APATHENS - Thousands of Greeks gathered in the streets, waved flags and honked car horns to celebrate Friday’s 101-95 upset victory over the United States at the world basketball championships in Japan.
“This is the biggest thing we’ve ever done,” former Greek star Panayiotis Fasoulas said. “The Americans are the most talented players but we have a better team. Right now we’re the best in the world. ... Beating the U.S. is more important than the final.”
“Nobody could believe this. The Greek team made the Americans kneel to them,” Sports Minister George Orfanos told state NET television.
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis cut short scheduled meetings to watch the end of the game and expressed gratitude to the Greek team.
“I wonder if a ’thank you’ is enough, but I feel the need to say it twice over to (coach) Panagiotis Yannakis and his guys,” Karamanlis said in a statement.
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Traffic information screens flashed the final score, as motorists abandoned their cars to join celebrating crowds. Teenagers set off firecrackers and waved flags on mo-peds as they headed to the center of Athens.
The Greek team — with no current NBA players on its roster — can add a world title to the European championship it won in 2005 with a victory over either Spain or Argentina in Sunday’s gold medal game.
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