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Division A: Greece, Australia, France Division B: China, Germany, Brazil 11/8

The 2nd annual FIBA Stankovic Continental Champion Cup in Nanjing (August 10 ~ 15) will take place with the teams Brazil, Greece, Australia, France, and Germany before the World Championship commences August 19th.

Brazil is the South American champion so they are no pushover. Serbia is not that strong right now. They are missing key players and did not do well in Eurobasket 2005 which was held in Serbia. But, you never know. I think Lithunia, Italy, Spain, France, and Germany have legitimate shots as well.

Bourousis let go as Greece squad takes shape ATHENS (FIBA World Championship) - Greece coach Panagiotis Yannakis has axed center Yannis Bourousis as he begins to trim his squad for the FIBA World Championship. Greece currently have 15 players and can only take 12 to the FIBA World Championship. Yannakis will make one more cut before the squad travels to China to continue its preparations for Japan 2006. "Yannis Bourousis will not continue because he is heading for a difficult preparation for the new season with Olympiacos," Yannakis said. "One more player will be cut before we leave for China." Yannakis’ decision to move forward without Bourousis is a testament to the national team’s depth. Bourousis was a reserve in last year’s EuroBasket gold medal winning side. Eleven members of that squad are still in the group. The European champions are in fine form ahead of World Championship tip-off in two weeks` time. On Wednesday night they beat France 70-56 to win the Acropolis Tournament in Athens, having previously beaten Italy and Croatia in the event. "The players will continue and they want to play good basketball like we have done at the Acropolis Tournament," Yannakis said. "The victory against France was also a win that the fans wanted to see and we can take lots of positives from the game. "The improvement of our game is clear to see, the players are moving faster and are thinking quicker. "This takes a lot of time and practice to get right and everyone is working hard. There is never enough time." Greece are in Group C at the FIBA World Championship with Australia, Lithuania, Turkey, Brazil and Qatar. The top four sides will advance to the eighth-finals, with the team that comes fourth likely to face Group D favourites Team USA in the first elimination round game. France star Tony Parker believes Greece should be considered one of the favourites for the World Championship but Yannakis is playing down his side`s chances. "We know that we are not the dream team," he said. "We are a good side but there are also many other good teams out there." Greece preliminary squad (three to be cut): Papaloukas, Spanoulis, Zisis, Vasilopoulos, Fotsis, Chatzivrettas, Ntikoudis, Tsartsaris, Diamantidis, Papadopoulos, Kakiouzis, Papamakarios, Schortsanitis, Kyritsis, Mavrokefalidis. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spanoulis concentrating on FIBA World Champs ATHENS (FIBA World Championship) - Vasilis Spanoulis insists his dream move to the NBA is the furthest thing from his mind as he prepares for Greece`s assault on the FIBA World Championship. The 23-year-old guard signed a three-year deal with the Houston Rockets last week but wants to add a world title to his CV before he arrives in Texas. "I haven't thought about going to the NBA yet," he said. "At this time, I am with the national team and I am thinking of nothing else. We go to Japan as champions of Europe and we will give our best to do what we can. "Our objective is the world title." Greece warmed up for the August 19 tip-off in style, with a 70-56 over France winning them their own Acropolis Tournament in Athens. It was a repeat of their dramatic EuroBasket 2005 semi-final victory over the French and led France star Tony Parker to name them among the favourites for the World Championship. But Spanoulis` team-mates Michalis Kakiouzis and Nikos Zisis are playing down the significance of their third successive win against the French. Kakiouzis said: "It's not important to win or lose a warm-up tournament at this stage. These games are