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Eurobasket 2007

dark_horse

Will Greece repeat as European Champions?  

22 members have voted

  1. 1. Will Greece repeat as European Champions?

    • Yes
      11
    • No
      9

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pittman13 Experienced

pittman13

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PAME GIA TO BACK2 BACK PEDIA XALARA

GIA NA SKASSI TO XILAKI MAS )SAS( WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO

ARE THEFIRES OUT YET? IVE NOIDEA 7THE DAY OF HELL? off topic but important giati kanis den milaei edo messa... borrrrrrrring

any info?

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plato-ny Mentor

plato-ny

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Friendly game: Italy - Greece 52-73 in preparation for Eurobasket this Sunday

In the last test (friendly game) of the Hellenic NT, four days before the commencement the Eurobasket in Madrid, against the Italian NT, (in a game which took place this afternoon in Italy), Head coach Panagiotis Giannakis saw his players thrashing Italy with 21 points playing for 30 minutes very good basketball, dominating in all the edges of the court and having all the 12 players scoring.

The final score was 52-73. During the first quarter, the Hellenic team created a new defensive record as it allow the Italians to score just 5 points (out of which the 3 in the last 22 second with a 3 pointer by Massimo Bulleri (188-G-77)). The Hellenic team, even though committed 8 false balls in the first 20 minutes, in the half time the Italians were able to score all and all 17 points!! Very good game by Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81) replacement, the new Real Madrid's guard, Michalis Pelekanos (198-F-81) was excellent; he showed that he will help the Hellenic team in all the aspect, defense, offense, dirty job and very good spirit…

The game of the Hellenic team was the very first without Antonis Fotsis. Top scorer for the Hellenic team was the Greek captain, Michalis Kakiouzis (206-C-76) who scored 12 points with three out of four 3pointers. Panagiotis Giannakis troops showed that they are ready for the very difficult games they have in their group in Madrid, in one of the most difficult groups of the Euro champs. The Greek team is the only team (out of 16) which will find out their first opponent only two days before the official start of the Eurobasket 2007, as they will wait until the 16th team qualifies in the extra round created and already begun the games. The other two teams are: the very strong Serbia (many basketball experts say that the Serbs will be the positive surprise of this European competition, beside they thrashed the Hellenic team 2 weeks ago in a friendly game), and the unpredictable Russia with Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) in very good mood.

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Spanoulis, Greece Compete With Heavy Heart

With the EuroBasket tipping off in four days, most players are fully concentrated on their opening-day games.

Those with European champions Greece, though, cannot be.

Forest fires have burned whole villages to the ground in the Peloponissos and claimed the lives of 64 people.

Vassilis Spanoulis, the Greek guard, wrote about the fires in his blog on www.sport24.gr.

"I don't think that we can talk about basketball with everything that is going on around us," he said.

"People are suffering. We also have (Greek team-mate) Panagiotis Vassilopoulos who was born in Pyrgos.

"His telephone is ringing all the time. We are trying to support him. I wish we could do something for everybody that is suffering.

"We are living a tragedy as a country."

Vassilopoulos has spoken of the heartfelt sympathy he has received.

"I want to thank everybody for showing such an interest in me and my birthplace all these days by calling me, checking if I am okay," he said.

"And I want to thank all my team-mates for their support."

Spanoulis does say the fires have given Greece's players additional incentive to win the title in Spain.

"We want to play in the EuroBasket also for the people who are suffering right now," he added in his blog.

"We want to try harder, just to bring a smile to the faces of the all the people who have lost everything. For us, this is a commitment we make to them."

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plato-ny Mentor

plato-ny

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Odds to win Eurobasket 2007

Spain 2.00

Greece 3.75

Lithuania 9.00

France 11.00

Italy 11.00

Serbia 13.00

Russia 19.00

Germany 21.00

Turkey 21.00

Slovenia 31.00

Croatia 41.00

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To win Group A

Greece 1.55

Serbia 3.50

Russia 5.00

Qualifying team 51.00

To win Group B

Spain 1.10

Croatia 5.50

Latvia 51.00

Portugal 67.00

To win Group C

Lithuania 1.90

Turkey 3.30

Germany 3.30

Czech Republic 61.00

To win Group D

France 2.10

Italy 2.85

Slovenia 3.50

Poland 31.00

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plato-ny Mentor

plato-ny

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^ Monday. Correct.

