We’re down to the final eight in Eurobasket 2009 and so now might be a good time to, um, reassess those investments made at the beginning of the tournament – which is to say, start covering on some still-shaky (or straight-up *gone*) wagers made before the tourney tipped off…
Sep
Sep
1
FIBA suspends, fines Kaspars Kambala
Kambala, ready for tipoff
No details on the incident were provided, but wire reports have it that Kambala “reportedly elbowed [Steffen] Hamann in the face, knocking out a tooth” after the game.
Kambala is no stranger to disciplinary action, having received a whopping two-year suspension from the international body in 2006 for failing a drug test.
No report has come Germany on Hamann’s state but if the man’s still standing, he should probably consider himself lucky: The beastly 125-kilogram Kambala spent his two years off from basketball in the boxing ring, where he earned the nickname “More than Rocky Balboa.”
Sep
3
Hack-an-Asik and other fearless predictions for Eurobasket 2009, day 10
The enemy
How do you explain “they should swallow their whistles” to someone who knows nothing about sports? (And I mean really nothing; we’re talking live-six-years-in-Chicago-during-the-Jordan-Era-and-still-not-know-the-difference-between-Bulls-and-Bears nothing.) That was my situation during large portions of the second and third quarters of the France-Greece game last night as to the wife’s chagrin I yelled at the TV.
While the zebras only called four more personal fouls in this game than the crew in the equally-scored Russia-FYR Macedonia game, it felt like a whole lot more subjectively. While the Greek big men challenged France by constantly attacking inside, Sofoklis Schortsanitis was more often stopped by the black-and-white than by Les Bleus. Efstratios Perperoglou and Ioannis Kalampokis were victims of some ticky-tack calls, too.
Sep
3
Allen Iverson comes to Europe! Sort of…
It's gotta be the shoes
No, really. Allen Iverson today touches down in Europe to play a little ball. Unfortunately, Iverson hasn’t finagled his way out of a just-signed contract with the Memphis Grizzlies and finally gotten with Olympiacos; A.I. arrives instead to promote his line of Reebok sneakers.
But he’ll be playing some basketball, too.
As the tour moves through Italy, Poland and Spain between today and September 25 – sorry for the lack of information here; Reebok has released frustratingly little information on this – a visit to Poland and Eurobasket has been confirmed. Back in August, Sport.pl reported that Iverson would take on sharpshooter Andrzej Pluta of Anwil Włocławek in a three-point shooting contest on September 19th, the day of the tournament’s semifinal games.
Local newspaper the Commercial Appeal adds that “The schedule calls for Iverson to work out with a professional team in Milan” (um, AJ Milano?) and that A.I. will be back in Memphis on September 25, as “The Grizzlies’ media day is Sept. 28, and training camp practices begin the next day in Birmingham, Alabama.”
Iverson himself is apparently getting pretty hooked to Twitter, yesterday promising on his page to “be working out” while in Europe and that “I am looking forward to working with the kids.” He also promises to “keep you all updated while I’m abroad so stay tuned. Visit my website for photo and video reports.”
Sep
11
Normalcy returns to Eurobasket 2009 (?); plus not-so-fearless predictions
All right, so normalcy has apparently returned to normal in Eurobasket 2009, with favorites going three-for-three and BallinEurope’s ratio of correct-to-incorrect fearless predictions brought down to a more realistic level.
As It Should Be Then: Turkey rolled on but got a good overtime fight from Serbia (they’ll both be in final eight), while Poland’s dream ride may be ending after an again smooth-playin’ Slovenia team. And if Team Spain still didn’t resemble the dominant form everyone expected from them in beating hapless Lithuania, well, they may yet make the next round.
In brief, then, here are today’s BiE (not-quite-as) fearless predictions for today’s games: Russia bounces FYR Macedonia; Croatia tops Germany in an OT shootout; and in the game of the week (though that Turkey-Serbia game last night was a doozy), France overcomes Greece.