friendlies. What is important is to improve our overall play." Benetton Treviso guard Zisis believes there will be more work to do as the squad continue their preparations in China. "The tournament was one big test with three good games," he said. "We still have room for improvement. Now we have a few days' rest and then it's back to work again." Coach Panagiotis Yannakis will cut one more player from his squad before the China trip, having already trimmed the party to 15 with the axing of center Yannis Bourousis. His final squad must be further amended to 12 players. Greece are in Group C at the World Championship with Australia, Lithuania, Turkey, Brazil and Qatar. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Schortsianitis fitting in nicely with Greece ATHENS (FIBA World Championship) - Greece starlet Sofoklis Schortsianitis has thanked his team-mates for helping him settle so quickly into the national team set-up. The 21-year-old center is set for his first major international tournament when the FIBA World Championship tips off in Japan in two weeks’ time after making great strides at Olympiacos this season. “From day one, I felt good in this team,” Schortsianitis said. “All my team-mates made me feel I belong in this team with them and I thank them for that.” Schortsianitis helped European champions Greece clinch the Acropolis Tournament in Athens this week following victories over Italy and France. “Until now, I liked most the game against Italy, because it was hard, but we showed what we can do,” the power forward added. Schortsianitis was not a member of the EuroBasket-winning side but feels the prestige of his country being champions of Europe. “Greece are the European champions and must go to Japan as a champion,” he said “But we have to keep on with the good and hard work, to be modest, to do what we do with love and passion. I think this is the best recipe, isn’t it?” Schortsianitis look to have a bright future ahead of him. He was selected by the LA Clippers in the 2003 NBA draft and recently signed a contract extension with Olympiacos until 2010. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Papaloukas, Greece looking for consistency ATHENS (FIBA World Championship) - Greece’s EuroBasket 2005 gold medal in Belgrade has elevated expectations for this year’s FIBA World Championship, but star guard Theo Papaloukas is ignoring all predictions. Papaloukas, who was the MVP of the Euroleague Final Four with CSKA Moscow, was arguably the best performer for his country in Belgrade, as well as their Olympic campaign in which they reached the quarter-finals in Athens in 2004. He will now look to provide the same consistent level of performance in Japan. "We don't care what people say about us being a great team and all that," he said. "Our goal is to play well at any time. If we manage to do that, then in Japan we can reach a very high level once more. But only if we work hard and if we manage to play good basketball." Greece coach Panagiotis Yannakis saw his side impress in the recent Acropolis Tournament - recording victories over France, Italy, and Croatia - but knows that competition will be intense once the FIBA World Championship tips off on August 19. "The title from Belgrade puts extra pressure on us. That is true," he said. "We expect every game to be close for 37 minutes in Japan. "In previous years we were lacking confidence. Now it's different. But we have to keep in mind that any team can lose in the knock-out games. I am happy because all my players are in good mood and ready to work hard any time. "It is very encouraging that they want to do something more for basketball in Greece." Center Dimosthenis Ntikoudis, who has emerged as a key man for his country in the last few seasons, has been left inspired by the crowds from the Acropolis Tournament. "We have only positive things to say after our last six friendly games," he said. "In the Acropolis Tournament, we were better than the other teams, but we all know we can play even better. "It was very nice for us to play in Athens and to see all these fans. "It was a great push for us. They gave us a good reason to fight even harder for a good finish in Japan."

