Hapoel Tel Aviv Sweeps Jerusalem to Reach the Finals, with Micić Praising Yam Madar

Hapoel Tel Aviv booked its place in the Israeli Basketball Premier League playoff final on Thursday night, completing a 3-0 semifinal sweep of Hapoel Jerusalem with an 89-81 win in Game 3. It is Hapoel Tel Aviv’s third trip to the final in the last four seasons, and it now awaits the winner of the other semifinal between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Holon, where Maccabi leads 2-0.

Once again, Vasilije Micic and Yam Madar led the way for the Reds. Micic scored 26 points and added 5 assists in 30 minutes, while Madar contributed 22 points and 4 assists.

After the game, Micic praised Madar, saying, “One thing I like about Yam is that he works hard. When he is in rhythm, he is hard to guard.” He also addressed the tough series against Jerusalem, saying, “We have a lot of respect for that team. We played very good team basketball, and now we need to focus on the final.”

Hapoel Tel Aviv also updated its roster situation ahead of the championship series. Tai Odiase is feeling much better and is expected to take part in the final, while the status of Dan Oturu and Antonio Blakeney remains unclear, and neither has yet returned to Israel.