Garnett, the Prince of Grace

I was very concerned about Kevin Garnett in the beginning of the 09/10 season. The reasons were obvious. He was almost 34. He came back after a mysterious injury which shouldn’t have sidelined him for longer than four weeks. That injury cost Garnett the playoffs and possibly  the Celtics another title. I am not saying that the title was a given, but even without Garnett the Celtics took the Magic to seven games until they gambled away Game 7 in Boston. Garnett would not have allowed such a lackadaisical approach. In all likelihood Orlando would have disappeared much sooner. Read more ->

What Brings Paul Pierce and Marko Tomas together?

I’d like to remind my US audience that basketball is played throughout the world. This game is second to only soccer as the most widespread ball game in the world, and one of few truly international games invented on the American soil. But when I say the whole world, I really mean US and Europe. Yes, Argentina and Brasil have good leagues; the game is gaining popularity in China by hour; Australia has put some decent teams together in the past decades. But the best players find their way either to an NBA team or to a team which plays in Euroleague. Most of the best players early in their career (Ricky Rubio) or a bit later (Luis Scola) get drafted into the NBA.

Euroleague is a serious business, fans have real passion, and the quality of basketball is very good. A lot of talented players play Euroleague hoping that it will be a conduit to the NBA, but some choose it as their final destination. For years I’ve been following some teams which play Euroleague, one of them is Cibona from Zagreb, Croatia. This year they have a solid team, but one which is not likely to go very far after the group round. Read more ->

The State of the Celtics After First Eight Games

After first eight games that the Celtics played in the 09/10 season, the fans have all the reasons to be happy: the score is 7-1, and with Phoenix it tops the league. Only the Lakers and the Heat come close with 6-1 records. Yet, I have many reasons to be pessimistic. And I will make a bold prediction: the Celts will not win the championship this season, even if they manage to top the league in wins, even if they top the Bulls record of 72 wins.

Why am I so pessimistic? Read more ->

The Outlook of the Season

First, let me remind myself and everybody else about the teams I am committed to write about. Cibona and Partizan from Croatia and Serbia respectively; Boston Celtics, arguably the most famed NBA team (LA Lakers come as very close second); BC Eagles and Harvard Crimson for college basketball; and Belmont Maruaders for high school basketball. This year I am adding the Maine Red Claws NBDL team, associated with the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Bobcats.

Why did I chose exactly these teams. Either because they are geographically close to where I live, so I am more likely to watch live games, or because of the memories from years ago (I used to watch Partizan in the late-eighties and Cibona in the mid-nineties).

Read more ->

10 Must-Sees in April/May/June

In the Playoffs, there are amazing performances each year (not to use the NBA slogan). Whether it be incredible team play or eye-popping dominant performances by the game’s stars, there are always those must-sees. Going back to the team play of the Boston Celtics last year and that of the San Antonio Spurs the year before that or the individual play of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James the past two years, the postseason truly is a special time for basketball fans. Here are this year’s things to watch out for: Read more ->