Parker superb but Greece win in Athens over France ATHENS (FIBA World Championship) - Greece clinched first place in the Acropolis Tournament with an impressive win over fellow FIBA World Championship side France on Wednesday. In a replay of last year's EuroBasket semi-final, which Greece won after mounting a big comeback with less than 50 seconds remaining, the Greeks won 70-56. The defeat was the first of the summer for France's top side as they prepare for Group A action later this month in the Far East against Argentina, Serbia & Montenegro, Venezuela, Nigeria and Lebanon. France started better and built a 15-8 lead by the end of the first quarter, however, the hosts clawed their way back and trailed 29-27 at half-time. Panagiotis Yannakis' team then took a 49-39 lead with 10 minutes remaining and ultimately prevailed. Tony Parker, who has been in excellent form for France, had 20 points in defeat to lead all scorers. He was eight of 12 from the field, including two of five from three-point range. Vasileios Spanoulis, who has signed a deal to play for the Houston Rockets next season, scored 11 for Greece. France committed 27 turnovers in the contest to just 15 for Greece. The French outrebounded their hosts 40-36. Greece are in Group C of the FIBA World Championship and will face Turkey, Qatar, Australia, Lithuania and Brazil. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://contra.gr/Basketball/World/Mundobas...nce/125980.html

Who is the black guy? Is he Greek (born in Greece) or did he just get a passport? He is Greek on his father side and Cameroon on his mothers side.He speaks fluent Greek and English

This team is the CURRENT European champion and were the YOUNGEST team in Eurobasket 2005. We are ranked 8th in the world. This team has more talent than you think.Shooting Guard Diamantidis voted best defender in Europe last 2 years and was current MVP of Greek league, one of the Top 5 best in Europe. Point guard Papaloukas: was voted mvp of Eurobasket 2005 final, MVP of Russian league, was an important part of CSKA Moscow winning the Euroleague championship, was voted to the all-Euroleague first team, and was voted best domestic player of Euroleague Small forward/shooting guard Spanoulis: just signed with the Houston Rockets and was voted to the all-Euroleague second team Papadopoulos and Fotsis: were important players in leading dinamo moscow to the ULEB Cup. Other players on the team play in Spain and Italy and both have outstanding leagues. So, our team is quite talented and one of the favs in FIBA World Cup.

Lazros Papadopoulos Greece prevail against Croatia in Acropolis event ATHENS (FIBA World Championship) - Lazaros Papadopoulos had 16 points and Michail Kakiouzis scored 10 as Greece destroyed Croatia 79-54 on the opening night of the Acropolis Tournament. Panagiotis Yannakis' team, the EuroBasket champions who are gearing up for a difficult Group C campaign at the FIBA World Championship in Japan, were knotted at 12-12 before Croatia coach Jasmin Repesa started making changes to his line-up. The Greek defense tightened as Croatia lost their rhythm and went nearly five minutes without a basket. Greece led 19-12 at the end of the first quarter and over the next 10 minutes took a firm grip on the game with a 44-25 advantage at half-time. They still had a stranglehold on the game by the end of the third quarter with a 59-37 lead and cruised home over the last 10 minutes. For Croatia, who are playing in EuroBasket qualifying games later this year, Zoran Planinic had 11 points and both Mario Kasun and Damir Miljkovic scored 10. Greece face Italy on Tuesday evening before wrapping up their tournament on Wednesday against France. Italy are in Group D of the FIBA World Championship while France are in Group A. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Bad start for the Italian NT at the "Acropolis Tournment". Yesterday night the "Azzurri" have been beaten by France 66-59, at the end of a game played not so well. NBA star Tony Parker (183-G-80) led France with 23 pts, while Mickael Pietrus (198-F-82, agency: Interperformances) added 11 pts and Frederic Weis (217-C-77, agency: Soresport) 8 pts and 8 rebs at the winning side. With 11 points and 6 rebounds, Angelo Gigli (209-F/C-83) was the best in Italy, that will meet tonight home team Greece. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Greece defeated Italy 70-63 and France defeated Croatia 76-69. France defeated Italy yesterday 66-59. Greece and France are 2-0 and tomorrow will play for first place in the Acropolis tournament.

Article on the Greek point guard from the Houston Comets, interesting story from the Houston Chronicle: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/disp/story...kw/3940926.html

