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plato-ny

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  1. I personally would say 'Cameroonopolous' is more insulting than Russian. It is not only about the ethnicity but also about re-shaping a Greek name in a quite disgraceful way. And he is not my comrade, I haven't talked to him before. We do not share common opinions and interests. I have too many Greek friends, and I can clearly say I share more with them rather than Turk friends. Isn't it strange to categorise people according to their nationalities. What if me and you, or me and another Greek friend from this forum have common points in specific issues. As I was going through the different topics in this forum, I've seen posts starting with 'Turk' (replying to a Turk). For God's sake, everyone on this planet has a name (or a nick). You wouldn't be discredited for not calling them 'Turk'. And I actually could not get the rest of your message. I do not state anything about the latest basketball or football games. On the contrary, I congratulated the Greece team for their success. Why do you require to contoversialize those? Yes, we did not manage to get the Euro cup. But we had a 3rd title in football world 2002 (it might not be a big success for you, but very valuable for Turkey, considering our initial position). My team, Galatasaray had the UEFA a few years ago(again, you might argue the contribution of foreigners, but still valuable). It is obvious that we are proceeding by stages. I was talking to one of my best Greek friends and he said he was very suprised that Turkey won against Brazil, Australia, and most importantly Lithunia. That is exactly what we have to do in the future. Suprising others. As I said in my preceding post, Greece has one of the best basketball teams on the world. For football, I can not say the same. You had the Euro cup. That was brilliant. Afterwards, why couldn't you manage to qualify for the World 2006, finishing the group with a 3rd place after Turkey. Same is valid for Turkey. Having the 3rd title in World 2002 and no qualification for World 2006. I guess, this is what we have to think about. Instability. Going back to basketball (as we are in bb topic), it is my belief that Turkey bb team will continue to get good results. No excuse for Greece game. Greece was the more experienced and used its trumps in a balanced way. Some Turks say "we do not have Hido and Memo from NBA" bla bla but this was Hido and Memo's personal choices. They quit from the national team. As long as you step into the court with 5 players, you have a full team. I am sure Greece team had missing players, too but they never complain about it. Because they have an efficient system. Sorry for long post and my language mistakes. (not a native speaker) Yeah. 3rd place in WC by beating China, Japan, Senegal, and South Korea and tying Costa Rica. Not one team was ranked in top 25.
  2. Greece is favored to beat China: http://www27.pinnaclesports.com/vwGuestLin...%20Championship To al of you who think USA is unbeattable, rememeber what happened to Brazil in the WC 2006.
  3. 24/08/2006 Game Report, Greece vs Turkey 76-69, GROUP C HAMAMATSU (FIBA World Championship) – Turkey showed their promise once again but old rivals Greece put paid to their unbeaten run at the FIBA World Championship in the battle for Group C supremacy. Playing without Nikos Zisis, who broke three bones in his face in a collision with Anderson Varejao of Brazil on Wednesday, the Greeks trailed 42-37 at half-time but eventually prevailed 76-69 with Mihalis Kakiouzis and Lazaros Papadopoulos each scoring 17 points. Greece also got a big game from Sofoklis Schortsianitis, the Olympiacos center who is new to this year’s side. He finished with 14 points but will be best remembered for his second-half pass to Antonis Fotsis which led to a rim-rocking dunk by the forward. "Today was a great game with the two best teams in the group," said Schortsianitis. "Both teams gave 100%. The reason we won was because we were more concentrated in crucial moments of the game." Turkey, due in large part to Greece’s defense, only scored five points in the third quarter and found themselves behind 54-47 after three quarters. Serkan Erdogan kept his team in the game in the fourth quarter when he scored 10 of his game-high 30 points. His three-ball made it 67-64 to Greece with 3:28 to play, and then Erdogan came up with a steal and finished off a break with a three-pointer to tie the game at 67-67 with just 2:52 to go. Two Erdogan free throws tied the game for the final time at 69-69 before Vassilis Spanoulis’ three-pointer from the left corner gave Greece the lead for good at 72-69. Spanoulis then added four free throws for the final scoreline. Bogdan Tanjevic, the Turkey coach, missed Ersan Ilyasova’s offense, saying his 19-year-old star was worth "10 points per game". Ilyasova sat out of the contest with an ankle injury and Cenk Akyol, another youngster, ate up many of his minutes. But Tanjevic was pleased overall, with his team now set to face Group D’s third placed team Slovenia instead of China, with the Far East giants to take on Greece. "We played a good game against a great opponent," Tanjevic said. "We missed in the second half time too many balls in so many important moments of the game, and missed also Illyasova who couldn't play today, so all together I have to be proud of my team. "They played well and challenged a very strong team, and that's a good point of the game for us."
  4. He appears to be out of the tournament. Zisis was elbowed in the eye at the 26th minute and now will require surgery.
  5. Turkey making the Eurobasket 2001 final was FIVE years ago and Lithuania won Eurobasket 2003 3 years ago. Thats ancient history. Current good info is that Lithuania is ranked #4 in the world and Turkey is 3-0 against Lithuania, Brazil, and Australia.
