[1/4 finals - Day 2] Italy - Lithuania

[CoachZ2]

Referees is allowing more contact in playoofs and always was like that

Not really true. In the game Serbia vs Czech and Spain vs Greece almost every single contact was reffed. Only Lith and Ita let rough play happen.

 

[CoachZ2]

I guess having the ref call a few technicals (I believe it was Tolliver, not Richardson) here and there and removing opponent's best overall player from the game didn't do anything to the outcome of that game. Sure. I guess we are all biased and like to remember certain things the way we want, but 1995 EuroBasket final being a total ref-job is a fact. I'm not saying Lithuania would have necessarily won that game, but at least it would have been fair. And as far as Djordjevic goes, that was a magical performance, I agree. He and Tolliver both kept Yugoslavia in that game.

Lith had 3 technical called, Yugo had 2. It's the same thing in the first half, when we opened a 7-8 point lead, suddenly tech to Divac for arguing with ref (no warning before), then one for the bench a little later after that Sabonis chop. Basically that run was stopped by those. Nevertheless that was a great game. We have won twice vs Lith in that Eurobasket and that was a deserved Gold.

 

[Chetto42]

First of all, wow, I thought this thread was about the game and I came here to read some comments about it but clearly I was wrong. Stay calm people, it's just basketball not a war.

Second, I really think that the general opinion on our team is too harsh. Listening to you guys we have: played without any defence, played just street basketball on offense, played being selfish and without a good coach. Reading the comments here it seems like we lost by 30 points against a bunch of scrubs but it's not like that at all, we lost in the OT against a team that played very good basketball and has talented players for sure, probably not a top 3 team in this tournament but a very good one for sure.

Sorry but I have to disagree. At least 4thQ & OT I couldn't see pride nor desire to win.

I repeat myself.. we tried to get the refs from our side, by enhancing some contacts (I am not using the word 'flopping', but..) and this didnt' work out. Some non calls in the stretch were against us? maybe. surely. doesn't matter... but I see at some time our payers starting to play against the refs instead of fight the opponent.. they got nervous, misfocused, and this is something that you can't let pass from professional players, with such big goal still acheivable. This is not being proud. It's being selfish.

The "desire to win" have to keep your mind focus, go beyond single episodes, play each ball as if it was the last.. sorry but I didn't see that in the last 15'.

Again, I wan't to be clear, congrats to LTU since the win is fully deserved.. and with my comment I do not want to say refs helped LTU to win... but just that the attitude that our players showed last 15' of our EC is mirroring the bunch of egoes we are rather than the team we were supposed to be to overcome a proud LTU.

At the same time, I am not saying our EC is a failure.. IMO our goal was to get a pass for Rio... and we still are in the position to get it. We showed our strenght and our weaknesses.. so no surprises for me in our tournament so far. A little regret since I believe this LTU NT was beatable... and we didn't fully tryied.. that's it.

I respect your opinion but it didn't seem like that at all to me. I just remember one flop of Bargnani againts Valanciunas nothing more than that.
I saw our team being down all the time in the final minutes fighting to stay in the game. I saw Bargnani that, after a very bad first half with his shot and his defense, kept to be aggressive in the second half attacking Val on offense and trying to not give him deep post position making him take few very difficult shots. I saw Gallo having a clear off night but not afraid at all to take the ball and attack the basket in the final 2 minutes of the 4th quarter, taking hard contacts and screaming to shoot crucial free throws with blood on his arm. I saw Hackett playing amazing defense in the second half without touching a single ball on the offensive end.
Could they being better from a mental standpoint? Of course they could but it's not like they disconnected the brain and stop to play, and it's not like they are players that have played hundreds of battle-games like this one, many of them haven't played a single one in years. We have to be realistic, we cannot expect Bargnani, Gallinari, Gentile and the others start to play like proven winner wihtout any flaws, with Duncan-like defense and Kobe-like winning mentality, because they are not.
And in the OT we collapsed, to me mainly because we were out of gas and so the decision making was awful. Remeber, 3 of our player played all the second half without a single second on the bench and that's the main Pianigiani fault to me.