This article was before the friendly tournament in Italy: Zisis (best young player of the year) hails Greek spirit ATHENS (FIBA World Championship) - Nikos Zizis believes the great sense of friendship among the Greece squad is what makes the team stand out and could help it become world champions. Having claimed the EuroBasket title with a unique blend of skill and camaraderie last year, Panagiotis Giannakis' men are now preparing for the FIBA World Championship in Japan. "We are definitely a group of friends and this is possibly the big difference between us and other national teams," said the 21-year-old who is coming off his first season with Benetton Treviso. "From our experience at the EuroBasket last year, we have more self-confidence, we feel better together, and most importantly, we all know why we are here. "We sacrifice our summer vacations because we want to be here and we want to win. I wouldn't even call it a sacrifice, actually, because we all want to play for the national team." The Greek squad is in its first stage of their preparations for Japan at a training camp in the northern Greek city of Karpenisi. The hope, Zizis says, is to keep the atmosphere as natural as possible while trying to stay injury-free. Greece will step up their preparations later this month with friendlies, the first of which is against Canada on July 21. "We are still at the first stage of our preparation for Japan so at the moment we are working hard in all aspects of our game," Zizis told the Greek Basketball Federation website, www.basket.gr. "The emphasis at the moment is to try and nurture the feeling that this is a natural situation but with the added objective to gel with each other as a team as fast as possible. "We are waiting for the second stage of our preparations when we will start to play some friendly matches. Right now, it's important for us to stay fit and healthy and keep the good atmosphere we have generated already among the squad." The only absentee from Thursday's training session was AEK forward Michalis Pelekanos, who is suffering from a fever. Giannakis' men will stay in Karpenisi to continue their training until Wednesday, July 19, when they will return to Athens to prepare for their first friendly tournament in Italy which starts two days later.

For America and Canada: NBA-TV schedules ONLY has NBA games. ERT SAT will show the Greek games. ESPN will only show the first round of USA games live. After the first round, they will show other games. I show the schedules.

In preparation for the FIBA world championships, Greece, the European Champions, traveled to Italy to play 3 friendly games against Serbia, Canada, and Italy. Greece-Serbia 75-79/ A four-point loss to the 2 time world champs. Greece looked sluggish. Greece-Canada 89-59: 23-12, 47-24, 63-42, 89-59. Greece: Papaloukas 4,

Greece gather to prepare for Japan ATHENS (FIBA World Championship) - Greece coach Panagiotis Yannakis is gearing up for another run at international glory. The FIBA World Championship tips off in the middle of August and EuroBasket gold medalists Greece are among the favourites to win gold. Yannakis and his players faced the media for their official pre-World Championships press call on Friday morning before heading to the northern Greek city of Karpenisi for their training camp. "Firstly, today is a most beautiful day because it is the beginning of another beautiful journey in which we will try once more to achieve something big with players who have a big appetite for success and love for the national team," said Yannakis. "From this and beyond, we want to work hard and we are in the best possible position. "All our opponents know that we are the European champions but this doesn't interest us. What interests us is that we are healthy, together and prepared to make the effort and give our best at the appropriate moment. "As long as we look our opponent in their eyes, play good basketball then I believe that the world will understand that this team has the right to stand tall." Greece are loaded with talented players, and they are very confident - none more so than Theo Papaloukas, the CSKA Moscow point guard. Papaloukas is one of the hottest players in the game after winning gold in Belgrade with his country and then leading the Russian giants to a treble of honours this year. He was the MVP of CSKA's Euroleague Final Four triumph in Prague. The initial training camp this summer is to be shorter than last year with Yannakis preferring to play more games, starting at a warm-up tournament in Italy later this month. "We wanted to take part in a tournament in Italy because we have good relations with the people there. We were offered the chance to gain some vital match practice," he said. "And moreover, certain things are already known so we don't need to spend as much time in Karpenisi." Greece, whose first game at the World Championship is against Qatar on August 19, play the first of three friendly warm-up tournaments in Italy starting on July 21 with a game against Canada. The Greeks will also play Serbia & Montenegro and the Italians. Yannakis' side will then host Italy, Croatia and France in the Acropolis Tournament in Athens from July 31 to August 2 before heading to China for a final warm-up competition involving Australia and France and a yet to be confirmed team from August 11-15. The trip to China will be the point at which Yannakis will be forced to cut his roster of 18 down to 12, with six unlucky men having to put their passports away for the time being. From the 18 players that were called up the only absentee was Andreas Gliniadakis, who was given permission to try out for two NBDL teams before meeting up with his team-mates at a later date. Yannakis has a wealth of talent to choose from in his squad with newcomers such as Olympiacos' centre Sofokleous Schortsianitis among several talented younger players who will be given their chance to stake a claim for place in the final 12. Greek preliminary squad: 1. Theodoros Papaloukas, guard, CSKA Moscow, 8/5/77, 2m 2. Vasilis Spanoulis, guard, Panathianikos, 7/8/82, 1.92cm 3. Nikos Zizis, guard, Benetton, 16/8/83, 1.97cm 4. Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, forward, Olympiacos, 8/2/84, 2.03cm 5. Yannis Bourousis, center, Olympiacos, 17/11/83, 2.11cm 6. Antonis Fotsis, forward, Dinamo Moscow, 01/04/81, 2.08cm 7. Nikos Hatzivrettas, guard, Panathinaikos, 26/5/77, 1.96cm 8. Dimos Dikoudis, center, Valencia, 24/6/77, 2.06cm 9. Kostas Tsartsaris, forward, Panathinaikos, 17/10/79, 2.10cm 10. Dimitris Diamantidis, guard, Panathinaikos, 6/5/80, 1.98cm 11. Lazaros Papadopoulos, center, Dinamo Moscow, 3/6/80, 2.12cm 12. Michalis Kakiouzis, forward, Barcelona, 29/11/76, 2.07 13. Andreas Gliniadakis, center, NBDL, 26/8/81, 2.16 14. Manolis Papamakarios, guard, Olympiacos, 26/8/80, 1.90cm 15. Sofoklis Schortsianitis, center, Olympiacos, 2/6/80, 2.08cm 16. Michalis Pelekanos, forward, AEK Athens, 25/5/81, 1.97cm 17. Alexis Kyritzis, guard, Maroussi, 18/5/82, 1.95cm 18. Loukas Mavrokefalidis, center, 25/7/84, 2.07cm