  6. As many as eight teams - Germany, Italy, the United States, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Argentina and Angola - stay unbeaten in the 2006 World Championship after 2 games played in the preliminary round, as a good number of Euroleague stars keep showing their skills along the way. In Group A, Argentina is the uncontested leader by beating the Lebanon 72-107 in Hiroshima on Tuesday behind 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting from All-Euroleague first team selection Luis Scola. Meanwhile, France beat Serbia and Montenegro 65-61 to bounce back from its initial loss. Former Euroleague star Boris Diaw led the way with 20 points for the winners. Just as it was expected, Spain leads Group B by overwhelming Panama 57-101 in Hiroshima on Tuesday. Former Winterthur FCB forward Pau Gasol had 26 points while Rudy Fernandez of DKV Joventut added 21 on 7-for-8 shooting. Spain will face a tough test tomorrow, as Germany also improved to 2-0 by thrashing New Zealand 56-80 behind 18 points on 4 of 5 three-pointers from Alba Berlin forward Demond Greene. Greece needed overtime to edge Lithuania 76-81 and lead Group C with a 2-0 record. All-Euroleague second team selection Vassilis Spanoulis led the winners with 15 points, including 4 of 4 free throws in the final minute of the extra period. Meanwhile, Turkey stayed unbeaten by rallying from a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Australia 68-76. Ersan Ilyasova led the winners with 17 points, but Ibrahim Kutluay of Ulker Fenerbahce had most of his 15 points to complete the Turkish comeback in the final period. In Group D, Italy edged Slovenia 80-76 behind 26 points from Marco Belinelli. It all came down to the final seconds, in which Matteo Soragna of Benetton hit critical free throws to put the victory on ice. Groups A and B will keep the action alive tomorrow, so don't forget who check what is happening in the 2006 World Championships right here on Euroleague.net! Argentina lived up to the expectations by downing the Lebanon 72-107 in Hiroshima on Tuesday. Argentina leads Group A with a 2-0 record while the Lebanon dropped to 1-1. Walter Herrmann, who played for Unicaja last season, led the winners with 23 points on 6 of 8 triples. Scola added 18 on 8-for-10 shooting, Carlos Delfino had 14 and Fabricio Oberto 12 in an easy win for the current Olympic champs, who broke the game in the opening half and never looked back. Venezuela bounced back from its initial loss in this group by beating Nigeria 77-84 behind 24 points from Victor Diaz. Oscar Torres, who played for Khimki last season, had 14 points and 7 rebounds. Ide Udoka had 23 points for Nigeria. France bounced back from its initial last in Argentina by edging Serbia and Montenegro 65-61. France improved to 1-1 while Serbia and Montenegro is last at 0-2. Diaw had 20 points for France while Frederic Weis had 11. Igor Rakocevic of Tau Ceramica had 22 points for Serbia and Montenegro, while Darko Milicic added 15. It all came down to the final 7 seconds, in which Diaw hit 4 of 4 free throws to seal the outcome in crunch time. Spain keeps impressing everyone in Group B by thrashing Panama 57-101 in Hiroshima on Tuesday. Spain ties with Germany for the top spot, both with a 2-0 record. Both teams will face each other tomorrow. Pau Gasol led the winners with 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting, Fernandez added 21 on 7-for-8 shooting, Berni Rodriguez of Unicaja had 15 on 6-for-7 shooting while Jorge Garbajosa scored 10 points in an easy win for Spain, which lost Juan Carlos Navarro in the opening half. Navarro has been listed a day-to-day. Germany did not have a tough battle either, as it beat New Zealand 56-80. Greene led the way with 18 points on 4 of 5 three-pointers. Robert Garrett of Brose Baskets Bamberg added 14 while Dirk Nowitzki had 11 for Germany, which fired in 16 of 34 three-pointers. Angola got its second win in this group by downing Japan 62-87. Abdel Aziz Boukar led Angola with 16 points and 14 rebounds, as his team had five players in double digits. Turkey almost clinched a spot for the elimination rounds by beating Australia 68-76 in come-from-behind fashion in Hamamatsu. Turkey has a 2-0 record in Group C while Australia dropped to 1-1. Ilyasova led the winners with 17 points, but Kutluay had most of his 15 points to complete the Turkish comeback in the final period. Kaya Peker of Tau Ceramica added 12 points and 8 rebounds while his former teammate at Efes Pilsen Kerem Gonlum posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. C.J. Bruton led Australia with 22 points. The Boomers hit as many as 6 triples in the second quarter to get a 14-point lead, 40-26, at halftime. Turkey was not done however, as Fatih SOlak and Gonlum allowed their team to cut their deficit 55-49 after 30 minutes. Kutluay hit back-to-back triples and then made free throws to give Turkey a 63-65 edge, while Ilyasova made 5 of 5 free throws in the final 2 minutes to seal the win. Brazil had less troubles to thrash Qatar 66-97 and improve its Group C record to 1-1. Tiago Splitter of Tau led the way with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting while Guilherme Giovannoni added 14 for Brazil, which led 51-29 at halftime and get boosted its margin to 75-48 after 30 minutes to stay in the driver's seat until the final buzzer. Greece needed overtime to beat Lithuania 76-81 and lead Group C with a 2-0 record. Spanoulis led the winners with 15 points, Antonios