FC Barcelona 363
Better watch out: Barcelona destroys Gran Canaria, 105-55
Guess FC Barcelona does have that “killer instinct” after all. Just three days after head coach Xavi Pascual called out his team a bit for lacking “el instinto asesino” following a “mere” ten-point win over Maroussi BC and a week after Valencia brought Barça’s 26-game winning streak to a halt with a three-point dagger, the […]
On the eve of the Top 16, revisiting Euroleague outright winner odds
Now that the Euroleague field has been thinned, Ball in Europe takes a brief look back at how well esteemed the favorites of fall 2009 are looking now. Similarly to the NBA situation going into 2009-10, the Euroleague field in October appeared to be a group of haves and have-nots with but a half-dozen favorites […]
Rafa Martinez sinks three, Barcelona, 25-game win streak
On Saturday night, powerhouse FC Barcelona suffered just its second defeat of 2009-10 with an away loss to Valencia, 60-59, breaking a 25-game winning streak. Rafa Martinez contributed 16 points, including the game-winning fallaway three-pointer (video below the break). Though at least one source claims the loss “proves that Barcelona is beatable,” fans may not […]
Best of the (basketball) net: Stats on film edition
Ball in Europe wraps up the week with a slew of YouTube videos – just in case you haven’t seen enough basketball lately… This edition of “Best of the (Basketball) Net” is all about the numbers. Numbers like 20,000, 3,000, 10-0 and 2011. But enough exposition: Videos await! • You quite possibly may have heard […]
(Belated) Fantasy tips from the Euroleague boss, week 10
Hello everybody, once again this is Javier Gancedo of Euroleague Basketball. First of all, I am sorry I’m a bit late with this column this week. A lot of circumstances went against me: I have been sick since Sunday with a temperature, but trying to work since this week is critical for all of us. […]
Precedent for a 10-0 Regal FC Barcelona: Recent notable Euroleague winning streaks
Tonight FC Barcelona looks to build on its red-hot run in 2009/10 by closing out a perfect 10-0 run through the Euroleague regular season. Assuming Barca does shut down Montepaschi Siena yet again, what can recent history tell us about an undefeated team’s chances the rest of the way? Since the 2009/10 represented a switch […]
Ball in Europe’s 10 Most Popular Stories of 2009
Like any blog, Ball in Europe would ultimately mean nothing without its readership; you are the ones for whom our website is for. In the general taking stock of the year that was, Ball in Europe today presents the top 10 most popular posts on the website in 2009. These are the stories that captured […]
The BallinEurope All-Decade All-European Team
While technically this decade doesn’t end until 2010, with millions of sports websites and blogs proclaiming December 31 the end of the 2000s, who is BallinEurope to be pedantic? (Especially when there’s a good excuse to make an all-time team roster.) Therefore, in the spirit of a new era, BallinEurope seeks to comprise Europe’s All-Decade […]
SportingBet lines and odds for Euroleague week eight matchups
Another Thursday, another round of Euroleague lines for your perusal. First thought? “Whoa, Partizan is favored by just three at Orleans?” Second thought: “And that’s the closest game on the slate, as the ‘book sees it?” Whoa. Pointspreads and over/under lines for tonight’s games, as provided by Euroleague/Ball in Europe sponsor Sporting Bet, run below […]
SportingBet lines and odds for Euroleague week seven matchups
A great slate of games on tap tonight as Euroleague week seven wraps up. Unicaja, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Montepaschi Siena look to clinch a Top 16 spot, while Cibona Zagreb hopes to stave off elimination and things in Group B are destined to get knottier. The bookmakers’ lines on the games forecast at least […]
SportingBet lines and odds for Euroleague week six matchups
Taking a brief look at the professional prognostication for tonight’s Euroleague games and, whoa, do the bookmakers really have Asvel Baskets and Zalgiris Kaunas as the game to watch tonight? Crazy, though a bit understandable when one considers the pointspreads given in three prospective David-and-Goliath matchups (AJ Milano at Panathinaikos, Cibona at Montepaschi Siena, Fenerbahce […]
Being Danilo Gallinari (in the NBA)
We all know the NBA needs specialists, and that this is a request asked particularly of non-American players who haven’t the status in the ‘States to claim balls and minutes while they’re newly arrived from Europe. Then, by fighting for minutes against and using smarts beyond the US players, young European players soon present more […]