European review: Olympics day 1
August 11, 2008
Beijing Basketball 2008 Olympics
Four basketball stars to serve as Olympic-flag bearers
August 4, 2008
With the Olympics coming closer every day, the excitement is getting bigger and bigger in the different countries. And for every nation, the position of the flag-bearer during the Opening ceremony is a huge honor. This year, this massive responsibility will be in the hands of several European basketball stars.
The token American responds: Be afraid
June 24, 2008
My main man Tobias is, as we’d say in the ‘States, fighting the good fight this morning with his “US national team announced - are you scared?” Mr. T. engaged in some positive cheerleading for Europe in stating that teams like Lithuania, Spain and Russia need not be scared at all of Team USA.
Do European national teams play at Team USA’s level? Absolutely. Should the Europeans be afraid of the American Dirty Dozen? Well, a little creeped out, to be sure; just look at the arsenal one more time. Will Team USA take the gold in Beijing? Yes.
While only now in the ‘States is the mainstream willing to admit that national-level European ball has “caught up with” that of the US, this writer believes the world will learn a valuable lesson about the new Team USA: Namely, that the red, white and blue can in fact play the best team ball in the world.
Blinded by the star power in 1992, people forget that the Dream Team of lore was an incredible team, always making the extra pass, sharing the ball and playing tight D. Along the way to bottoming out in 2004, the Team USA roster had become polluted by the showboating Vince Carters of the world; great leaders like George Karl were at the helm; and USA Basketball the organization just didn’t seem to get it.
It’s different now, though, I’m telling y’all here on The Continent.
Wrote Tobias:
You still need to have a team and really take pride in representing your nation. I do know guys like Dirk Nowitzki are busting their a** off right now, with three or four training sessions a day, just to qualify for the Olympics. Do you really think one of the guys above does care that much?
Yes, I do. Kobe Bryant. On whom do you think Kobe is going to take out his frustrations at barely competing in the NBA Finals? Um, Lithuania, Russia and especially Spain. Today, Kobe reckons that Pau Gasol is soft, and Bryant will be taking it to the hole against the Gasol Brothers all day long in a semifinal matchup.
And please, world in general, make a note of the attitudinal change reflected in some of these post-announcement quotes as well:
“I’ve always seen greatness in the Olympics, but that was never one of my dreams. I never really expected to be on the Olympic team, especially in my first year. I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into. … Now, we respect the game so much. We respect the team basketball that they play internationally so much.” – Dwayne Wade
“Going through that experience [at the 2004 Olympic debacle] really helped me to learn the international game.” – Carmelo Anthony
“We’re a team already. The thing that this program has done is … provide continuity and relationships. … We’ll hit the ground running.” – coach Mike Krzyzewski
Assuming that Team USA can play the team game, here’s how the Continental competition looks on the other side of the Atlantic:
• Germany is Nowitski’s one-man show and German basketball is at an ebb in general. When was the last time a German team placed in the Euroleague Final Four? Or final eight? The 1980s? And how many Germans are playing in the NBA right now?
• Spain lacks stamina. Here’s what the NBA Finals and EuroBasket 2007 taught me: Spanish ballers have a problem with a long grind of games. Check out the Russia-Spain final again. The fresh-looking Team Russia runs rings around haggard and possibly hungover Team Espana while shutting down a much better (and home!) team to eke out the win. This level of slightly less than 100 percent energy doesn’t increase your longevity in the Olympic tournament.
• Russia can’t play Team USA’s game, but Team USA can play Russia’s. In terms of T-E-A-M, Russia has a nice advantage on most teams in the tourney, as many of these guys run with two or three pro teams in the big country; plus, Andrei Kirilenko almost always shows that latent virtuoso ability typically repressed in Salt Lake City on the international stage. But Russia may be the most “American” of all the Euro teams in style, playing a (relative) power game favoring lots of action in post down low. The strongman Russian style has been in effect since the CCCP days, though, and it didn’t work against Team USA back then, either.
• Lithuania … well, they’re a bit of an enigma. But, um, the USA is not afraid.
