Maccabi Tel Aviv 
Hapoel Holon Maccabi Tel Aviv
Made/Att
Made/Att
Made/Att
DEF OFF TOT
CM RV
FV AG
Hapoel Holon
Made/Att
Made/Att
Made/Att
DEF OFF TOT
CM RV
FV AG
Tonight at 21:10 local: Finals versus Hapoel Holon
The yellows will try to win their 52nd championship as they will face Shamir and Pnini's purples. Jackson, Bolden and Art will not be registered to the game. Cole: "Our main focus is to win the title"
Maccabi’s head coach Neven Spahija said at the press conference: “The most important thing for us is to focus on our game. We will try to fix the things that didn’t work well for us, Maccabi is playing right now its best basketball since the beginning of the season and the players are coming with full confidence. We respect our opponents but we want to come to the game prepared and do exactly what we did in the last month”.
“I’m never a 100% comfortable” Coach Spahija added, “If that’s how you feel before a finals game than something is not ok with you, the issue here is not Pargo but the entire team of Maccabi Tel Aviv versus Hapoel Holon”.
“We will try to execute our game plan” said Norris Cole, “We will give everything we got and we will try to do our best, the preparations are the same preparations just before every game. Every season has its ups and downs, our main focus is to win the title. Pargo joined us and it’s great. As you can see, we can play together”.
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv will play its first final since the 2014 season where the yellows have won all four title. In the 2014 finals where the champs were crowned in a format of home and away games (accumulated score), Maccabi got the 163:161 win over Haifa in over time.
So far Coach Neven Spahija won seven championships: two in Croatia with Cibona Zagreb, in Slovenia with Krka Novo Mesto, in Lithuania with Rytas Vilnius, in Spain with Vitoria, in Turkey with Fenerbahce Ulker and also with Maccabi Tel Aviv in his previous stint with the yellows (06/07 season) where he beat Dan Shamir’s Jerusalem in the finals.
The champs are back: Maccabi wins championship number 52
The yellows ended a three year drought as they won their 52nd championship with a 95:75 win over Holon. Tyus was awarded with MVP honors with a minster display of 10P, 15R, 4B & 3A, Roll added 15, Cole 13 and Cohen had 18P & 6R
Coach Spahija’s starting five: Pargo, Kane, Roll, Cohen and Tyus. Cohen’s hustle sparked the thousands of fans in the stands as the yellows took the early 8:0 lead forcing coach Shamir to call for a timeout two minutes into the game. Maccabi’s pressure and hustle led to another 5:0 run as the yellows increased their lead to 13:0. Spahija’s squad increased their lead to 17:2 but Holloway reacted from distance to keep Holon in the game (17:5). The yellows increased their lead to 24:5. Rice Jr. capitalized on a shooting foul and a technical foul called on Pargo
enroute of a 7:0 run bringing Holon closer to Maccabi (24:14). Roll’s successful free throw ended the first quarter with the yellows having the 28:17 lead.Tyus and Pargo and Roll made it 36:19 at the beginning of the second quarter. Pnini and Rice Jr. scored for Holon to make it 37:23. Maccabi continued to struggle from the free throw line as Holon came all the way back to 41:29 with two minutes remaining in the second quarter. Roll and Cole reacted for Maccabi as Tyus dominated the yellow’s aerial space (45:29). Thomas finished the second quarter with a great post up play to give the yellows the 47:31 lead at halftime.
Rice Jr. scored five points for Holon at the beginning of the third, but Cohen reacted with a
three point play (50:36). Rice Jr. and Hamilton scored back to back threes to make it 52:42, Cole scored both of his free throws and then dished a beautiful assist to Tyus who completed the three point play (57:42). Kane and Cole increased Maccabi’s lead to 60:44 with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. John-Di and Cole made it 68:47 at the end of the third quarter.Alexander scored both free throws to make it 68:49 at the beginning of the fourth, but Cohen capitalized on an offensive board. Blatt scored a
three pointer but Roll reacted with a midrange jumper to keep Maccabi ahead 72:52. Alexander completed a three point play for Holon who got closer to the yellows (74:59), but Cohen reacted with one of his own to make it 77:59. John-Di and Kane capitalized on two technical fouls called on Alexander to make it 82:62. Pnini’s three pointer trimmed Maccabi’s lead to 84:69, but John-Di scored one of his own to keep Holon at bay as Maccabi won championship number 52 after the 95:75 win over Holon.