This is the Reds’ second Euroleague title in club history. After so many years of disappointment with a squad built with high profile names such as Milos Teodosic, Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Ioannis Bouroussis, it makes sense Olympiacos finally wins it all with a team built with one single star in Vassilis Spanoulis and around him a couple of young prospects in Kostas Sloukas and Kostas Papanikolaou, players acquired on the cheap in-season in Joey Dorsey and Kyle Hines and Pritenzis, who after a couple of years away returned to the club where he first arrived at age 15 to hit the shot that brings the club back to relevancy.

Printezis' Winning Shot

Both teams got off to a tough start offensively. CSKA led 10-7 at the end of the first as both teams couldn’t control their emotions and were erratic on offense, combining for 13 turnovers on 33 possessions. CSKA led 34-20 at halftime as Teodosic took over in the second-quarter, at one moment hitting back-to-back-to-back three-pointers and then no-look feeding Darjus Lavrinovic below the rim for a layup. It looked hopeless for Olympiacos at that point.

And it did more so early in the third as Oly continued to turn the ball over at an absurd rate which kept them from putting any sort of comeback attempt together. Meanwhile CSKA was doing just enough to remain in control and when Alexey Shved broke away for a layup to put the Russian club up 19, the game looked all but over.

Vassilis Spanoulis

But it was a 13-point game at the start of the fourth when Olympiacos went on a furious 8-0 run during a three-minute stretch to reenergize its crowd that changed all momentum. Dusan Ivkovic’s crew just never gave up. The frontline featuring Hines and Printezis just started outhustling CSKA’s taller, stronger and more skilled frontcourt. They created havoc below in the paint, generating second chance opportunities to fuel Oly’s run.

CSKA simply went through the motions during all of this. It’s tough to know what exactly was going through the players’ and head-coach Jonas Kazlauskas’ minds but the easy assumption is they checked out too early and even when Olympiacos made the push early in the fourth, they  believed they had already won, and could no longer match Olympiacos’ intensity and adrenaline.

Leading by three with under two minutes to go, Teodosic went to the foul line and missed one of two free throws. On the other end, he fouled Papanikolaou. But in the end it didn’t matter.  CSKA’s Ramunas Siskauskas went zero for two at the line after Papanikolaou hit his, then Spanoulis drove the length of the court and magnificently fed Printezis on the baseline when Kirilenko cheated to help too soon. And the rest is history.

Spanoulis was named the Final Four’s MVP but the ballots were passed out during the third quarter when it looked like CSKA was going to run away with this game. Printezis, the pure heart of the comeback, was the true most valuable player for the team’s win in the championship game. And while Spanoulis fueled their arrival to that moment, he isn’t the one that will forever live in history.

Head-coach Dusan Ivkovic was terrific for managing to make his players continue to play hard when it looked like there was no more reason for it. And then when they did, he rewarded those, Hines & Printezis, who made a difference by keeping them out there throughout the comeback.

Kostas Papanilolaou

Papanikolaou goes as the unsung hero. The 22-year-old did not have a fantastic season and at times, it seemed he was more involved on last year’s team compared to this year’s. However, he stepped up big this weekend, hitting big time shots in the semifinal against Regal FC Barcelona. Then he gave the league’s MVP a run for his money in the championship game. They were matched for most of the night, and Papanikolaou outplayed him with 18 points on 5-5 shooting from the field and 5-6 from the foul line with just two turnovers compared to 12 points on 4-5 shooting and four turnovers by Kirilenko.

Papanikolaou is automatically eligible for the 2012 NBA Draft and up until Thursday, he was projected to go undrafted after failing to build up on last year’s arrival to the scene. But after this weekend, he will possibly be a commodity in the second round. He’s shown a neck to perform in the grand stage against elite class competition with his combination of terrific defensive hustle and instincts and an offensive skill set of intuitive cutting and quality shooting that NBA teams are always looking for. At a minimum, a handful of teams must already have called Olympiacos’ front office to familiarize themselves with the status of his buyout situation.

