Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv Set for Israeli Basketball League Finals After Semifinal Sweeps

The Israeli Basketball League finals are set, featuring a highly anticipated derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Both teams completed dominant semifinal sweeps to secure their spots in the best-of-five championship series, which begins Tuesday.

“

I’m happy and proud of how we advanced to the final. We continued to improve from game to game despite injuries and other challenges. The players deserve a lot of credit.

Maccabi Tel Aviv cruised past Hapoel Holon with an 89-61 victory in the deciding game, completing a 3-0 series sweep. Despite leading by only seven points at halftime, Maccabi pulled away with a strong second half. Jaylen Hoard led the team with 18 points, supported by Jimmy Clark and Zach Hankins, who each scored 14. Coach Oded Katash expressed pride in his team's improvement throughout the series, despite facing injuries. However, he noted concerns heading into the finals, with Gur Lavy and TJ Leaf confirmed out and Tamir Blatt expected to return at some point.

“

We came to play and win, but Maccabi played really well in the second half on both sides of the floor. Our players did the best they could, and we achieved our goal of qualifying for the Basketball Champions League.

Hapoel Tel Aviv also completed a 3-0 sweep, defeating Hapoel Jerusalem 89-81. Led by strong performances from Yam Madar and Vasilije Micic, who scored 26 and 22 points respectively, Hapoel Tel Aviv pulled away in the fourth quarter. Coach Dimitrios Itoudis attributed the win to superior rebounding, control of 50-50 balls, and limiting transition play, stating, "We wanted it more."

“

It feels great to be back with this group. We believe it will be a good matchup. We’ve played them four times this season, but those games don’t matter now. We’re looking forward to it.

For Hapoel Jerusalem, the loss marked the end of a difficult season. Coach Yonatan Alon acknowledged the team's effort but credited Maccabi Tel Aviv for making crucial plays. Despite the semifinal exit, Hapoel Tel Aviv achieved its goal of qualifying for the Basketball Champions League. Madar emphasized the team's happiness and relief at reaching the finals after facing pressure throughout the season.

“

We were the better team in this series. We won the battle on the boards, controlled the 50-50 balls, and limited their transition game. Ultimately, we wanted it more.