EUROBASKET FINAL

[billydagreek]

xoreuo sirtaki!!!!!!!!!!!!!!pali!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CH-Thrylos]

We still have the Basketball World Championships next year in Japan, but like the commentator on Antenna said the only thing left is Greece-Brazil in the World Cup Final, and this would be the ultimate victory. The past two years have been dream seasons for Greek sports . We have dominated the two most competitive sports, and have done it with style. Greek athletics can no longer be taken lightly because we have proven that on the international scale we are fierce competitors, and when we wear the blue and white we wear it with a pride that no one can match, and this unites us as even more as Ellhnes.

Ole.. Hellas Ole Ole...Den Stamato Na Tragoudo... :gr: :gr: :gr:

well said.

bravo paidia. i didn't know why, but i didn't watch any match up to the final yesterday. i thought that if the greek media make such a fuzz about the team, it won't come out good. fortunately i was wrong. :tup:

papaloukas and diamantidis were playing amazingly yesterday. :nw:

ZHTO H ELLAS!!!! :nw: :nw: :gr: :gr: :nw: :nw:

hopefully this will bring some more fans into the stadiums again in greece and our teams will be able to fight for the european crowns again. no matter which team.

we have to support them all when they are representing our country away from home. and if things will be like that, i don't see a reason, why we shouldn't celebrate again on international level again.

this team has to be hold together. it is young, very talented and has a lot of heart. a team like this can make us proud again in the future.

:gr: :gr: :gr:

[Iliana]

[The2ndMouse]

Congradulations to all the lads and Giannakis

One point. Very important point

This happened after many years of lesser performances. This happened when Greek Teams returned to using and trusting Greek Players.

Lets not let this success do to Greek BasketBall what the previous one did... Flooding of the Championship with mercenaries.

Are we experienced enough to handle our success more wisely this time around (and not show how weak we are at it as we do with Football.... ;) )

Lets go even higher this time. This team can. Good Luck to them

[drakos13]

again european champs.........

Greece is the champion in the 2 biggest sports in europe

and the biggest pasttime (music)

i just have to quote/change the PAO anthem here because it is appropriate:

PROTA8LHTRIA SE OLA TA SPOR PANTOTE EINAI!!!!!!!

not to be a downer........but that wasnt that surprising. We knew after ripping up serbia and germany, italy before hand we would have a good run......and once spain and lithuania were out it was only Greece with a chance....though france came close..

this team was overdue for silverware... and im shocked Giannakis was the man to bring it! he was so awful last year in Athens! but well done to all !

:gr: :gr: :gr:

[plato-ny]

again european champs.........

Greece is the champion in the 2 biggest sports in europe

and the biggest pasttime (music)

i just have to quote/change the PAO anthem here because it is appropriate:

PROTA8LHTRIA SE OLA TA SPOR PANTOTE EINAI!!!!!!!

not to be a downer........but that wasnt that surprising. We knew after ripping up serbia and germany, italy before hand we would have a good run......and once spain and lithuania were out it was only Greece with a chance....though france came close..

this team was overdue for silverware... and im shocked Giannakis was the man to bring it! he was so awful last year in Athens! but well done to all !

:gr: :gr: :gr:

Don't forget Olympic host 2004

[rodoj]

I must admit that I had my doubts about the team even after their improbable win against France. their shooting was terrible up to that point and Papadopoulos' shooting was off both from the field and the line.

However, Yiannakis really impressed me in keeping the team in check, using smart lineups and streaming in fresh players to make sure the other team worked hard to get the ball up the field. this was a team of young guys who had tremendous confidence in themselves and who really looked that they felt they were going to win the game. I read somewhere that opposing players said they saw such surety and confidence in the Greek players eyes that that in itself made them have their some creeping doubts about who would win. This stare down proved true.

Bravo re paidia. Thank god Otto was not coaching this team or we would be again wondering why his sons-in-law Vryzas, Basinas and Lakis were in the starting 5.

[Iliana]

Thank god Otto was not coaching this team or we would be again wondering why his sons-in-law Vryzas, Basinas and Lakis were in the starting 5.

I bet that you were thanking God when he was coachig when we won the Euro as well :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[rodoj]

I bet that you were thanking God when he was coachig when we won the Euro as well :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Iliana, I was thankful for what Otto did at least year's Euro 2004 and was pleased he chose to remain our coach and not go to Germany. However, like anything in the world you can not just rest on your laurels but continue to improve. Change is constant and sometimes just the slightest tweaks are enough to maintain the required edge. This is true in most things in life and not just business.

My beef with Otto is that he still uses the same tactics when following our success of Euro 2004 we are no longer going to surprise anyone with our game plan. We used this to our advantage last year and unless we learn to adapt, it will continue to be used against us.

By contrast, Yiannakis used different lineups and was not afraid to pull players who were non-performing. He also dropped players from the squad who used to be incldued by reputation and this sent the message. Whether he can sustain this over time (and from what I hear he is capable of doing so) will go a long way in determining whether we will be a future power in basketball or not.