Olympiacos put together one impressive stretch of five wins in six games, overcoming Montepaschi Siena, Barça and CSKA on their way to the title. As far as legitimacy of a championship goes, they are in the pantheon after surviving three of Europe’s most dominant powerhouses. After so much disappointment over the last decade or so, the red part of Athens can smile, drink and celebrate again. Their Cinderella story has a happy ending.

Thanks to our media partner, the Euroleague for the photos. Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of ‘The Basketball Post’. More of his work can be found here and he can be followed on twitter @rafael_uehara.

Panathinaikos dominated early and led by double figures for most of the first quarter, which ended at 29-15. However a solid defensive effort by CSKA carried the Russian champs back to tie it before Batiste put Panathinaikos ahead 34-32 at halftime. CSKA took its first lead early in the third quarter and what ensued from then on was a basketball classic for the ages.  Diamantidis drove through the crowd to keep Panathinaikos up by 4 and give his team a 55-51 lead going into the final 10 minutes of the game.

Andrei Kirilenko

Jasikevicius hit a jumper to put Panathinaikos back up 59-58 with seven minutes to go. Seconds later Batiste went to the bench with 4 personal fouls, no team scored in more than three minutes before Alexey Shved cut through the opposing defense for a reverse layup. After couple of turnovers, one on each side, Jasikevicius took over when he was needed most. With less than three minutes left, he sank a floater to give his team the lead, stole a ball and sank a three to make it 64-60. CSKA’s Shved scored three points to cut the lead 64-63. Coach Zeljko Obradovic called a timeout with 1 minute and 26 seconds to go as everything was set for a wild finish.

Batiste missed a hook-shot in a mismatch, then Teodosic hit a huge jumper immediately after his own in-bound pass to put CSKA up 65-64 with 38.1 seconds left on the clock. Jasikevicius tried to answer right back, but his attempt to drive to the basket was not successful. Shved went to the line with 21 seconds left in the game and hit only the first free throw, but Batiste did not manage to secure the defensive rebound. The ball went to CSKA and they ran 11 seconds off the clock before Teodosic was fouled. But he missed both free-throws giving Panathinaikos 8.3 seconds for the final possession. However CSKA’s great defense stymied the Greens, who did not get off a final shot, which allowed CSKA to celebrate a tough win and move on to Sunday’s final!

Vassilis Spanoulis

Olympiacos Piraeus will play for its second Euroleague crown after outlasting FC Barcelona Regal 68-64 in another thrilling semifinal showdown. Vassilis Spanoulis starred for Coach Ivkovic’s squad with 21 points and 6 assists – the last of which to Joey Dorsey put the Reds up two possessions with 16.1 seconds to go and paved the way to victory. Olympiacos led for much of the contest, but Barcelona never fell too far behind and was always in the thick of the hunt.

But in the end Olympiacos got the job done at both ends and pulled out a tough win to get back to the title game for the second time in three years. Georgios Printezis added 14 points for the winners. Juan Carlos Navarro paced Barcelona with 18 points and Boni Ndong had 10 in defeat. Barcelona was hindered by poor three-point shooting – 3 of 19 (15.8%) – which cancelled out its 43-33 rebounding edge. Olympiacos made 9 of 20 from downtown (45%).

Kostas Papanikolaou

The game was close throughout with Olympiacos generally retaining a 4-to-8 point lead much of the game.  Barcelona came within 66-64 in the closing minutes after Ndong hit three of four free throws. Marcelinho Huertas missed a three-pointer that would put Barca in the lead with 35 seconds left. After that miss Spanoulis’s assist to Dorsey gave Olympiacos the 68-64 lead with 16.1 seconds left. Dorsey was fouled but missed his free throw after which Ndong missed a hook-shot, Mantzaris grabbed the rebound and an army of Olympiacos fans could celebrate.

Thanks to our media partners, the Euroleague for the content and photos.

