Kevin Garnett 17
Kevin Garnett just gave Giannis Antetokounmpo the best motivation for the NBA season
It was a slight that won’t be ignored. Kevin Garnettl, the NBA legend, rated Giannis Antetokounmpo as the fourth best player in the Eastern Conference. Emmet Ryan writes that all of basketball is going to be put on notice by the Milwaukee Bucks star as the Greek Freak has extra motivation for the coming season. […]
Touring bullets: Notes, links, videos on Euroleague American and NBA Live tours
Who cares if the games are meaningless in any real sense? BallinEurope missed the Euroleague American Tour and NBA Live Tour games tremendously in 2011 – one item doubtlessly on BiE’s list of underrated casualties of the player lockout – and is thrilled to see them back. In just a couple of hours, the Boston […]
Ramunas Siskauskas: The BallinEurope video tribute
On Monday, European basketball great Ramunas Šiškauskas announced his retirement from the game: A story that was noteworthy enough for even North Korean sports fans to be notified. In his official statement, Šiškauskas said that he’d “made my choice in the middle of the season. It was not connected with anything specific – I just […]
Eurocentric NBA highlights, bullets: Parker’s big game; Nuggets top Heat; Deng rules over Celtics; Rubio masterful as ever in first start
BallinEurope gets things rolling on Saturday with highlight clips – okay, some links to online stuff You Should Read as well, but the main point is highlight clips, right? This morning, then, a quick look at some excellent performances turned in in last night’s NBA action from the Continent’s top players. Starring Tony Parker, Luol […]
The Eurocentric 2011-12 NBA Eastern Conference preview (plus Official Fearless Predictions™)
While basketball lovers are getting something of a Christmas gift this season in the December 25 NBA opening day – BiE says “something of” there because this belated debut is kinda like your parents saying, “Well, we’ll just give you your birthday gift at Christmas.” When your birthday’s in October – BallinEurope would like to […]
Cartoon Dirk takes his talents to “Cleveland”
Last Sunday in the ‘States, prime-time animated program “The Cleveland Show” ran its take on the NBA All-Star game. Chief among the player cameos was that of Dirk Nowitzki, who gets to do lots of stuff about how he doesn’t speak English so good. Nowitzki was joined by Lebron James (really), Shaquille O’Neal (no surprise […]
Pau Gasol versus the vampires (and BallinEurope versus Bill Simmons)
BallinEurope yesterday read the latest anti-Laker screed basketball column by ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons, an alternately funny and blood-boiling confession-style bit about conditioning one’s children to cheer for the “right” sports team, i.e. Daddy’s favorite team. Ultimately, however, The Sports Guy’s affectionate look at dominating your child’s formative years is perhaps best characterized as “disturbing.” And […]
Most popular jerseys in Europe: Top 10 half European; Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade still rule
In advance of the Los Angeles Lakers-FC Barcelona game next week, fans of both teams in Europe are helping make Pau Gasol’s NBA jersey one of the hottest items among The Continent’s basketball faithful. Gasol reached no. 4 on the NBA’s official list of jersey sales in Europe. The list was compiled from sales at […]
Champions Crowned: Los Angeles Lakers, Brose Baskets Bamberg take titles, Montepaschi Siena almost
Congratulations go out from BallinEurope to the Los Angeles Lakers and Brose Baskets Bamberg for taking national titles last night/this morning, while Montepaschi Siena is one big step closer to ending up Serie A champs yet again. The last shall be first: You may have heard that the Lakers won their second consecutive NBA title […]
Fearless prediction: NBA game seven (also BBL, Serie A finals)
From the Because I Have A Blog Department, the BallinEurope official fearless prediction (TM) for game seven of the NBA Championship Series. (Drumroll, please.) Because BiE is a huge adherent to the completely irrational belief that only in sports can there be poetry, this fearless prediction says…
Giant slayers: Caja Laboral Baskonia wins 70-69, pushes FC Barcelona to brink
In a season already spiced with big playoff upsets, Caja Laboral Baskonia may be adding the biggest to the list yet, as the Basque Country boys held on through an insane final minute of play to eke out a 70-69 win over FC Barcelona. And now things in Spain have become suddenly unthinkable as the […]
WWDD? (What would Dirk do?) Four destinations for free agent Nowitzki
So the big German’s gonna do it, huh? The ever-loyal Dirk Nowitzki, he whom many would dub “the greatest European player of all-time,” will apparently be leaving the only NBA home he’s ever known to test the free-agent waters this summer, opting out of his contract with the Dallas Mavericks. Not that anyone asked, but […]