(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israeli underdog Maccabi Tel Aviv won its sixth European basketball title on Sunday, May 18, with a 98-86 victory over Real Madrid in Milan. After the final buzzer sounded, Maccabi players and coaches celebrated on the court while the more than 9,000 Maccabi fans who made the trip to Milan cheered on ecstatically in the stands. Back in Tel Aviv, the victory set off festive revelry in the streets, with thousands of people filling Rabin Square. During the game, bars throughout the city were packed with fans watching the action on large screens. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres called Maccabi coach David Blatt on Sunday night to congratulate him on the win. The 90-year-old Peres joked that the game almost gave him a heart attack.
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