Olympiacos’ game centers around scoring-guard Vassilis Spanoulis, that guy Jeff Van Gundy thought couldn’t hang in the NBA. Spanoulis has had one monster season – averaging 16.5 points on 56.1% effective shooting and a point per possession while also posting a .272 assist percentage on 27.5% usage. In a normal year in which Kirilenko wouldn’t be around, he would be a heavy favorite to win the MVP.

The arrivals of Acie Law and Joey Dorsey midseason have been a huge reason of why Olympiacos took a leap from where they were at season’s start to where they are now. Law has actually been half-decent after already doing well with Partizan Belgrade. The same is true for Dorsey, who brought better post-defense, paint protection and rebounding to a team that needed to sure up its frontcourt rotation, that after he had a not so successful stint with Caja Laboral Baskonia.

The star addition, however, was Kyle Hines, who arrived from Brose Baskets of Bamberg in January. Hines is your typical hard working, high energy, high maintenance, undersized, shot blocking big who will definitely crawl his way into the NBA one day. Count on it.

A youngster to keep an eye on is Kostas Papanikolaou. Once upon a time the 22-year-old was regarded as a prospect with a good shot of being one of those second-round picks nobody knows or cares for and then half-a-decade later, BOOM, he is on the Spurs and becomes a fan favorite. But Papanikolaou hasn’t progressed all the much and this year has been a smaller part of the team than last season.

Former Michigan State Spartan Kalin Lucas and former Butler Bulldog Matt Howard started the season with the team but didn’t survive through the year, not all the shocking considering head-coach Dusan Ivkovic is an elderly from Serbia, proven Hall of Famer who returned from retirement after sitting out a few years. He doesn’t seem like the patient teacher type, especially to explain to some American kids this whole different game.

Meanwhile Barcelona is looking at a shot for its second title in three years. Barça arrives with its defense having posted one of the best performances in history. It has held opponents to an average of just 86.1 points per 100 possessions and 45.1% effective shooting, both league-leading statistics by a rather wide margin. Barcelona has rotations, help-defense concepts, switching and forcing opponents to low percentage areas down to an art.

And the enhancer behind that type of performance is Boniface N’Dong who is having the best season of his career at age 34 (officially). The ridiculously long seven-footer played a single season for the Clippers in 2005-2006 and despite his advanced age (officially) could be a relevant part of a rotation today in the league. Obviously, that’s not going to happen. But in a perfect world, it should. That’s how good a basketball player he still is.

Another of Barcelona’s big-men who have already played in the league and should perhaps be given a shot at a return is Kosta Perovic. The 27-year-old, 7-feet-2 center is a great post defender and could have a place in a rotation. That’s what I thought of Timofey Mozgov, though, and George Karl refuses to throw him out there against Andrew Bynum, so what do I know…

Oh and there’s that Juan Carlos Navarro guy. We all know JC’s deal. He hung out in Memphis for a year, then the Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol and Navarro looked around and said; “nah, man, I’m out of here”. As much as we all hope and dream for a possible return, that’s extremely unlikely and breaks your heart.

Marcelinho Huertas is constantly regarded as someone with a good chance of getting a shot in the league soon but Marcelinho is now 29 and the clock keeps ticking. If it hasn’t happened for him yet, you have to wonder if it ever will.

The two guys on Barcelona’s squad with an actual chance of making into the league, as soon as next year even, are Erazem Lorbek and Fran Vázquez. In fact, it has been reported Lorbek has already decided to join the Spurs, who acquired his rights on the Kawhi Leonard-George Hill trade, next summer. Lorbek is your prototypical skilled low post presence European big, a versatile weapon whose multi-dimensionality of his skill set makes him one of the toughest players to defend in the globe as he can score from the post, off the pick-and-pop, spotting-up…

Oh, Fran Vázquez… Fran was drafted 11th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2005 draft, which envisioned him to be the perfect frontcourt pairing for Dwight Howard. Vázquez just never crossed the Atlantic. Word is he was about to do it last summer. His contract was up, he declined Barça’s offer for an extension, which resulted in head-coach Xavi Pascual putting him on the doghouse for essentially that whole year. But then the lockout took place and Vázquez re-signed for just one year, possibly signaling he’s really intending to come over.

