The Soviet Union defeated Israel by 98-76 last night to win the European basketball championship in Turin, Italy. But Israelis were still excited that their team was the runner up, the highest finish ever achieved by an Israeli quintet.
The Israeli team’s surprise showing in the finals come after it beat Czechoslovakia by one point Sunday night. Israel then lost to the Soviets but when the Italian team was also beaten, Israel earned its chance to play in the championship game.
Paul Klein, the Israeli coach, said prior to last night’s game that it was a bottle of “David and Goliath,” Little Israel against the giant Soviet Union. All Israel came to a standstill last night as Israelis watched the game on television. Even the Israel philharmonic Orchestra performed its concert two hours earlier than scheduled so that the audience could see the game. Many people went to the Western Wall to pray for victory.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
