Eurobasket 2022 (daily OP updates), day 11, all quarter finals teams known, Italy shocks Europe, eliminates Serbia

[Nuntius]

Sad to see Ukraine go down. After yesterday, I am more sensitive to Slaughters and Brown's when usual. How is Len an NBA player though, he is terrible, and I dont mean terrible for an NBA guy, but just terrible. Half of Ukraine's team is better than him, and they are a bunch of no names.

Can you elaborate on Len?, I watch him play in the NBA, he seems fine, his talent is good, sometimes he doesn't know what his doing on the court.

the only thing Len has going on is that he is 7 feet tall, man has no skill. Balvin from Czech team is a better player. Len was absolutely terrible for the Raptors, but a lot of decent players were terrible in the NBA - Hezonja, Guduric, Melli... SO I wrote that off, but no, this Len gu, he doesn't even look up to par in a lot of Eurobasket games, brutal how big of a nothing he is.

Not just Balvin. Maik-Kalev Kotsar clearly outplayed Alex Len in the Estonia-Ukraine game. Ukraine would have lost that game if it wasn't for Ilya Sydorov giving Ukraine a massive boost in the second half and scoring the winning basket.

[Taikuri]

In those days 27 points was already a lot. Prior to this current Eurobasket no one really racked up many 30 point games apart from Dirk Nowitzki.

Plus 45 points for Lauri Markkanen in Finland vs Spain match or I'm disappointed.

[Taikuri]

Watch on YouTube

He looks incredible. 00:53 coast to coast.

f'real.

I'm sitting here wondering why I've never seen that guy play with so much passion in the NBA.

With the Finnish national team he understands that he needs to carry the team at FIBA playoffs level or winning becomes hard. Selfish and mean Lauri is good for team Finland.

[UcanUwill]

Read on Twitter

[UcanUwill]

Watch on YouTube

He looks incredible. 00:53 coast to coast.

f'real.

I'm sitting here wondering why I've never seen that guy play with so much passion in the NBA.

This is a good answer to all these people here who say no one cares about national team basketball or that its meaningless. I bet most Europeans dreamed of playing for national team more than playing in the NBA, and this is prime example of that. Finland and Italy wins were all heart.

[lambchop]

Read on Twitter

They could easily suspend him for the next game for coming back before the game ended.
It's like when players or coaches try their best to get ejected, knowing that the team will be worse off without them but they're he'll bent on getting their point across.

[CharityStripe34]

What an absolute blast of a tournament so far. So many entertaining games.

Major props to the Czechs for a hard fought game. We had trouble getting easy buckets (missed a ton of open looks), and their passing/chemistry looked incredible.

[lambchop]

He looks incredible. 00:53 coast to coast.

f'real.

I'm sitting here wondering why I've never seen that guy play with so much passion in the NBA.

This is a good answer to all these people here who say no one cares about national team basketball or that its meaningless. I bet most Europeans dreamed of playing for national team more than playing in the NBA, and this is prime example of that. Finland and Italy wins were all heart.

I think there's a slight nuance to that. Playing in the NBA is still the ultimate dream because only very few actually make it. By the time these guys are 15 and stand out compared their contemporary countrymen they already know they'll probably end up playing for the national team at some point. But whether or not they'll make the NBA is a whole different story.

However, when it comes to winning I'm sure winning championships for their country means way more than winning a ring for a random American city. Often times their teammates on the national team are childhood friends, guys they grew up with etc. The vibe is different.

[Nuntius]

Watch on YouTube

He looks incredible. 00:53 coast to coast.

f'real.

I'm sitting here wondering why I've never seen that guy play with so much passion in the NBA.

Because he cares more about his national team than he does about the NBA. That's not to say that he doesn't care about his NBA career, of course. He definitely does. But there are some players who put their performance with their national team above everything else. Lauri seems to be one of these players.

Luis Scola is a prime example of such a player. Scola was playing for Argentina until he was 40 years old. And he wasn't just playing in the big tournaments. He was playing in every tournament. In the summer of 2019, Luis Scola played both in the Pan American Games and the World Cup. The two tournaments were one month apart and he played in both of them at age 39. Yes, freaking 39. Argentina did excellent in these two tournaments, by the way. 1st place in the Pan American Games and 2nd place in the World Cup. And the following summer, Scola played yet again for Argentina, this time in the Olympics at age 40.

That's just how some players are wired. And it is due to the passion of players like this that basketball has managed to become a global sport.

Another difference, of course, is the length of the tournament when compared to the NBA season. The EuroBasket isn't a very long tournament. Its number of games is much more comparable with the playoffs than it is with the regular season. Giving 150% for 5 to 9 games is one thing. Doing it for 82 games is a whole other discussion.

[Nuntius]

f'real.

I'm sitting here wondering why I've never seen that guy play with so much passion in the NBA.

This is a good answer to all these people here who say no one cares about national team basketball or that its meaningless. I bet most Europeans dreamed of playing for national team more than playing in the NBA, and this is prime example of that. Finland and Italy wins were all heart.

