Alperen Sengun orchestrates a huge Rockets win
Alperen Sengun needed a few minutes to find the tempo. Once he got it, the Houston Rockets star guided his side to a vital Game 5 win over the LA Lakers in the NBA Playoffs. Emmet Ryan on how Sengun showed poise and maturity at the right time. The Houston Rockets have kept the dream […]
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 […]
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs pass their entrance exam
The first series for this version of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Playoffs went about as well as could be expected. Victor Wembanyama and company took down the Portland Trailblazers with authority but avoided having a total cakewalk. Emmet Ryan on how this was the right kind of prep for the next big […]
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 […]
Franz Wagner and the Magic show the good, the bad, & the injured
The Orlando Magic took a huge step towards progressing in the NBA Playoffs with their Game 4 win over the Detroit Pistons. Franz Wagner showed great signs of adjusting to what’s required of him as well in the win. Emmet Ryan on a performance with lots to like but still room for improvement, if he’s […]
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 […]
Rudy Gobert’s calm intensity drives Timberwolves to series lead
It’s only a few short days since I proclaimed the Minnesota Timberwolves wouldn’t be hanging around long in the NBA Playoffs. Rudy Gobert gave me reason to rethink that in a devastatingly impressive display against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. If you’re feeling generous, I shouldn’t take the L just yet. The Denver Nuggets […]
Inconsistency plagues Franz Wagner and the Orlando Magic
That was a bowling shoe ugly game and an even worse performance from the Orlando Magic. Their series with the Detroit Pistons was predicted to be the toughest watch of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. After an overachieving Game 1, on the entertainment scale, Game 2 saw Franz Wagner and company bullied off […]
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. […]
Alperen Sengun and Rockets fail to match Lakers intensity
Alperen Sengun and the Houston Rockets fell to a 2-0 deficit in their NBA Playoffs series with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Sengun was far from his best and that was the norm across the board for a sluggish Rockets team, writes Emmet Ryan. All the criticisms from Houston Rockets fans throughout the […]