Olympics: Spain vs Lithuania and USA vs Argentina LIVE
August 21, 2008
It is down to the final four nations and looks like the best of both worlds: Spain and Lithuania representing Europe - USA and Argentina representing America. Great, isn’t it?
BallinEurope will cover the Spain vs. Lithuania starting 2.pm central European time while the following blogs will live blog Team USA vs. Argentina:
(still to come - nobody has announced a live blog yet in the US)
Olympics: Team USA vs. Germany LIVE
August 18, 2008
This might be one of the most sad games in Germany’s basketball history. Pascal Roller, Germany’s starting point guard announced that he will stop playing after the Olympics. Another German seems to follow him now: Dirk Nowitzki. Of course Nowitzki will keep playing for the Dallas Mavericks, but this might be his last appearance with the German national team ever, meaning somebody else will leave too: Chris Kaman. No Nowitzki, No Kaman - that easy.
After the terrible loss against China, Team USA - a team that even convinced or suprised the biggest “haters” - is waiting in the last game of group play. Sportingbet’s odds for a win of Germany is 15.00 - a US win equals to … 1.00 - meaning you will not make a dime on betting on Team USA.
At least Germany is not the only team with bad odds like that - another team is Angola .. way to go Germany!
Stiil, here is the live blog of Pascal Roller, Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman’s last game wearing the German “Adler”.
Olympics: Game day in pictures
August 17, 2008
After Germany’s bitter defeat by China it is time to share some of the great pictures of this game. Of course it was not a high scoring game. It was even one of the worst games Team Germany ever had, but it was a fight and had many emotions in it. Being German I hated to see Germany loose, but I rather see a game like that than the most boring game of the Olympics so far: Team USA vs. Spain.
Germany vs. China + Team USA vs. Spain - LIVE
August 16, 2008
Here we go - the day every single European and especially Spanish basketball fan has waited for. Well, is it really? There is no doubt, that Team USA wants to win every single game, including the final, to take it all, but how about Spain? Do they really have or want to win this game?
Remember this is still group play, which only determines your next opponent in the Quarterfinals.
Team USA has to win, no doubt. They will be motivated as anything, even though, only Kobe Bryant was watching the Spanish team play live so far - pretty strange for a team that tells us over and over, not taking gold will be unacceptable, claims itself the the redeem team and tells us they take every opponent very serious.
I am not expecting Spain to win this game, Ricky and Rudy will only show what they are capable of, while the rest of the Spanish national team is already known to US basketball fans (Gasol, Gasol, Calderon, Navarro, Garbajosa).
BallinEurope will blog the game LIVE, which starts Saturday at 10:15am US ET and 16:15 Central European time (10:15pm local time in Beijing). Should be a great game, but the important game will follow later in the knock out stage.
How the last US fortress almost fell
August 15, 2008
If you have been watching ESPN just now, you probably saw how a French guy almost took the holiest of all US basketball things: A SLAM DUNK CONTEST CROWN. Don’t worry, high rizer still won the 2008 ESPN city slam event by 3 points, against a kid from French, aka Easy jumper aka Guy Dupuy who won two out of three events.
To make things worse, high rizer is sponsored by a company called k1x which is based out of - you guessed it - Germany, Europe.
Just when we all thought, the slam dunk is the only thing, Europeans will never be able to take away, this “Guy” shows up!
The contest took place last week in Chicago and featured the best dunkers in the world, such as air bama, werm, golden child, exile, rude boi, guy dupuy and high rizer, hosted by “no look man” Dee Brown.
In case you actually saw the event - Guy Dupuy should have won the event. No, not because he is European and this blog is called BallinEUROPE, just because everybody thought high rizer dunked from the free throw line, which he did - just the basket was about five feet closer to the free throw line than normally :).
I am not taking away anything from a guy who can do things like that though.
Olympics: Germany vs. Spain
August 14, 2008
UPDATED: 10:38am local time Beijing
Just got home from dinner and am lucky to follow my fellow Germans against Spain. NBC has a nice LIVE picture on their website which looks great.
1. Quarter notes:
Spain was missing nearly every shot, while Germany made most of their shots. This explains why Spain has over 8 offensive rebounds right now, with Germany - zero.
