Your likable NT

[Straight forward]

I would like to know what European national teams IBN people enjoying to watch the most and WHY? Off course, I'm not talking about your own country NT

My picks:
Spain
Croatia
Slovenia

Simply because I prefer offensive basketball and these teams are really dangerous offensively. Spain is the favourite here, 'cause they provide extremely fast and athletic basketball currently.
In 90s I always scared and enjoyed Yugoslavia.

[vaslover]

My pics:
Lithuania
Serbia (croats, slovenians as well)
Greece
Spain

I like Lithuanian offensive, sweeping, lacy, a little bit romantic basketball. For me they,re something like Holland NT in football. The same i can say about Spanish NT, but imo, they play a little bit faster. Serbians, suborn tactical formed. For them there,re not secrets in basketball. As for Greeks NT, probably they play in quite boring and slow basketball, but i,m suborned by entourage around them.(media, public opinion)

[rikhardur]

Traditionally I always liked Lithuania (thank Sabas for that) and even though they currently don't have one player I enjoy a great deal, I still like to watch them with their simple, effective and offensive basketball. I used to like Russia a lot, but the team lost the personality it once had in the 90s and early 00s. With Spain was the opposite. Although I never disliked their play, I started enjoying it very much in the recent years, their basketball is very appealing. And of course, I enjoy Germany just because of Dirk

[mvblair]

I absolutely loved watching Italy during the '04 Olympics. They seemed to play a very simple style predicated on the open jump-shot (why couldn't more teams do this?).

I also enjoy watching Spain because their big men are so fluid. They've got the grace of matadors around the rim.

Like Rik, I used to love watching Lithuania too. They played basketball like good, tight music. Unfortunately, their best performance in my memory without Sabonis required a near-perfect game from Jasikevicius, an outstanding individual performance, but far from their '90s teams.

[J-Mart]

none

[Straight forward]

Unfortunately, their best performance in my memory without Sabonis required a near-perfect game from Jasikevicius, an outstanding individual performance, but far from their '90s teams.

Near- perfect game by Jasikevičius means a good buy my Dream Team Seriously, Lithuania of 90s was the two men's show while Lithuania of 00s way way more completed. Still agree that the duo of Marčiulionis and Sabonis had the quality that 00s never saw.

And I also enjoyed Russia in 90s with Bazarevich, Kudelin, Karasev.

[Mindozas]

Croatia

I just love their team since they retrieved their independence. I was little kid back then and 1992 Olympics was first big bball event I remember clearly. I just couldn't not like them. What a generation they had, what a great bball they've played. Unluckily we didn't have chance to meet them in semis after dissapointing loss against C.I.S. in group stage and that's why we finished 2nd there and were forced to play "Dream Team" in semis. Still, Croatia were great, even in final against USA they played superb.
So I just support them in every tournament since then, cause they plays really nice bball, no matter the squad. Still, now there's M.Popovic, great person and great player. You can rarely see foreign player, who fights so hard for your team just like locals (when he played in Zalgiris). He always had contact with the fans during or after the game. Simple and friendly person. Everybody loved him. Huge respect for Popo.

Slovenia

I started to cheer for them a little bit later. Still it started from Olimpija and then NT, but it doesn't matter. I just don't know the reasons, but I just like them. Their style, players. Small country with great traditions. Smth similar with Lithuania. And it's not only about bball, I support Slovenia in every sport, since 2000 football EC, 2002 WC till handball's EC/WC or smth.


There are some national teams which I supported in one or other tournament for a different reasons, but not all the time. I loved Spain in 2003-2004 period, but last few years I don't know why, but I just don't have any feelings about them. Nor supporting/nor hating. Still, I have to admit they plays great bball. Maybe I just don't like to support big favorites or smth. Don't know.

[Khalid80]

Past:
The former Yugoslavian NT that won the World Championship in 1990 and Eurobasket in 1991 with such prominent names as:
Drazen Petrovic, Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc, Zeljko Obradovic, Dino Radja, and Predrag Danilovic.

Present:
I really enjoy watching the current Spanish NT (even though I root for the Greek NT in international competitions ).

[mvblair]

Seriously, Lithuania of 90s was the two men's show while Lithuania of 00s way way more completed. Still agree that the duo of Marčiulionis and Sabonis had the quality that 00s never saw.

I think you're right, SF. I guess memory corrupts and glorifies all those teams that Sabonis was on.

[BlacKOEIsle]

China
Spain
Greece

[Worrax]

Croatia.

[robbe]

Argentina 02-06. A lot of tough nosed guys, defensively strong and a bit dirty, but at the same time very skilled and fairly athletic. And needless to say, all of them were team-first guys. I think we might see other talented and strong teams in the future, but that one was unique. There was a lot more about this team than just the famous Ginobili - Scola - Oberto - Nocioni quartet.

Nowadays, nobody's really impressing me. The level of play in the big 2007 and 2008 tournaments was rather low, imo.

Edit: Oh, only Europe? Well, Italy 03-04 was nice indeed.

[mvblair]

Argentina 02-06. A lot of tough nosed guys, defensively strong and a bit dirty, but at the same time very skilled and fairly athletic. And needless to say, all of them were team-first guys. I think we might see other talented and strong teams in the future, but that one was unique. There was a lot more about this team than just the famous Ginobili - Scola - Oberto - Nocioni quartet.

Nowadays, nobody's really impressing me. The level of play in the big 2007 and 2008 tournaments was rather low, imo.

Edit: Oh, only Europe? Well, Italy 03-04 was nice indeed.

Yeah, if we're going into the world teams, that Argentina squad was magnificent. No other team is as delightful to watch than those guys. You're right that they were much more than Ginobili/Scola/Oberto/Nocioni. Sconochini, Sanchez, Montecchia, Gutierrez, and Wolkowysky were all very important to the squads at that time. All of them are highly skilled players (including Oberto and Wolkowysky) who did so much to try to get to the hoop. Magnano was a wonderful coach as well.

Now, in Europe, I still say that Spain is the most fun team to watch.

[Straight forward]

Nowadays, nobody's really impressing me. The level of play in the big 2007 and 2008 tournaments was rather low, imo.

Speaking about Europe I have to agree. Serbia said "goodbye" at the start of 00s. Lithuania isn't that perfect as it was in 03-04, though the new generation is modelling slowly. Italy's great generation is gone totally. Greece leaders - DD and Papaloukas- is not getting any younger. France is not the powerhouse any more. In other hand, Spain is still definitely at the peak. Slovenia might show their full potency finally.
I would say that the best generations of 00s are in the sunset. We'll see what will be the next.

[pohani komarac]

lithuania. because they are crazy basketball country, and they play great team offensive ball. also their great basketball tradition and our first independent medals came together in 92. after long time