Sunday, October 08, 2006

NBA teams drop two exhibitions in Europe....


The NBA got another taste of defeat at the hands of emerging European basketball prowess. An NBA-dominated Team USA squad underachieved in the World Championships last month, falling in the semis, before picking up the bronze.
 
In NBA sanctioned pre-season exhibition games around Europe this week, the Suns and Spurs won, but the 76ers and Clippers both lost. The losses came at the hands of European teams that are less athletic, dunk fewer times during games, but shoot better and are more technically sound. At some point, the American basketball community will have to start teaching kids the fundamentals of skill and teamwork. The dunk and flare sells now, but we are at that place where the basketball world will begin to pull the Americans off their basketball pedestal.
 
The Stern-led globalization of the NBA and American basketball is wonderful in a humanitarian respect. However, we have to lead by example. Translation: win the games!

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