Fotsis of Dynamo Moscow added 11 and Michalis Kakiouzis of Winterthur FCB 10 for Greece. Darius Songaila had 18 points for Lithuania, Linas Kleiza added 14, Simas Jasaitis of Panathinaikos 13 and Arvydas Macijauskas of Olympiacos 10. Lithuania led 48-38 early in the third quarter, but Spanoulis and Kakiouzis helped Greece to get back into the game. A three-pointer by Fotsis put Greece fully in charge, 69-65, but back-to-back baskets by Geidrus Gustas and Macijauskas sent the game to overtime, 69-69. Lazaros Papdopoulos of Dynamo Moscow and All-Euroleague first team selection Theodoros Paploukas of CSKA Moscow stepped up in the extra period, while Spanoulis made 4 free throws in crunch time to seal the win. The United States keep leading Group D due to a 121-90 win over China. The U.S. improved to 2-0 and shares the top spot with Italy, while China dropped to 0-2. Dwayne Wade led 7 U.S. players in double digits with 26 points on 9-for-13 shooting, while Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony each had 16 points for the United States, which led 63-38 at halftime and never looked back. Yao Ming had 21 points and 10 rebounds for China. Italy stays unbeaten in Group D by edging Slovenia 80-76. Belinelli had 26 points for Italy, while Matteo Soragna of Benetton Treviso, Denis Marconato of Winterthur FCB and Fabio Di Bella each added 9. Rasho Nesterovic had 17 points for Slovenia while Jaka Lakovic of Winterthur FCB added 14. Lakovic and Sani Becirovic of Panathinaikos helped Slovenia to get a 14-22 lead after 10 minutes. Even when Slovenia kept a 36-43 edge at halftime, while Belinelli and Denis Marconato of Barcelona allowed Italy to rally and get a 58-54 lead after 30 minutes. It all came down to the final minutes, in which back-to-back triples by Luca Garri of Lottomatica Roma and Soragna gave Italy a 74-71 edge. Lakovic missed a key free throw at 78-76 while Soragna made both attempts in the other end to seal the win with 14 seconds to go. In the other game of this group, Puerto Rico beat Senegal 79-88 behind 29 points from Carlos Arroyo and 20 from former Zalgiris shooter Larry Ayuso.
  7. Game Report Greece v Lithuania 81-76 OT, GROUP C HAMAMATSU (FIBA World Championship) – Greece survived a nightmare at the free throw line and defeated Lithuania 81-76 in overtime for their second consecutive victory at the FIBA World Championship. The Greeks, who came from 16 points down to defeat Qatar on Saturday, trailed 44-37 at half-time against Lithuania after shooting 10 of 23 from the line. But Panagiotis’ men, behind the awesome defensive play of Dimitris Diamantidis, came storming back in the third quarter and eventually won in the extra period. When the game had finished, Greece had made 21 of 41 (51%) of their shots from the line. Lithuania lost despite out-rebounding the Greeks 46-29. “We didn't play good defense in the first half, but in the second half we took better control of the game, and we played better,” said Greece coach Panagiotis Yannakis.. “It was a very nervous game, and that's the reason it went so close. The team with most concentration and passion will win the game.” Diamantidis had three steals and forced three turnovers in the third quarter and he had a chance to win at the end of regulation after Greece forced one of 25 Lithuania turnovers on the evening. Greece ran the game clock down from 20 seconds to eight before Vassilis Spanoulis began his move and penetrated into the lane. He hit a wide-open Diamantidis in the right corner, but the Panathinaikos guard’s shot drew iron and Darius Songaila, who had a game-high 18 points in defeat, rebounded for Lithuania before missing with a desperation heave at the buzzer. In the overtime, after Darjus Lavrinovic game Lithuania the lead at 70-69 by splitting two free throws, Lazaros Papadopolous scored in the lane with a soft jump hook. Linas Kleiza again put the Baltic giants in front with a short jumper, but Papadopolous made it 72-72 by sinking another of two attempts at the line. Lithuania then fell asleep. After Arvydas Macijauskas missed a shot in the lane, Theo Papaloukas rebounded and hit Antonis Fotsis up the floor for a breakaway dunk and a 74-72 lead. Michalis Kakiouzis then came up with a steal and fed Papaloukas for a lay-up for a four-point advantage. Songaila baskets sandwiched a Diamantidis free throw to make it 77-76, but Spanoulis sank two from the line with 18 seconds remaining to give the Greeks a 79-76 lead. Macijauskas had plenty of time at the other end but took a wild three-point attempt and missed badly, and the Greeks rebounded to clinch victory. Sinas Jasaitis, who made three three-pointers in the first half to help Lithuania take the lead, said: "We needed to win this game, especially after we lost yesterday. “Everything went pretty well until we made a lot of silly mistakes in the end. “We have three more games and we have to win all three of them and hopefully go to the next round." Lithuania were edged out 76-74 by Turkey in their first game and now face a big task in trying to reach the eight-finals with games remaining against Australia, Brazil and Qatar. Spanoulis, a member of Greece’s EuroBasket gold-medal winning side last year in Belgrade, had 15 points to lead his team. Lithuania coach Antanas Sireika said. “I agree with Yannakis that it was a very important game for the qualifying of the next round. I think we did a decent job on defense, but when the game was on the line we didn't play as we should.”