(To get us pumped for Eurobasket)

September 2nd. One year ago. Greece's historic win against USA in FIBA WC:

The aftermath:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=guidurfIF6c&mod...related&search=

To watch Eurobasket matches:

http://www.mediazone.com/channel/basketbal...n2007/index.jsp

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plato-ny Mentor

plato-ny

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Posted Image

Greece comes to EuroBasket 2007 not only to defend its 2005 title in the same tournament, but also to avenge last fall's World Championships final, in which Spain dominated without Gasol to grab the gold. Greece arrives with some injury problems, however, as big man Sofoklis Schortsianitis will not be at EuroBasket2007 and forward Antonis Fotsis, who broke the Euroleague's single-game rebounds record last season, was a last-minute scratch due to a broken finger.

Even without them, Greece is a gold-medal threat. Euroleague MVP Theodoros Papaloukas and Final Four MVP Dimitris Diamantidis are set to lead Greece at both ends of the floor. Vassilis Spanoulis, who just rejoined Panathinaikos, rounds out a frontcourt flooded with experienced Euroleague pros like Nikos Hatzivrettas, Nikos Zisis and Panos Vasilopoulos. In the frontcourt its the same. All-Euroleague second-team selection Lazaros Papadopoulos bring unique post skills. He'll be backed up by ever-improving Giannis Bouroussis, while two Euroleague veterans, the Panathinaikos' duo of Demos Dikoudis and Kostas Tsartsaris, offer toughness at power forward. Toughness is second nature to this team, so expect Greece to fight as much as any team in the tournament.

Spain is the favorite to win gold at EuroBasket 2007, but the depth of talent makes for plenty of strong challengers, most notably the defending European champs from Greece, who were runners-up to Spain at the world championships last summer. There are also a much-improved France, a fully reloaded Lithuania, re-emergent powers like Turkey, Italy and Serbia, star-powered sides like France and Germany, and sleepers like Russia, Slovenia and Croatia.

Player Team

4 Theodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77) of CSKA Moscow (RUS)

5 Giannis Bourousis (212-C-83) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus

6 Nikos Zisis (195-G-83) of CSKA Moscow (RUS)

7 Vasilis Spanoulis (193-G-82) of Panathinaikos Athens

8 Panagotis Vasilopoulos (202-F-84) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus

9 Michalis Pelekanos (198-F-81) of Real Madrid (ESP)

10 Nikos Hatzivrettas (195-G-77) of Panathinaikos Athens

11 Dimos Dikoudis (207-F/C-77) of Panathinaikos Athens

12 Kostas Tsartsaris (210-F-79) of Panathinaikos Athens

13 Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) of Panathinaikos Athens

14 Lazaros Papadopoulos (210-C-80) of Real Madrid (ESP)

15 Michalis Kakiouzis (206-C-76) of Cajasol Sevilla (ESP)

Head Coach: Panagiotis Giannakis

03 September 2007

20:30h

Granada (ESP) Israel-Greece

HISTORICAL RESULTS

Date Competition Round Score

20.09.2005 EuroBasket (2005) Elimination Games 61 - 67

12.09.2003 European Championship for Men (2003) Semi-Finals 56 - 63

22.01.2003 European Championship for Men (2003) Second Leg 61 - 85

23.01.2002 European Championship for Men (2003) First Leg 73 - 74

01.07.1997 European Championship for Men (1997) Eighth-Final Round 82 - 86

30.10.1996 European Championship for Men (1997) Semi-Final Round 84 - 86

08.10.1995 European Championship for Men (1997) Semi-Final Round 73 - 75

26.06.1995 European Championship for Men (1995) Preliminary Round 49 - 59

European Championship for Men (1993) Preliminary Round I 79 - 74

European Championship for Men (1981) Preliminary Round 82 - 71

European Championship for Men (1975) Classification Round 87 - 76

European Championship for Men (1969) Semi-Final Round 62 - 95

European Championship for Men (1967) Preliminary Round 91 - 81

European Championship for Men (1965) Semi-Final Round 69 - 67

5 Overall W/L record 9

GAME PREVIEW

02 September 2007

Greece and Israel Fight Over Momentum

This game features the highest and lowest of this tournament. Greece, being the defending champions, are still standing at the top of EuroBasket, until they are knocked off their pedestal. Israel, being the last team to qualify, need to work their way up and are considered underdogs in every one of their games.