It remains likely Vázquez will be a pretty good player in the Association. He has the attributes to succeed. Fran is a lomg, athletic big who is a great shot blocker, a fundamentally sound post defender and a legit weapon off the pick-and-roll. His minutes over the last couple of years have been absurd. I figure Pascual and management can’t possibly still be angry over the extension thing but it just doesn’t add up how little he is on the court.

The thing is does he even factor in on the Magic’s plans anymore? Orlando has the whole Dwight Howard cloud hanging over their heads, they are likely to re-sign Ryan Anderson and Glen Davis has proven to be not a terrible investment. In theory, it wouldn’t be unreasonably to add Vázquez to that rotation since he would become a true backup to Howard, which neither Anderson nor Davis is, but is this going to be Otis Smith’s thought process?

Anyway, these are the storylines and names you, NBA fan, can familiarize yourself with if intending to watch the EuroLeague Final Four this year. It’s a different type of basketball but it is basketball and if you really do love the game, some part of you will be open-minded about the differences and enjoy some. So, feel devotion. You might like it.

Rafael Uehara is the Managing Editor of ‘The Basketball Post’ and a correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. More of his work can be found here and he can be followed on twitter @rafael_uehara.

Balanced squad often had 4 players in double figures. Excelled with team defense leading to fastbreak baskets and an efficient half-court offense.  Went 8-1 on the tour including win over China’s National B Team (65-55) in Xiangyang.

Casey Garrison

Casey Garrison, 5’11 G – USA

Possibly the best all-around player in the tournament, scored, rebounded, passed, and excelled on defense.  Earned All-Zhongxian while averaging 11 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 2.3 assists over 3 games, all wins by the USA, including 16 points in win over Aussies.  Was the MVP of the All-Xiangyang Team where she averaged 10 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3 steals per game in the final stop including a stellar 10 point/10 rebound double-double with 5 assists, & 3 steals against China’s National B Team in Final.

Katie Bussey, 5’9 PG – USA

Was named to All-Zhongxian after she poured in 23 points (a tourney high) in win over Australia then continued hot streak by being named to the All-Xiangyang team.  Posted 10 points against Aussies, then 11 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals vs. New Zealand.  Had an outstanding Final game against the China National B Team with 15 points.

Katie Bussey

Tiana Mangakahia, 5’6 PG – Australia

The most dynamic passer in the tournament.  The leader of the Aussie team was named all-tournament in Fuling and Zhongxian both with a 22 point effort against New Zealand and by leading Aussies to win over China in Fuling with 14 points, 4 assists, 4 steals. Led the Australians to 4 wins on the tour and will lead them to the World Championships in The Netherlands this summer.

Rebekah Gardner

Rebekah Gardner, 6’1 G – USA

Led Americans in scoring through early stages of the tournament when she scored 16 points and grabbed 4 rebounds against China.  She had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in a win over Australia and 12 points against New Zealand, earning nomination to the All-Fuling team.  Followed that up by earning All-Zhongxian MVP honors with 14 points and 4 rebounds vs. Aussies, 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals vs. New Zealand and a double-double vs. China, 10 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists.

Panina Davidson, 6’3 F – New Zealand

Extremely talented young forward led the Kiwi’s in several categories including scoring and rebounding.  Had huge 20 point game in near upset of China in Chongqing District and scored in double figures vs. American team twice.  Earned spots on the All-Fuling and All-Zhongxian tournament teams, this versatile inside/outside player who has a bright future.

Talisa Rhea, 5’11 G – USA

One of the top all-around players in the tournament playing three (PG, SG, SF) positions for the Americans, Rhea was named to the All-Fuling squad with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists against China.  Poured in 16 points and grabbed 3 steals against Aussies and 9 more points with 5 assists vs. New Zealand.  Also earned All-Xiangyang when she had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists vs. New Zealand. 12 points, 4 boards, 4 assists against Aussies, and hit a big bucket late to seal win over China in finale.

