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Euroleague Final Four head-to-head matchups: Partizan Belgrade vs. Olympiacos
Whoa, the Final Four starts in two days? Almost unbelievable. But enough digression! Yesterday, BallinEurope presented a brief position-by-position rundown of Friday’s FC Barcelona-CSKA Moscow game. Today, a consideration of the late game, Partizan Belgrade vs. Olympiacos. Similarly to the early game, Partizan-Olympiacos also features a matchup between classic plucky underdog versus season-starting prohibitive favorite. […]
Must-see IPTV: This week's FIBA Basketball TV
Call it “Must See IPTV.” FIBA TV’s weekly “FIBA Basketball TV” program this week is heavy on the European flavor and spiced heavily with NBA names. Segments to watch include: 00.45: Theo Papaloukas and the rest of the recently-named Euroleague All-Decade Team. 09.00: Several superdupermegastars like Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol and Sarunas Jasikevicius hype up […]
On the differences between American and European basketball
One question that BallinEurope receives in the virtual inbox from time to time was asked again this week by reader Richard: [H]ave you made an article about a comparison between the NBA and Euroleague? If you haven’t, can you make one? But if you already made it, can you give me the link? Thanks. Hey, […]
The Frank Euroleague Roundup: Top 16, week five
With one more week of Euroleague play to go before the field of viable contenders officially shrinks again, Ball in Europe contributor Francesco Cappelletti wraps the round that was in the big league. In this week’s roundup, Signor C. laments Montepaschi Siena’s fate, Sergio Scariolo’s precarious position and the reason Olympiacos might yet give Barca […]
The week in Euroleague highlights (with special reference to Cibona-Olympiacos)
Just in case you haven’t seen this yet, the Euroleague “Top 10 plays of the week” for week four of the Top 16 round follows the break. Surprisingly no magic from Ricky Rubio or his FC Barcelona ‘mates this week (perhaps the team’s too weary from ACB play but not so tired as to be […]
Euroleague All-Decade Team: The official BallinEurope ballot
The waffling is over! After a couple of weeks of mulling over the field of 50 candidates for ten spots on the Euroleague All-Decade Team, the final decision has been made (and whoo, was that painful) and the ballot submitted. The following, then, is how the official BallinEurope ballot for the 2010s all-stars, along with […]
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 […]
Europe's top national teams of the 2000s
After taking a look at the European players of the decade and top professional teams of the decade, BallinEurope today turns attention to the national level. Which teams from the 2000s will we still recall fondly in years to come? Below are listed eight key national squads from the passing ten-year span, the unforgettable basketball […]
The top 5½ European teams of the 2000s
In closing out the calendar on this decade – not technically, we know, but we’re going with the flow here – BallinEurope today considers the top European teams of the 2000s. (For BallinEurope’s official All-Decade All-Europe All-Star team, click here.) Though only Euroleague championship finalists were considered, domestic league records were also factored in vis-à-vis […]
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 […]
The Innocents Abroad, Part Two: Assessing the US' Euroleague rookies and sophs
Yesterday, Ball in Europe had a look at about a dozen newbies in the NBA from Europe; today, we’re flipping continents for a brief look at players from the US trying to make it in European basketball. With about one-third of the Euroleague season in the books, how are the first- and second-year Americans faring […]
Morning Eurohoops News: December 3
Good morning, b-ball devotees. Ball in Europe’s daily dose of video clips and text blurbs from around the internet is here. In today’s edition, Papaloukas and Kleiza go off, Andrea Bargnani sounds off, an Israeli executive gets pissed off, and some stuff on Allen Iverson — true, not European ball, but come on! It’s A.I.! […]