Sep
5
Eurobasket 2009 fearless predictions VIII: Titanic vs. Hindenburg headline matchup
Team Spain photo for Eurobasket 2009
If you had told a basketball fan about today’s Spain-Lithuania Eurobasket second-round matchup two weeks, he/she might have figured it to be one of the tournament’s most interesting games.
It still is, of course, but for the exact opposite reason one may have expected.
In one corner is Team Spain, a bunch of household names with an insane inability to finish games. Against Turkey on Saturday, it was a ho-hum, more-of-the-same performance from the Spanish defense which allowed easy point after easy point in the paint. Ersan Ilyasova, Omer Asik and Semih Erden all contributed to beating that Lakers dude and the rest underneath, tuckering out the team enough to allow Turkey’s guards to put Spain away in the fourth quarter – another defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.
Sep
2
Fearless predictions for Eurobasket 2009 day seven
Dirk Bauermann: True MVP of Eurobasket 2009?
After the dust settled from a scintillating trio of Eurobasket 2009 games played yesterday, two questions remained: 1) Should we now pencil Turkey in for the finals or merely the final four? And 2) which is the bigger train wreck right now, Spain or Lithuania?
Today’s slate of games looks to be a fairly predictable set: Two games feature the only bona fide contenders not named Team Turkey remaining, while the 3.45pm game has fairly hot Germany taking on FYR Macedonia, not so much a train wreck as an engine that never left the station.
And so the Sunday edition of fearless Eurobasket predictions runs as follows.
Sep
0
Best of the (basketball) net: Never Gonna Give You Up edition
Found in Ball in Europe’s meanderings online this week: A buncha stuff on Eurobasket, the Allen Iverson-in-Memphis deal, and what Ron Artest was doing on September 11th this year. Happy Surfing Sunday!
As Eurobasket progresses, the Euroleague page on Facebook has naturally had capsule blurbs on the action posted this week, and a certain team’s fans helpfully supply a bevy of comments consisting mostly of “PARTIZAN!!!!!!!!!!”
Sep
5
Momentum shift! (Or, fearless predictions for Eurobasket 2009 day six)
Gasol and Spain: Backs to the wall
Two days may not seem like much in reality (thus the bliss of a three-day weekend); in Eurobasket 2009, the 48 hours off for Group F teams could prove to be the most crucial stretch of the tournament.
Today’s thought: Beware shifts in momentum.
Fearless predictions for tonight’s three matches follow.
Turkey v. Spain. Turkey starts the second round with the only 2-0 record in Group F and on a torrid pace, indeed. Ilyasova, Turkoglu and the boys have forced other teams to play their game while averaging a Eurobasket-high 88.3 points per game whilst shooting 54 percent from the floor, second-best among remaining teams.
Sep
0
Fearless predictions for Eurobasket 2009 day five
Children’s flus and other duties prevent a longer entry today, but it wouldn’t be Eurobasket 2009 without BallinEurope’s fearless predictions.
Ball in Europe likes France
Tonight’s slate of games includes:
Russia v. Croatia. Team Russia has done an admirable job with limited resources, while any mojo Croatia may have worked up in summer friendlies has disappeared in two consecutive fairly brutal first halves (cf. the immolation at Greece’s hands; digging a 14-point hole against FYR Macedonia). BiE fearless prediction: We’ll go Croatia here, but jump off the bandwagon immediately if Russia builds a double-digit halftime lead.
Germany v. Greece. Coach Bauermann’s team was rolling until they running into the buzzsaw of a highly mobile big man in Andris Biedrins, but Greece? Come on. Team Germany will have to seek solace in thoughts of the upcoming rematch with Russia and a winnable game against FYR Macedonia. BiE fearless prediction: Greece cruises yet again.
France v. FYR Macedonia. Talk all you want about Greece, you gotta like France right now, too. Questions: Has Rony Turiaf ever played better? Has Boris Diaw ever had a more suitable teammate? Can anybody stop Tony Parker from dominating in all areas of the game? Answers: Probably not, no, and not today. BiE fearless prediction: Vive la France!
