Taxi ride in the aftermath: Three Russians, a Turkish driver and the question why

May 13, 2012

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a YouTube clip worth? Even at tenfold the still image, the figure probably still wouldn’t be high enough for the Tolstoyesque level of descriptive prose necessary to capture the insanity that was the final, say, 12 minutes of the 2012 Euroleague championship final between 17/1 underdogs Olympiacos and heavily-favored CSKA Moscow.

The guys from Euroleague Adventures sure tried while Sinan Erdem Arena rocked and BallinEurope sat in stunned silence at *the* comeback story – regular-season, playoffs and final – that was Olympiacos, 2011-12 edition.

BiE writes this is the hotel following the game after that sort of halcyon taxi ride believed by many to exist only in the movies. Splitting a cab with three Russians loaded with gear and paraphernalia, driven by a Turkish taxi driver and the four armed with far less than 1,000 English words between them, the conversation was mostly about colors and teams. It went something like this.

Cabbie: Olympiacos, champions?
Russian #1: Yes…
Cabbie: Olympiacos and Panathinaikos hate, no?
Russian #2 and 3: Yes, yes.
Cabbie: So, Olympiacos red and yellow?
Russian #1: No, Olympiacos red and white.
Cabbie: And Panathinaikos green?
Russian #1: Green and white.
Cabbie: Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe too hate. Very bad. Football match. They play, they hate.
Russians: (continue with discussion in Russian language)

And still BiE sat stunned in the front seat, left with the echoing question: What in the name of Naismith happened? What was that 16-0 run? What was up with the lack of scoring through three quarters beyond Vassilis Spanoulis, Pero Antic and Kostas Papanikolaou? (Papanikolaou!) How did Milos Teodosic self-destruct so badly in 10 minutes after coolly leading the monstrous CSKA throughout?

No answers were forthcoming, and the questions were distracting enough so that BiE hardly noticed the inch-wide gap between cars sharing a one-lane road at a good 80 kilometers per hour.

Quicker than an Olympiacos comeback, though, the ride was over. BiE departed still shaking his head. Wishing the Muscovites a good evening, BiE left with a “Sorry about CSKA.” Russian #1, clearly the most “fluent” among the troika, replied, “Oh, we don’t care about that.”

Yeah, surrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre. Not much. But just wait until the numbness wears off.

May 13, 2012ballineurope

This post was published on May 13, 2012

Comments: 16

Apollo
12 years ago
Everyone I have talked to is saying CSKA’s choke job is the greatest choke ever and will never be forgotten.

Some media called it, most shocking collapse in European sports history…….

Hey, Gabe and Mike and Phileus……everyone right now in Europe is laughing at your “best players in Europe” Kirilenko amnd Krstic.

And most CSKA fans are demanding them to be kicked off the team already for making CSKA to be now remembered all in history for one of and maybe THE biggest chokes ever seen in memorable sport history.

They can go back to the NBA (“best” league in the world) with their tails tucked between their legs in the epic of shame of that choke hob.

lol just heard on radio the headline of “greatest humiliation of European sports history”.LMFAO

Oh my, all that trolling by those NBA only fans (that 100% for sure have never in theri lives ever seen one second of a Euroleague basketball) really paid off.

Karma
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Apollo
12 years ago
Oh and once again, Os Davis, this is why I told you Spanoulis was the real MVP. It was never Kirilenko and he never deserved it.

I hope you can admit that now, finally.
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Greg
12 years ago
Definitely agree about the MVP award. Kirilenko never was the most VALUABLE player for this team… But for some reason cska was the team chosen by euroleague to play in the final (my personal opinion after the semis. Yes I am Pao fan) and most of its player got any kind of possible attention. Be it awards, or anything else. At Least this F4 had a very unpredictable and memorable ending… Almost catharsis.
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Apollo
12 years ago
Yes. PAO was robbed by the refs in the semis. This final was like the Greek Basketball Gods getting revenge for that.
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Phileus
12 years ago
Since the game was not widely shown here, can anyone explain to me why Kirilenko and Krstic were responsible for the loss, as opposed to say Teodosic or Siskauskas with their blown free throws. On other forums, it seems most people blame the coach and Teodosic for the loss, but really, letting a team come back from 19 down in the biggest game of the season is a collective failure.