Bold Baghdatis Upsets Hewitt Anyone somehow still unfamiliar with the name Marcos Baghdatis at the start of this Wimbledon fortnight must surely know all about him now. Having expelled the home hero Andy Murray in the third round, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up today overpowered sixth seed Lleyton Hewitt to win through to his first Wimbledon semi-final. Hewitt came into the match unbeaten on grass this year, but could not live with his opponent’s silky skills. Baghdatis – who until last month had never won a single match on grass – triumphed 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. He will face Rafael Nadal or Jarkko Nieminen for a place in the final. If Baghdatis, seeded 18th, could have dreamed up his ideal first set, it could hardly have been better than the reality. He looked immediately assured on the Hewitt serve, as if he was an old hand at Centre Court tennis instead of making only his second outing on the hallowed turf. Pounding away from the baseline, the Cypriot seemed supremely relaxed, while Hewitt appeared thrown by his opponent's power and pace. The break came at once. On Hewitt’s next serve a wonderful Baghdatis forehand return brought up another window of opportunity. Baghdatis tempted Hewitt into the net and the Australian promptly fluffed a backhand. It was 4-0. In the next game Hewitt encouragingly summoned three break points of his own, and then had to watch as Baghdatis made short work of saving the lot to hold. Hewitt clawed his way on to the scoreboard by holding at last, but Baghdatis took the set with an ace. The 2002 Wimbledon champion was sporting the same queasy expression most recently seen on the face of Mario Ancic during his obliteration by Roger Federer. He needed to find something – anything – and fast. But all he found was more of the same. Baghdatis broke immediately courtesy of a netcord, and Hewitt was being made to look ordinary. He responded by becoming uncharacteristically defensive, whereupon Baghdatis broke again. Even those who had tipped the Cypriot to give Hewitt a severe test had not quite expected this. For a while dark clouds gathered overhead, and Hewitt must have prayed fervently for rain. It didn’t come, but in the event he didn’t need it. He broke through the Baghdatis serve for 1-3. All was not lost. Then, serving for the set, the Cypriot’s touch went sufficiently astray to let Hewitt level the score. It was 5-5, and for the first time in the match the air was pierced by the Australian’s signature instruction to himself: “Come on!” Hewitt was scampering about the court rejuvenated, and Baghdatis was rattled. His serve deserted him. From a set and two breaks down, Hewitt levelled the match. He turned to his team in the players’ box and bellowed at them, thumping his heart with his fist. Game on. But Baghdatis replied by breaking Hewitt at once in the third. Hewitt was clearly annoyed, and dragged it back again. No wonder Pat Rafter referred to him as “the mongrel”. He had points for 4-2 but failed to convert them, hurling his racket to the turf. In the tie-break Baghdatis had the court at his mercy on his first set point but netted an easy volley. He didn’t make the same mistake twice, producing a wonderful backhand return down the line to take it. It was so good that it brought out a touch of Hewitt-ism in the Cypriot – he punched the air, pounded his chest, and shouted in triumph at his delighted mother in the players’ box. On to the fourth. Despite the gathering gloom of an overcast evening, Baghdatis could glimpse the path to victory. A lovely backhand gave him two points for 3-1, and Hewitt sent a backhand wide. The Baghdatis supporters in the crowd stomped their feet and chanted his name. Minutes later they did it again, when Hewitt put a backhand in the net. The match belonged to Baghdatis.