 

[Mindozas6]

When watching that game vs Yugoslavia back in 1995 it looked so unfair, a real steal by refs (Tolliver to be precise). But watching it now - I don't see any bigger crime there. There were some questionable calls, but overall it was emotions which took over our players, the same like it was to fans in arena, Liths infront of TV and etc. Yugoslavia was more cool blooded and took advantage of situation. Overall Yugos in both mutual games in that tournament looked one little step closer to the title than we were

 

[lafa2]

When watching that game vs Yugoslavia back in 1995 it looked so unfair, a real steal by refs (Tolliver to be precise). But watching it now - I don't see any bigger crime there. There were some questionable calls, but overall it was emotions which took over our players, the same like it was to fans in arena, Liths infront of TV and etc. Yugoslavia was more cool blooded and took advantage of situation. Overall Yugos in both mutual games in that tournament looked one little step closer to the title than we were

My thought were the same. I watched that game like 5-7 years later and first time it was all emotions, nothing more. It was quit fair refereeing.

 

[Ashtrusis_dantis2]

By the rule that states that when a player makes no play for the ball it's an unsportsmanship.Is throwing an elbow to the chest trying to play at the ball?What the hell does whether opponent was in front or behind him has to do with anythin?Damn you are such blind homers.

Referies are very carefull with giving unsportsmanship fouls this championship. Deal with it. If there was no call on Pachulia when he hammered Seibutis, Maciulis foul is nowhere near it.
And yes, Seibutis traveled in that episode. But because he was not steping, but draging his leg, referee didn't noticed it. There are such episodes in every game. When i will watch this game again am sure i will find questionable episodes that favors Italy. So what? I didn't cry after Belgium where referee had a repeat and couldn't find right decision. Learn to lose.

 

[maccabeo2]

they simply played much better

 

[usagre2]

I don't know wtf is wrong with people. There is this dude stalking me around the forum, picking fights Now another dude wants to bomb us. It's a fucking circus

It's not stalking it is commenting to posts, and since you've been around a month and posted 600 times its hard to miss you. Stalking would be if I went out of my way to find you. Dude take a breath.

 

[fasoulaki2]

... you've been around a month and posted 600 times its hard to miss you ...

Since eurobasket will reach his climax at the end of the week it is time for all the internet and forum addicted people to prepare themselves for the right withdrawal treatment.

 

[CoachZ2]

It's not stalking it is commenting to posts, and since you've been around a month and posted 600 times its hard to miss you. Stalking would be if I went out of my way to find you. Dude take a breath.

Let that Lith guy keep thinking I was talking about him You ruined his day now

 

[Hepcat2]

...but did you see many Lithuanian fans who after victory of some other team going to this team tread to tell that in reality they have shity team and they were just lucky...

Truth. What's particularly ironic is that the Italian fans have been gracious losers. It's fans of other countries, some long eliminated, that are here denigrating the Lithuanian team.

 

[Hepcat2]

And Uruguay in football who had two world cups, two Olympic tournaments when they were like World cups and is leading Copa America with 15 trophies over 42 participations?

I always cheer for Uruguay in the Copa America and the World Cup!

What about New Zealand that's a legend in rugby that - yes - is a sport played in few countries but practically always above bigger nations / pseudonations(*) like England, France, South Africa, Australia and Argentina (not including the ridicoulous Italy in the list and small entitites like Wales, Ireland, Scotland that have a population that's not much higher than New Zealand's one)?

Great sport rugby! After Canada I cheer for Wales, New Zealand and Ireland in that order.

And in hockey after Canada I cheer for Latvia followed by Finland.

Best of all though, the Iroquois have a very successful team in international lacrosse competitions. They are easily my second favourite team after Canada.