European media praise Yam Madar after Maccabi's dramatic playoff win

European basketball outlets highlighted Yam Madar’s standout performance after Maccabi Tel Aviv edged Hapoel Tel Aviv 102-98 and took a 2-0 lead in the series. The game, reported by Sports 5 and published on June 19, 2026 at 12:55, lived up to its billing, with Hapoel racing to a 14-0 first-quarter lead before Maccabi completed a major comeback.

Basketball Sphere wrote that Israel can be proud to have a player like Madar, calling him “a ruthless player” and saying it was “an amazing performance.” The site added that he kept Hapoel in the game, while “the amazing Lundberg” prevented Hapoel from getting back into it. The report referred to Lundberg as an important factor in Maccabi’s win.

Greek outlet NLY EL News said Maccabi is one game away from victory, and noted that Lundberg and Roman Sorkin were excellent, while Madar’s effort was not enough on its own. Eurohoops was even more direct, saying it was “an amazing performance, but Madar cannot play alone.” It emphasized that 34 points and 10 assists in such a game was remarkable and that the contest went to the finish largely because of him.