Maccabi Tel Aviv will try on Tuesday evening to finish the Israeli basketball season with a title when it meets Hapoel Tel Aviv in Game 4 of the final series. The yellow-and-blue lead the series 2-1, and a win would deliver the club its 58th national championship.
Two days earlier, Maccabi had its first chance to clinch the series in front of a packed home crowd in the arena, a sight not seen since February, when it was still hosting EuroLeague home games there. That effort failed, and the team now enters the matchup with heightened tension and pressure.
The club knows the game could determine the direction of the whole series. Victory would bring championship celebrations, while a loss would tie the series and force a decisive Game 5. Inside the team, the message was clear: "Of course we already want to do it and complete our main task this season. We were not there in the last game, and we will have to look different to stand properly. We do not want to get into trouble and lose a lead again."
Management felt the team’s level dropped in the previous game, with fatigue affecting the pace, energy and overall performance of several players. The roster has remained unchanged through the first three games, and Maccabi is still dealing with a short squad because of injuries. Coach Oded Katash and his staff are considering a lineup change for Tuesday, possibly registering Lonnie Walker in place of one player, but Walker has not played in the last six games, which complicates the decision. At this stage, the inclination is to stay with the original roster and lineup.
