Finals: ESPANA vs HELLAS

[Minotavros]

There is no such thing as 7th or 8th most important player in the greek team. All players are equally important IMHO.

[rchos7]

Hellas has proved that they can win even with the absence of their 7th or 8th most important player, Nikos Zizis.
Pau Gasol isn't the 7th or 8th most important player for Spain, he is the most important player by far, so your comparision isn't valid.
I would be curious to see how Hellas would do without Papaloukas.

thats the great about this greece!there is no way we can say who is player number 1 or 2 or 3 or 7 or 8!they are equal and can help the team at every time!noone is more needed than another one!dikoudis first game scored 26!with france didn't play at all!with usa first half didn't play then at second played 12 minutes and scored 8 points in a very crucial time when greece managed to make the score 67-53!the largest margin!as papalouk said every day every player has a different role!

[SergioRodriguez]

So do you think Hazivrettas isn't less important to Hellas than Papaloukas?
And that SF from Olympiakos that is always in the bench, Vassilopoulos, is as important as Diamantidis to Hellas?
Sorry but no.

[Minotavros]

So do you think Hazivrettas isn't less important to Hellas than Papaloukas?
And that SF from Olympiakos that is always in the bench, Vassilopoulos, is as important as Diamantidis to Hellas?
Sorry but no.

You know something. Before the game againstv the US, greek media asked all our players, which of the american players they would like in the Greek team. You know what they said?
They said no one. We already have the best players possible to make the best possible team.

Anyway Zisis is a really important greek player, he is in the same league as Diamantidis, Spanoulis.

Theoretically having not Papaloukas in a final would be a loss, but we have the tools in one or another way to make up for his absece. (a guard line up like Diamantidis, Spanoulis and Zisis would be great as well). Gasols absence would hurt the Spanish team more.

[FRANKY 13]

What a huge shame Gasol isnt playing....

He had an amazing tournament and the final is going to be a lot less shiny and glamorous without him.

Greece seems objectively slightly stronger the way things turned out,but a final is a very special game that a passionate team like Spain can win with or without its tremendous superstar.

Id say its a 55-45 for Greece.

ps.Zisis was Greece's first scorer in Belgrade averaging 10,6 ppg and he is an amazing shooter and team player.However,Gasols loss is way bigger for Spain guys...

[rchos7]

i would say that only vasilopoulos isn't so importand for the team as the others!although against france and china he played and really helped the team!
all the other 10(11 untill zisis was injured) have different roles and everyone is as important as the others!but the good is that if one or two are not in a very good contition or are injured one day the others can step up and fill their absence!

[SHARP]

Spain will win by 1-5 points

[Trener]

Greece by 6 They are just too good too smart too much heart to be defeated they absolutely refuse to lose on the court and in their heart and in their jafallas


GO HELLAS

[SergioRodriguez]

Anyway Zisis is a really important greek player, he is in the same league as Diamantidis, Spanoulis.

I really like Zisis, I think he is one of the best players in Europe at his position, but he isn't Diamantidis or Spanoulis.
And yes, everybody is important, everyone has his role and all of them have the same value, blabla.
That's sound nice, but not all the players are as important to the team.
Diamantidis has played 30.5 mpg, Papaloukas 27.6, Spanoulis 26.6, etc. and there is a reason: their are the most important players for Hellas.

[Stardusted]

I think with Gasol, Spain will win. I was kinda dissappointed with Spaniards' performance against Argentina but again its Argentina not Lithuania. Spain vs USA was my prediction for the final after the preliminary round.Well Greece did an incredible job. Congratulations. (USA havent won the tournament since 1994 so they have done really really great job )
My question is more of a moral one. What does it mean if Greece wins ? Spain has lots of good young generations that plays finals at Euro U16, U18, U20. Spain puts lots of money and energy for young generations development.
If Spain wins, I will conclude that the most important point is to have good young generations. So go make more basketball courts all around the country. Train better coaches that will train the young players, etc... Thats the key to success.
However what kind of advice will you take from Greece's success. Nothing is impossible ? You should play with your heart ? Try to create good team ? These all seem like results. It doesnt give you any idea about how you can achieve them. Create good team, sure, everybody wants to do that but how ? Play with your heat, sure, but again how ?
May be somebody else can tell me what we can actually learn from Greece's success.So in this respect Spain should win so that every will focus on the young generations. Apart from that I dont care who wins, I only hope to watch a nice game.

So we play with our heart, it was impossible to reach the finals yet we did, and in general we play a phylosophical kind of basketball that is strongly based on our mental world ?

