USA – basketball homeland, and the eternal fashion-maker in this sphere. The best championship, the best players, the best TV-product – it is senseless to challenge all this. But whether there is something in what the Old World outdid ancestors of branch? We found at least four advantages of Euroleague over NBA.
Refereeing
Arbitrators – separate, special category of people. To them there will always be questions and claims, and part of them will always be justified. The European referees too not caramel cream, and often their desire to stick out the role of the ruler of the destiny (hi Luigi Lamonica!)
But arbitration in NBA… Sometimes there is an impression that in basketball court professional process is adjusted more qualitatively, than in the strongest basketball league of the planet. If you suddenly decide that in this episode with five steps of Luol Deng the referee standing in meter just grew dumb with disbelief in the events, then look here.
If you think that you at the speech only about jogs, look what escapes punishment the person interested to probe separate erogenous zones on Blake Griffin’s body. By the way, Serge Ibaka is quite persistent in desire to make it tradition.
As a bonus – there is a little classics from Joey Crawford. You think, to seal two “technicians” sitting (silently!!!) on a bench to Duncan is the peak of career of this actor? You just did not see how Joey’s old times.
“Final four”
Simple question: if in a decisive stage of a tournament chances of favorites are not protected by a strong guarantee, it is good or bad? Whether it is good that in last three “Four finals” Euroleague in a row (!) victory was celebrated by “underdogs”? From the point of view of an intrigue – it is unambiguously good. The heads of superclubs risking to lose a season because of the one and only unsuccessful match, but to fans such format to liking for certain will not agree with this thought. To the American fans, by the way, too. “The final of four” of the NCAA championship often collects more “grain” tv ratings, than a final series of the playoffs of NBA.
Fans
In NBA there is good, almost fan support too. The crowd in Oklahoma City, Memphis or even Sacramento, sometimes, reminds the European standards. But only there is it very seldom. In the regular championship precisely. In the USA support – quiet family leisure. Actually, there is nothing bad in it, but if you at least once saw it, you seriously will not be able to perceive the American fans. For an example: these people suit similar just at a regular stage of a season. They cannot even dream of “Four finals” yet.
War of the worlds
Throughout a subject: opposition of fans organically supplements fight of different basketball schools, different philosophies. Ardent “love” of the Greek and Turkish organizations, haughty and unloved many representatives of the best national championship of the continent Spaniards, the eternal friendship of Russians and Serbians which is combined at the same time with hatred to “the Yugoslavian features”.
Another story – derby, real and imaginary. “Public joint stock company Olympiakos”, “Galatasaray contra Fenerbahçe”, Spanish “el classico” between Real and Barcelona clubs. Lithuanians, the most in love with basketball nation of the planet, against the rest of the world, Maccabi with the philosophy of “the besieged fortress”… All this adds to the European basketball of pepper which is absolutely definitely not in NBA. The epoch-making antagonism of Boston, and Lakers turned into fuss in a sand hole. Somewhere in the same place there is Detroit which was once representing fight of proletarians against bourgeoisies.
Yes, Joaquim Noah who is not hiding hatred to Cleveland somehow supports degree in Chicago, and the new general manager of Toronto of Masai Ujiri to a descent created out of the blue the new international conflict, but in comparison with the European battles all this looks kindergarten. Of course, it is difficult to enter knifing between mad “ultras” in the list of traditional values, but if to put such examples outside brackets as unpleasant exceptions, Europe wins “for obvious”.