I think there's a slight nuance to that. Playing in the NBA is still the ultimate dream because only very few actually make it. By the time these guys are 15 and stand out compared their contemporary countrymen they already know they'll probably end up playing for the national team at some point. But whether or not they'll make the NBA is a whole different story.

However, when it comes to winning I'm sure winning championships for their country means way more than winning a ring for a random American city. Often times their teammates on the national team are childhood friends, guys they grew up with etc. The vibe is different.

Well put.

[hippesthippo]

He looks incredible. 00:53 coast to coast.

f'real.

I'm sitting here wondering why I've never seen that guy play with so much passion in the NBA.

With the Finnish national team he understands that he needs to carry the team at FIBA playoffs level or winning becomes hard. Selfish and mean Lauri is good for team Finland.

I think a lot of teams as well as fans of NBA teams could greatly benefit from taking a look at what full time "Mean Markannen," looks like.

[fteru6uhre54ew]

He looks incredible. 00:53 coast to coast.

f'real.

I'm sitting here wondering why I've never seen that guy play with so much passion in the NBA.

Because he cares more about his national team than he does about the NBA. That's not to say that he doesn't care about his NBA career, of course. He definitely does. But there are some players who put their performance with their national team above everything else. Lauri seems to be one of these players.

Luis Scola is a prime example of such a player. Scola was playing for Argentina until he was 40 years old. And he wasn't just playing in the big tournaments. He was playing in every tournament. In the summer of 2019, Luis Scola played both in the Pan American Games and the World Cup. The two tournaments were one month apart and he played in both of them at age 39. Yes, freaking 39. Argentina did excellent in these two tournaments, by the way. 1st place in the Pan American Games and 2nd place in the World Cup. And the following summer, Scola played yet again for Argentina, this time in the Olympics at age 40.

That's just how some players are wired. And it is due to the passion of players like this that basketball has managed to become a global sport.

Another difference, of course, is the length of the tournament when compared to the NBA season. The EuroBasket isn't a very long tournament. Its number of games is much more comparable with the playoffs than it is with the regular season. Giving 150% for 5 to 9 games is one thing. Doing it for 82 games is a whole other discussion.

There are much more differences. The style of play, the level of the competitions, the physicality of those competitions, how you adapt to a different country and his style of life. How your teammates and coaches are how the team where you play is and wich culture have and how are going to treat you. In the Nba a lot of times they just don't give you the right space and time to grow or they don't have patience and they can't have consistency to grow, others they just specialize you in a role and they just make you work on those things to have that role. There's a lot of things. In Finland he feels like he is the best player on the team wich he is and he can play with all the freedom he want and he can only focus on that.

[knicksfan974]

Predictions going forward (winner in bold):

Germany
Greece

Spain
Finland

Slovenia
Poland

France
Italy

Semis:

Greece
Finland

Slovenia
France

Final:

Greece
France

[Dr Aki]

[SpreeS]

He looks incredible. 00:53 coast to coast.

f'real.

I'm sitting here wondering why I've never seen that guy play with so much passion in the NBA.

Because he cares more about his national team than he does about the NBA. That's not to say that he doesn't care about his NBA career, of course. He definitely does. But there are some players who put their performance with their national team above everything else. Lauri seems to be one of these players.

Luis Scola is a prime example of such a player. Scola was playing for Argentina until he was 40 years old. And he wasn't just playing in the big tournaments. He was playing in every tournament. In the summer of 2019, Luis Scola played both in the Pan American Games and the World Cup. The two tournaments were one month apart and he played in both of them at age 39. Yes, freaking 39. Argentina did excellent in these two tournaments, by the way. 1st place in the Pan American Games and 2nd place in the World Cup. And the following summer, Scola played yet again for Argentina, this time in the Olympics at age 40.

That's just how some players are wired. And it is due to the passion of players like this that basketball has managed to become a global sport.

Another difference, of course, is the length of the tournament when compared to the NBA season. The EuroBasket isn't a very long tournament. Its number of games is much more comparable with the playoffs than it is with the regular season. Giving 150% for 5 to 9 games is one thing. Doing it for 82 games is a whole other discussion.

Marciulionis sacrificed health and NBA career for NT playing with injured knee in Atlanta 96

[Hellcrooner]

the format of this year is awful.
they should have tried to make one in wich second pahse is still rouondrobin ( counting the results from fase 1) as has happened other times.

the fact that either Finland or THIS iteration of Spain are going to fight for a bronze medal is mind bogglin and a bit shameful for the organization....

[Hellcrooner]

com on czjek republic did you really have to score that last basket?

[lambchop]

the fact that either Finland or THIS iteration of Spain are going to fight for a bronze medal is mind bogglin and a bit shameful for the organization....

Thats simply a result of group B being too strong, which created a bit of an imbalance between groups and of course Lauri being incredibly good. Finland potentially fighting for Bronze is like when Germany would end up 2nd, 3rd or 4th at Eurobaskets/ World Championships because Nowitzki was carrying them. Though FIBA and NBA basketball are different, if you have one overwhelmingly good player, you can still get pretty far.

[Sgt Major]

What a sad performance by everyone except Jokić.

[BelgradeNugget]

Croatian national team wanted to avoid Serbian national team in Berlin, but we will still meet...at the airport