Maccabi Tel Aviv Hits Historic Low in League Play
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Maccabi Tel Aviv has reached a historic low in the Israeli Basketball Premier League with a 3-2 record after losing to Hapoel Jerusalem. This is the first time since the 2013/14 season that the team has a losing record this early. Meanwhile, Hapoel Jerusalem continues its perfect 13-0 season across all competitions, leading the league. The win was Hapoel Jerusalem's first league victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv since 2015.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Maccabi Tel Aviv's 3-2 league record is its worst start since the 2013/14 season.
- Hapoel Jerusalem remains undefeated with a 13-0 record across all competitions.
- This is the first time since 2016/17 that Maccabi Tel Aviv has lost three straight league games.
- Hapoel Jerusalem's league win over Maccabi Tel Aviv was its first since April 2015.
- Coach Oded Katash has surpassed last season's loss total in the current regular season.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has fallen to a historically poor start in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, currently holding a losing record of 3-2 after a recent defeat to Hapoel Jerusalem. This marks the first time since the 2013/14 season that the team has had more losses than wins early in the regular season. In that prior instance, Maccabi also experienced a losing record after just three games, a low not seen in 13 years. Despite that difficult start, the 2013/14 season ultimately ended with Maccabi winning both the EuroLeague and a domestic double.
The last time Maccabi Tel Aviv had a losing record this early in the season was in the 1990/91 season, when they lost their opener to Hapoel Jerusalem. The current season sees Maccabi with three losses in five games. For comparison, in the entire previous regular season, Maccabi only suffered two losses, both against Hapoel Tel Aviv. Coach Oded Katash has now lost more games this season than in the entirety of the last.
In stark contrast, Hapoel Jerusalem continues its perfect start to the season, boasting an overall record of 13-0 across all competitions, including a 7-0 record in the league. This undefeated streak places them atop the league standings and also in first place in their EuroCup group. Hapoel Jerusalem's current league performance is their best since the 2020/21 season, when they also achieved seven consecutive wins.
However, Hapoel Jerusalem's strong start in 2020/21 did not translate to a championship, as they finished sixth in the regular season and were eliminated in the playoff quarterfinals. The win against Maccabi Tel Aviv was Hapoel Jerusalem's first league victory over their rivals since April 2015. Since then, Maccabi had won all four previous encounters between the two teams across various competitions, including playoff series and cup finals. The loss also marks the third consecutive league defeat for Maccabi Tel Aviv against Hapoel Jerusalem, a streak not seen since the 2016/17 season.
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