On paper the facts won't show you a bigger difference between two teams. On court, though, it's a different story.Greece will play tough and aggressive while Israel will fight till the very last second. Those are things we can be sure of before the game has even tipped off and that in itself makes for a great game.

Last Time Out: In their last two official games, Greece upset the USA in last year's FIBA World Championship semi-final but then were humiliated by a Spain side playing without Pau Gasol in the following day's final. They will carry both memories with them to Granada. Israel, for the second time in a row, qualified for EuroBasket through the last qualification round. Zvika Sherf's side finished this round with a 7-1 record. In the last two deciding games, Israel showed they can win with tough defense and heart - as they did against Bosnia-Herzegovina - or with a great offensive performance, which they did versus FYROM.

Head-to-Head: On their way to the EuroBasket 2005 title Greece had to leap over Israel in the qualifying round with a 67-61 win. Greece was up most of the game, while Israel, as always, fought back and came close, but… not close enough.

Key Match-up: During the long and tortuous journey that has proved to be qualifying for this tournament, Israel's offense was heavily reliant on their backcourt duo of Yotam Halperin and Meir Tapiro. Sherf's team need a big game by at least one or both of these players in order to put a respectable amount of points on the scoreboard. However, that will be no easy task as they go up against a team which boasts the best defensive player in Europe, Dimitrios Diamantidis, with his spider hands and great wingspan. He will relish the challenge of shutting down the Israeli backcourt. If he is successful, then the defending champions will have a much easier time. Should he fail, we can expect another drama.

Statistics: Greece will be without Antonios Fotsis in who misses this championship through injury. Last year, he led the team in both three-point percentage (48%) and baskets made from long range. Greece will try to fill his void somehow and, against Israel, it might be more needed than against any other team. The challengers gives their opponents the chance to beat them from outside. In Israel's eight games in the qualifying round, they allowed other teams to take 25.5 three-point attempts per game on average. If no one can step in to take Fotsis' shots, Greece could be in serious trouble.

X-Factor: Both coaches will draw a lot of attention before and during the game. Yannakis and Sherf are recognized with the basketball of Thessaloniki. The former became the great player he was over there while the latter coached Aris, Paok and Makedonikos and is probably still the most recognized foreigner coach in Greece other than Zeljko Obradovic. Both coaches believe in hard work, team offense and tough defense. Their match-up is as important and as interesting to follow as any ono taking place on the court.

What It Means: In last year's World Championship, Greece played the weakest team in their group – Qatar - on opening night. In the first quarter, the underdogs shockingly jumped to a double-digit lead, catching the Greek lion off guard. Greece recovered and easily won but the unexpected first blow sent a warning: opening night is quite likely the best time for an upset. In this tough group, Israel must make the best of every opportunity they get of winning a game as they might not get another one. They should be encouraged by the fact that, of the last six EuroBasket champs, three of them have lost their opener the year they were defending their crown. Greece can't afford to lose. Not only because the loss would be a heavy one to carry as they play play Russia and Serbia in the following days and complicate the plans, but also for the sake of their image as proud champions coming here with a desire to repeat.

