0_Wizard
I have to admit, I've never heard of EuroBasket before, but it's obviously a European basketball thing just from the name. Familiar with it?
EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the "European Basketball Championship", is the main international basketball competition contested biannually by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation.
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EuroBasket
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Lithuania men's national basketball team
The Lithuania men's national basketball team (Lithuanian: "Lietuvos nacionalinė vyrų krepšinio rinktinė") participates in FIBA's competitions. Despite Lithuania's small size, with a population of just almost 2.9 million, the country's devotion to basketball has made them a traditional force of the sport in Europe. The Lithuanian team won the last EuroBasket tournaments prior to World War II, in 1937 and 1939. The 1939 team was led by Frank Lubin, who helped popularize basketball in the country and was called the "grandfather of Lithuanian basketball". Following the country's annexation by the Soviet Union during the war, Lithuanian players frequently formed the core of the Soviet national team.
Basketball in Greece
The sport of basketball in Greece erupted with the senior men's Greek national basketball team's win at the FIBA EuroBasket 1987 in Piraeus, which caused a general basketball euphoria in the country. Since then, men's Greek national teams have reached constant international success, leading Greece to join Russia, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, Spain, France, and Lithuania in the circle of European basketball powers. In addition to the national team's triumph in 1987, Greece won a gold medal at the FIBA EuroBasket 2005, silver medals at the FIBA EuroBasket 1989 and the 2006 FIBA World Championship, as well as the bronze medal at the FIBA EuroBasket 2009.
Vassilis Spanoulis
Vassilis Spanoulis (; born August 7, 1982) is a Greek professional basketball player for Olympiacos Piraeus of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. A tall combo guard, he is nicknamed Kill Bill, V-Span, and MVP ("Most Vassilis Player"). Spanoulis was named the Balkan Athlete of the Year in 2009, the in 2012 and 2013, the Vatican's World Athlete of the Year (Giuseppe Sciacca Award) in 2013 and the EuroLeague MVP the same year. He has earned a record seven All-EuroLeague Team selections. Spanoulis first played for Gymnastikos S. Larissas, and enjoyed a highly successful career start. His skill-set earned him a transfer to Athens and Maroussi, where he won the Greek Basket League's Best Young Player award in 2003.
Latvia national basketball team
The Latvian national basketball team () had a remarkable success during the inter-war period, being the smallest in population nation to win the EuroBasket. Latvians, like their Balts neighbors Lithuanians, also began playing basketball in 1920s. Though, they were much more advanced back then than their frequent rivals Lithuanians. On 13 December 1925 in Riga, Lithuanians played their first international game. Latvians easily swept them with result 41–20. Later on, Latvians were crushing the future three-times European champions Lithuanians as well (41–29 or even 123–10). In fact, Latvia had one of the world's strongest national basketball teams.
Greece national basketball team
The Greece national basketball team (Greek: Eθνική Oμάδα Καλαθοσφαίρισης Ελλάδος) is organized and run by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. They were runners-up in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, after beating the United States 101–95 in the tournament's semifinal. They have won the FIBA EuroBasket twice; in 1987, after beating the Soviet Union 103–101 in the final in Athens and in 2005, after beating Germany with a convincing 78–62 in the final in Belgrade. Greece is currently placed eleventh in the FIBA World Rankings (down from fourth a few years ago, due to relatively poor results in recent years).
Olympiacos B.C.
Olympiacos B.C. (), also known simply as Olympiacos or Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional basketball club, part of the major multi-sport club Olympiacos CFP, based in Piraeus. The basketball club, founded in 1931, is one of the most successful clubs in European basketball, having won three EuroLeague Championships, one Triple Crown, one Intercontinental Cup, twelve Greek Championships and nine Greek Cups. They play their home matches at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. Olympiacos is a traditional powerhouse of the EuroLeague and besides their three European Championship titles (1997, 2012, 2013), they have also been five times EuroLeague runners-up (1994, 1995, 2010, 2015, 2017) and have participated, altogether, in ten EuroLeague Final Fours (1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017).
Italy national basketball team
The Italian national basketball team () is administered by the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro ("Italian Basketball Federation"). Italy has won 2 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 4 bronze medals at the FIBA EuroBasket, and 2 silver medals at the Summer Olympic Games. Italy has participated at 34 EuroBaskets, 8 World Cups, and 11 Summer Olympic Games. Italy is one of the founding members of the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), and has one of the world's longest basketball traditions. The first match of the Italian national basketball team was played on 4 April 1926 in Milan, and it ended with a victory over France by 23–17.
1_Apprentice
No, I haven't! Is it a sports league?
0_Wizard
Well it's like the NBA Finals but for Europe. It's their big international championship bracket series.
EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the "European Basketball Championship", is the main international basketball competition contested biannually by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation.
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EuroBasket
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Celtics–Lakers rivalry
The Celtics–Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Both the Celtics and the Lakers are the two most storied franchises in the NBA, and the rivalry has been called the best in the NBA. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first Finals meeting in . They would both go on to dominate the league in the 1960s and 1980s, facing each other six times in the 1960s, three times in the 1980s, and two times in the late 2000s. The rivalry had been less intense since the retirements of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the early 1990s, but in it was renewed as the Celtics, led by the big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and the Lakers, led by NBA MVP Kobe Bryant met in the Finals for the first time since , with the Celtics winning the series 4–2.
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The entrants are determined by the victors of the Eastern and Western conferences, who engage in a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The winners of the Finals are awarded the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the Walter A. Brown Trophy in 1983. Prior to the 1949–50 season, the series was named the BAA Finals, before seeing alteration following the merger between the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) which created the modern NBA.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, which it shares with the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars. According to a 2016 "Forbes" magazine report, they are the ninth most valuable basketball franchise in the NBA, valued at approximately $1.4 billion. As of the 2017 season, the Mavericks have sold out 704 consecutive games since December 15, 2001, the longest currently running sellout streak in North American major league sports.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, an arena shared with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, and have won 16 NBA championships, their last being in 2010. As of 2017, the Lakers are the second most valuable franchise in the NBA according to "Forbes", having an estimated value of $3.0 billion.
NBA on CBS
The NBA on CBS is the branding that was used for weekly broadcasts of National Basketball Association (NBA) games produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States. CBS aired NBA games from the 1973–1974 NBA season (when it succeeded ABC Sports as the national broadcaster of the NBA) until the 1989–90 NBA season (when CBS was succeeded by NBC Sports). During CBS' first few years of covering the NBA, CBS was accused of mishandling their NBA telecasts. Among the criticisms included CBS playing too much loud music, the lack of stability with the announcers, regionalizing telecasts (thus fragmenting the ratings even further), billing games as being between star players instead of teams, and devoting too much attention to the slam dunk in instant replays.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the original eight NBA teams to survive the league's first decade, the team is owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Boston Bruins. The franchise is the most successful in NBA history, with 17 championships, which accounts for 23.9 percent of all NBA championships since the league's founding.
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men's professional basketball league in North America; composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). It is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by FIBA (also known as the International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. NBA players are the world's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player.
1_Apprentice
Neat! I have seen the NBA finals before. Is it as popular on TV?