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Badas Blog
Topic Started: Feb 6 2008, 12:43 PM (432 Views)
Bada Bing
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El Crack
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
04 nov VIVE ESPANA

Whenever I head off for one of my many jaunts to Andalucia, I am always assured of a basketball feast, almost whatever the time of the year (including summer with the World and Euro Championships).

This time on my latest trip it was no different. I could have changed my flight to ensure that there was time to get to Granada to watch the derby game between Unicaja Malaga and the home side but settled instead on watching it on the goggle box over Sunday lunch.

Scandalously on the same evening I turned down the chance to watch Andy Betts play for Cajasol of Seville. I think had they been playing more attractive opposition then I might have made the effort of the 90 minutes drive.

However Groupo Begar Leon didn’t fill me with inspiration. Well I lie, I would have been there like a shot but the missus was already getting dragged to Malaga later in the week and had already politely sat through two hours of ACB on the telly that same day.

As it happened I missed the big man getting his first and long overdue ACB win for his new club. Nice kit they have by the way but it is going to be a long old season for Andy and Seville this season.

I was also ashamed that I do my round-up in the El Crack section and ironically despite being in Spain, I didn’t bother but normal service will be resumed (more on that later).

On the Wednesday night myself and Mrs Bing left to go down to Malaga to watch the Euroleague game between Unicaja and Cibona Zagreb. As always it was a memorable experience, despite the blowout and the unusual sight of the Martin Carpena not actually being full for once.

The game itself was a blowout with Unicaja winning by thirty or forty points which worried me sick about the likes of Guildford who start their Euro campaign this week in Bosnia. I have said that if Guildford lose any game by single figures it will be a minor miracle although maybe I am being too pessimistic.

Nevertheless, I hope they prove me wrong and best of luck to them.

I bought arguably the best thing ever when I was at the Unicaja game and that was an official Unicaja tactics/play board. A double-sided beauty that will be the envy of the Tyne Met Basketball League…

Flitting back to Unicaja, while they lost today at home to Menorca who were bottom of the ACB (and that just blows my mind after seeing their Euroleague performance) I do have some reservations about my favourite Spanish team.

I do not like Popovic at the guard spot. His ugly mush puts me off for a start and while he is young, I just can’t get away with his game and I sensed that the Unicaja fans have mumblings too. Marcus Haislip meanwhile, I just can’t work out. He has played NBA but I am struggling to put my finger on exactly what it is he does.

Maybe I am missing the point. The same can be said of Boniface N’Dong. I don’t like this trio which is in stark comparison to the irrepressible Spanish trio of Carlos Cabezas., Carlos Jiminez and Berni Rodriguez who simply always seem to contribute.

Cibona probably had an off night and after a close first quarter during which Unicaja giant Daniel Santiago dominated, their coach definitely made a rick by going big to try and counter-act this threat but it knocked them out of sync offensively and less mobile and atheltic, they couldn’t get to the hoop and it destroyed them - a lot more than Santiago inside was ever going to.

at courtside it was great to hear the band playing all night behind us and there really is something when they strike up a bit of Barry Manilow and myself and the missus are quietly singing “We love you Jerry... Because you’ve got no hair” under our breaths.

Whatever the quality of the game or excitement levels, when you go to Spanish basketball, your toe enjoys itself from consistently tapping to the band. Believe me, if Northern Rock want an atmosphere to be the envy of the BBL they need to get rid of bongos and DJ’s and get five people on brass intstruments. It’s fantastic.

That wasn’t the end of the basketball though.

On the last night of our break we sat and watched another Euroleague game on the box and it was top class stuff. Real Madrid had to fight all the way to see of Lottomatica Roma and it was genuinely fantastic basketball to watch.

Then the cherry on the cake came at Malaga airport when despite having to break into a jog to get to the departure gate, I still darted into the newsagents and picked up two absolute bibles.

Along with my Unicaja tactics board I think it is the best shopping haul ever.

Those bibles are the ACB official guide and the LEB official guide.

They tell you absolutely everything from the top ACB teams down to regional teams and the women’s league. And when I say everything, I mean absolutely everything.

I sat engrossed on the flight back and went through hunting for Brits and ex BBL players and I think I am now going to develop the El Crack section, maybe into a new web-site on Spanish basketball and in particular Brits and ex-BBL players who are plying their trade in Spain.

If it is of potential interest to anybody then you can always leave some comments.

Anyway, I guess I had better apologise as this was a bit of a limp blog, but I have an ACB round-up to write for Eurobasket and El Crack, some plays to doodle on my tactics board, a couple of Basketball bibles to continue studying (well it is Sunday) and oh yeah… I have to try and get myself a life!
EuroLeague Women because women's basketball is the most important thing in life after family and good health!
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