Pana coach: "The NBA is just a show"

[TheProfessor]

Zeljko Obradovic: “The NBA is just a show”

In the press conference following his team’s victory over CSKA, legendary Panathinaikos head coach Zeljko Obradovic (now the winner of seven European championships) expressed some very controversial, yet wide-spread opinions when asked about his thoughts on coaching in the NBA.

“I am very happy in Europe, coaching for Panathinaikos. I love European basketball. I believe that the NBA is a competition that everyone likes to watch. There are many coaches in Europe that are ready to coach in the NBA. I personally never thought to go. I believe it is very different, basketball during the regular season. The NBA is a show, while here we play to win every game. In the playoffs, NBA games are very good, but the rest of it is just a show. We must win every game in Europe, this is our life.”

DraftExpress: Blogging through the Euroleague Final Four (http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/Jonathan-Givony/#Blogging-Through-the-Euroleague-Final-Four-Part-Two--3205)

[IronMexican]

The bolded is true, at least out here it is. I can't really comment on Euroball, cause I don't watch it. But the regular season means pretty much jack shit.

[TheProfessor]

Yeah, I tend to agree with him. I'd like maybe four less teams and 60 or so games.

[sribb43]

I agree to some extent....Regular season games are only good when high profile teams are playing each other..Mavs/Spurs LA/SA Bos/Cle....etc

[BUMP]

I don't give a shit about the Eurotrash, in fact i didn't even know they played basketball in Europe until KBP pointed it out, but the regular season is a show. Believe it or not NBA players dont go 100% throughout the regular season

[it's me]

Coach is rigth.

[IronMexican]

I don't give a shit about the Eurotrash, in fact i didn't even know they played basketball in Europe until KBP pointed it out, but the regular season is a show. Believe it or not NBA players dont go 100% throughout the regular season

If they did, they wouldn't have enough for the regular season.

[Leetonidas]

Perhaps it's because the NBA players actually need to rest up and condition themselves throughout the season for the playoffs as the level of talent and competition is easily 100x that of the Euroleague.

[Slomo]

While I disagree with the level being a 100x bigger, there's no doubt that there's a larger talent pool in the NBA than in the Euroleague. Any Euroleague team playing in the NBA would have a very hard time to qualify for the playoffs and would be almost guaranteed a first round exit. If the best selection of the NBA would play against the best selection of the Euroleague the difference would be even greater.

Obradovic is a great coach but he is doing two thing, he's flattering his players (which is OK) and he's oversimplifying the NBA (which is a direct product of the image that the NBA is working very hard to project).

I have talked to many basketball experts who had a very basic and often wrong knowledge of the NBA. I personally think that you shouldn't talk about shit you don't understand but at the same time if the NBA showed more good games on international TV and less dunking highlights, it might motivate people to look more closely at the NBA and realize it is without a doubt the strongest and best basketball league in the world.

Disclaimer: Despite what I wrote above I still think the biggest bullshit in basketball is when NBA champs call themselves world champs. It's the same oversimplification that coach Obradovic is guilty of.

[Leetonidas]

Disclaimer: Despite what I wrote above I still think the biggest bullshit in basketball is when NBA champs call themselves world champs. It's the same oversimplification that coach Obradovic is guilty of.

I agree with that. Which is why it's nice to be a Spurs fan because if I remember correctly, they changed their banners to say NBA Champs awhile back.

[turiaf for president]

agreed. i think the regular season is way too long to begin with.

[lefty]

It would be interesting to replace the playoff system with this:

The team with the most wins/points wins the title.

Oh yeah, and less games too.

[ElNono]

Kill Bill Pana post in 3...2...1

[Slomo]

I agree with that. Which is why it's nice to be a Spurs fan because if I remember correctly, they changed their banners to say NBA Champs awhile back.

Absolutely!


agreed. i think the regular season is way too long to begin with.


It would be interesting to replace the playoff system with this:

The team with the most wins/points wins the title.

Oh yeah, and less games too.

I disagree with the idea of changing the NBA system a lot. It's what it makes it what it is. Many things play a roll in an NBA championship and that's why it is such an achievement (and why many teams still having not figured it out). Watering it down would take a lot away from a title.

