapoel Tel Aviv were left deeply disappointed after losing the first game of the Israeli league final series to Maccabi Tel Aviv, 96-75, and are already focused on Game 2 on Thursday. Club sources said the main concern is player availability, with Dan Oturu possibly being included in the squad even though he has not practiced fully for the past two months. The team is hoping he can complete a full practice today and provide help in the decisive stages of the series.
There is greater concern over forward Tomer Ginat, who reportedly had trouble walking after the opener and is now a doubt for the second game. He will try to practice today and undergo a series of tests that will determine whether he is fit to continue in the final, according to the coaching staff.
Off the court, Hapoel are optimistic that about 7,000 supporters will come to the next game and create a strong home atmosphere. Head coach Dimitris Itoudis said, “The atmosphere yesterday was great and I thank the crowd, I expect 10,000 fans on Thursday.” Captain Bar Timor added, “We took a strong hit, it was not an easy game. It was all about attitude, less about basketball. We will come to fight, as clichéd as that sounds. We have time to fix it. We cannot allow ourselves to arrive like this again.”
Itoudis said the loss should add motivation for Thursday and that all of his players were below their usual level. He said there was “nothing positive” to take from the game and noted that Maccabi looked different after three straight losses to Hapoel, adding that his team now must prove it was the one that received the message. Hapoel are also considering possible action over the incident involving Jalen הורד, who clashed with a fan. The club says a Maccabi player provoked the crowd during the game, and in the coming days it will decide whether to file a complaint with the basketball federation and the league administration after reviewing all materials and events.
