We had a good Friday in Euroleague. Emmet Ryan wants more of them. Not because of competitive balance or the improvement of the product. No, this is purely because of when the court-surfers need to feel something.
Those of you who follow us on social channels may be aware of our little tradition. It’s called Steak and Euroleague Friday. Anyone can join in. All you have to do is eat a steak and watch Euroleague on a Friday.
In a 38 game season, it’s a lot to ask of a simple evening. It’s an even greater ask given the spread of games across timezones. Yet, on occasion, there’s more than one reason to truly enjoy the feast.
This past week reminded us of why Euroleague Fridays can truly be special. It was a glimpse of a beauty we chase so often.
League pass is a thing
With a true league format, where everyone plays everyone the same number of times, this shouldn’t be a concept. The idea of a league-pass team should only belong to the NBA. Yet, on Friday, we were reminded that the concept stretches across competitions on our fair continent.
You see, for a few weeks, I’ve been trying to convince my confidant Haggisthroat that Bilbao are Europe’s league-pass team. They play in the ACB in Spain and the Basketball Champions League. Irrespective of the margin, their games are made of drama.
Yet there I was on Friday evening. I was fully enjoying my ribeye, despite not being seared as much as I aim for. Valencia were forcing FC Barcelona into a genuinely fun game of basketball. Through their sheer entertainment value, a side that was gutted in the off-season is forcing itself into the consciousness.
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Tyson has his moment
There he was. All alone. Nobody near him and the perfect pass. All Tyson Ward had to do was hit a wide-open three in front of a crowd begging for it. The norm in such situations is to falter.
Not this young man. Ward may be the most self-aware player in Europe. He’s a few months younger than my beloved but presents himself as a true youngster in awe of what is around him. Since winning the Basketball Champions League with an oh-so-fun Bonn team, he’s had a wild run of glory.
So he made the three because he may be 29 but he has the fearlessness of a man 20 years younger. Olympiacos kept the run up until they inevitably didn’t. The reigning Euroleague champions are good at many things. Few are better at ensuring late drama in home games.
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This should have been a let-down
In the two games that dominated my focus, the home teams led most of the way and won. Yet the drama stayed with their games until so late in the day. Men made moments. That the plucky underdog failed was, to compare to my meal, as though the broccoli on the side didn’t sear correctly.
It did, for the record, and the games delivered. Yet when I looked around, I realised how much I had missed. Besiktas winning a belter over Virtus Bologna. Dario Saric going board wild in a dominant win for Efes over Panathinaikos. That’s before getting to Zalgiris taking down a resurgent Partizan.
These are the nights us court-surfers long for. We want to know that we got our fill yet still missed out all the same. Granted, Dubai and Asvel’s wins were facile but we had a feast and more left over if we somehow were not satiated.
It was a good day
Last week, a friend I care a great deal about achieved a new personal height in chess. He felt the need to play it down because he still has more to do to get the letters that come with it. That he did so on a night when we celebrated our football team advancing in the promotion playoffs stuck with me.
Lots of things in life will beat the holy hell out of you. On Friday, I had a steak, fries, broccoli (I genuinely like it), in a red wine pan sauce and watched some fun Euroleague. That was, by any reasonable measure, a good day.
I’ll work to make sure my friend celebrates his win better. Given that this goes out the day of the next round of said playoffs, near some fine pubs, that won’t be hard. We court-surfers yearn for Euroleague days like this. I hope to enjoy many more with you all this season.
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