Giannakis confident of further success ATHENS (FIBA World Championship) - Greece coach Panagiotis Giannakis believes his side have what it takes to add the FIBA World Championship crown to their 2005 EuroBasket title this summer. The FIBA World Championship is now just under two months away and the Greek camp showed they were in optimistic mood on Thursday at the presentation of the team's new vest, made by sport manufacturer Champion. "Firstly, as a team, we believe it is just as important to walk as it is to fly," said Giannakis. "We want to make all the people who collaborate with us proud and to follow what [Champion chairman] Saouro Mambrini said, I agree that genuine champions are not only those that have exceptional records, but also character. "I believe that this team has such character and if this continues to stay with us then we can make our supporters very happy." Barcelona forward Mihalis Kakiouzis and CSKA Moscow guard Theodoros Papaloukas are also eagerly awaiting the start of FIBA's showpiece event in Japan. Greece will be sporting their new vest at the tournament and both want to make it recognised the world over. "The appearance of the vest is amazing and I hope that as a team we can continue our good course and make this vest famous around the world," said Kakiouzis. Papaloukas added: "We will do everything we can to maintain our status as the top European team and I hope we can do well in the FIBA World Championship." The Greek team begin their preparations next Thursday when the team will gather for the start of training ahead of their first friendly match against Canada on July 21. That will be in a tournament in Italy, which will also feature the hosts and Serbia & Montenegro. Greece will then play host to Italy, Croatia and France in the Acropolis Tournament from July 31-August 2, before heading to China for a final warm-up competition involving Australia, France and a yet-to-be-confirmed team from August 11-15.

FIBA World Basketball Weekly Draw Every week FIBA World Basketball spectators and fiba.com users can participate in the FIBA World Basketball Competition Draw to have a chance to win fantastic FIBA prizes and to be included in the Grand Draw which will offer an all expenses paid trip for two to the Final days of the FIBA World Championship in Japan. http://www.fiba.com/pages/en/fan/fiba_worl...l_bask_draw.asp

Second Tickets Sale

Map of locations of arenas for FIBA World Basketball Cup. Our team's division are playing all of their first round games in Hamamatsu. Teams participating in FIBA World CUP. Team Video about Eurobasket Champs made by FIBA for FIBA World Cup