  8. The 2006 World Championship started this morning in Japan with Euroleague and ULEB Cup stars shining all over the place! Argentina, Spain, Greece and Italy lead their respective groups in the Premilinary Stage, which takes places until next Thursday. Argentina beat France 80-70 in Sendai to lead Group A. Former Euroleague superstar Manu Ginobili led the winners with 22 points on 9 of 9 free throws while All-Euroleague first selection Luis Scola had 10 points and 6 rebounds for Argentina. Nigeria shocked everyone by beating Serbia and Montenegro 75-82 while the Lebanon beat Venezuela 72-82 behind 35 points from Fadi El Khatib. In Group B, Spain is the first leader by thrashing New Zealand 86-70 in Hiroshima on Saturday behind 16 points each from Pau Gasol, Jorge Garbajosa and All-Euroleague first team selection Juan Carlos Navarro. Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points to lead Germany to a 81-70 win over Japan, while Angola beat Panama 83-70 to share the top spot in Group B. Greece rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat Qatar 84-64. Dimos Dikoudis of Panathinaikos had 26 points off the bench while Antonios Fotsis of Dynamo Moscow added 16. Erden Arslan hit the game-winning free throws with 17 seconds to go to make Turkey edge Lithuania 76-74, while Australia beat Brazil 77-83. Italy leads Group D by thrashing China 69-84 in Sapporo. Gianluca Basile paced Italy with 27 points. Slovenia thrashed Senegal 96-79 behind 16 points from Sani Becirovic of Panathinaikos while the United States beat Puerto Rico 100-111. Argentina, Nigeria and the Lebanon registered respective wins to share the lead in Group A. Argentina now has the top spot by downing France 80-70 in Sendai on Saturday. Ginobili led the winners with 22 points on 9 of 9 free throws. Andres Nocioni added 21 points, Ruben Wolkowyski had 12 while Scola tallied 10 points and 6 rebounds for Argentina. Unicaja forward Florent Pietrus led France with 15 points, Boris Diaw had 13, Mickael Gelabale 11 and Yannick Bokolo of Le Mans 10 for Les Bleus, who missed Tony Parker, out for the tournament due to a broken finger. Argentina led 25-23 after 10 minutes while Ginobili and Nocioni helped the 2004 Olympic Games winners to boost their margin to 44-33 at halftime. Even when France trimmed its deficit to 56-50 at the end of the third quarter, Argentina had no problems to win the game. Meanwhile, Nigeria provided the biggest surprise of the day by downing Serbia and Montenegro 75-82 also in Sendai. Ime Udoka led the way for Nigeria with 18 points while Eri Ebe added 15. Igor Rakocevic of Tau Ceramica had 20 points for Serbia, which trailed almost all the way until they tied the game at 56-56. Udoka nailed a triple for a 59-56 Nigerian lead after 30 minutes while Chamberlain Oguchi made back-to-back triples to put the winners in charge for good. Finally, the Lebanon beat Venezuela 72-82 behind an outstanding shooting exhibition from Fadi El Khatib. He had 27 of his 35 points in the second half to make his team get a well-deserved win. Spain leads Group B by thrashing New Zealand 86-70 in Hiroshima on Saturday. Pau Gasol, Navarro and Garbajosa led the winners each with 16 points, while Alex Mumbru had 12 for Spain, who played without Real Madrid forward Felipe Reyes, who is not expected to play until the elimination rounds. Former Maccabi sharp shooter Kirk Penney had 15 points for New Zealand. Spain led 25-21 after 10 minutes and managed to improve its margin to 48-36 at halftime and then again to 68-48 after 30 minutes, enough to seal the win. Germany was the first team to register a win in Group B by beating Japan 81-70 also in Hiroshima. As usual, Nowitzki led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds while Ademola Okulaja added 11 points and 12 rebounds for Germany. Kei Igarashi had 13 points for Japan, which trailed 34-20 after 10 minutes. Germany, led by an outstanding Nowitzki, kept a safe lead all the way from there and cruised to an important win. Finally, Angola beat Panama 83-70 to share the top spot in Group B. Carlos Almeida led the winners with 22 points while Miguel Lutonda and Olimpio Cipirano each had 17 in an easier than expected win for Angola. Ruben Douglas, the ULEB Cup final MVP this season, had 17 points for Panama while Ruben Garces added 16 and 9 rebounds. Group C has lived up to the expectations, offering exciting games along the way. Greece is the first leader by thrashing Qatar 84-64 in come-from-behind fashion. Dikoudis led the winners with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Vassilis Spanoulis had 17 points while Fotsis added 16 for Greece. Ali Turki had 17 points for Qatar, which used outstanding shot selection to get an unthinkable 12-28 lead. Greece opted to use fullcourt pressure and found a go-to guy in Dikoudis, who fueled a game-breaking 24-1 run which put his team in charge, 38-31, at halftime. Qatar stayed in the game and trailed 60-55 with under 7 minutes to go, but Fotsis, Spanoulis and Dikoudis shined to make Greece seal the win. Turkey edged Lithuania 76-74 also in Hamamatsu on Saturday. Ibrahim Kutluay led the winners with 16 points, Kerem Gonlum added 15, Ersan Ilyasova had 11 and Serkan Erdogan 10 for Turkey. Olympiacos superstar Arvydas Macijauskas had 24 points for Lithuania, Darius Songaila had 14 and Darjus Lavrinovic 10. It all came down to the final 17 seconds after a game full of alternatives, as Arslan hit the