[Leetonidas]

I think the NBA should do away with this bullshit division winners get a top spot crap. I will never understand why they instituted that stupid rule.

[Yuushi12]

agreed. i think the regular season is way too long to begin with.

and it takes a hell lot of energy from the players. i mean come on. playing 82 games.? this is the reason why nba players retire earlier than players from other leagues. it takes a lot of mileage from them.

[Brazil]

IMO in NBA there

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

The NBA plays no defense until playoffs. This is fact that is know all through world of basketball except in US. Also many of the games even in playoffs are rig by refs. Everyone knows this but most NBA fans are dumb about it.

[BUMP]

The NBA plays no defense until playoffs. This is fact that is know all through world of basketball except in US. Also many of the games even in playoffs are rig by refs. Everyone knows this but most NBA fans are dumb about it.

Euroleague is about 3,000 tiers below the NBA. It's like watching two retards with down syndrome fight to the death in a steel cage match. Sure, their a lot of effort shown, but even if you win, well....your still a retard with down syndrome

[Kibic]

While I disagree with the level being a 100x bigger, there's no doubt that there's a larger talent pool in the NBA than in the Euroleague. Any Euroleague team playing in the NBA would have a very hard time to qualify for the playoffs and would be almost guaranteed a first round exit. If the best selection of the NBA would play against the best selection of the Euroleague the difference would be even greater.

Obradovic is a great coach but he is doing two thing, he's flattering his players (which is OK) and he's oversimplifying the NBA (which is a direct product of the image that the NBA is working very hard to project).

I have talked to many basketball experts who had a very basic and often wrong knowledge of the NBA. I personally think that you shouldn't talk about shit you don't understand but at the same time if the NBA showed more good games on international TV and less dunking highlights, it might motivate people to look more closely at the NBA and realize it is without a doubt the strongest and best basketball league in the world.

Disclaimer: Despite what I wrote above I still think the biggest bullshit in basketball is when NBA champs call themselves world champs. It's the same oversimplification that coach Obradovic is guilty of.
How much biger is the level 1.2 or 1.3? He is just rising his price until there will come an big enough offer. If not he will just continue to provoke.

I think his statement is 99% closer to the reality than statement NBA level is 100x... USA have walked Olympics with team full of NBA stars. They walked against 18 years old teenage PG. 100x...

[Kibic]

Euroleague is about 3,000 tiers below the NBA. It's like watching two retards with down syndrome fight to the death in a steel cage match. Sure, their a lot of effort shown, but even if you win, well....your still a retard with down syndrome
Those retards have beat team full with NBA stars. And when they played with little retard of 18 years than stars have walked the Olympics.

[Slomo]

How much biger is the level 1.2 or 1.3? He is just rising his price until there will come an big enough offer. If not he will just continue to provoke.

I think his statement is 99% closer to the reality than statement NBA level is 100x... USA have walked Olympics with team full of NBA stars. They walked against 18 years old teenage PG. 100x...

My personal felling is that the best EL team would end up in the first round of the playoffs, which makes them half as bad - and I consider this to be a lot!

[angrydude]

The difference between the Euroleague, the NBA, and the olympics is the best europlayers come to play in the NBA, but play for their countries in the olympics.

That makes Olympic wins pretty much irrelevant to determining which league is better.

Just put a pure Euroleague team v NBA team and its not even close.

[hater]

I agree NBA is geared towards marketing which makes it more of a show. not to mention the networks ABS and BSPN

[hater]

The NBA plays no defense until playoffs. This is fact that is know all through world of basketball except in US. Also many of the games even in playoffs are rig by refs. Everyone knows this but most NBA fans are dumb about it.

while this is true. Eurotrash refs are probably dirtier than NBA refs.

[Brazil]

IMO in NBA there are 5 main plagues to eliminate to increase the sportive interest:
- Too many teams: a cut of 6 min would be needed
- An easter and western conference (what for ?) just business => the best 8 teams are not represented
- The season is too short 6 months of games and 6 months of nothing
- Too many games, 60 could be a good number indeed
- Eradicate the back to back games, these games are just worthless

On top of that these measures would protect better the players health

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

How much biger is the level 1.2 or 1.3? He is just rising his price until there will come an big enough offer. If not he will just continue to provoke.