Talisa Rhea

*China had two different teams represented on the tour and thus did not have anyone named to the all-tourney team although several were chosen at the various city stops along the tour.

Casey Garrison

MVP:  Casey Garrison, 5’11 G – USA

Averaged 10 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3 steals per game in Xiangyang including a stellar 10 point/10 rebound double-double with 5 assists, & 3 steals against China’s National B Team in Final.

Katie Bussey

Katie Bussey, 5’9 PG – USA

Led American squad in scoring with 15 in Final against China, had 11 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals vs. New Zealand and another 10 points in win over Aussies.

Talisa Rhea, 5’11 G – USA

Had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists vs. New Zealand. 12 points, 4 boards, 4 assists against Aussies, and hit a big bucket late to seal win over China.

Cheng Feng, 6’3 F – China

Terrific 3-pt. shooter led China to big wins over NZ & Australia, only player in double figures with 13 points against Americans.

Huang Hongpi, 6’6 C – China

Big post player had 9 vs. Americans and dominated inside (double-double) against Australians in the 2nd half breaking open a tight game to lead China to 25 point victory.

Talisa Rhea

Kali Bennett, 6’5 C – USA

Her rebounding and shot blocking solidified the American defense.  Averaged 8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals per game and helped keep China’s big posts in check.

You can read Coach Ryan Johnson’s blog from this link. There are some great pictures of the areas visited in China as well as more game info.

It was the American defense and efficient shooting that helped them overcome a free throw disparity of 29 Chinese attempts to just 7 for the Americans and a foul difference of 25 to 8 in favor of China.  Team USA shot 50% while holding the Chinese National B Team to just 34 % and 12% on three-pointers as they beat the host team 65-55.  The win capped an 8-1 tour and overall championship effort for the Americans.

Katie Bussey (Montana St.) came off the bench and led the way with 15 points by attacking the opposing perimeter players early and often, she got the USA going offensively and also hit a big bucket late to seal the win.  Casey Garrison had another outstanding overall performance with a double-double, 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.

The Americans scored late in the first period to scratch out a 20-18 lead and used their “5-in, 5-out, platoon style substitution” plan to wear down the Chinese team who was clearly showing signs of fatigue.  The USA transition game kicked into gear and they built an 8-point halftime lead that would grow to 13 after three periods.  Strong defense and good guard play helped the Americans hang on down the stretch for the win.

Katie Bussey

Rachael Hackbarth (Drake) and Jalana Childs (Kansas State) carried the interior offense against the huge Chinese front line with 9 points apiece and fellow post Kali Bennett (Arizona State) captained the defensive effort by blocking 2 shots, changing countless others, and grabbing 7 defensive rebounds.

Comments from Head Coach NetScouts Basketball’s Chris Denker:

“Absolutely one of the best basketball games I’ve been a part of, great atmosphere, 10,000 (listed) fans all cheering for China and our young ladies stuck together, played tough and pulled out a hard fought victory over a very good team.”

Casey Garrison

“Before the game, after announcing the rosters, the Chinese anthem is played and everyone sings…then ours is played and all 12 of us sing along…sends chills up your spine and I can tell you it’s an experience I’ll never forget.”

“Our starters, Z, Bek, Talisa, Jalana, and Kali got us going and it was physical from the jump but then our bench came in and really got the offense flowing.  Katie was lights out the last 4 games of the trip and they couldn’t contain her early.  We knew they’d jam & hug us off on/balls and we got our players into open spaces and knocked down shots.  Team defense and transition was a focal point all trip and it paid off tonight.”

“Bek and T were good again, that tear drop that T hit late was sweet, Bek knocked in two 3′s…ReZina had her BEST game of the trip, 6 points when we were struggling to score and 4 rebounds, she has a real knack of getting boards from the PG spot, and Jaz got us some big boards and finished a fast break with her left that was a big score for us.  I felt bad for Nikki, if she even breathed she got a foul but she played hard for us while she was able to tonight and like all of them, she had a TEAM FIRST attitude about everything and we ALL enjoyed the victory celebration!”