Looking at the score (http://www.euroleague.net/main/results/showgame?gamecode=188) it seems like Kirilenko was individually quite efficient as always, with the highest PIR in the game and 12 points on five shots, but the loss suggests what we’ve always known: he’s a great supplementary player but one who will never have the abilities to lead his team to a final victory.

It’s a pity there aren’t any CSKA fans on this forum. It would be interesting to hear their reactions.
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Slick Rick
12 years ago
Kirilenko, Teodosic, Siskauskas, and Krstic were all dreadful at the end of the game. The CSKA coach Kazlauskas was also awful. Siskauskas missed 2 free throws at the end, and Teodosic had a bunch of turnovers.

But it would be totally wrong to claim that Krstic and Kirilenko played no part in it. Krstic took bad shots, didn’t guard anyone, could not gran a rebound, etc. Kirilenko made some of the dumbest and most bone-headed plays you could ever imagine. he had 3-4 absolutely horrible plays down the stretch, and did almost nothing positive.

There is no way you could claim Kirilenko played well. His defense against Papanikolaou was shockingly terrible. He made some really dumb passes. He had plays where he was open and didn’t shoot the ball. He turned it over at the worst possible times.

Kirilenko was completely overwhelmed by guys like Printezis and Papanikolaou in the last 15 minutes of that game. Krstic played soft and was struggling. He did have one huge block against Hines down the stretch. But other than that, he was almost like a ghost, sans some bad mistakes.

He was playing against a 6’6″ center, and played good defense against him though. So in the order of blame, he deserves less than the others. Because he at least played some good defense.

Kirilenko was so bad on defense. He did make some good plays in weak side and off the ball. Forced some turnovers, and a had a huge rejection late. But all in all, his defense was horrible. In man defense Papanikolaou him alive.

Spanoulis did too. Kirilenko kept running at Spanoulis to double him, and Spanoulis just picked them apart at several key moments with passes for assists. The last basket was the same story. Kirilenko ran out to double Spanoulis and left Printezis wide open.

Spanoulis passed to Printezis and game over. That was Kirilenko’s man. That was how he played the whole last 15 minutes of the game. He played one of the dumbest games possible at the end.

So yeah, he gets huge blame. Krstic too, because he was like a nothing on offense, even against a team with a 6’6″ and 6’8″ center combo.

I would say in the order of blame, it was,

1. Teodosic

lost his freaking mind in the second half

2. Kazlauskas/Kirilenko

The coach was standing there in shock at what was happening and was not getting hold of Teodosic. Kirilenko was playing like an idiot and just choked over and over at the end of the game. He completely lost any semblance of smart basketball.

3. Siskauskas

He could not take advantage of Spanoulis in the low post, he made stupid plays, he didn’t guard at all when Spanoulis was on him. He missed the 2 free throws late.

4. Krstic

Just disappeared basically the whole Final Four really.

5. Shved/Khryapa

Khryapa made some dumb plays, picked up some careless fouls and let Printezis get off. When he fouled out it was like it just unleashed the beast of Olympiacos. Khryapa is a point forward for CSKA and when Teodosic loses his cool, Khryapa takes over the team, running their offense from the Soviet high post sets.

He lost it out there with bad defense and fouling and got taken out of the game.

Shved is a huge talent, but he got totally outplayed by the younger Greeks. Mantzaris was making life for him and Teodosic a living hell with his tenacious defense. Shved folded big time, against such relentless defense and under the pressure. Let’s say on the other hand, the younger Greek players of Sloukas, Mantzaris, and Papanikolaou all thrived under the pressure.

