Euroleague 170
Olympiacos finally conquer Real Madrid for Euroleague title
There was drama, despair, and determination throughout these furious forty minutes in the Oaka. The culmination of the Euroleague Final Four saw Olympiacos put to an enormous test by Real Madrid but finally emerged triumphant. Emmet Ryan reports on the night the Reds finally got over the line. The Olympiacos chants began over three hours […]
Real Madrid are still the final boss
In a season filled with variety and surprises, somehow the most normal thing happened. Real Madrid beat Valencia at the Euroleague Final Four. They are inevitable. Emmet Ryan on how even a wounded version of Los Blancos just made it look like normal business. We really should have seen this coming. I’m sure that many […]
Sasha Vezenkov leaves no doubt for Olympiacos
In the first half, Olympiacos wowed us with modular basketball. In the second, Sasha Vezenkov decided to leave no doubt. A convincing win over Fenerbahce saw them advance to Sunday’s title game at the Euroleague Final Four. Emmet Ryan shares his thoughts from Athens. Sasha Vezenkov has won all the individual accolades as well as […]
Sasha Vezenkov has one last step to take
He has the individual accolades to go with the domestic titles and adoration from Olympiacos fans. The one thing Sasha Vezenkov is missing is a Euroleague title. In Athens, he gets a chance to change that. Sasha Vezenkov has done everything he could in Euroleague basketball and more, bar that one thing. He has Euroleague […]
Nando de Colo came back for one last job
This looks like a romantic finale, Nando de Colo having one last Euroleague Final Four with Fenerbahce. The reality is far more pragmatic. He wasn’t signed for a sentimental farewell but to fulfil a vital function. Emmet Ryan on how the veteran is filling a crucial role for Sarunas Jasikevicius. Nando de Colo doesn’t need […]
Usman Garuba found the right way back
He wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last. Usman Garuba impressed as a young gun in Europe, made the leap to the NBA, and came back having struggled to find a place. Now, as he enters a Euroleague Final Four with Real Madrid, Garuba has a stage to prove his relevance more than […]
Panathinaikos and Valencia have turned Game 5 into theatre
They are the two greatest words in European basketball; Game 5. Wednesday’s battle between Panathinaikos and Valencia is already historic for a range of reasons but it’s the drama behind this burgeoning Euroleague rivalry that has got a continent salivating. Emmet Ryan on what promises to be an extraordinary night. The first two games teed […]
European basketball is wasting its biggest nights
It’s a great time of year if you’re a basketball fan. All four of the pan-continental competitions have either reached or are hitting their climaxes. Yet all involved with the Euroleague, the Basketball Champions League, Eurocup, and the FIBA Europe Cup missed opportunities. Emmet Ryan on why scheduling collaboration is needed. It’s a simple problem […]
Real Madrid turn crisis into control
No Edy, no problem. Real Madrid reminded us just how capable they are of adapting, even without Walter Tavares. On Friday night, missing arguably their most important player, they just plain decided they would beat Hapoel Tel Aviv in Game 2 of the Euroleague playoffs. Emmet Ryan on the sheer inevitability of Los Blancos. Losing […]
This is why Panathinaikos signed Nigel Hayes Davis
Has a 2-0 lead ever been so hard-won? Nigel Hayes Davis had an all-timer moment in a brilliant performance as Panathinaikos took full control of their series with Valencia in the Euroleague playoffs. Emmet Ryan on a second straight classic. Let me tell you something you already know. That was awesome. The only thing standing […]
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 […]