ISR - The title is back in Tel Aviv!

TEL AVIV (Basketball Super League) -     Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv won their 48th championship title after an 85-72 victory over Maccabi Haifa Heat in the finals of the 4th Final Four of the Israel Basketball Super League on Thursday night at Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv. Already down by 12 in the second quarter Maccabi found their bright future in captain Derrick Sharp who came off the bench, and once again saved his team with big plays through a 22-5 run. Tal Burstein sank a couple of three pointers in the closing quarter to push Maccabi over the top, and secure the win. Maccabi have a chance to start another streak now after their last two lasted 22 and 14 years.

Carlos Arroyo earned the MVP award of the finals behind 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, D'or Fischer added 19 with 11 boards, Omri Casspi collected 15 points while Lior Eliyahu scored nine. In Haifa Doron Perkins scored 25 points, 18 of them from the line after drawing the same amount of fouls, while Davon Jefferson scored 16 with 12 rebounds and four big blocks.

Maccabi fans lit up the Nokia Arena

A very nervous start, as expected, saw both teams nearly touch the rim. The first bucket on each side were dunks by D'or Fischer and Davon Jefferson. The last added a big block on Omri Casspi's drive to the rim and added a mid-range jumper to put Haifa on top but Maccabi had Lior Eliyahu to reply. Carlos Arroyo took the game on his shoulders but missed two lay ups, which allowed Haifa to climb to a 10-6 lead after five minutes despite Doron Perkins collected two quick fouls before Moshe Mizrakhi connected a big off-dribble three shot to push the margin to 15-10 but Maccabi was there to answer quickly. Arroyo hit a jumper and continued with a big dish to another dunk by Fischer to force Haifa's first time out, still up by a point, 15-14. Perkins returned but kept looking for his first field goal, as Eliyahu got Ido Kozikaro in foul trouble as well with his second. Malik Dixon with a corner three a minute before the buzzer set the score on 19-16 in favor of Haifa, before Maccabi missed two chances to add a bucket before the first buzzer.

Fischer led Maccabi with six points while Eliyahu and Arroyo scored four each. Jefferson was the top scorer of Haifa with six points, three rebounds and two blocks followed by Mizrakhi with five.

Jefferson and Fischer created a great match-up

Jefferson continued to damage Maccabi and this time had the back of Brooks Sales with a post up move as Haifa took a 23-16 lead. Dixon missed a three ball that could have made it a double-digit game, to see Fischer at the other side finish well and add a bonus from the line, as Haifa had no less than five players with two fouls - Kozikaro, Perkins, Sales, Gur Porat and Amit Ben David. Nevertheless Haifa was the one with the momentum, and after Jefferson scored another basket he added points from the line to set the score on 30-20 after 13 minutes. After Sales added another jumper Maccabi went for their oldest trick in the book and sent Derrick Sharp on court down by 12, but it was Dee Brown who answered first with five points in a row and make Haifa call a time out, still with a 32-25 lead and 4:36 to play in the half. Perkins continued to hit the rim and Dee Brown showed him how to make it done in traffic. Casspi with a big drive cut the difference to only four, 35-31, and Sharp delivered his basics - a catch-and-shoot three pointer to cut the difference to three. Perkins missed again and followed with a mistake with his third foul, as Maccabi's momentum kept going. Sharp hit another long distance arrow and Arroyo attacked the rim and added two more from the line to set the score on 37-42 after a 5-22 Maccabi run entering the last minute. Dixon broke the drought but Kozikaro and Porat wrote their 3rd foul and Sharp added one more from the line to set the half time score on 39-43.

Arroyo and Fischer finished the break as Maccabi's top scorers with nine points each while Sharp, Dee Brown and Eliyahu scored five each. In Haifa Jefferson collected ten points, eight rebounds and three blocks before the break, Perkins had ten as well, eight of them from the line and Sales scored seven.

Maccabi's coach, Pini Gershon - the man with the plan

Casspi started the second half with a mid-range that jumped high on the rim before going in and followed with a three ball from the top of the key as Maccabi jumped to a 41-50 lead. Jefferson wrote his third foul but more importantly Perkins hit his first long range shot to cut the difference to only four, 46-50. Missed free throws on both ends put a stop to the scoring momentum but the fouls started to sting on both ends as Dee Brown had four while Eliyahu, Sharp and Burstein had three lamps on. In Haifa Kozikaro and Jefferson already committed four with 15 minutes to play in the season, but their team stayed close behind, 52-55 after 25 minutes. Ben David with a couple of hustle plays gave Perkins the chance to draw foul after foul and cut the margin from the line to 55-57 with three minutes left in the third. After both teams combined 11 points in a row from the charity stripe, the field goal drought came to an end when Casspi dished an alley-hoop pass to Fischer and lit up the fans, but Perkins went to the line for the fourth time in a row, and just like the last two visits connected only once, 61-57 a minute to go. Two offensive boards by Maccabi allowed Fischer to score from close range, but Sales sealed the quarter on 65-58 after drawing Sharp's 4th foul.

Arroyo was still the top scorer with 17, followed by Fischer with 15 and seven boards while Casspi had ten. Perkins led Haifa with 19, 14 of them from the line.

Eliyahu won another title with Maccabi

Jefferson came back with four fouls and quickly scored in the post but Burstein answered with a big three ball. Arroyo added a three point play and for the first time tonight Maccabi held a double-digit lead, 71-60. Perkins joined the list of players with four fouls when there were still more than seven minutes to play, but stayed on the court only to see Kozikaro foul out in the next Maccabi play. Maccabi's momentum was on as Burstein sank another huge three pointer and Arroyo another lay up to set the difference on 77-64 before Casspi blocked Dixon's drive with five minutes on the season clock. Haifa lost their sharpness and after Fischer collected a ball from the floor he dunked and added a point from the line that set the difference on 16. Sharp fouled out but Jefferson as well and Maccabi's way to the win was clear. Haifa still cut the margin down to 10 with a minute to go but Casspi was there to nail a three point shot and pull down the curtain on the season.

Courtesy of Israeli Basketball League
www.basket.co.il