They led the comeback and completely took CSKA apart. Shved, Teodosic, Kirilenko, Khryapa, Siskauskas, Krstic, Gordon, these guys were completely baffled at how to stop Sloukas, Mantzaris, Printezis, Papanikolaou. They were running them off the court on offense and locking them down on defense.

I think that was where it fell apart totally for CSKA. Kirilenko had as much blame as anyone. He was very clearly and obviously rattled that a bunch of college age, “no name” Greek players, were running circles around him and his teammates. Kirilenko was clearly rattled by it and just fell apart.

They basically got done with a 16-0 run by a bunch of college age Greek rookies. So, Kirilenko had HUGE blame in it. But probably not as much as Teodosic, who just completely lost it out there with his dumb plays.
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- Phileus
  12 years ago
  Cool, thanks for the explanations. I’ve only seen highlights and the last 10 seconds of play, so I couldn’t see how well the stats reflected actual performance. If I had to use an NBA analogy, it sounds like a situation similar to if the Thunder beat the Heat (young talent beating payroll). I’m all for underdogs winning, except in international NT play 😉
  
  Is Papanikolaou a consistent elite player, or was this a “game of his life” kind of thing?
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  - Zahos
    12 years ago
    Hi to all!
    I am new to this website!
    So far that was one of the best games o papanikolaou but only for the reason that he is only 21 and only this year he is taking play time in euroleague.
    But he was one of the best in the NT u21 that won the European championship and finished 2nd at the world championship.
    He is considered to be elite u21 and very hot and promising prospect if he keeps working like he does now!
    But elite euroleague player not yet.
    He has to work at his dribbling skills and penetration more if he wants to be an elite SF euroleague player.
    Future will tell!
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Slick Rick
12 years ago
Papanikoloau is a role player. He is a hustle and defend athlete. But he is what you would call out of this world in intangibles, basketball instincts, defensive awareness, aggression, and motor.

His energy is non stop and he is one of the hand full of best offensive rebounders I have ever seen, playing anywhere. If he was an NCAA player he would be the #1 draft pick without any doubt. He’s under the radar in Europe.

But he isn’t a star. He’s just a role player. I don’t know hot to explain it. I guess, he is something like a much more athletic version of Ron Artest. But not crazy, just a regular guy. That is the best NBA comparison I can think of.

But he wouldn’t be a star in NBA or Euroleague. He would be that kind of enforcer type guy like Rodman, Artest, but except that he isn’t a head case.

Really, the young Greek players of Sloukas, Mantzaris, Papanikolaou, and Pappas who didn’t play in the final four are all amazing for their age group. Mantzaris is better than Rubio ever was in Europe. Sloukas is like to me a rich man’s Calderon on offense, plus with good defense.

Pappas is probably better than any of them. Greece is going to be a force to be reckoned with once these guys all start getting comfortable with their national team. They are so good on defense and their basketball IQs are so high. They play with so much energy, intensity, physicality, confidence, heart.

This is a golden generation that is coming for them.
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- fp3690
  12 years ago
  I disagree on Papanikolaou, he is only 21, has completely dominated every youth level he’s played in, and now he’s dominating the Euroleague. Time will show of course but you really can not type him as a role player at such an age. Printezis is the best such example – from a very good role player 3 years ago, he developped into a versatile forward. Pappas was certainly the most talented of the 4, but seems to have stumbled.
  
  Finally, knowing Teodosic quite well (I am an Olympiacos fan), I can attest to the fact that he is the most unpredictable player ever. At times he is unstoppable, but if he loses his cool he is the other team’s best player, which is exactly what happened today in the 4th quarter.
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Vic
12 years ago
Some people are puzzled by the black out of Teodosic in the last quarter.
I would say it was rather predictable. One should keep in mind that Teodosic was a former Olympiacos star, when the owners decided that most of their players were drama queens and no good for winning titles.

