Acropolis tournament '2009 including GRE, RUS, SRB and LTU

[Petran]

Kazla is the unlucky guy here.

Think about it, they offer him the job, he thinks hell yeah I will have DD, Papaloukas, Vasilopoulos, Tsartsaris instead he get Tsaldaris, Calathes,Perperoglou (still looking for another SF)...he cant even have Papamakarios (i admit at a moment i really missed his playing)!

I like him as a coach, he doesnt complain, he doesnt make any excuses, he keeps his head down working until the actual Eurobasket...

To be honest, he is complaining in a very diplomatic way:

Yesterday he said that Spanoulis can't play the pick and roll like in PAO - he has there Saras and DD here he has Tsaldaris and Printezis

Today he said that we are searching for a leader and DD and Teo were leaders both inside and outside the field.

Well to be honest, everything is open... We can be in the final or in the 8th-9th position.

And I am hugely optimistic for the WC next year with DD, Teo, Vasillopoulos (and Tsartsaris if he plays decent this year)

Regarding the NT - is it possible to leave Printezis and take Kaimakoglou;

[T.W.Is.M.]

Greece will get better. We won't b ready at Sep.7, but I hope we'll b ready enough at the quarter-finals. We have 2 work on our offensive function, improve our movement in offense and learn 2 cope with our PGs turnovers. We need 2 improve our returns in defense, because we concede too many fast breaks. The good thing is that we learn 2 play close games and we showed a good reaction today when we were down by 10.
Greece lacks in quality at guard positions. Zisis and Spanoulis r good, but they r actually the only quality guards, as Kalathes is still inexperienced;he has potential, but he will probably show his skills in a couple of years. Koufos was improved today. He can help the team, but he may have 2 stay at the bench at times.
Lithuania was good defensively tonight. However, they have a big problem at both guard positions. They have a strong frontline, but they r inconsistent from the perimeter and their guards lack in leading skills and this can cost them much at the EC. I like Petravicius from this LT team, he is a solid F/C and can co-exist with both Lavrinovic bros and with Kleiza if needed(at 4-5 positions I mean). I expected Delininkaitis 2 b better, but he disappointed me. Somebody has 2 step up and lead Lithuania's backcourt. Kleiza is obviously the best player in this team, he is their leader, but he needs help from the guards. It's quite unpredictable how Lithuania will do. I won't b surprised if they win a medal or if they don't even make it 2 the WC(although they will get a wild card in this case).

[Remon]

Regarding the NT - is it possible to leave Printezis and take Kaimakoglou;

No need, just kick 2 of Tsaldaris/Kalampokis/Glyniadakis.

[Richey666]

Well at least referees didnt give 16 freethrows to Greece vs 0 to Lithuania like Lith referees used to practice when Zalgiris was on the verge of losing at home.

http://forums.interbasket.net/f9/bbl-baltic-basketball-league-2008-2009-8168/

What game for example? Or it will be abstract bla bla?

p.s. after that game Greeks has no moral right to speak about refering - what was happening in first 3 minutes of 4 quater was simply phatetic... People do you have any honour?

[nerkav]

Bulgaria? sorry guys - thats my first post here. Happy to join you - wonderful discussion and sharing of opinions. Thank you all. All the teams at Acropolis showed terrible basketball - if I were to place the teams here that would be - DEFENCE: 1.Serbia (almost perfect catennachio), 2.Lith, 3.Greece 4. Rus. ATTACK: 1.Greece (but using just 60 percent of your potential), 2.Serbia, 3.Lith (disastrous waste of rebounds), 4. Rus.

The thing with this Eurobasket is: Besides Spain, if Greece and Lithuania [I find both far from impressive so far] aren't medal contenders, then who is?

[g.g]

Bulgaria? sorry guys - thats my first post here. Happy to join you - wonderful discussion and sharing of opinions. Thank you all. All the teams at Acropolis showed terrible basketball - if I were to place the teams here that would be - DEFENCE: 1.Serbia (almost perfect catennachio), 2.Lith, 3.Greece 4. Rus. ATTACK: 1.Greece (but using just 60 percent of your potential), 2.Serbia, 3.Lith (disastrous waste of rebounds), 4. Rus.

Welcome nerkav, quite liked your idea.
The fact is that both Lithuania and Greece don't look ready to be in the medals as yet. I cant make my mind if they would improve, how much, and how fast?
...as for the game tonight Greece put a lot of energy in the 4th quarter and started taking the rebounds that changed the whole status of the game. Lithuania was simply bad in offence. They played a good pick n roll in the first quarter but once the Greeks got it they had nothing else to offer other than strength and brilliance of three players. However, for the first three quarters the liths had almost as many rebounds under the Greek basket as the Greeks. Time after time they had another chance. The moment they lost this advantage the game was lost.

[Lietuvis]

Man some of you guys are just over the top. " the game was stolen" " this is comedy" lol. I knew this would happend so I thought lets visit the forum and see how many Liths will write this.

Who cares who won this game? Seriously, this was a friendly game.
Both teams are so bad they stank the place out!

Instead of commenting on the reffering try commenting of your Coach who is really sleeping at the bench.