game-winning free throws for Turkey while Gedrius Gustas missed a potential game-winning corner triple almost at the buzzer. Finally, Australia beat Brazil 77-83 in Hamamatsu behind 18 points from CJ Bruton and 13 from Sam McKinnon, who had 5 in a 0-9 run which broke the game midway through the fourth quarter. Leandrinho Barbosa had 18 points for Brazil while Tau center Tiago Splitter added 16 and 6 rebounds. Italy leads Group D by thrashing China 69-84 in Sapporo. Basile led the way with 27 points on 4 of 5 triples. Matteo Soragna of Benetton added 14 points while Luca Garri of Lottomatica Roma had 10 for the winners. Yao Ming had 30 points and 9 rebounds for China. Italy led 35-39 at halftime, broke the game in the third period due to its three-point accuracy - 13 of 25 - and never looked back. Meanwhile, Slovenia had less troubles than expected to beat Senegal 96-79 behind 17 points from Bostjan Nachbar. Becirovic added 16, Beno Udrih had 14, Saso Ozbolt of Union Olimpija 11 and Goran Jurak 20 for Slovenia, which led 32-15 after 10 minutes and kept a confortable lead until the final buzzer. Finally, the United States beat Puerto Rico 111-100, getting revenge of its loss against the Boricuas at the 2004 Olympic Games. Carmelo Anthony led the U.S. team with 21 points. Former Tau guard Carlos Arroyo had 23 points while Unicaja center Dan Santiago added 9 for Puerto Rico, which stayed in the game for 19 minutes until the US took a slim lead which they kept for good.
  9. For the Canadians: Raptors NBA TV to Air 2006 FIBA World Championships (August 9, 2006) -- Raptors NBA TV announced Wednesday the network will broadcast every game from the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championships, including the tournament semi-finals and final live from Saitama, Japan. Live coverage of preliminary round action will be highlighted by five games featuring Team USA against Puerto Rico, China, Slovenia, Italy and Senegal. Team USA’s roster includes Toronto Raptors All-Star forward Chris Bosh, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James. Other notable Toronto Raptors participating are guard Jose Calderon and forward Jorge Garbajosa representing Spain as well as centre Rasho Nesterovic and forward Uros Slokar representing Slovenia. The 2006 FIBA World Championship tips off Saturday, August 19. Expanded to 24 teams, the World Championship will hold preliminary games in Japanese cities Sendai, Hiroshima, Hamamatsu and Sapporo. Raptors NBA TV is Canada’s number one source for basketball news, results and live broadcast, and is available nationally through most television. Full TV Schedule in Canada For Americans: 8/19/06 Saturday 1:00 AM USA vs. Puerto Rico ESPN2 8/19/06 Saturday 4:00 PM Argentina vs. France NBATV/FOX 8/19/06 Saturday 6:00 PM Turkey vs. Lithuania NBATV 8/20/06 Sunday 6:30 AM USA vs. China ESPN2 8/20/06 Sunday 4:00 PM USA vs. Puerto Rico NBATV 8/20/06 Sunday 6:00 PM France vs. Serbia & Montenegro NBATV 8/20/06 Sunday 8:00 PM Argentina vs. Lebanon NBATV/FOX 8/21/06 Monday 4:00 PM USA vs. China NBATV 8/21/06 Monday 6:00 PM Germany vs. Spain NBATV/FOX 8/22/06 Tuesday 6:30 AM USA vs. Slovenia ESPN2 8/22/06 Tuesday 4:00 PM China vs. Puerto Rico NBATV 8/22/06 Tuesday 6:00 PM Italy vs. Senegal NBATV/FOX 8/23/06 Wednesday 6:30 AM USA vs. Italy ESPN2 8/23/06 Wednesday 4:00 PM USA vs. Slovenia NBATV 8/23/06 Wednesday 6:00 PM Venezuela vs. Serbia & Montenegro NBATV 8/23/06 Wednesday 8:00 PM Nigeria vs. Argentina NBATV/FOX 8/24/06 Thursday 6:30 AM USA vs. Senegal ESPN2 8/24/06 Thursday 2:00 PM USA vs. Italy NBATV 8/24/06 Thursday 4:00 PM Slovenia vs. China NBATV/FOX 8/25/06 Friday 4:00 PM Senegal vs. USA NBATV 8/25/06 Friday 6:00 PM Lithuania vs. Brazil NBATV 8/26/06 Saturday 12:00 AM Eighth Final ESPN2 8/26/06 Saturday 7:00 AM Eighth Final ESPN2 8/26/06 Saturday 4:00 PM Turkey vs. Greece NBATV 8/26/06 Saturday 6:00 PM Italy vs. Puerto Rico NBATV 8/27/06 Sunday 4:00 AM Eighth Final ESPN2 8/27/06 Sunday 9:00 PM Eighth Final ESPN2 8/29/06 Tuesday 3:30 AM Quarterfinal ESPN2 8/29/06 Tuesday 6:30 AM Quarterfinal ESPN2 8/29/06 Tuesday TBD Quarterfinal NBATV 8/29/06 Tuesday TBD Quarterfinal NBATV 8/30/06 Wednesday 3:30 AM Quarterfinal ESPN2 8/30/06 Wednesday 6:30 AM Quarterfinal ESPN2 8/30/06 Wednesday TBD Quarterfinal NBATV 8/30/06 Wednesday TBD Quarterfinal NBATV 9/1/06 Friday 3:30 AM Semifinal ESPN2 9/1/06 Friday 6:30 AM Semifinal ESPN2 9/2/06 Saturday 6:30 AM Bronze ESPN2 9/2/06 Saturday 4:00 PM Semifinal NBATV 9/2/06 Saturday 6:00 PM Semifinal NBATV 9/3/06 Sunday 6:30 AM Finals ESPN2 9/4/06 Monday 4:00 PM Finals NBATV For everybody else: Current FIBA Broadcast Partners by Country AFRICA SPORT TV+ Angola Benin Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Capo Verde Chad Ivory Coast Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea Bissau Guinea Equatorial Liberia Madagascar Mali MauNiger Central African Republic Dem. Rep. Congo Rwanda Sao Tome & Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Togo AL JAZEERA SPORT+ Algeria Djibouti Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Somalia Sudan Tunisia AMERICAS TyC Sports Argentina Bolivia Chile Columbia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Uruguay ESPN Brazil/TV Sport Brazil ASIA China - CCTV Chinese Taipei - Videoland Philippines - Solar EUROPE Austria - DSF Belgium - BE TV Bosnia & Herzegovina - PBS Croatia - HRT Denmark - ViaSat Estonia - ETV Finland - ViaSat France - Sport+ Germany - DSF Greece - ERT (But I dont think it will be on ERT SAT) Hungary - Sport 1 Israel - The Sport Channel Italy - Rai Latvia - TV3 Lichtenstein - DSF Lithuania - TV3 Luxembourg - BE TV Monaco - Sport+ Norway - ViaSat Russia - RTR Sport Serbia & Montenegro - RTS Spain - TVE Sweden - ViaSat Switzerland - Sport+, DSF Turkey - NTV (Why is Turkey listed under EUROPE?) MIDDLE EAST AL JAZEERA SPORT Chad Jordan Bahrain Saudi Arabia Oman Qatar Syria United Arab Emirates Yemen Iraq Iran Kuwait Palestine including Gaza Strip AL JAZEERA SPORT/LBC LEBABON