I think his statement is 99% closer to the reality than statement NBA level is 100x... USA have walked Olympics with team full of NBA stars. They walked against 18 years old teenage PG. 100x...

In this year any of final four teams Barca, PAO, Olympiacos, CSKA could have make playoffs of east conference in NBA. I do not think they would advance past first round though. I don't think any other Euroleague team this year would have make NBA playoffs of east.

I see before where Hollinger says Euroleague before top 16 (like 17-30 teams) is 70% equal of NBA. Euroleague top 16 and up can be consider as 80% equal of NBA.

Since Euroleague is promote and relegate system instead of franchise system like NBA the teams that stay mostly from year to year like NBA is top 16 ones. So basic Hollinger is say there is 16 deep of top clubs and level is 80% on average of level of NBA 30 teams on average.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

while this is true. Eurotrash refs are probably dirtier than NBA refs.

No. Some Euroleague refs are on take for sure and it is very obvious but they are not actual on orders from the league itself. Big difference.

[mingus]

i'd like to see sixty game reg. season ... naturally it would probably result in players giving more effort/taking the games more seriously ... you'd just be getting a better , more exciting product out on the floor ... also i wonder if having a shortened reg. season (and longer off-season) would extend the primes of players ... if the the greats are able to play at high level for a longer period then the talent pool in the NBA would grow a lot ...

[Allanon]

IMO in NBA there are 5 main plagues to eliminate to increase the sportive interest:
- Too many teams: a cut of 6 min would be needed
- An easter and western conference (what for ?) just business => the best 8 teams are not represented

These will never happen unless the money really can't support the teams...so far it's ok. If a team runs out of money, they just move to Oklahoma City or something like that.

The more teams, the more $$money$$ for the NBA. The more games to play, the more $$money$$ for the NBA. I don't think they're going to change those.

I think the NBA average is every game played is $1 million in additional revenue.



- Eradicate the back to back games, these games are just worthless

I agree, the back 2 back games really suck...lengthen the season.

[Brazil]

These will never happen unless the money really can't support the teams...so far it's ok. If a team runs out of money, they just move to Oklahoma City or something like that.

The more teams, the more $$money$$ for the NBA. The more games to play, the more $$money$$ for the NBA. I don't think they're going to change those.

I think the NBA average is every game played is $1 million in additional revenue.


I'm not sure about that, if you reduce the number of games the sportive interest will increase for the RS and as a consequence the revenue per game should increase, the same goes with the TV: if you lower the offer normally prices go up.

See for instance what happened for the soccer in France they reduced the number of teams and the global revenue of the league has increased with other factors of course but still caused an impact.

Nevertheless I know you are not a big fan of the idea cauz the lakers wouldn't be able to win 75 games during the RS :)

[Allanon]

I'm not sure about that, if you reduce the number of games the sportive interest will increase for the RS and as a consequence the revenue per game should increase, the same goes with the TV: if you lower the offer normally prices go up.

See for instance what happened for the soccer in France they reduced the number of teams and the global revenue of the league has increased with other factors of course but still caused an impact.

That's a good point, fewer games would increase the per game revenue. It will hurt the big market teams that sell out every game but would help the small market teams immensely. Not bad at all.



Nevertheless I know you are not a big fan of the idea cauz the lakers wouldn't be able to win 75 games during the RS :)

Moth$@$*$* !!! :lmao

[Kobayagi]

So basic Hollinger is say there is 16 deep of top clubs and level is 80% on average of level of NBA 30 teams on average.

I had to read this 14 times and I'm still not sure I understood it correctly.

[DAF86]

The NBA has a lot more talent than any other league in the world, that's not a question. But I get angry as hell when ignorant NBA fans say that the worst player in the NBA is better than the best player in Europe, or that the worst team in the NBA will beat the crap out of the Euroleague champion, that's not even close to beign true, in fact there're many EL teams that could make the playoffs in the NBA.

[Bukefal]

NBA is the toughest and greatest league in the world, but yes he does have a point there, it is one big show.

[Kibic]

The difference between the Euroleague, the NBA, and the olympics is the best europlayers come to play in the NBA, but play for their countries in the olympics.

That makes Olympic wins pretty much irrelevant to determining which league is better.

Just put a pure Euroleague team v NBA team and its not even close.