Tell me something my dear neighbour. Have you ever seen anyone making a basket by throwing the ball with his heart ?

Greek team gives you no idea about how to achieve things ?

Let me tell you what we have pointed with our victories, not only in this WC but previously too.

Create courts (has we have plenty) take a ball (yes there are balls in greece as well) and go play basketball, first at the street. Then go to a young team and play there, or a basketball camp (we have these too!! go figure...).

That way you create young talented players that can one day be members of the men's team. Then take these talented players and teach them more or less the following :

Don't be selfish, its not called a team sport for nothing, after all there is only one ball and 5 people playing.

Don't put your personal performance over the team's. Its first us then you.

The above two, are pieces of theory. Every good team should study them well and make them their guides. But when you enter the court my friend. When you enter the court the ball is there the baskets are there the opponents are there and you cant bounce the ball with your heart. Theory is in your mind yes, but you cant mind control the ball.

If you are not talented and good player you wont make the baskets. End of story.

So as a conclusion. We have younger generations of players already waiting to take their first steps in men's team. The very team we talk about is a young one. Our basketball, GREEK basketball, was not made yesterday. We have been here for over two decades and have already achieved pretty big things, and not only with our MEN's TEAM. But with our YOUNGER ones too, go CHECK some sites and learn about that.

Basketball runs in our blood, kids overflawing with talent are coming up any day, and to be honest, the 12 people you see in our team, can already be substituded by 12 other people, and STILL win games. Thats how good the work that is being done here is.

Also we have a great league, one of the best in europe. With many trophies over the years and many spots in semi and finals.

So you said :

"If Spain wins, I will conclude that the most important point is to have good young generations. So go make more basketball courts all around the country. Train better coaches that will train the young players, etc... Thats the key to success."

If you take out the word spain, and put the word Greece there, you will have your answer my dear but ignorant friend.

PS : I dont mean the statement about spain is false, only that your statement overall is.

[hagakure]

I think with Gasol, Spain will win. I was kinda dissappointed with Spaniards' performance against Argentina but again its Argentina not Lithuania. Spain vs USA was my prediction for the final after the preliminary round.Well Greece did an incredible job. Congratulations. (USA havent won the tournament since 1994 so they have done really really great job )
My question is more of a moral one. What does it mean if Greece wins ? Spain has lots of good young generations that plays finals at Euro U16, U18, U20. Spain puts lots of money and energy for young generations development. If Spain wins, I will conclude that the most important point is to have good young generations. So go make more basketball courts all around the country. Train better coaches that will train the young players, etc... Thats the key to success.
However what kind of advice will you take from Greece's success. Nothing is impossible ? You should play with your heart ? Try to create good team ? These all seem like results. It doesnt give you any idea about how you can achieve them. Create good team, sure, everybody wants to do that but how ? Play with your heat, sure, but again how ?
May be somebody else can tell me what we can actually learn from Greece's success.
So in this respect Spain should win so that every will focus on the young generations. Apart from that I dont care who wins, I only hope to watch a nice game.

Ok, Sergio Rodriguez, I really don't like this type of attitude. Most Greek people wished Gasol play but it's not our fault he isn't playing and using it as an excuse is really low.
I also feel very offended by some comments I read from some people here who don't seem to want Greece to win. I just don't like this bitterness from some people here. Oh well what can you do, idiots and bitter people will always be idiots and bitter people.

[hagakure]

I'm also very offended by ncroc's post. That's all I have to say.

[SergioRodriguez]

It isn't an excuse, it's pure reality: Pau Gasol is the most important player in the Spanish roster.
We have a nice team without him which can no doubt beat Greece, but we are really worse without him.
And comparing Gasol with Nikos Zizis is a joke.

[hagakure]

It isn't an excuse, it's pure reality: Pau Gasol is the most important player in the Spanish roster.
We have a nice team without him which can no doubt beat Greece, but we are really worse without him.
And comparing Gasol with Nikos Zizis is a joke.

You're still using it as an excuse and that's very low of you. I'm sorry but that's how it is. Personally I would prefer Greece to play against Spain with Gasol because I'm tired of hearing these excuses everytime. What can you do though?

[re5pectas]

Come on, greek fans, stop attacking SergioRodriguez, he's the only spanish guy here, and, yes, he's saying truth. btw, don't start to be arogant, I see it sometimes, and it makes a bad impresion...

Today I was rooting for European teams, and I'm really happy both won!
In finals... I think Greece has more chances, but still I'm not sure, for whom I'll root.

hope to see BEfuckingAUTIFUL final!