ISR – Final Four time in Israel

TEL AVIV (Basketball Super League) - The Israeli hoops season enters its climax this week with the Basketball Super League Final Four to be staged at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv.

In Tuesday’s semi-finals, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv will take on Altshuler Shaham Gilboa/Galil and Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem will face newcomers Maccabi Haifa Heat.

The title game will then be staged on Thursday night.

This is the fourth time a Final Four has been staged in the Israeli league.

Maccabi won the first two editions - the first in a one-sided game and the second with a winning play in the last seconds.

Last season league newcomers Hapoel Holon won the third, and ended Maccabi’s 14-year streak of championships with a clutch shot just two seconds from the end by Holon guard Malik Dixon.

In fact, it was only the second league title Maccabi had failed to win since 1970.

Maccabi are eager to start another streak.

"Three teams come to this event saying they want to win the title,” Maccabi coach Pini Gershon said.

“We need to win the title, and there's a big difference."

Maccabi finished the regular season with a 19-3 record - two games ahead of Hapoel Jerusalem.

In the play-offs, they won their series against Ironi Ashkelon 3-1, despite dropping the first game in Tel Aviv.

Galil finished the regular season in fifth but then knocked out the defending champion Holon in quarter-finals series after becoming the first team in the history of Israeli play-offs to win Game 5 on the road.

They won the Game 5 decider in overtime at Holon.

Gal Mekel, a Maccabi player on loan to Galil, has been one of the hottest names in Israeli basketball of late.

He was named the MVP of the league for April and was one of the main reasons Galil eliminated Holon.

The 21 year old point-guard, who was named Best Newcomer of the Season by the League, also got a call to the national team and could make his EuroBasket debut this summer.

On Galil's bench sits Oded Kattash, the former Maccabi superstar player.

Two years ago he coached Galil as the two teams met in the exact same stage and Galil came very close to shocking Maccabi.

His next game as a coach was with Maccabi – a team he once played for.

That marriage didn't last long, however, with Kattash fired on the first day of 2008. Soon he took Galil's top job again and now he has a chance to gain revenge.

As for Hapoel, they finished the league in second with a 17-5 record. They were a perfect 11-0 at home but on the road they’ve encountered more difficulties.

Head coach Guy Goodes, another former Maccabi star, was an assistant coach of Maccabi the last two years before moving to the capital city.

His team is playing a very offensive minded and energetic game.

With Omar Sneed, an All-BSL First Team forward, and Timmy Bowers, Hapoel seems ready to act and hope the support of their fans will give them a feel of home far from home.

They will take on Maccabi Haifa Heat, who won the National League last season. This was their debut season in the BSL after many years.

Just like Holon last year, they been a quick study by reaching the Final Four.

In Haifa, they are hoping for the same scenario. The fact that they signed the same Malik Dixon in mid-season surely adds some spice to their attempt.

With point guard Doron Perkins, an All-BSL first team guard, and Davon Jefferson, who just won the Best Sixth Player award of the league in his first season out of college, Haifa have a lot of confidence in themselves.

They are considered the best defensive team in the entire league and have already beat Maccabi and Hapoel during the season.

With an aggressive mindset and a very athletic team, Haifa can sting any team.

Hapoel and Haifa met this season in the semi-finals of the National Cup.

Haifa forward Moshe Mizrakhi, a former Hapoel player, won the game in the last seconds.

The entire event is fully covered in both Hebrew and English on the official website of the league: www.basket.co.il/Final_Four_IV.asp (Hebrew Version) and www.basket.co.il/Final_Four_IV_eng.asp?lang=en (English Version).

Yarone Arbel, Tel Aviv
FIBA