[Day 3b] Game C/9: Greece - FYROM

[Frosties]

What the hell? We just played 2 high profile games in 2010 and 2009.

Really?? Wow!!! Spain and Greece have had that since the 80, with club clashes playing Euroleague finals, a Worldcup final.... that is high profile, not just 2 games in the last 2 years...

[klakis]

Ok I got you. But I doubt you hate spain NT. You are basically very much annoyed by them. Hatred is a different phenomenon. Look what wiki says; Hatred can result in extreme behavior such as violence, murder and war or a desire for the annihilation of an object that is incurable by time

ps. Who likes spanis nt beside spaniards anyway? Such crybabies

LOL
believe me....
i will not kill any spaniard because of Calderon and Navaro!!!
have to run
hope we win today!

[surfer]

Really sorry but that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard in this forum so far.

Greece losing to Macedonia knowingly

you should be really sorry because no one is seriously believing that they lost on purpose, that was written to show the peculiarity of the whole thing but it also revealed that there are users who cannot understand what sarcasm is...

[Debord]

you should be really sorry because no one is seriously believing that they lost on purpose, that was written to show the peculiarity of the whole thing but it also revealed that there are users who cannot understand what sarcasm is...

Well you actually meant it then your comment got bashed by forumers and now it's sarcasm after a day hah.

if it really was, you were not good at it, but still sorry it's my bad then.

[Adon]

I get your point. I would call it rivalry. I get the point with Turkey: while Spain and Greece have been playing high profile games all the time, Turkey and Greece have not. A politic biased hate and not a pure sport rivalry.

Exactly. The same stands in the case of Greece-Macedonia games. Boring to say the least.

Ok i get what you mean....
i hate prokom and galatasaray...
for the case of galatasaray i am in danger that someone could call me nationalist anti-turk right?
for the case of prokom i am in danger that someone could call me natinalist anti-polish????i don`t think so....
this conversation is not going anywhere.....
i thought this is a basketball forum not politics one
i will hate any team and NT i want for non politics reasons everyone happy now????

Knock yourself out and hate whoever you want for any reason you want.

[surfer]

Well you actually meant it then your comment got bashed by forumers and now it's sarcasm after a day hah.

if it really was, you were not good at it, but still sorry it's my bad then.

wow, actually I musnt be explaining this but the comment itself is so simple and makes sense and also funny because Greece is known to throw games from time to time so saying that they also did it this time is a hilarious cover for their lost
and I don't see my comment getting dashed by users infact if you check it you'll see that it's only you and a Greek guy, but Adon made it clear so whatever...

[Adon]

wow, actually I musnt be explaining this but the comment itself is so simple and makes sense and also funny because Greece is known to throw games from time to time so saying that they also did it this time is a hilarious cover for their lost
and I don't see my comment getting dashed by users infact if you check it you'll see that it's only you and a Greek guy, but Adon made it clear so whatever...

Don't worry. Any sober person with an IQ higher than 100 could understand the sarcasm of your comment. I didn't noticed the Greek guy you've mentioned though.

[surfer]

Don't worry. Any sober person with an IQ higher than 100 could understand the sarcasm of your comment. I didn't noticed the Greek guy you've mentioned though.

I thought Auris1 was Greek, is he not?

[Debord]

Don't worry. Any sober person with an IQ higher than 100 could understand the sarcasm of your comment. I didn't noticed the Greek guy you've mentioned though.

well sorry for my drunk low iq self then. Hope to catch the next sarcasm better.

[Adon]

I thought Auris1 was Greek, is he not?

No, he is Lithuanian

[surfer]

No, he is Lithuanian

I see, thanks for clarifying this.

[unnamed]

Bobce McCalebbovski and whole Macedonian team actually stunned me. I was supporting them but I haven't expected this

[washcloud]

-
...Now as for the on-topic basketball game :
Haven't yet re-watched it (but I'm just about to), yet my feelings from yesterday are that the Greek NT simply gave off its most imbalanced and nervous self. I'm not trying to conjure up excuses, but yesterday's performance does not reflect this team's actual AVERAGE potential. Which means that what they owe to themselves is to learn from this and get their shit together.
Considering excuses, or better yet, explanations, the Macedonian [even though I'm not particularly happy with the term (since I do believe that the best-fitting / keeping-four-nations-happy one would be "Slavomacedonian") I'll stick to what the whole world has already gotten accustomed to] team played quite consistently - "they did their job" as any team is supposed to do in such circumstances. I actually enjoyed their "nerve" and focus, even though I wished the GNT had beaten the crap out of their . I haven't watched their game against Croatia, but it seemed liked they more or less are aware of what they're doing there. Plus I didn't witness some kind of "nationalistic" feelings to be pumping up their game. Which is respectful as it is. All in all, they played a good game, considering, which fulfilled their expectations.
Truth also is, while the GNT was in an unlucky streak yesterday, the MNT was lucky enough to have several successful long distance shots.
Their American point guard was consistent, passionate and insisting enough to dismantle all greek expectations considering made baskets, even though he should have gotten discouraged by the 1st half's defense on him.
To put an end to the "excuses" for the GNT, I'd also add that in certain moments of the game, especially in the 4th period, the MNT players didn't quite get calls by the refs as they maybe should have. And they were actually playing too strong a defense not to (please let nobody start with "ah the Greeks, whenever they lose there's always bad referee calls involved" : I do not blame the referees for the GNT's loss/the MNT's win, I already stated what the key points to the outcome were - it's just that for a certain duration, the calls against the GNT and in favor of the macedonian one, were discouraging enough for the attempted desperate comeback of the GNT. I'm talking about calls that don't compensate for either the GNT's lost of focus or the clutch performance of the MNT considering the end victor, but for ones that at least were responsible for a gap that nearly reached a 20p difference).

In conclusion : it has always been that the GNT were a psychology-based one. The difference, up to now, was that there usually emerged a "Greek hero" right out of ancient mythology references. Papaloukas, Diamantidis, Spanoulis, and a handful of "minor" others that would initiate (or fulfill) a victorious comeback. Such a "hero", seems to be absent nowadays. It's not like there are none, considering skills (Papanikolaou, Bramos, Calathes, Ksanthopoulos and especially Vasiliadis do have such proven skills as players in their clubs). MAYBE it's because this team is so fresh - maybe it's cause they don't blend together as well as they should/could. Maybe the all-new coach has his share in it as well. The thing is that nobody should either condemn this team or have great expectations. Especially since yesterday's game was by far one of it's worst and unlucky one.

And as for the MNT, I wholeheartedly wish that they keep giving out the best in them and prove that their initial wins over theoretically unbeatable opponents were not circumstantial. Much like I enjoyed 2010 WC's march of the turkish national team (which was,,,TNT for real).






-

[Vlatko.klp]

I was at the game yesterday in Alytus. And what can I say?! I've been waiting 20 years for this to happen. I've been waiting all my life for this to happen. I do not have the words to express the emotions I had during the game yesterday, and to see the nervous faces of the greek team. Oh my God, yesterday was probably one of the best days in my life. Thank you Macedonia!

[Victorious]

I was at the game yesterday in Alytus. And what can I say?! I've been waiting 20 years for this to happen. I've been waiting all my life for this to happen. I do not have the words to express the emotions I had during the game yesterday, and to see the nervous faces of the greek team. Oh my God, yesterday was probably one of the best days in my life. Thank you Macedonia!

Congratulations, enjoy!