Instead, the owners decided to rebuild with some talented rookies who looked up to players like Teodosic. Players like Sloukas were towel boys for Teodosic two years back. Now all of the sudden they were right there, in the EL final, playing against the Teodosic and the unbeatable CSKA. The ultimate Euroleague favorites for the trophy. There was no way Teodosic was going to loose this match. No way. Not after having eliminated his nemesis, Panathinaikos (albeit the refs did the job). But guess what, after having a dream game and leading by 19 points, he found himself in a dogfight in the last quarter.

Also take into consideration the hothead that he is, it’s no miracle Teodosic totally lost it. Finally Olympiakos is champion. Not with him and all the other divas (Kleiza, Childress, Papaloukas, Bourousis etc.), but with his towel boys. And he has to watch it.

What must go through his mind right now?
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- Phileus
  12 years ago
  Haha, that is an interesting story. I only know Teodosic from the 2010 WC game against Spain. I had no idea people think he is such a dick. I just thought he was an impressive, charismatic player then.
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Panos
12 years ago
Teodosic nickname for me is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He’s a bit off mentally. We saw this over and over in Olympiacos. He would always screw up in the Greek Finals. But it was all mental.

He’s a hugely gifted player. I think the problem is that he has literally no doubt of his ability. As in, he really thinks he can take over any game at any time.

He either does that, and leads his team to some huge win, hits miracle shots, etc. Or, he simply starts taking horrible shots and making dumb turnovers.

I agree about the Olympiacos divas. Kleiza, Childress, Teodosic, Papaloukas (big time) they were all too egotistical and none of them were winners. Which is bizarre in the case of Papaloukas, who was a huge winner earlier in his career, but he just lost something mentally later on.

I disagree about Bourousis being in that group though. Bourousis is a huge competitor and the best center in Europe by far. Hell, he’s better than Marc Gasol is. Olympiacos suffered an enormous loss with him leaving.
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Jack Baller
12 years ago
Here you go:

In English:

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/source/espn3/id/457309

If your cable provider does not offer ESPN, then you can watch it here:

In Greek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0rRLHD5lqQ
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radallo
12 years ago
Despite being there I can’t find explanation for what I’ve seen…
..the only thing that I could add is “basketball is the most beautiful sport in the world”…

What if.. Sloukas wouldn’t have scored from his own basket to send the game to overtime against Galatasaray?? What if… an awful coaching Pascual wouldn’t have benched Sada for Marcelinho in the last 2 minute of semi’s,?? What if Siska would have scored at least 1 free throws?

Would you have expected Kile Hines (former Veroli, than Brose) to win EL?? Would you have expected the same for Dorsey (decisive offensive rebs in the semis)? Would you have expected that a team with 3 scoring players for 28minute in the final could overcome a -19?? Not me…

Anyway Oly deserved the win.. at least becouse they never NEVER give up the game.
Devotion

PS. by the way.. PAO has not been robbed by refs in the semi’s.
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Zoran
12 years ago
http://www.talkbasket.net/6842-british-public-overall-would-go-to-the-final-four.html

British public overall would go to the Final Four

15/05/12 13:45
John Hobbs

The announcement of the Euroleague Final Four coming to London next year was meeted with confused looks on the faces of the media at the pre-Final press conference.

A Spanish journalist in the Sinan Erdem Arena work room shook his head and said that the decision was the “wrong move by the Euroleague”.

The rumour going around was that the Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas was expected to be named as the 2013 venue but when the O2 Arena in London was named instead, the assembled media gathered looked away from their laptops and straight at Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu.

Speaking to various journalists while there, the overall reaction in general was a positive one, with a few against it. But main concerns were costs, as England and in particular London is a very expensive city, would the O2 Arena, a 20,000 seat capacity arena sell-out a Euroleague event? And with the British Basketball League play-off final normally held around the same time as the Final Four weekend, would that effect matters?