  10. The American Associated Press article on FIBA World Cup: Can U.S. Dominate at World Championships By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: August 18, 2006 SAPPORO, Japan (AP) -- The last time the Americans won the world championships, it seemed they might never lose again. That was way back in 1994, when the U.S. team tore through Toronto with an 8-0 record. Coming two years after the Dream Team's roll through the Barcelona Olympics with the same record, the Americans had won their first two major international competitions with NBA players by more than 40 points per game. Not only was the United States back on top of the basketball world, but the gap appeared larger than ever. ''That was a special period in time, a special generation of players,'' USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said. ''That was then.'' The now is a list of recent results that are good, but well short of what's expected: third in the 1998 world championships, gold at the 2000 Olympics, sixth in the worlds in '02, third in the Athens Games two years ago. Oddsmaker William Hill has the U.S. listed as the 2-to-5 favorite this time, and international stars Manu Ginobili and Dirk Nowitzki are among those who have said the U.S. is one of the teams to beat. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the Americans looked the part during exhibition play, winning their five games by an average of 34.2 points. So is this the return to U.S. dominance? Don't count on it. The non-U.S. players no longer come to these events just to meet the Americans. The plan now is to beat them. ''I don't think you're ever going to see again a U.S. team that beats everyone else by a big margin. That was 15 years ago or whenever it was,'' Argentina's Ginobili said in a story on FIBA.com. ''Now basketball has changed and many of us are playing with them every single day, so we're getting closer. So you're not going to see a U.S. team, even though they are very good, beating everyone else by 30 points. That's part of the past.'' Argentina is one of the teams that made it that way. The Argentinians were the gold medalists in Athens and runners-up in the '02 worlds -- with victories over the U.S. during both events. Ginobili and Chicago's Andres Nocioni highlight one of the most experienced teams in the field. But Argentina lost twice during exhibition play to Spain, which went 9-0 during warm-up play. Led by All-Star Pau Gasol, the Spaniards also were undefeated during pool play in Athens before the Americans played their best game of the tournament and knocked them off in the quarterfinals. Greece, the 2005 European champion, and Lithuania are among the other top contenders in the 24-team field. France's hopes took a big hit before the start of the tournament when Spurs guard Tony Parker was forced out because of a broken finger. Serbia and Montenegro appears too inexperienced to defend the consecutive world championships won by Yugoslavia in 1998 and '02, and the Germans lack the necessary help for Nowitzki after finishing third in Indianapolis four years ago. The world championships were to begin Saturday at four sites in Japan. Playing in Group D, the Americans have one of the easiest brackets -- they routed opponents Puerto Rico and China during exhibition play -- and shouldn't be tested much before the field is reduced to 16 when the teams move to the Tokyo suburb of Saitama. Argentina, France and Serbia and Montenegro are in a tougher Group A in Sendai -- along with a Lebanon team that will try to bring a bit of good news to a country in need of it. Greece, Brazil, Lithuania and Australia are part of a deep Group C in Hamamatsu. For the Americans, the biggest roadblock again could come in the form of a zone defense. Though they play it less against each other, international teams favor it as a way to slow the Americans, who have lacked reliable perimeter shooting during their recent struggles. Some opponents sat back in one for nearly all 40 minutes in Athens, where the U.S. shot 31 percent from 3-point range to tie for 10th in the 12-team tournament. ''For some reason, the world thinks it's cast a spell on American basketball by saying Americans can't play against a zone,'' U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. ''I guess we'll see.'' The Americans seem better prepared to handle it this time after shooting 41 percent from behind the arc during exhibition play. But they struggled in their lone close game, going 10-for-29 in a 90-86 victory over Brazil. ''What's out there and our group needs to shatter, that is the U.S. can't play against a zone,'' Krzyzewski said. ''And I don't see why we shouldn't be able to do that. If we don't, then we haven't done a good job.'' They haven't always in the past: Fans in the United States -- where the world championships aren't treated as seriously as they are around the world -- might be