Ok, ok. Let us put it this way, and please I know it doesn't look pretty but don't take it personally because it is not.

Look, could this 2 teams be a solid NBA team (1.) and a solid (not best) Euroleague team (2.)(without foregin players, just Greeks)? Are those NBA players? And the (2.)team? Would a solid NBA fan know at least 2 of players from the other roaster, european? Or put it this way Every player from team 2. know every player from team 1. just because of all the marketing support NBA provide to them. But make no mistake, not one of players from team 1. didn't know any not even one player from team 2.

Than we come to BB on court. Not on ESPN, not on NBA.com. No, on court.
Here is what hapened:

Box Score (Final)
2006 FIBA World Championship
Team 1. vs Team 2.(Sep 01, 2006)

TEAM 1.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Joe Johnson......... g 1 3 1 3 0 0 1 0 1 3 3 3 0 0 0 26
5 Kirk Hinrich........ g 4 8 4 7 0 0 1 1 2 5 12 1 2 0 0 21
6 LeBron James........ f 8 14 0 4 1 4 2 3 5 3 17 5 4 2 1 30
14 Elton Brand......... c 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 1 2 0 12
15 Carmelo Anthony..... f 9 15 3 8 6 10 0 3 3 2 27 2 0 0 2 32
8 Shane Battier....... 0 1 0 1 1 2 2 2 4 3 1 1 0 2 0 12
9 Dwyane Wade......... 6 11 1 3 6 9 2 0 2 3 19 3 2 0 1 25
10 Chris Paul.......... 0 5 0 2 3 4 0 6 6 3 3 2 1 0 0 24
11 Chris Bosh.......... 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 5
12 Dwight Howard....... 4 6 0 0 2 3 5 2 7 1 10 0 0 0 0 13
7 Antawn Jamison...... DNP
13 Brad Miller........ DNP
Totals.............. 33 66 9 28 20 34 14 18 32 26 95 17 10 7 4 200

TOTAL FG%: .500 DEADBALL
3-Pt. FG%: .321 REBOUNDS
F Throw %: .588 2

TEAM 2.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 Antonios Fotsis..... * 2 3 1 2 4 5 0 3 3 2 9 0 3 0 0 13
10 N. Chatzivrettas.... * 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 12
13 D. Diamantidis...... * 4 6 2 3 2 4 1 2 3 3 12 5 0 1 2 38
14 L. Papadopoulos..... * 3 5 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 3 8 0 3 0 0 9
15 Michail Kakiouzis... * 4 9 1 5 6 7 1 5 6 2 15 1 1 0 1 27
4 T. Papaloukas....... 4 7 0 1 0 0 0 5 5 3 8 12 2 0 0 33
5 S. Schortsanitis.... 6 7 0 0 2 6 0 1 1 3 14 0 0 0 0 17
7 Vasileios Spanoulis. 6 10 3 5 7 9 0 3 3 4 22 1 1 0 0 30
8 P. Vassilopoulos.... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
11 D. Ntikoudis........ 4 5 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 1 8 0 1 0 0 12
12 K. Tsartsaris....... 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 4 3 0 0 0 0 8
Totals.............. 35 56 8 18 23 33 4 23 27 25 101 19 11 1 4 200

TOTAL FG%: .625 DEADBALL
3-Pt. FG%: .444 REBOUNDS
F Throw %: .697 0,1


Score by Periods 1 2 3 4 Total
TEAM 1. 20 21 24 30 - 95
TEAM 2. 14 31 32 24 -101


This is just for fun. Look who better shot FG? F throw? 3-Pt? Were those to close to the basket?

Does anyone realy need some more rhetorical questions?

Now look again those Team 2. players names please. Would you put any of these in any of NBA team's?

And boy did those team1. players salute at every dunk or did they salute. You should see how they cry after the game. Tehy just couldn't belived what happened to them. They know now. They have been on the court.

You were not. And that is the only reason why you can still post comments like you do.

[Kibic]

:tu

[flipcritic]

Yep. That's Why Europe has all those gold medals in Olympic basketball. THEIR PROS ARE DA BEST!!!

[YellowFever]

^^Stop with the pissing contest.

USA got more gold in the Olympics BB than the rest of the world combined.