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plato-ny Mentor

plato-ny

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Giannakis Press Conferance prior to Eurobasket 2007

http://www.goal4replay.net/VideoWatchF.asp...sp?ID=516&Ln=En

Highlights of Israel-Greece

http://www.goal4replay.net/VideoWatchF.asp...sp?ID=518&Ln=En

Next game against Serbia

Greece had to battle harder than expected to down Israel 66-76 in the second game in Alicante. Spanoulis paced the winners with 19 points while his Panathinaikos teammates Dimos Dikoudis and Kostas Tsartsaris each had 15 for Greece. Yotam Halperin of Maccabi Elite led all scorers with 20 points, Jeron Roberts added 13 and Yaniv Green 11. Israel kept its momentum going and stayed in the game for the best part of it, led by an outstanding Halperin. Its last lead came at 46-42 on free throws by Roberts. A 0-10 run that Tsartsaris capped with a triple allowed Greece to regain the lead for good. Spanoulis, Dikoudis and Euroleague MVP Theo Papaloukas of CSKA Moscow broke the game open, 59-66, with 4 minutes to go, while Tsartsaris and Dikoudis sealed the outcome down the stretch.

SCOREBOARD

Preliminary Round

GROUP A (Granada, ESP)

Serbia 65 73 Russia

Israel 66 76 Greece

1. Greece 1/0 2

2. Russia 1/0 2

3. Serbia 0/1 1

4. Israel 0/1 1

The EuroBasket champs from Greece successfully started their campaign to defend the title with a 76-66 win over Israel in the second game of Group A tonight in Granada.

Israel, coming into the game with some huge momentum from the additional qualifying round, put up a big fight against the title-holders.

Greece couldn't put their opponents away until the final quarter, when they caught fire from long range, connecting on five of seven three-point shots at one point.

They came to EuroBasket without the injured Antonis Fotsis and feared it might affect the team's performance, but tonight they had nothing to worry about.

The team's two other power forwards – Kostas Tsartsaris and Demos Dikoudis - combined for 30 points on 66% shooting from the field, 11 rebounds and two blocks. The former stepped up in the last quarter with two crucial baskets from beyond the arc.

"I'm very disappointed on one side but very proud of us on the other," said Israel's forward Ido Kozikaro, who scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds. "We gave a lot of effort, but we came too short."

Greece left a lot of sweat on court, but they knew it was going to be a tough game. "We knew from the start Israel are a team of fighters and this is what happened," said Tsartsaris after the game.

It took Israel almost three minutes to get its first points on the board, and by then Greece already led 7-0.

Jeron Roberts woke the challengers with five points in a row, and his seventh point was

followed by Yotam Halperin's three-pointer to give Israel their first lead of the night.

Greece though answered with four points in a row to take a 19-15 lead after 10 minutes, but Halperin was just getting warmed up.

He added seven points, and together with a great job in the paint by Yaniv Green, helped Israel take a surprising 31-28 lead with a little under a minute left in the half. Tsartsaris though converted a three-point play to send the teams to the locker room tied at 31 a piece.

"Our point was to be very patient. This was the key for the win today," revealed the winning coach Panagiotis Yannakis after the game, and the second half set an example of that mentality.

Greece were two for 11 from long range at the break, but rediscovered their touch in the second half.

Halperin made it 42-40 to the Israeli side with 3:38 to play in the third, but for the next 11 minutes the Greek defense clamped down on their opponents.

On the offensive end, Yannakis' gang hit just about everything from downtown. When the score was tied at 46-46, Dimitrios Diamantidis hit a three-pointer which started a rain of three's by Greece.

"For 30 minutes it was a close game, but in the last quarter we created a gap and kept it until the end," said Tsartsaris, but was very gentle in his analysis.

His team hit five three-pointers - all by different players - out of six attempts in a span of 4:30 minutes, to take a seven-point lead. Tsartsaris followed Diamantidis and saw Diamanthidis Ntikoudis, Theodoros Papaloukas and Vasileios Spanoulis follow on from them.

After Spanoulis broke the "trend" with a two-point shot, Papaloukas hit another long bomb to make it a 66-59 game for Greece.

Israel didn't give up just yet as Halperin converted another three-point play to cut the deficit to four, only for Tsartsaris to hit from long range line once again with 2:28 to play. The shot took whatever spirit Israel had left and seal the game.

Greece will take on Serbia tomorrow in an attempt to clinch a place for the next round, while Israel will face Russia.

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