Hapoel Tel Aviv Crushed by Maccabi Tel Aviv in Super Cup Final

Hapoel Tel Aviv suffered a stunning 101-83 defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Super Cup basketball final on Thursday, leaving players and staff bewildered. The team expressed shock and embarrassment in the locker room, struggling to comprehend the unexpected magnitude of the loss, for which there were no prior indicators. Coach Dimitris Itoudis and owner Ofer Yanai, who recently announced he would step back from day-to-day operations, addressed the players. Itoudis scheduled a video briefing and practice for the following morning at 8 AM, followed by a team media day and his own league meeting, with a flight to Bulgaria later that evening.

Captain Bar Timor apologized to the fans, stating, "This is not our way to look like a team. This summarizes the evening for us, we take full responsibility. From the players to the staff. We can't look like this." He acknowledged a lack of coordination and energy, emphasizing the need to learn from the loss rather than assign blame. "This is like a slap that can wake us up. We received a punch, we need to get up and fight back," Timor added, stressing the urgency to improve.

Professionally, Hapoel identified a significant weakness in their interior defense, noting that Maccabi exploited them early under the basket. They plan to consider this in future player selections for league games. The game's MVP was Yam Madar, a former Hapoel player now with Maccabi, who scored a buzzer-beating half-court three-pointer. Madar was booed by approximately 1,500 Hapoel fans throughout the game, and Hapoel's professional manager, George Hinas, demonstratively refused to shake his hand post-game.

Timor commented on Madar, calling him an excellent player and competitor, and expressed happiness for his success off the court. Hapoel announced prior to the game that Elijah Bryant and Juhann Germain were absent due to illness requiring hospitalization, thus not being in the squad. However, a photo emerged post-game showing Bryant getting a haircut, prompting Hapoel to state they would discuss the matter with the player.