2. Quarter notes:
This is when I actually tuned in. Germany is up 19:14 with 7:40 to play. Spain keeps missing their shots - especially Calderon misses every shot badly - like three point airballs. On the other side, Jan Hendrik Jagla makes his threes and adds nice drives to his game. Even Steffen Hamann, Germany’s point guard adds some nice plays. It is so quiet in the arena that you even can here Chris Kaman complain to the referee, while Marc Gasol misses another free throw.
Two quick turnovers by Germany and a nice lay up by Ricky Rubio bring back Spain to 31-29. They even had the chance to tie the game with free throws, but miss both. Finally Pau Gasol ties the game with a dunk.
Halftime: Despite a horrible shooting percentage from Spain, Pau Gasol and his team hold a close 36-29 lead against Dirk and Germany. Spain outscored Germany 21-27 in the second, while only scoring 12 points in the first quarter.
3.Quarter notes:
New Spanish team - one minute played and they are up 11! Four quick points by Ricky Rubio put Spain ahead. 36-50 Spain with 8 minutes to play in the third. Germany’s first point thanks to a Drik three makes it 39-50. Spain actually takes Germany serious now and plays defense + makes their big shots - 15 point lead for Spain with 4:30 to go in the third.
End of the third: Spain still up by as much as 11 points. Let’s just hope - as Spanish fans - that they will not start against Team USA like they did start against Germany today. Spain wins the third quarter 12-20.
4. Quarter notes:
Spain is shooting 10/20 from the free throw line - at least in this category they are already close to Team USA. Dirk cuts it down to a ten point lead for Spain and Mumbru answers with another three: 50-63.
Let’s do sme scouting for Team USA: Spain loves these two high screens on top of the zone and finishes with a pick and roll pass or alley hoop. I am sure no American player will want one of the Gasols dunking within the US paint!
Sven Schultze just fouled out with with almost five minutes to go and a 9 point lead for Spain. The refs start to fall for the “flop team Number one - Spain”. It should be interesting to see the US reacting to these obvious flops/acting class on Saturday.
Dirk misses the three to cut it down to six while Calderon makes the three to extend the lead to 12 - game over.. 50 seconds to play - 56-70.
End of game: Germany now is 1:2 after this 59-72 defeat by Spain - Spain stays clean and faces the US on Saturday.
European review: Olympics day 1
August 11, 2008
Beijing Basketball 2008 Olympics
Team USA vs. Team Russia - LIVE
August 2, 2008
This will be big - not only because of the game, but because of the cooperation. Together with SLAM’s executive editor Lang Whitaker. I am sure we do not have to explain to you who Lang is - even if you are European.
The Live blog will start at 7:45am European time (2:45am ET in the States).
Team USA vs. Team Lithuania LIVE
August 1, 2008
Just head over to our special Olympics website to follow the live blog starting at 1:45pm European time.
Thoughts on Team USA vs Turkey
July 31, 2008
9am here in the States, while Team USA is playing Turkey as a preparation for the Olympics. Here are some random thoughts during the first half:
- LeBron James is a fan of tight jerseys - I mean really tight.
- ESPN commentators sound like Euroleague commentators - if you have followed this blog and the Euroleague TV games, you know what that means in terms of spelling European cities and player names.
- first quarter, 31-30 - meaning no defense by either team, which Team USA will not see at the Olympics when playing teams such as Greece.
- As the ESPN2 moderators tell us, the FIBA ball CAN be smaller or bigger - never heard of something like that.
- Team USA has not learned its lesson - too much one-on-one, with Turkey taking advantage of that during the first quarter.
- According to the commentators, Carmelo Anthony is the best international player in the world.
- Way too many turnovers by Turkey to stay close in the second quarter - they only scored 7 points in the whole second quarter.
- The fans in Macao LOVE Kobe Bryant - even here he got MVP chants right from the beginning.
- Team USA’s full court defense does not work and is no more intimidating - not even to Turkey.
- For Team USA, it might all be about unselfishness, but somebody has to explain to them that playing unselfish and playing as a team is different - I still do not see a team - some great and nice highlight plays though.
- Turkey gave up with about 2:30 remaining in the third quarter.
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