8 seconds and 1 fadeaway 3 pointer away..

The semifinal and final of the cup were 2 of the most entertaining games I have ever been a part of. First the semifinal game against Jerusalem..

Jerusalem is a team tied for 1st place with Maccabi Tel Aviv in our league.  They were also the favorites in the game by about 8 points.  Luckily, our team was focused from the beginning and played great defense throughout the game.  Neither team built more than a 10 point lead either way.  At the end of the 4th quarter we got a bucket to go up 2 points with 35 seconds left.  They came back down and with the shot clock running low hit an off balance 3 pointer with 10 seconds left to go up 1 point.  timeout.  our ball with one last chance and we get a runner across the lane which goes in while getting fouled by Jerusalem with 2 seconds left.  We are up 1 point now.  After a missed free throw by us a full court shot is way off and we win the game in dramatic fashion.  Next up in the finals is Holon.  A role reversal in that we are now the favored team.

The game starts out great for us and we have a 10 point lead built up somewhere in the 2nd quarter.  things are looking good and all we need to do is protect the lead and play solid.  We end up going into the halftime break with an 8 point lead.  The 2nd half opened up with Holon playing inspired basketball.  2 of their guards were hitting tough 3 point baskets and driving to the hoop.  After a run they were up around 8 or 9 points heading into the 4th quarter.  Our team showed some character by stepping up the defense and had the game tied under 2 minutes to go.  After some more back and forth we go up by 3 with about 17 seconds left.  they drive the length of the court and get fouled.  make both free throws.  our ball again and when we inbound the ball we get immediately fouled.  make 1 of 2 free throws so now we are up 2 points with 8 seconds to go.  One of their guards drives the length of the floor and dribbles to the corner, steps back, and with 3 of our defenders on him altering his shot, makes a 3 pointer as time expires.  amazing..  for them.  It was a depressing loss because it was going to be history for Haifa to win the cup.  Never has it been done before in Haifa.  A tough way to lose the championship.   As for me..  I have been not practicing full with the team this past week because of a hurt neck.  I'm hoping it gets better and am getting treatment.  

  

Another Solid Win

Our opponent this week was Rishon Lezion.  This team was dangerous for us because they had added a few powerful american players since the last time we played them.  The first time around, we easily beat them by 20+ points and it was never really a game the whole way.  They were playing well coming into the game and they started the game well (as usual with most teams against us).  We built up a little lead in the first half before they made a little run before the break.  After a back and forth 3rd quarter we pretty much protected our 10 point lead throughout the 4th quarter.  They made it close and we ended up winning by 7 points in the end.  It was a good win but we did suffer an injury to one of our top players, Doron Perkins.  He pulled his groin muscle in the final few minutes and is not practicing with us at the moment.  We have a huge game next monday against Jerusalem (a team tied for 1st place) in the semi-final of the cup.  Winning the cup is a huge deal and Haifa has not been this far in many many years.  We need a good week of practice in preparation for this.  

Outside of basketball Israel is having an election today for Prime Minister.  This is a big deal because it will send the country in a different direction.  As many know there has been a ton of violence between Israel and surrounding Arab nations.  This has the potential to mean more or less violence between the groups.  I am not an political expert on Israel but I do know that it is a very important day.  

Back on Track

This past week's game was a very important game for us.  We had dropped two straight games in the league and could not afford to drop another game if we wanted to stay in the top of the race for the league.  Our challenge was Ramat Gan (a team we had already beaten in the first meeting).  This was the start of the second time that we play each team in our league.  The game started off slow as usual with back and forth action.  We built up a slight lead but didn't really break the game open until the end of the 3rd quarter.  After a relatively easy 4th quarter we ended up winning the game by 20 points.  The coach played me 8 minutes in which I had 5 rebounds and 1 point.  The timing of him putting me in was cool because I was just telling a teammate beside me how much I hated sitting on the bench every game.  It was a fun game and a much needed win.  Up next week is Rishon LeZion.  

Off the court not too much went on this week.  I did get a chance to watch the Super Bowl!  The game was very entertaining but I'm still upset the Panthers were not in it :(  I really thought this was our year..