Hapoel Tel Aviv upbeat on Mader and Vasilije Micic ahead of the final

Hapoel Tel Aviv celebrated its win over Hapoel Jerusalem on Thursday night, which secured a place in the playoff final, and the club was especially pleased with the performance of point guard Yam Madar. Inside the team, Madar was described as the “owner of the court,” with praise for his leadership, decision-making and control of the game’s tempo throughout the series.

The club says it cannot afford to lose him and wants to advance talks over his future and try to reach an agreement on extending his stay. Hapoel also said it believes Madar will choose the team despite reported interest from colleges. In the series, he scored 22 points, including 6 of 10 on two-pointers and 3 of 7 from three, added four assists and posted a 2 efficiency rating in 31 minutes, the second-highest mark on the team after Will Clyburn.

Hapoel also praised the partnership between Madar and Vasilije Micic, saying their coordination was one of the main reasons for the success against Jerusalem and gave the Reds a major offensive advantage. The club is also monitoring injuries before the final series and remains hopeful that Antonio Blakeney and Dan Oturu will return to Israel in time.

Coach Dimitris Itoudis said after the game that Blakeney is still not fit and will be watched over the next few days. By contrast, Tai Odiase has reportedly completed his recovery and is expected to be available when the final starts. The coaching staff is meanwhile disappointed with Levi Randolph, who arrived on a big contract but, in their view, “is not giving everything to be on the court,” with Hapoel saying it expected more willingness to be with the team in the season’s critical moments.