Thank God, in Cologne we saw real clubs from the league, which now again I want to call the strongest in the world. First, “Philadelphia” and “Phoenix” held a beautiful semifinal, which unexpectedly ended in victory for the “76s”. Then, mischievous "sunny" in the corporate style of any overseas team played three-quarters of the bronze match with "Maccabi" in cat and mouse, before adding a little momentum and easily leaving the pursuer at the finish. And finally, “Philly” just stood up for the NBA honor.
One can imagine what kind of “pumping” American stars received from the association commissioner David Stern. And even the referees there, as they deliberately began to note the small runs of the army and the usually invisible ball ball. For the second time it was impossible to lose to the best squad in Europe: try, call your playoff the World Championship after this! Therefore, with all the efforts of the Muscovites, once again very worthy to defend themselves, it was impossible to overcome the resistance of a modest team that didn’t even make it to the top eight in the Eastern Conference in the 2005/06 season.
The modesty of the 76s is a relative term. It’s worth hooking on their professional pride, and Allen Iverson becomes like a real MVP , skillfully running the game from an uncomfortable position as a playmaker, Andre Igudala pokes mind-blowing slam dunks into the ring, allowing him to go to the favorites of the annual “all-star” contests, Kyle Corver’s goal the most incredible balls, and the shaggy Haitian Samuel Dalembert acquires the features of Dikembe Mutombo in his best years.
These guys made us remember that half a year ago, Thomas van den Spiegel, who was so pleased at the meeting with the Clippers, was just an unemployed, lanky guy who was pulled out of oblivion due to urgent need. And regret the untimely poisoning of Alexei Savrasenko. They blushed Theodoras Papaloukas, whose cunning passages somehow became predictable. It seems that this was the case when the Greek muscle stretched back of the thigh avoided the dubious pleasure of being personally beaten by Iverson. And say, “What would happen if Theo was healthy?”
The Philadelphia coaching staff has worked hard. The team demonstrated its collectivism, amazing with its individuality. There is no paradox here: the 76th built the game so that each basketball player was able to make the most of his own strengths. If this did not work, it would be logical to ask why, say, Langdon, Holden or Vanterpool still do not light up in any NBA club? And CSKA managed to slow down. It seems that the army team did not complete a single quick attack for the entire match. Well, well, maybe one ...
... The camera's eye stared intently at the tattoo adorning Iverson's bench on his left leg. The inscription " East End ”is just the commonplace name for a series of quarters of Newport’s hometown in Virginia. “The East is over for the NBA so far,” came up with a consonant thought. But you won’t be able to forget about this round: the two defeats of October 2006 will be firmly tattooed on the hearts of the players from across the ocean.
Nikolai TSYNKEVICH