Rebekah Gardner

STATS:

Katie Bussey (Montana State) 15 points, 1 assist, 3 steals

Casey Garrison (Missouri State) 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

Rebekah Gardner (UCLA) 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

Jasmin Holliday (Oregon) 4 points, 4 rebounds

Nikki Day (Portland) 2 rebounds, 1 steal

Rachael Hackbarth (Drake) 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Talisa Rhea (Seattle U) 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

ReZina TecleMariam (Portland) 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist

Kali Bennett (Arizona State) 2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists

Jalana Childs (Kansas State) 9 points, 5 rebounds

FINAL RECORDS:

USA (8-1), CHINA NATIONAL B TEAM  (2-1), CHINA JR. NATIONAL TEAM  (4-2),  AUSTRALIA  (4-5), NEW ZEALAND (0-9)

You can read Coach Ryan Johnson’s blog from this link. There are some great pictures of the areas visited in China as well as more game info.

CSKA Moscow has been the best team in the league all year. The Russian powerhouse was the one of continent’s most dominant forces in the 2000’s, posting eight-straight Final Four appearances and winning a couple of titles with now Brooklyn Nets’ owner Mikhail Prokhorov running the club and now Los Angeles Lakers’ assistant Ettore Messina coaching the team. Last year they failed to advance from the initial group stages, officially signaling the end of that cycle. They retooled in the offseason, acquiring former Net, Thunder and Celtic, Nenad Krstic and former Jazz Andrei Kirilenko among others, and have now returned to relevancy.

Kirilenko has had an amazing season in Europe. He was already named the defensive player of the year and should be named the league’s MVP in the next week or so. He has displayed all his skills as a complete all-around player who can impact the game in so many different ways. Defensively, he is the ace that provides flexibility within their scheme and offensively he is a breakdown explorer and bail-out safety net. Kirilenko can cut, spot-up, handle, pass, screen, post-up and crash the offensive glass. So instead of defining one specific thing for him to do, head-coach Jonas Kazlauskas is smart enough to let him to some of everything. And the result of it has been Kirilenko posting one of the most remarkable seasons efficiency-wise (the record-breaking stuff cooled off as the cohesiveness of the team came together and also he dealt with a concussion in early December) in league-history, as he has averaged 1.17 points-per-possession on 66.3% true-shooting and posted a 15% assist-rate on just 20% usage.

Krstic has also gone through a similar European revival. A simple rotation big in the NBA, Krstic is a true impact player in the Euroleague. He would in fact be among MVP contenders on a normal year when Kirilenko wasn’t around. He is averaging 1.23 points-per-possession on 68.2% true-shooting and a low 10% turnover-rate considering his 23.7% usage. Krstic is an important part of CSKA Moscow’s offense, the league’s highest scoring this season and don’t be shocked when he has a big game Friday against a strength challenged Panathinaikos’ frontcourt.

Sasha Kaun is another CSKA player that should draw some sort of attention from NBA fans. The Cleveland Cavalier draftee and former Kansas Jayhawk was closer to the league once upon a time but after undergoing knee surgery last season, he is now further away. It’s doubtful the Cavs or any other team will ever have enough interest to make a push for him.

And a player some fans may be familiar with is Milos Teodosic. There are always rumors about a team or two looking into the Serbian point-guard and wondering whether or not it would make sense taking a flyer on him. Teodosic is extremely mercurial and up until this year, there were doubts about his ability to play simply point-guard in order to fit in with more gifted offensive players. He has answered those questions, running the CSKA’s pick-and-roll heavy offense as well as you could ask him to, although his turnover issues are still there (21.6% turnover-rate). So all those teams who may be interested in Milos rumors are closer to actually being true this summer.

CSKA Moscow faces the defending champions Panathinaikos Athens in one of the semifinals. PAO is another European powerhouse whose dictionary definition has the word victory attached to it. Head-coach Zeljko Obradovic has coached the Greens for 13 years now and this is the ninth Final Four he has led his team to over the period, tabbing five championships on the way.