FIBA - Fans buy up tickets TOKYO (FIBA World Championship) - If the FIFA World Cup offers the hottest ticket in town, basketball fans in Japan and around the world have discovered the FIBA World Championship is not much different. The evidence? Most of the tickets made available on the internet on March 23 were snapped up so quickly that they were gone almost immediately. This will come as no surprise with the world's best players like Argentina's Emanuel Ginobili, Team USA's Kobe Bryant, Germany's Dirk Nowitzki, China's Yao Ming, France's Tony Parker and Spain's Pau Gasol among the dozens of superstars headed for the tournament. The Local Organising Committee in Tokyo announced yesterday the Group Games in Sapporo city, Hokkaido (Group D, participating teams: Senegal, USA, China, Italy, Puerto Rico and Slovenia) were sold out in the first 10 minutes after the online sales (http://www.fiba2006.com/ticket/ticket_e.html) were launched. Also, tickets for some Group Games in other cities, and certain types of tickets for game days in the Final Round, have already sold out. Japanese fans will have a second chance from Saturday, May 20 until Friday, June 30 for all ticket types at all venues for all game days. The sellouts refer to ticket sales within Japan, but sales outside of Japan are also going very well. Tickets are available for sale to fans outside of Japan from March 23 - April 30 on. Information about the second wave of international sales will be announced at a later stage. Why are tickets moving so quickly? Fans know they will see the best players in the world, and they will see more than just one game. For the first round, a ticket is valid for the complete session of all three games per day. The prices range from 4.000 to 9.000 Yen per ticket. For the final round in Saitama a ticket is valid for two games and the prices range is from 5.000 to 20.000 Yen per ticket. For reference: the exchange rate is about 119Yen/US$.

A Reminder... Basketball Ticket Sale Starts on 23 March (GENEVA/TOKYO) - Fans around the world will be able to buy tickets for the FIBA World Championship 2006 in Japan via the internet as of 23rd March 2006. The Local Organising Committee announced today the policy for the ticket sales of the event. International Sales A ticket contingent will be available for sale to fans outside of Japan during the period from 23rd March until 30th April 2006 on www.fiba2006.com/ticket/ticket_e.html. . Information about the second wave of international sales will be announced at a later stage. 4 Tickets Maximum Every single customer will be able to buy a maximum of 4 tickets per session. For security reasons, every customer will be asked to provide his passport number. Payment can only be made with credit card (VISA or MasterCard). Ticket Prices For the first round, a ticket is valid for the complete session of all 3 games per day and the prices range from 4.000 to 9.000 Yen per ticket. For the final round in Saitama a ticket is valid for 2 games and the prices range from 5.000 to 20.000 Yen per ticket. For reference: the exchange rate today was 119Yen/US$. All further details including detailed arena maps with ticket type can be found on www.fiba2006.com and www.fiba.com Ticket Delivery After the credit card of the customer has been charged, he will receive a confirmation by email with a reservation number. All tickets will be delivered upon presentation of the reservation number and the passport at the ticket counter of each arena. More Information? For inquiries about ticket sales, please contact: Ticketing Department of the FIBA World Championship 2006 Organising Committee Fax: +81-3-64184551 / E-mail: [email protected] FIBA World Championship - One World - One Title: Event Outline The FIBA World Championship is played every 4 years and determines the best basketball nation of the world. The first World Championship was played in 1950 in Argentina. The 2006 edition will be played in Japan from 19th August until 3rd September in five different cities. FIBA has increased the number of teams playing at the FIBA World Championship from 16 to 24 teams because of the increased level of basketball around the world and the increasing number of competitive teams at the highest level. The teams will play against each other in the preliminary phase in four groups of 6 teams. The 4 top teams from each group will then qualify directly for the Eighth-Finals, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals. All the games from the Eighth-Finals to the Finals will be played on a one-game elimination basis in the city of Saitama. The 2006 FIBA World Champion will qualify automatically for the 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament for Men in Beijing.

