Maccabi Tel Aviv moved within one victory of its 58th Israeli championship after beating Hapoel Tel Aviv 102-98 on Thursday night in Game 2 of the finals and taking a 2-0 series lead. The team will try to complete the sweep and clinch the title on Sunday at 20:50 in a home game, with hopes that Menora Mivtachim Arena will be full.
Maccabi won despite falling behind by 14 points early and later watching Hapoel erase a double-digit deficit to get within one. Roman Sorkin stopped the rally with a huge three-pointer, and the game was sealed by a strong late sequence from MVP Iffe Lundberg. Jimmy Clark said of Sorkin, “We believe in Roman, that is what he does. Maybe he is not the player we send to the line at the end of the game, but we believe in his shot. That was a big shot.”
Oshae Brissett starred with 19 points and 12 rebounds. He said, “We are winners, we need to take our hats off to the coaches who put us in a position to win. We were not worried about their fast start, they have a crowd that pushed them, but we knew how to come back.” He added that he wants to “be myself,” noting that his defense has been strong all season and that the team trusts him to make plays. Brissett also said, “It is not just me, it is everyone,” citing big baskets from Lundberg and Sorkin and strong work from Jalen.
Coach Oded Katash praised Brissett as “excellent for us,” saying his intensity is at an elite EuroLeague level and that he is very effective on the boards when focused. Katash also highlighted Lundberg, who scored 25 points and has no contract for next season, saying his arrival has helped Maccabi a lot and that he brings experience, calm and a winning mentality. Despite being so close to the championship, Maccabi was not celebrating yet and is fully focused on Game 3, aware of Hapoel’s quality. Clark said the title would mean a lot after the season they have had, but stressed the series is still 0-0 in their minds and that the team should not change much.