Nick Calathes is the only true NBA prospect on the team and his rights are held by the Dallas Mavericks. After a great Final Four last year, exploding in the semifinal game against Montepaschi Siena, in which he was a key part for them to win that title, many believed Calathes was actually closer to the NBA than expected, already wondering how a Rodrigue Beaubois – Nick Calathes backcourt would look like. But Calathes has failed to take that next step forward on his development, returning to being an inconsistent non-impact player. The hope is perhaps he is just that type of baller that gears up for big moments. I guess we will see if that’s the case next weekend.

Former Xavier star Romain Sato could probably hang his own in the league as one of those perimeter players who bring good defense and solid three-point shooting but I doubt any teams regard him as somebody they should be interested in. And I think the ship has sailed on Mike Batiste, who played for the Memphis Grizzlies. In Europe he is a household name. Don’t think there are many teams knocking on his door either.

Someone you should be aware of is Dimitris Diamantidis. No, there is no chance the 32 year-old would just go ahead and have a cup of coffee in the Association just to see what is like on the other side of the glass, Juan Carlos Navarro style. But you should know that Diamantidis is a sure thing Hall of Famer, three-time Euroleague winner, two-time league MVP and six-time defensive player of the year. So when he is doing awesome things like locking down his man with historic on-ball defense and running pick-and-rolls to perfection, don’t pull a Mike Krzyzewski and say; “hey, 13 (THIRTEEN!!!) is a nice player.”

Rafael Uehara is the Managing Editor of ‘The Basketball Post’ and a correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. More of his work can be found here and he can be followed on twitter @rafael_uehara.

Everyone can’t wait for everything back home…  and we get to come home on a great note…

There’s really only one thing to say….. and this photo says it all!!!!

We played a great game beating the home Chinese National B team 65-55 despite the Chinese team shooting 29 free throws to our 7, and 25 fouls being called on Team USA to 8 on China.   It’s great to get a win like that, in a hostile home environment.

It was a great day.  We’ll post some final thoughts on the trip after our return to the states..but it’s off to travel home now!!!!

You can read Coach Ryan Johnson’s blog from this link. There are some great pictures of the areas visited in China as well as more game info.

Crowd gathering for ceremony

Today was the final day of our regular competition before the exhibition match-up against the Chinese National B team tomorrow. It was a day of recognition and treats by our local hosts from Xiangyang.   All of the teams started the day early as we all headed back down to the arena for a special ceremony.

All four teams had a public appearance with local fans, kids, and dignitaries.  There were dancers, youth soccer teams, youth martial artists, and plenty of speeches.  Jalana or “J” as we call her gave a great speech on behalf of the American squad and we all received lovely gifts from the tournament organizers and the city, a case of spicy pickled turnips for each of us! The Kiwi’s all got up and sang their song together.

The Kiwis Sing

We were then driven out to the country where we enjoyed a special meal at an establishment that had the appearance of a Chinese Temple and had a nice garden area in the center of the courtyard.

Countryside Water Garden

Each team had their own special room and were served “traditional Chinese foods on a spinning table.”  In the States we call it a “Lazy Susan,” but this was easily the largest I’d ever seen.  They did their best to fill it up with about 15-18 different dishes.  Much of it was the “local flavor” of food.  Something we thought most of our group wasn’t going to eat much of, but surprisingly, we ate a little of everything that was brought out… we just left the roosters head alone that was on the cooked chicken dish.. It was loads of fun for the whole group.

Dragon Sculpture

This roadside Dragon sculpture is about 40-50 feet tall.

With the heavy traffic around town we had our own police escort to the game…and all that did was make the driving just a little bit crazier!!!

Tomorrow’s much anticipated exhibition game with the Chinese National B team should be interesting and provide a lot of excitement.   It’s the final match of the entire trip!

You can read Coach Ryan Johnson’s blog from this link. There are some great pictures of the areas visited in China as well as more game info.