# What bball team do you support?



## Chef (Nov 24, 2002)

Mine has to be my hometown team:BILBAO BASKET 

It's was founded on 2000 but it's already in the spanish second division just below the acb. They are actually playoff bound to join the ACB (11-5,fifth). 

NBA comparison: Dallas Mavericks  

We lead the league in three points made, 3 point % and scoring, but our defense is pretty bad. We even have a future Nowitzki (Splitter  ) and Nash (our PG).

I hope we can add to our roster a black strong center to help Tiago Splitter in the paint (Ousmane Cisse could be a perfect fit   ) and join the ACB this year.

I`ve finished, now tell us about YOURS


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

PAOK Thessaloniki. (Panthessalonikeios Athlitikos Omilos Konstantinoupoliton).

A historic team from the north of Greece. A team that has connected its name with much pain. Initially founded by Greeks that came to Thessaloniki from Constandinople in the early 1920's after they were ousted by the turks. That's why PAOK (as AEK does too for the same reasons) use as its emblem the doouble-headed eagle of Byzantium.

The migration and the torturous trail of the PAOK founders and PAOK fans from Constandinple to Northen Greece is not the only reason that the club has connected its name with pain.

During the 80's PAOk was constantly finishing second in the Greek leage behind city rivals Aris Thesaloniki of players like Galis, Giannakis, Subodic and Vrankovic. PAOK came really close to winning the title a couple of times but always there was something happening (e.g. Giannakis's three point buzzer-beater from 9 meters ) that allowed Aris to seize the title. PAOK managed to take the title eventually by beating Olympiakos in the final in 1991. The same year PAOK won the European cup in Geneva against Cai Zaragoza. PAOK won in 1994 the Korac Cup against Stefanel Trieste (of Bodiroga, Gentile, and Tanjevic) by winning in both games. PAOK has also won two more Greek cups one against Panionios and one against AEK. Furthermore the club has won a greek title back in the mid 50's. 

Why pain? 
>As I said PAOK was constanly behind Aris for almost a decade. 

>PAOK lost the European cup in Nantes (1992) when Fassoulas, and while the match was tied with 4 seconds to go, gave a pass (!!!) to an opponent who scored with the buzzer an off-balance shoot and gave the game to Real Madrid.

>PAOK being the No1 Favourite of winning the Euroleague in the F4 in Athens, eventually lost to Benetton thanks to 4 three pointers by a totally unknown guy called Ragazzi and also by a guy called Iacopinni (sic) who sealed the match with a triple with 4 sec to go.

>PAOK lost the European cup final in Vittoria playing against the home team of Taugres. PAOK was leading the whole game but the 5 fouls of the main center Garrett and an amazing performance by Ramon Rivas game the title to Taugres of the "Sherif" (and also absolute d.i.c.k.-head) Manel Comas.

>PAOK lost the greek title (or I should say had it stolen from them) when the refs decided that it was time to give the title to Olympiakos because that had to be the way to happen. PAOK players (led by Bane Preljevic) played the last 5 minutes without wearing socks complaining about the unfair treatment they had by the refs.

PAOK means pain. PAOK means loving your team more when it comes to losses than when it comes to titles. That's why winning a title with PAOK feels as good as winning 100 titles with any other team.

Here are some famous plyers playing for PAOK: Preljevic, Korfas, Fassoulas, Cliff Livingstone, Kenneth Barlow, Scott Skiles, Predrag Stojakovic, Zoran Savic, Rentzias, McRae (R.I.P.), Liadelis, Sigalas, Blair.


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

Peristeri B.C. (Greece). 

It's a very young team, born only in 1971. In the 80s found the First Division, meeting Europe in the early 90s. 
Personally I've started to love this team in the autumn 2000. Peristeri played against Fortitudo Bologna for the Euroleague, winning the game. Byron Dinkins and Alphonso Ford were absolutely dominant, with all the other players: Fabio Ribeiro, Alexis Savrasenko, Michael Andersen, Kostas Tsartsaris, Mihalis Pelekanos. 
There were a greath atmosphere, 4000 crowd for a sold-out this evening, absolutely unforgetteable. 