I really cant tell which team is worse cause both teams stink!
This was turnover heaven tonight. It remindedme of kids playing, running up and down making wrong passes etc.

Now instead of worrying on what is going on with our teams (again i am talking about both teams) you choose to comment on the reffering.
This was not a Eurobasket final but a friendly that just proved that both teams are so unprepared that it hurts!

Great post totally agree, it was terrible to watch. We dont have any shooters, Jasaitis still cant buy a 3. Our centers and big guys have shot more..

Jomantas, well damn he should have never been picked, thats 2 games now in recent weeks where he could have been a hero from the free throw line to level a game but missed both. IMO no professional basketball player especially a guard should be missing free throws in such situations, but he has and now done it twice...I was also trying to work out what sort of shot he was trying to do at the end there when he got the rebound from his missed foul shot. WTF was that?

[lafa]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edD-Wdbr5IE

man, this brings back bad memories indeed... i think i've never seen refereeing this bad even in 80'ies...

[SunOverHStreet]

The thing with this Eurobasket is: Besides Spain, if Greece and Lithuania [I find both far from impressive so far] aren't medal contenders, then who is?

Well, Robbe, basketball is played all around Europe... Greece and Lithuania don't have God's given right to be medal contenders every year and beside that there are pretty good sides this year that can make this tournament really interesting. Maybe it's time for some fresh faces...

[Mindozas]

It's friendly tournament, so probably we shouldn't mind too much about result, refs and etc, but however, what pissed me off totally was Butautas. I'm already getting used to his weird (to say the least) players rotation, but wtf he did in last minute of the game was just pathetic. When we needed a 3pointer he kept in game Mazutis, who barely see the court when his opponent is in front of him and doesn't shoot at all, so basically we were left 4 on 5 offensivelly, also Jomantas, who can't shoot a three (or maybe Butautas still remembers his crazy 3pointer against Zalgiris, so hopes for another miracle and planned our last possesion on it ), Petravicius, who doesn't even shoot from mid-range, yesterday he was forced to, though Don't know, but Butautas (or maybe better to say all coaching crew) along with PG are our two big problems.

[Captain CAAAVEMAAAAANNN!!]

man, this brings back bad memories indeed... i think i've never seen refereeing this bad even in 80'ies...

The majority of these calls are not even questionable. And it doesn't show the controversial calls against the Spanish side. I mean, I know they are trying to make a point with this video, but they are just embarrasing themeselves. The first play is Planinic twisting his ankle, what's the point? denouncing voodoo practices? the second play is Popovic with a layup. so what? The third play is Kasun pushing for an offensive rebound. The fourth one is Kasun hitting a jumper in slow motion. C'mon, even if we admit it is certainly amazing watching Kasun actually making a jumper, what's exactly wrong with these plays?

[obe31]

Yeah I miss Stojakovic,Rakocevic,Pavlovic,Milicic etc get over itAll teams are missing players but look at the brighter side.There are bunch of young talented players who will get their chance in Poland. Future looks very bright.

You either dont understand english or you are just looking for an argument here mate. Oh! Wait! Maybe there is another reason! But i am not allowed to say it here.

Unless Novitski, Kirilenko, Siskaouskas are greek, You can pretty much make out that i was not talking about team Greece. I was talking about all major teams including Serbia..

[obe31]

Well, Robbe, basketball is played all around Europe... Greece and Lithuania don't have God's given right to be medal contenders every year and beside that there are pretty good sides this year that can make this tournament really interesting. Maybe it's time for some fresh faces...

He he he! Someone is itching to reveal a new metal contender that we dont dare yet speak of his name (like Harry potter).
Could this team be..S....A!
Well my friend, I agree. It could actually be their year....

[SunOverHStreet]

He he he! Someone is itching to reveal a new metal contender that we dont dare yet speak of his name (like Harry potter).
Could this team be..S....A!
Well my friend, I agree. It could actually be their year....

You said that!

Edit:
Spain for me is clear favorite, and the rest will fight for other two medals and WC qualification... And the others are Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Lithuania, Turkey and even Latvia, France, Russia, Serbia(why not!)...

[Picek]

The majority of these calls are not even questionable. And it doesn't show the controversial calls against the Spanish side. I mean, I know they are trying to make a point with this video, but they are just embarrasing themeselves. The first play is Planinic twisting his ankle, what's the point? denouncing voodoo practices? the second play is Popovic with a layup. so what? The third play is Kasun pushing for an offensive rebound. The fourth one is Kasun hitting a jumper in slow motion. C'mon, even if we admit it is certainly amazing watching Kasun actually making a jumper, what's exactly wrong with these plays?

what is wrong?
49 FT Spain, 12 Croatia
14 fouls Spain, 38 Croatia..
technicals, flopping etc. etc
but I guess your tiny little brain couldn't get the idea of that from that video..
but I'm not angry and sad as I was in 2005.
Spain got what they deserved in 2005. finishing without medal and especially they got what they deserved in 2007. losing gold infront of their own crowd..
that is the only proof on this world that there is someone above us (God, Allah or whatever you want to call it)..
they are the strongest team in 2009., I sincerely hope they will be losers the same way as they have always been on the last 35 EC's..