[Iliana]

I understand and agree with what you said, but even before the Euro 2004 triumph there were many people saying that Otto isn't doing a good job! I'm sure that he knows what he's doing, sometimes he can be right, others he can be wrong. Just a little more respect wouldn't hurt anyone :)

[pittman13]

yea i agree with u!

its different to manage 5 players in a court especially for a team/country that has a tradition in bball (ok we might not be the best in the world but we are still on the top of the pyramid on a global scale.) besides, we proved that more than once!!!

regardin football, thank Otto, we were able to jump ahead. still we have 2 defend our title, prove that it was not just an advertisement for the Olympic games.. i say, let king Otto do whatever he wants, while he is active... u cant teach an old dog new tricks, thats true but we Greeks must not put air in our brains (na parun aera ta miala mas, since it is very easy for us to do so).

Gianakis is a God (one of the players said it best: when i look at the bench and see the coach and remembering what he used to do in court, it is impossible for us, not to do the same). if Giannakis, doesnt perform, what? u gonna say that he doesnt know basket? that he is there 4 the money? that he doesnt care for Greece? commmmon man!!!

as for King Otto, he did what he had to do (do you remember any other (Greek) coach tellin his players with gestures 'go get them tigers!!' it was during the first games i think).

we had a small jump in forward regarding football, but we are still many years behind (we all know the issues here i guess).

im just curious to see, when we are going to have a new title and who will lead us there... of course o exthros tu kalu ine to kalitero!!!

hope i will live 2 see winnin the MUNDIAL!!!!

[loup]

GRE - Champion Diamantidis has time of his life

BELGRADE (EuroBasket 2005) - Dimitrios Diamantidis hit a shot for the ages when he buried a three-pointer in the final seconds to give Greece an amazing 67-66 triumph over France on Saturday night and put his team in the EuroBasket 2005 final.

One day later and the 25-year-old Diamantidis was at it again, this time leading Greece with a superlative defensive effort to set the tone for Greece's 78-62 win over Germany to clinch the gold medal.

It is the first time Greece have won the title since 1987, when Nikos Gallis, Panagiotis Fassoulas and current national team coach Panagiotis Yannakis captured gold in a major upset over the old Soviet Union, a result which helped a continent fall in love with the basketball.

Diamantidis is young, talented but also very humble.

In an exclusive interview with PA Sport's Jeff Taylor on behalf of FIBA after Greece's famous success on Sunday, Diamantidis talks about his country's EuroBasket title run, and his place in the game.

FIBA: "Dimitrios, Greece trailed France in the semi-final by seven points with 43 seconds left and yet still came back to win with your three-pointer. Looking back on that shot, what comes to mind?

DIAMANTIDIS: "The shot belongs to the past. All I have on my mind is the fact that we won the championship."

FIBA: "Is this the greatest time of your life, winning the European Championship?"

DIAMANTIDIS: "Yes. It is the happiest day of my life. It all started in 1987, watching that team. It is the dream of every player. I was one of the lucky ones to make my dream come true."

FIBA: "When did you first realise you would be able to play basketball at this level?"

DIAMANTIDIS: "In the beginning, I never really thought about this. I was just enjoying playing basketball. Eventually, I signed with Iraklis (Thessaloniki), I was 19 by that time. That is when I started believing this was to be my career."

FIBA: "What did your family think about you playing basketball?"

DIAMANTIDIS: "They were never an obstacle. They always encouraged me. They had seen how much passion there was about it (the game). And like every child, I owe them a big thank you. Maybe now is that time I should say that to them."

FIBA: "You had some of the best defensive efforts of all the players at the EuroBasket. Against Israel in the elimination round, your had six steals and then against Germany you had four. Do you get as much joy from playing defence as offence?"

DIAMANTIDIS: "I just do what I can to try and help my team. I'm doing what my coach asks, whether it's defence or offence."

FIBA: "How difficult is it for Greece to play that intense man-to-man, pressure defence for 40 minutes?"

DIAMANTIDIS: "It's not difficult to play defence like that. We play it like that at our clubs as well. Our coach (Yannakis) explained to us from day one that good defence makes it easier to have a good offence. And this happened in our games. We realised how important it was, and we raised our level of defence and it made the difference."

FIBA: "Everything has changed now for Greece, looking ahead to the FIBA World Championship next year. You have not only qualified, you have qualified as European champions. What is this year going to be like for you, your team-mates and Greek basketball?"

DIAMANTIDIS: "The World Championship is too far ahead (to think about right now)."

FIBA: "What are your thoughts on Greece's football team winning Euro 2004, and your team winning the basketball one year later?"

DIAMANTIDIS: "More children will come to the sport. That's how we started, by watching in 1987. At the same time, we don't feel like we are rivals to football. We focus, concentrate on our part. And then of course, the officials in basketball should be careful and look after the sport in terms of clubs. We've done our part."

FIBA: "How difficult will it be for you to leave European basketball if you ever have a chance to go to the NBA?"

DIAMANTIDIS: "I never want to go to the NBA. I know what I can do, and I know that I can't play over there. So I will play here."

[Korisos]

is there any news of a DVD box set release like Euro 2004?