Maccabi Tel Aviv lost its bid for a third European basketball title. The Israeli team lost Sunday in Prague to CSKA Moscow, 73-69, in the final. Frequently cited by commentators as the best basketball team in Europe, Maccabi crushed Spanish opponent Tau Ceramica, 85-70, in the semifinal Friday. But Maccabi, which had a weak season in Israel, was not up to the impressive defensive moves of Moscow, and the Israelis trailed by a few points for most of the game. Coach Pini Gershon, who has said this would be his last season with Maccabi, told journalists, “They took the championship from the champions and there are no excuses from us. We made too many mistakes.”
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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.