15/03/2006 USA - Greece, Memphis watch as Tsakalidis comes of age jake Tsakalidis MEMPHIS (NBA) - Jake Tsakalidis is doing his utmost to force his way into the Greece squad for the FIBA World Championship this summer. The 7ft 2in giant of the Memphis Grizzlies was not a member of the Greek team the past two years and that meant he missed out on an incredible period in national team history. He missed an Olympic Games when hosts Greece played before capacity crowds, and he was absent from last year's incredible run to the gold medal at the EuroBasket in Belgrade. Tsakalidis, 26, had never been a dominant figure for the national team anyway and cynics had said in recent times he was never going to develop into a big-time center but in Memphis' 93-76 triumph over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, he had season highs of 19 points and 16 rebounds. It was his third double-double in four games. Tsakalidis is averaging 15.5 points and 12.3 rebounds during that stretch - form which will no doubt alert Greece coach Panagiotis Yannakis as he considers his options for Japan. "I know I'm going to play now. That's the difference," Tsakalidis said. "The first 50 games when I was sitting the bench, I never knew when coach was going to call my name. Now, the more and more minutes I get, the more confident I get." The Celtics are sure believers. "We were trying to follow our schemes all night but we left Tsakalidis alone and that came back to bite us," said Celtics big man Raef Lafrentz. "He really hurt us tonight." "They made it hard for us all night around the basket," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I'm getting my All-Star ballot back and putting Jake on it. He was terrific." Eddie Jones and Spain star Pau Gasol scored 13 points each for Memphis. Dirk Nowitzki, who will lead Germany's challenge in the Far East, shrugged off a slow start to score 30 points and the Dallas Mavericks overcame 36 points by Team USA's LeBron James and a 19-point half-time deficit for a 91-87 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and a perfect home record against the East. The victory also allowed the Mavericks (50-14) to join San Antonio as teams that have clinched a spot in the Western Conference play-offs. Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 13 points in the first half and ended up with 17. US Olympian Dwyane Wade is also in a rich vein of form. Wade scored 19 of his 25 points in the opening period, when the Miami Heat scored 41 points en route to a 121-83 drubbing of the Utah Jazz. In the opening period, Wade was seven of 10 from the floor and made all five free throws in the best scoring quarter of his three-year career. Shaquille O'Neal added seven of his 13 points in the period as the Heat shot 70% (16 of 23). Matt Harpring scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer added 12 by shooting a combined 15 of 26 for the Jazz, who trailed by as many as 41 points. Mike Bibby scored 29 points to lead a balanced attack and the Sacramento Kings clamped down in the fourth quarter of a 114-98 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, their 13th straight home victory. Ron Artest added 28 points for the Kings (33-31), who had all five starters in double figures and moved up one spot in the standings for the second time in as many games with their fifth straight win overall. Lamar Odom, another Team USA hopeful, had 24 points and seven assists for the Lakers, who shot 46% (38 of 82) and made 11 of 21 three-pointers. French superstar Tony Parker scored 20 points and handed out 11 assists as the San Antonio Spurs built an early lead and cruised to a 96-81 victory over the New Orleans Hornets, who have dropped seven straight games. With the win, the defending NBA champion Spurs (50-14) posted their fastest 50-win season in franchise history and clinched their ninth straight play-off berth, the longest current streak of any team. Darrick Martin collected season highs of 18 points and 12 assists and sparked a fourth-quarter surge to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 111-97 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, who wilted without injured superstar Allen Iverson. Team USA hopeful Chris Bosh scored 31 points for the Raptors, who made 10 three-pointers as they won consecutive games for the first time since February 12-13. Antawn Jamison, also in Team USA's 23-strong preliminary squad, scored a season-high 35 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and Gilbert Arenas poured in 34 points as the Washington Wizards escaped with a 119-114 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. A Charlotte native who attended North Carolina, Jamison made 13 of 19 shots, including five of nine from the arc. Arenas sank 11 of 19 shots and all 11 free throws while handing out seven assists for the Wizards, who avoided a collapse down the stretch to end a three-game road losing streak. Ben Gordon scored 23 points as the Chicago Bulls strolled to a 95-66 victory over the punchless Portland Trail Blazers, who had their lowest offensive output of the season. Chicago (29-35) trail Milwaukee (31-32) and Philadelphia (31-32), who are tied for the seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Only two of those teams can reach the post-season, and the Bulls visit the Bucks on Wednesday in a game that could go a long way toward deciding their post-season fate. The Phoenix Suns had four players - including newly acquired Tim Thomas - with at least 23 points as they outgunned the Seattle SuperSonics, 129-120.