Tell you what, though, Tobias and I see 100% eye-to-eye on two things:
You might be the best guy in the world, but if somebody wants it more than you do - you will lose…
and
As excited as I am about the start of the Euroleague season, I’m excited about this year’s Olympics…
This American’s pumped as well; can’t wait to see Team USA on the court…
Cheers!
Five European reasons to watch the NBA playoffs
May 9, 2008
The Euroleague season is over, so I am officially allowed to also talk about the NBA. For some Europeans, the NBA is like … evil … so in Europe you have to be careful if you want to talk about NBA and European basketball at the same time. Obviously I do like and admire the NBA, and that is why I’m also going to the NBA finals in June!
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Big Z and Sasha
Last year I went to the NBA Finals and saw Lebron James for the first time LIVE in action. I even got to talk to him in the locker room and watched him warming up three hours prior the game. I can tell you - this guy is bigger than you think, quicker than you think and jumps three times higher than you think. Of course, as do each of the remaining playoff teams, the Cavaliers have European players with a big impact on the team. When you talk about impact, you probably already know that we’re talking about Zydrunas Ilgauskas from Lithuania, but Aleksandar “Sasha” Pavlovic ofSerbia was also a key factor for Cleveland during last year’s success.
Although they reached the NBA finals last year, it looks like they have no chance at all against Boston. The Celtics kept them to 72 and 73 points in the first two losses and it looks like Cleveland doesn’t have an answer right now to that kind of defense.
US blog to read about the Cavs: And One - Cleveland.com
4. San Antonio: Tony P.
I am not a fan of Tony - not at all. I can’t even explain why but the French version of Mickey Mouse is a guy I don’t like. Maybe it’s because of his wannabe rapper thing, his hot wife Eva Longoria or because of his “NON” to the French national team, but I can’t bring in personal issues when I want to provide reasons to follow the NBA finals, right? So, Tony Parker, GREAT, WHAT A PLAYER, *clapping*, *screaming* - I guess it helped to think about Eva while writing about Tony (Thanks Eva).
US blog to read about the Spurs: Pounding The Rock
3. Utah Jazz: Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur
Andrei is probably pretty happy that he did not make the move to Europe, as he threatened to do in the beginning of the season. Utah is the new version of the San Antonio Spurs: unspectacular but effective basketball. Besides Lithuania, Russia is the big force in Europe, with CSKA Moscow just crowned as Euroleague champion and Russia taking the European championship title for Russia last year. Even for Americans, Russia is really interesting since Andrei Kirilenko’s national team point guard is J.R. Holden. Right now, the Jazz are battling the Los Angeles Lakers.
US blog to read about the Jazz: Basketball John
2. New Orleans Hornets: Peja!
Germans probably won’t support the Hornets that much - they destroyed Dirk and their beloved Mavericks - but if you’re a fan of European basketball, you will love the Hornets. Their great point guard Chris Paul, who is a member of the “pass first” point guard generation just as Steve Nash, is a joy for every basketall fan into team play. This guy in combination with our great shooter Stojakovic from Serbia should be reason enough to follow the NBA Playoffs. After beating the Mavericks and now close to sending the Spurs home to San Antonio this team deserves all respect from (Ballin)Europe.
US blog to read about the Hornets: Hornets24/7
1. The possible Boston vs. Los Angeles final
Even European fans must LOVE this kind of final - just because of the history. When basketball in Europe was not even half as big as it is today, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird battled each other in basketball games that defined our game forever. Although I’m a big fan of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett I doubt that these two great players will ever reach the status of Bird and Magic, but that’s exactly why even Europeans admire the Celtics and the Lakers.
Besides this little history lesson, there is another European reason why to follow this final - well, actually to cheer for the Lakers: Sasha Vujacic (Slovenia), Ronny Turiaf (France), Vladimir Radmanovic (Serbia & Montenegro) and of course Pau Gasol (Spain).
US blog to read about the Lakers: Forum Blue And Gold
US blog to read about the Celtics: CelticsBlog
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Euroleague 2008/09