“It’s a good venue choice in my opinion, I think though that the price of hotels and restuarant costs will be high which could put people off,” Os Davis of Ball In Europe admitted.

Davis continued: “It’s a great venue though, one of the biggest in Europe and the Euroleague have chosen a great time to host the Final Fours in London with the Olympics and everything. I really hope that Great Britain can make it an event to remember because they need basketball events like this, to boost the popularity of the sport there, if they turn out for it on the back of what could be a solid GB showing at the Olympics, then it will mak people stand up and take notice that basketball isn’t a minority sport.”

French journalist Julien Debort from Reverse Magazine shares the same opinions as Davis does and isn’t thinking of the negatives at all.

“It’s just great to have a Final Four in a unique venue, meaning that it’s in a country where basketball isn’t recognised as a major sport,” he said.

Costs will be an issue, no doubt. England isn’t a cheap country and most fans might be put off with the cost of tickets, food, drink and gifts. Something that will affect the four teams that will contest next year’s Final Four. The O2 Arena should, in theory be a sell-out. It will give the opportunity for the teams contesting the games to be allocated tickets for larger numbers of fans and with 6,000 a regular figure for the British Basketball finals games, neutral numbers buying tickets is a possibility.

The BBL Play-off finals could be tricky, as its home is in Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena. But surely this could be a major promotion opportunity for the BBL to move to London and really get a marketing team involved to work with the Euroleague to stage the final at the O2 and get fans to notice the British Basketball League. To see that there is a league and that it is great to watch.

The one unfortunate negative about the BBL is the promotion it does overall. The BBL Trophy Final was held last year at the O2 during the NBA games and there were no people handing out flyers, and no coverage apart from delayed coverage on the country’s satelite television stations, but in the arena, zero promotion at all of it.

This could be the BBL’s time to right those wrongs.

All that aside though, and choosing London could not of come at a better time. The NBA staged two regular season games in March of last year, the Olympic Basketball tournament is amongst the hottest selling tickets available, so it’s only right that the Euroleague Final Four, the biggest European club basketball event with support and passion that the NBA can not touch should be staged at the O2.

But are the British basketball fraternity interested in trying something that is mainly out of their comfort zone? With the majority choosing the NBA and nothing else, London is tough to crack. Ask anyone on the street if they know the NBA? Chances are they will. Ask them if they have heard of the Euroleague and nine times out of ten they will say no.

“I’m sure some British fans will come to the Euroleague Final Four at the O2,” Greg Tanner, editor of the only British basketball magazine MVP said. “When London sees tens of thousands of fanactical basketball fans turning up, I’m sure it will spark some interest. Real basketball fans here will also get to see a level of ball never usually enjoyed on these shores.”

The reaction of basketball fans in the UK was, like the media in Istanbul a positive one. Former BBL referee Mark Ennis said it was ‘superb news’ while well known Great Britain Basketball MC Simon Hosannah voiced exactly the same opinion.

Some basketball fans though are thinking of going and if they do they will go for one thing.

“I’d go purely for the atmosphere. That would be the only real reason to watch for me,” said a basketball fan from Worthing.

“I’d maybe go, but it would be for the atmosphere,” said a Chichester University student.

While there is no doubt that the 2013 Final Four will be highly anticipated, prehaps more than ever as the Euroleague enters England for the first time since the days of the London Towers in 2001, personal opinion is that promotion will be key, as the Euroleague will be stepping foot in what you could say is “unknown territory”.

Basketball in the UK has changed since those days of 11 years ago, unfortunately for the worse, but it’s getting back into the swing of things slowly but surely.

The NBA set them up, the Olympics will knock the majority of pins down, no doubt. Can the Euroleague strike down the remaining few and win the British audience over?

Then there is the small matter of where to stage the Nike International Junior Tournament?
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