surprised to know the Americans have won the title only three times in 14 tries since the event debuted in 1950. Krzyzewski is back for another try at winning one after taking bronze in 1990. James, Wade and Anthony are also back in USA uniforms after they were part of the latest U.S. disappointment in Athens. And they're intent on avoiding another one -- whether the wins come easily or not. ''In 2004, we didn't understand the significance of how big the Olympics were for the U.S. I think everybody felt like it wasn't as big as the NBA, which is not true,'' James said. ''I think every guy didn't have the right mind-set and as a team, we didn't come together. ''But it's a new day, it's a new age and I feel this team has the right ingredients, has the right nucleus and guys are really prepared and know what's at stake -- to win the world championship.''
  11. Greece in last 4 FIBA World Cups Group C Predictions --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Illustrated's Projected Top 8 (No Greece in Top 8 because they lack NBA presence. Wait until Greece surprises these arrogant American basketball writers) 1. UNITED STATES Top players: SG Dwyane Wade, SF LeBron James, PG Gilbert Arenas Skinny: The Americans must bond quickly; among the contenders, they will draw the toughest opponent in the knockout round of 16. 2. ARGENTINA Top players: SG Manu Ginobili, PF Luis Scola, SF Andres Nocioni Skinny: While the 26-year-old Scola will be out to prove he's NBA-worthy, this aging group will be hard-pressed to keep its edge after a half decade on top. 3. SPAIN Top players: C Pau Gasol, SG Juan-Carlos Navarro, SF Jorge Garbajosa Skinny: The Spaniards' nucleus has been together for several years, their backcourt is exceptional, and the versatile Gasol is a matchup nightmare. 4. FRANCE Top players: PG Tony Parker, PF Boris Diaw, SF Mickaël Pietrus Skinny: With the help of NBA big men Ronny Turiaf and Johan Petro, Les Bleus are capable of winning it all. 5. BRAZIL Top players: SG Leandro Barbosa, PF Anderson Varejão, PF Tiago Splitter Skinny: This young, skilled team could spend the next quadrennium contending for gold medals. 6. GERMANY Top players: PF Dirk Nowitzki, C Patrick Femerling, PF Ademola Okulaja Skinny: No opponent is safe against the unstoppable Nowitzki, who led Germany to a silver medal at last year's European championships. 7. LITHUANIA Top players: SG Arvydas Macijauskas, PF Darius Songaila, SF Mindaugas Zukauskas Skinny: Even without NBA sharpshooter Sarunas Jasikevicius, this deep team is capable of frightening the perennial powers. 8. SLOVENIA Top players: PG Jaka Lakovic, SF Bostjan Nachbar, C Rasho Nesterovic Skinny: With five NBA players (including C Primoz Brezec, PG Beno Udrih and rookie PF Uros Slokar) and scorers at every position, this tiny country (pop. 2 million) could be the tournament's Cinderella
  12. Still thoug I'd love to see all the games. Is there a reliable internet site where I can purchase the game? http://www.mediazone.com/channel/fiba/jsp/index.jsp#
  13. Greece v Qatar Hamamatsu (FIBA World Championship) - Greece have the look of world beaters going into their first game in Japan against Qatar but center Lazaros Papadopolous has warned his team-mates not to get carried away. "We have to manage our success," he said. The way Greece has played since their magnificent run at EuroBasket 2005, when they came from behind to beat Russia in the quarter-final, then stunned France in a semi with a late fightback before cruising past Germany in the gold medal game, suggests they can go very far. Panagiotis Yannakis' team was full of unselfish players last year in Belgrade and with the addition of Olympiacos big man Sofoklis Schortsianitis, they look positively frightening. "The confidence comes from last year’s success, but the team is maturing and also there is a special compliment - a lot of teams who admire us," Papadopolous said. "That means that finally, the national team of Greece has a basketball identity." Indeed, after a victory over France this summer, their point guard Tony Parker remarked that Greece were a model team, one that even Les Bleus should try to emulate. Greece have excellent guards in Theo Papaloukas, Dimitrios Diamantidis, Nikos Zisis and Vasileios Spanoulis. And they boast frontline players Michail Kakiouzis, Konstantinos Tsartsaris, Antonios Fotsis and Dimosthenis Ntikoudis. Yannakis has an embarrassment of riches. And Greece will not catch Qatar by surprise, that's for sure. Qatar coach Joey Stiebing said: "They defend, and I’m a defensive oriented coach. "They don’t really have any weaknesses. I think everyone else is looking up at Greece. I think they’ll be the guys who come out on top and the next three will be pretty even." Qatar have are not expected to advance from the group, but they are capable of beating anyone an any given day. It's a big ask going up against Greece, though. One player who will have to do battle with the Greek big men, Mohammed Saleem, talked about the opponents. "They are European champions, a tough, big-time basketball team," Saleem said. "But we already know that. We’re going to do our best, scout these guys, try to contain them and take their keys away. "But in the back of my mind, we have to be more focused, play a more complete game because these guys are good. We have to rebound, defend, everything. It starts from the warm-ups, even before the warm-ups. It has to be complete, from A to Z."
