Hapoel Jerusalem Coach Obradović Furious Despite Undefeated Streak
Translated & summarized from Sport5 by baba
Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Hapoel Emek 65-59 to remain undefeated in the Winner League at 5-0, but coach Saša Obradović was highly critical of his team's performance, calling it "far from basketball." Despite defensive dominance and a significant rebounding advantage, the team struggled offensively, shooting poorly. Obradović expressed anger over the team's lack of focus and intensity. Guard Jared Harper is nearing a return after resuming contact drills.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Hapoel Jerusalem beat Hapoel Emek 65-59 to stay undefeated at 5-0.
- Coach Saša Obradović slammed his team's performance as "far from basketball."
- The team shot poorly at 36.8% but dominated rebounding 49-30.
- Obradović cited a lack of focus and intensity as major issues.
- Guard Jared Harper is nearing a return after resuming drills.
Hapoel Jerusalem maintained its perfect record in the Winner League on Sunday, defeating Hapoel Emek 65-59 at the Pais Arena. Despite the victory, which pushed their season record to 5-0, coach Saša Obradović expressed significant dissatisfaction with his team's performance, particularly their offensive struggles. Jerusalem shot just 36.8% from the field, making only 21 of 57 attempts. However, the team dominated defensively, allowing an average of only 68 points per game this season, and controlled the boards, outrebounding Emek 49-30, including 19 offensive rebounds. These rebounding efforts were crucial in overcoming their offensive difficulties.
Following the game, Obradović did not hold back his criticism in the press conference. "I was not satisfied at all despite the victory. This is the fourth consecutive game in the league where we are playing this badly," he stated. He emphasized that while the team believes it can win every game, their current level of play is unacceptable. "The number of technical fouls we received indicates we were not focused, we were not focused on basketball. We played at 80 percent, sometimes 90, it's simply not enough. We need to respect the opponent and ourselves. This was very far from the basketball we want to play, what we saw tonight was far from basketball at all," Obradović added.
The coach's frustration extended to the locker room, where he reportedly yelled at his players about their attitude and its impact on achieving their season goals. Hapoel Jerusalem faces a significant challenge next Saturday against Maccabi Tel Aviv at Menora Mivtachim Arena.
On a positive note, guard Jared Harper is progressing in his recovery. According to team officials, Harper has resumed contact and ball-handling drills, indicating he is nearing a return to the court.
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