Article Sphere Logo

The NBA Vs The Euroleague

By Expert Author: Matthew Paolini | Article Abstract
Word Count: 459 words | Views: 76 view(s)
A big area of concern in U.S. professional basketball is the very noticeable lack of recent victories when pitted against teams from around the world. In the quadrennial World Championship tournament, a United States team has not attained the top prize since 1994, and in the Olympics since 2000.

In the 2006 WC competition held in Saitama, Japan, the team only managed to come in third place, winning a bronze medal. The 2004 Athens Olympics produced the same result. The 2002 WC tournament held in Indianapolis, IN, did not end well for the U.S., as a team riven by internal discord stumbled to a sixth-place finish, the worst showing in history by an American squad in an international tournament.

This situation has engendered an orgy of hand wringing and harsh criticism as fans and commentators have taken turns ripping the "lazy" players for not destroying the foreign competition. Suffice it to say that there is no dearth of proposed "solutions" to address the problem. The 2007 WC tournament to qualify for the 2008 Olympics is scheduled to be hosted by Las Vegas, NV, Aug. 22 through Sept. 2. Time will tell what will happen.

There is a consistent theme here -- the world has caught up. Long gone are the days when a group of U.S. professional players could just show up and easily pummel international opponents. That era passed after the first Dream Team, led by Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, won the gold medal in the 1992 Olympics perhaps the greatest collection of talent on one team in any sport in history. Of late, the international teams, who feature a more pass-oriented, free-flowing version of the game, smell weakness and are ready and eager to heap more indignities on the heads of the American players.

This state of affairs causes many to speculate as to whether the finest basketball is actually played in the NBA. There are some prominent sports figures who have indicated their fondness for the European-style game. Given the fact that American teams have been soundly beaten in international competition for the better part of a decade, one would have to be very foolish to dismiss this notion.

Something that many have noted is the fact that the team that wins the NBA championship is known as the "World Champion." How appropriate is that title? Shouldn't the championship team have to prove that it's the best team in the world?

Would it not be worthwhile to put together a true World Championship series between the NBA and Euroleague champions? The entertainment value, along with international interest in such a event would be tremendous, and the games themselves would serve to settle for once and for all which side of the Atlantic the best basketball is played on.
Matthew Paolini

About the Author/Author Bio

Matthew Paolini is a consultant with Citybook.com for the Winston Salem, NC business Yellow Pages division.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/The-NBA-Vs-The-Euroleague/93781

Article Submitted: 2007-06-29 | This Article has been viewed 76 times.

Rate Article

Related Videos

The History of NBA Finals
NBA Live 10 Debut Trailer
Learn About the NBA Finals
Flick NBA Basketball iPhone App
NBA Live 10 Review
 

More "Basketball" Related Articles

 
 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Basketball" article category.

People interested in the above article "The NBA Vs The Euroleague" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 
Every baseball coach's desire and goal is to make sure that the players step up to plate and take their best swing. If you are focused on coaching baseball, and want to make sure that everyone benefits from what you are teaching, you may also be looking into tips and tricks to be more effective.
Wheelchair sports are becoming more and more popular every year. Being confined to a wheelchair no longer inhibits an individual’s ability to participate in recreational activities. Much like normal sports leagues, there are different levels of competitiveness for wheelchair sports enthusiasts.
The LA Lakers are one of the top contenders in the 2008-09 NBA season. Thousands of people have bought LA Lakers tickets just to see this powerhouse team battle their way into the 2009 Playoffs. No matter where the Lakers play, they play for a packed arena of NBA fans.
As important as playing on your side of the court is having the ability to play on the opponent's side of the court. Making sure that the defense is strong on your basketball team can help to stop the other team from making baskets and from having an easy game. When you are building up your basketball skills, you don't want to leave the defensive skills out of the court.
Your team has the dribble down and they know how to work with the team. However much your team knows, it won't be the same if they don't know the basics of shooting the basketball in order to make the score. If you want to make sure that your team can finish what they started with the game that they are playing, then understanding the basics to shooting the ball can help them score.
The world of basketball is not only measured by the capabilities of the players, but also by the rules that are integral to making the game. If you are building a basketball team, you will want to make sure that they understand what all of the divisions in the game mean. This will give them the ability to work more effectively while they are playing, and move more accurately throughout the court.
Playing a good game of basketball isn't necessarily something that you can do by yourself. Instead, you will need to have a good amount of teamwork going on in order to get to the goal of winning. One of the most important parts of keeping the teamwork going and getting past the opponents is making sure that you are able to pass the basketball straight into the hoop.
 
Article Directory Home All Categories Recreation And Sports Basketball
 

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Belarusian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish German English Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italiano Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Dutch Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish