Sweep: Hapoel Tel Aviv Reaches the Playoff Final

Watch: 89-81 for the Reds against Hapoel Jerusalem, as they completed a 0-3 sweep. 26 for Vasilije Micic and 22 for Yam Madar. Sport 5 published: 11.06.26, 23:11

The red mission was completed: Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Jerusalem 89-81 on Thursday night, completed a 3-0 sweep in the semifinal and advanced to the Ligat HaAl playoff final. It was a hard-fought win for Dimitris Itoudis' Reds, but they prevailed thanks to a big fourth quarter, and will play for the Israeli championship for the third time in four years. Hapoel Tel Aviv will await the winner between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Holon, a series that could already end tomorrow afternoon.

It was certainly a good day for the Reds from Tel Aviv. Earlier in the afternoon they received word from the court that their appeal had been accepted, Jerusalem was handed a technical loss after Sunday’s game was interrupted, and thus they entered the game with a 2-0 series lead, knowing that a win tonight would end it. And just like in Game 2, tonight they also got a tremendous fight from the Jerusalem side, but proved they were the better team, and won the series easily and with great justice. And once again, they were helped by their pair of Ms, Micic and Madar. The partnership between the veteran Serbian and the young Israeli is the DNA driving Hapoel Tel Aviv in the decisive stages of this season, and tonight they combined for 48 of the Reds' 89 points, with Micic recalling his best days, and Madar reminding, perhaps even his coach, how much talent the player has, talent that was largely wasted for much of the season.

What else was proven tonight is Hapoel Tel Aviv's tremendous depth, how even in the minutes when Madar rested and Micic ran into foul trouble, it knew how to pull another winning card, in the form of Chris Jones. Jones played only 17 minutes tonight, but contributed 7 points and 7 assists, 14 efficiency points, the third-best mark after the pair of Ms, which helped Hapoel Tel Aviv, in the end, finally put its opponent away in the fourth quarter.

On the other side, Hapoel Jerusalem's season ends tonight. Matan Adelson's Reds began this season, as always, with high ambitions, but it is hard not to come away disappointed. Despite all the mitigating circumstances, including the roster that was shortened because of the war, one of the richest teams in Israel is ending 2025/26 without a cup, without Europe and without a championship. Next season, perhaps with a different coach and new dreams, it will try to reset its path to the top, knowing that the task, even in 2026/27, will be far from simple.

And Hapoel Tel Aviv's season? It seems that in difficult times, it is only getting better. Dimitris Itoudis' team has left the EuroLeague behind, looks completely fresh, has swept both series, and is again only three wins away from a historic championship, for the first time in 56 years. And after seeing its form, especially that of its two stars, M' and M', the chance that it ends with big and historic celebrations looks brighter than ever.

Ligat HaAl basketball. Spotted a language error?