EuroLeague 2335
Complacency is the biggest enemy for OIympiacos
After a thoroughly convincing Game 1 win over AS Monaco in the Euroleague Playoffs, Olympiacos look primed for a comfortable run to the final four. Emmet Ryan writes that their biggest obstacle might well be that sense of expectation. Let me tell you about 2011. Olympiacos were a year removed from making the Euroleague championship […]
Panathinaikos survive the battle but Valencia are here for war
If this goes the full five games, it may well go down as the finest ever series the Euroleague playoffs has ever seen. Valencia and Panathinaikos delivered pure drama in Game 1. Emmet Ryan writes that while Panathinaikos took the day, winning the series is a matter of survival. There was an extra dash of […]
Fenerbahce’s depth proves decisive against Zalgiris
You can plan and scheme for a lot in basketball. After one game of the Euroleague playoffs, Zalgiris Kaunas may have run into something they can’t simply outsmart. Emmet Ryan on how depth carried Fenerbahce to a comfortable Game 1 win. This looked on paper as the Euroleague playoff series with the most potential. Game […]
Ergin Ataman and the Theatre of Control
The mental limit is almost invariably misunderstood. Ergin Ataman is a walking demonstration of this. Considering all he has won and lost, it’s remarkable how significant one single series might be. His Panathinaikos side takes on Valencia in the Euroleague playoffs with the Turkish head coach as the centrepiece of the affair. I’ve got a […]
AS Monaco will not go gently into that good night
A roster cut to ribbons. Their star, Mike James, announced his departure the morning of the game. The future beyond this summer is uncertain at best. Yet AS Monaco not only refused to bow but looked commanding at times on Friday. FC Barcelona found out the hard way that there is nothing more dangerous than […]
AS Monaco has one last big shot
Calling AS Monaco’s future uncertain is like calling me open to an occasional beer. Never mind Euroleague, we don’t know if they’ll even play professionally next season. That makes Friday’s play-in game with FC Barcelona all the more important, writes Emmet Ryan. Friday. On Friday there is not an AS Monaco baller that shall standalone. […]
Crvena Zvezda crash out with a crash out in Barcelona
The end of Crvena Zvezda’s Euroleague season was limp, directionless, and left a lot of questions for next season. For all the talent on the roster, there was clearly something missing on Tuesday night against FC Barcelona. Their Euroleague season ended on a whimper and Emmet Ryan sees a need to reshape mentally. Granted, it […]
Moses Wright delivers in a very on-brand win for Zalgiris
They are who we thought they were. Zalgiris Kaunas and Paris Basketball had clear identities coming into the regular season Euroleague finale. In Kaunas, they both delivered extremely on-brand displays as the Lithuanian club punched its playoff ticket. Emmet Ryan on a most watchable battle. Moses Wright is going to get most of the love […]
NBA Europe somehow became more complicated
Chus Bueno has shown Euroleague is more open to working on the NBA Europe project. Yet interest from PSG and the Saudi PIF has added a new layer of complexity. Emmet Ryan on how things have somehow become more confusing just as clarity stood a chance. I promise this is a basketball site that covers […]
Vassilis Spanoulis and positive uncertainty
With the AS Monaco Basket situation heading for a cliff, the future of all involved in last season’s Euroleague finalists is uncertain. For one person, while it might be personally trying, there could be a professional upside. Emmet Ryan on an unusual, and unwanted, opportunity for Vassilis Spanoulis. AS Monaco Basket are having a normal […]
Panathinaikos are painfully predictable
Panathinaikos fell to their 11th straight rivalry loss to Olympiacos in Euroleague and their fourth straight to drop to 16-14. The Greens don’t lack talent but, Emmet Ryan writes, they are crying out for creativity. The final score papered over the cracks. For the 11th straight time in Euroleague, Panathinaikos lost to their arch rivals […]
European Basketball and the Search for Sustainability
European basketball is at an odd point. With clubs in trouble, interest from the NBA, and everything else, it’s strange to say that some sanity might be coming to pass. Could the sport actually be on the verge of becoming truly self-sustaining at the top level? Emmet Ryan on the possibility of sanity emerging in […]