This is an interesting thread. I wish there was some way for the euro teams to play the NBA teams and not just in exhibitions.

Some kind of playoff system maybe?

My biggest fan-boy wish list is to have the best 16 euro teams play the 16 best NBA teams in some kind of best out of three tournament, with the venue switching from USA to EUROPE each year.

Impossible....but I can dream, right? :)

[Kibic]

After first round there would stay only 3-5 teams from Europe. Off coarse NBA teams are way better on average. No doubt.

As one said before, problem is that projection of how much better they are is not too accurate. Marketing does what it is mean to do. Read those names again, without marketing support in states:

TEAM 2.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Antonios Fotsis
Chatzivrettas
D. Diamantidis
L. Papadopoulos
Michail Kakiouzis

And now read those who are benefiting from media support:

LeBron James
Carmelo Anthony
Dwyane Wade
Chris Paul
Chris Bosh
Dwight Howard

How on earth can they not win? I have a very hard job to do to explain my kids that what they see and read through season about NBA players does not translate at all on court. An we live in Europe. So we are under Europe media pressing too. That is why I understand NBA fans from USA who are shocked when their team does not win by 100 point margin. But I can't imagine the frustration when those lose against let mention them again:

Antonios Fotsis
Chatzivrettas
D. Diamantidis
L. Papadopoulos
Michail Kakiouzis

Isn't this so much fun?

[Cry Havoc]

After first round there would stay only 3-5 teams from Europe. Off coarse NBA teams are way better on average. No doubt.

As one said before, problem is that projection of how much better they are is not too accurate. Marketing does what it is mean to do. Read those names again, without marketing support in states:

TEAM 2.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Antonios Fotsis
Chatzivrettas
D. Diamantidis
L. Papadopoulos
Michail Kakiouzis

And now read those who are benefiting from media support:

LeBron James
Carmelo Anthony
Dwyane Wade
Chris Paul
Chris Bosh
Dwight Howard

How on earth can they not win? I have a very hard job to do to explain my kids that what they see and read through season about NBA players does not translate at all on court. An we live in Europe. So we are under Europe media pressing too. That is why I understand NBA fans from USA who are shocked when their team does not win by 100 point margin. But I can't imagine the frustration when those lose against let mention them again:

Antonios Fotsis
Chatzivrettas
D. Diamantidis
L. Papadopoulos
Michail Kakiouzis

Isn't this so much fun?

Because it's a team game. If you put an elite NBA team (say, the Cavs) against any Euro team, it would be a pasting. The Cavs would be up 25 points at halftime. The "dream teams" are guys who have historically played against each other most of their careers and are thrust into competition against players that know each other like brothers. And they still dominate nearly every competition with the small exception of a 2 year stretch where they struggled to find a good team to gel players with.

[flipcritic]

^^Stop with the pissing contest.

USA got more gold in the Olympics BB than the rest of the world combined.

This is an interesting thread. I wish there was some way for the euro teams to play the NBA teams and not just in exhibitions.

Some kind of playoff system maybe?

My biggest fan-boy wish list is to have the best 16 euro teams play the 16 best NBA teams in some kind of best out of three tournament, with the venue switching from USA to EUROPE each year.

Impossible....but I can dream, right? :)

It was a joke. Just like Euroleague.

[Kibic]

It was a joke. Just like Euroleague.
Sure it was. This was not.

Antonios Fotsis
Chatzivrettas
D. Diamantidis
L. Papadopoulos
Michail Kakiouzis

[Bukefal]

What about game 35 of the olympics in beijing, USA - Greece 92-69 ?

ITs relative people...

As yellowfever said, such a tournament would be great, i would love to see european teams take on nba teams.

[Brazil]

^^Stop with the pissing contest.

USA got more gold in the Olympics BB than the rest of the world combined.

This is an interesting thread. I wish there was some way for the euro teams to play the NBA teams and not just in exhibitions.

Some kind of playoff system maybe?

My biggest fan-boy wish list is to have the best 16 euro teams play the 16 best NBA teams in some kind of best out of three tournament, with the venue switching from USA to EUROPE each year.

Impossible....but I can dream, right? :)

Or a simply tournament with the top 4 NBA and Euro team maybe like in golf : Europe vs. USA