Summer basketball tournaments and friendlies (pre-Eurobasket)

[Led00]

Poor seasons in clubs, no Novica Velickovic, others with minor injuries. We would need another 20 days to be ready for EC.

[stefans]

Serbia goes down <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thudown.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':thudown:' /> No comment.I only hope to be prepare for first match <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/agree.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[TeoTheGreek13]

[url="http://www.sport-fm.gr/article/495656"]Zaza Pachulia went nuts!!![/url] <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thup.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':thup:' /> <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thup.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':thup:' /> <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thup.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':thup:' />





Georgia won Latvia 83 to 79 as Pachulia went crazy by scoring 42 points(14/17FG-14/14FT) <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> and grabbing 6 rebounds. He also had 3 assists.

[ZEUS]

^ Zaza? <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rofl3.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



That has to be one of the weirdest names of a basketball player I've heard of, right up there with 'Lindsey' which I always knew to be a girl's name <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[TeoTheGreek13]

[quote name='ZEUS' timestamp='1314063031' post='32910']

^ Zaza? <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rofl3.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



That has to be one of the weirdest names of a basketball player I've heard of, right up there with 'Lindsey' which I always knew to be a girl's name <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[/quote]

In USA almost every name is unisex!!! <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[MaccabiTA]

2nd game in tournament in Israel- Russia 80 Poland 76

Tomorrow Israel face Russia in the last game of this tournament

[ZEUS]

So I read Casspi isn't going to make it to the Eurobasket on Israel's NT?



Plus Hellas puts on a stunning show defeating Brigham Young University by 30 points difference, what a great warm-up for the Eurobasket <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



Honestly, couldn't we have invited Finland or Portugal instead as a last minute resort to BRIGHAM YOUNG?! <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/angry.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[MaccabiTA]

Yea Casspi's officially out.. As if the draw wasn't hard enough we lost our most important player.

[Led00]

Novica Velickovic is out... Damn, We rnt coming the strongest we can...

[TeoTheGreek13]

[quote name='Led00' timestamp='1314180027' post='32925']

Novica Velickovic is out... Damn, We rnt coming the strongest we can...

[/quote]

Welcome to the club!!! <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rofl3.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[stefans]

[quote name='TeoTheGreek13' timestamp='1314196477' post='32933']

Welcome to the club!!! <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rofl3.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[/quote]



Are NT is not that strong because of injuries of players.



And Greece NT for administrative reason.

[Led00]

Yeah, this one will be tough. "Weaker" NT's got their NBA's and became strong and Favourites lost some of the players and now there r 10 NT's to compete for the Semis <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[MaccabiTA]

Israel 89 Russia 79

A 2nd great game in a row, again the difference got smaller in the garbage time (it was 81-62)

After losing the team star, Casspi, we got back an even more important team member he's called 'fighting spirit' last 2 games it seems like the fighting spirit is back and every loose ball become a blue&white ball.

Eliyahu with a great performance with 27pts (11/16 FG) against some of the better defenders in the forward positions (Khryapa and Kirilenko)

Pnini was also great especially in the first half and Halperin woke up in the 2nd half after quite a bad 1st half.

So yea, it's only a preparation game but the last 2 games (and especially this one) makes me more optimistic because the main players (Eliyahu, Pnini, Halperin) seem to be focused and prepared and even more important-the good old fighting spirit is back.

Israeli NT finished the preparation games with 4-5 record.

[ZEUS]

^ MASSIVE win!



That's really impressive <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



Maybe Israel isn't doomed after all <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />





Hellas had a boring night against Bulgaria, squashing the Bulgarian NT 101-67. But seriously? What value are games like these? Even Zouros has nothing to say about these games, it's like comparing night and day between Hellas and such weak teams. Only the last match against Italy will be something. I think I'll just be optimistic with us making the top 6 and that's it <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[MaccabiTA]

I'm not sure if all these games against weaker teams are really bad for Greek NT, I mean this team is pretty much a new team, many players have left and there are some younger players in charge now and new and less-experienced teams could really use this kind of preparation and you can really see that this Greek team has made quite a progress and I'd say that a lot of it is thanks to playing weaker teams, it takes off pressure and lets you try more things, different line ups and stuff like that because losing preparation games may not look too big to us but it sure hurts the players' confidence especially the younger and less experienced ones.

As for Israel, I'm really happy but less for this win and more for the change of playing style, you can see fighting spirit and big-men working hard to make it up for lack of height on the defensive end and on the offensive end you can see great and beatiful team basketball, players move the ball great and the better finishers get the ball where they should. So it seems like the process was not easy at all because this team (and I guess many of the offensive game) was supposed to be built around Casspi but his absence forced the coaching staff to change it all and I guess they got the team ready right on time. Eliyahu and Pnini along the prepation have shown that they not only have the ability to carry this team but also the balls to do it, and them taking responsibilty makes it easier for Halperin to function better because he's not the player to handle too much pressure, but if it's taken off him he can shine just like the qualys campaign where Casspi and Eliyahu took it on them and he was at his best.

[ZEUS]

^ We'll see how much the weak games were to our team's advantage, but we usually always do quite well in pre-tournament games. Then again in 2005 when we had an inexperienced bunch of players on the whole, we played shakily throughout the whole tournament but really matured to eventually squash France in the semis and go for easy gold against Germany <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



That's really good for Israel, showing some solid initiative, and not just expecting Casspi to get the snake out of the hole (as we say back home). I hope we see Israel in a few surprising upsets. Underestimating the opponent is one of the gravest mistakes a team can make, so perhaps Israel can use it to their advantage and really catch their opponents off guard, and eventually punish them for it

[TeoTheGreek13]

[quote name='stefans' timestamp='1314197153' post='32935']

Are NT is not that strong because of injuries of players.



And Greece NT for administrative reason.

[/quote]

The thing is that you will miss some of your players just like us.



Ofcourse we will miss most of our players <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> , but that's another story.