  14. Team USA overwhelming favorites to take FIBA World Championship - Aug. 17, 2006 - by Eurobasket News With the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championship beginning this weekend, the entire sports world wants to see if Team USA can return to basketball dominance and rebound from a disappointing bronze medal finish at the 2004 Summer Games. After outscoring their opponents by an average of 34 points in five exhibition wins, Coach K’s squad appears better suited for the international game than recent American teams and looks poised to capture gold in Japan. Entering the two-week long tournament after a successful exhibition season, Team USA has certainly made believers of bettors as PinnacleSports.com lists the team as overwhelming 4/11 favorites to win the 2006 World Basketball Championship. The largest sports betting site on the Internet, PinnacleSports.com opened betting on the Worlds nearly two months ago and has seen unprecedented interest in the event. After originally opening as 5/8 favorites, the odds on Team USA winning gold have shortened as bettors continue to back the lineup of NBA stars. Heading into Japan fresh off nine straight warm-up victories, the Pau Gasol-led Spanish squad has been listed with the second-best quote to win the World Basketball Championship with odds of 8/1. Boasting a roster that includes four NBA players, reigning Olympic champions Argentina is currently 10/1 to capture gold at the Worlds, followed by European champions Greece at 16/1. Other leading contenders in the tournament include, Lithuania (28/1), France (30/1) and Serbia And Montenegro (30/1). "The one question facing the Americans is if they’ll mesh as a team and share the ball, something that past teams had not done in international competition," said Simon Noble of PinnacleSports.com. "Coach K appears to have gotten his message across and the young superstars led by LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade have bought into the game plan and embraced the team-first philosophy." Despite winning the Americas championship in ’05 and giving the current USA squad a scare in exhibition, Brazil remains a 58/1 underdog to take the Worlds. While Germany may have the world’s best scorer on its roster in Dirk Nowitzki, PinnacleSports.com believes the supporting cast is lacking and lists the Germans as 79/1 long shots in Japan. Italy may have just captured their fourth soccer World Cup, but bettors are giving them little chance on the basketball court where the Azzuri are listed as 90/1 underdogs. PinnacleSports.com lists Yao Ming and China at 200/1, while host Japan is 400/1 to celebrate on their home court.
  15. Greece thrash Germany to win Stankovic Cup NANJING (Stankovic Cup/FIBA World Championship) - European champions Greece blitzed Germany 84-47 to win the Stankovic Cup on Tuesday, a result that is sure to send shockwaves around their FIBA World Championship rivals. In what was a superb team performance, Greece shared the scoring around with Vasileios Spanoulis being the game's leading contributor with 12 points. Lazaros Papadopoulos and Antonios Fotsis were the only other Greek players to score in double figures, pouring in 11 and 10 points respectively. For Germany, Johannes Herber paced his side with 10 points while superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki was only able to net nine points and haul down five rebounds in almost 25 minutes of action. Greece had looked out of sorts in their Group A games at the Stankovic Cup, squeezing past outsiders Australia 68-60 in their first match and then losing 72-68 to France. But those results were still enough for Panagiotis Yannakis' side to make it through to the title match, courtesy of their superior points difference. Germany, meanwhile, made it through to the gold-medal match with a 100% record after recording victories against hosts China (82-73) and Brazil (76-75). Form went out of the window in the final, though, with Greece demolishing their European rivals in what will be a major boost for the 2005 EuroBasket champions ahead of the FIBA World Championship. In Japan, Greece have been drawn in Group C with an opening match against Qatar on Saturday. Germany meet Japan on the same day in their first game in Group B. In the bronze-medal match at the Stankovic Cup, France beat Brazil 86-74.
  16. Greece defeated Germany 84-47 and won the Stankovic Cup. Greece is looking very good in the friendlies. Greece has won 2 friendly tournaments and is looking very good. They also looked very good in Italy when they defeted Italy and Croatia and lost to the World Champs, Serbia, by 4 points. Vote Yes for Greece to win the FIBA World Cup Vote Yes for Greece to win the FIBA World Cup in comparison to other teams.
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