The same season Peristeri was 2nd at the end of the regular season, and met Olympiakos in the semifinals. The 1st game has been stolen without doubts (first official, Pitsilkas, ultras chief of Olympiakos). 80-82. Olympiakos employed 8 seconds to put the ball on court in its last possession... 
So the season ended (Peristeri was 3rd), but everyone was admitting they were the best team and they would have deserved to win the trophy. 
This was this great team: 
4 Ioannis Kritikos, 196, guard, 
5 Manolis Papamakarios, 185, point-guard ("o Arhigos, the Captain")
6 Alexis Papadatos, 185, point-guard
7 Mihalis Pelekanos, 198 guard-small forward 
8 Alexej Savrasenko, 215 center, RUS-GRE
9 Byron Dinkins, 188, point guard, USA
10 Alphonso Ford, 190, shooting guard, USA 
11 Kostas Tsartsaris, 207, small-power forward 
12 Fernando Ribeiro, 208, power forward, POR-BRA
13 Robert Reisenbuchler, 208, center, ROM-GER
14 Michael Andersen, 213, center, DEN
15 Thanassis Efthimiou, 208, power forward 

released during the season: 
John Brougos, 207, center, USA-GRE

After the 2nd semifinal against Olympiakos, when Peristeri was defeated again, I could talk just for a second with Mihalis Pelekanos... "thank you, it has been the greatest dream I've ever lived with basketball".
He simply huged me. Well, it has been the beginning of a great friendship, and this is enough to justify my supporting of this team. 
Unfortunately the team lost Andreas Korasidis, the most important sponsor, in the summer 2001. The following season Peristeri was still an interesting team with Dinkins, Tsartsaris, Pelekanos, Wojcik, Andersen, ending the Greek league at the 6th place. Now, it's a tragedy... it will be a fight till the end not to collapse in 2nd Division. 

About them.. they are known as "Prigkipes tis Ditihis Ohtis", "Princes of West". This is because Peristeri is the largest centre in the Western part of the "Great Athens". Peristeri is not Athens anyway, but a free municipality of Greece, the 4th for population (after Athens, Thessaloniki and the Piraeus). 
A curiosity. In Greek "Peristeri" means "Pigeon", but it's not explained why this strange name (check www.peristeri.gr to see that). 
take care

P.S. I forgot. When a day I'll be able to spend 10 milions USD, I'll buy Peristeri I'll win the Euroleague owning this club.


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

Chef, assuming that you are Basque, can you please tell me what TAU means? What is the difference between the time the club was called Taugres and now that is called simply TAU.


P.S: What does Saski means? (as it is a compound of the full name of the club?) "Saski Baskonia".

Thanks.


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## Chef (Nov 24, 2002)

> Chef, assuming that you are Basque, can you please tell me what TAU means? What is the difference between the time the club was called Taugres and now that is called simply TAU.


Yes, you are right, I am basque . Tau is the name of the Ceramics enterprise that sponsors the team. Before was called Taugres, but I think the company changed it's name (I'm not sure).

"Saski" means basket in Basque

What does "Panthessalonikeios Athlitikos Omilos Konstantinoupoliton" mean ?


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Chef</b>!
> What does "Panthessalonikeios Athlitikos Omilos Konstantinoupoliton" mean ?


Panthessalonikeios: Panthessalonikian ("all around the Thessaloniki area and beyond")

Athlitikos: Sport (or Athletic more correctly, as it is a greek word)

Omilos: Club

Konstantinoupoliton: "of the Constantinoupilitians" (Of the people that came from Constantinople)


To add to my previous mail about PAOK and the sad stories about the history of the club: A very popular song of the PAOK fans says: "PAOK, the more bitterness you give me the more you make me love you"


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

Despite the fact that I'm a bulgarian, I also have to admit that I support the Greek national team. My father used to call me "Traitor" because of that, but I can't help it. I even support the greek side when they play against my compatriots!

Besides the Bulgarian NT isn't very good. They haven't got guys on the boards. They only shoot for threes. What they need is this:


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## Stojakovic16 (Jan 12, 2003)

Crvena Zvezda(Red Star)-Belgrade, Yugoslavia
NBA Equivalent=Sacramento Kings


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