Maccabi Tel Aviv, coached by Oded Kattash, hosts Hapoel Tel Aviv tonight at Menora Mivtachim Arena at 20:50 in Game 3 of the Winner League playoff final series. It could be the last game of the series, because Maccabi leads 2-0 in the best-of-five matchup.
The starting lineups are not expected to change much. Hapoel is hoping for another strong showing from Yam Madar and Jonathan Motley, who stood out in Game 2, while Maccabi is relying mainly on the inside threat of Clark, Brist and Sorkin. Maccabi arrives short-handed, without the Israeli players Blatt and Levi and without foreign player Walker, but Ludberg has returned from injury and the rest of the roster is available.
If Maccabi seals the series tonight, it would be the club’s 58th championship and Kattash’s fourth title as a coach. Captain John DiBartolomeo, who was recently reported to want to stay for one final season, would also win the seventh championship of his career.
On paper, the odds are against Hapoel: Maccabi has won three titles in five best-of-five finals it has played, and the last time it wrapped up a championship in four games was 26 years ago. Still, Israeli basketball is known for surprises, and as the fans see it, nothing is decided until the buzzer sounds and the scoreboard is clear.
