jt
Sixth Man
Posts: 219
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Post by jt on Apr 12, 2023 10:29:16 GMT
Huge game tonight, I'm not expecting a win but I think we'll give it a good go. I'm glad Lions are hosting a watch party at the Hackney Bridge, there should be a good crowd in for that. I watched the Hamburg vs Prometey game last night (who Lions would have faced if we were 8th), and Hamburg took it to the last few minutes, I think Lions could have won that matchup. Is Koufous back yet? The match up with Tomic would be good for Koufous, worries if it's having to be on Sharma and Zubcic. No sign of him so I highly doubt it, I think that's where we'll struggle. Tomic has been great this season for my EuroCup Fantasy team, but I've had to remove him out of principal! |
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jt
Sixth Man
Posts: 219
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Post by jt on Apr 12, 2023 13:24:03 GMT
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Post by lochrocks on Apr 12, 2023 17:39:13 GMT
The game will be on Youtube as well according to their twitter.
📺 Watch from 6:45pm on BT Sport & our YT Channel!
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Post by dexter on Apr 12, 2023 18:17:39 GMT
Joventut begin with 3 identical 3 pointers. Lions respond with an air ball.
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Post by D44 on Apr 12, 2023 20:31:27 GMT
Lions chasing the game from the first few minutes. Shame to not have Koufous available to deal with Tomic. Dekker looked like he was playing through injury and not looking comfortable at all. I don't really think Joventut played all that well, made their open shots and exploited the size advantage. Josh Sharma can be incredible in the BBL but isn't good enough at this level.
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Post by spacejammer on Apr 12, 2023 21:00:11 GMT
Well that's the Lions Euro Cup campaign over for this year.
Shame they were defeated but atleast they challenged Joventut and to only lose by 9 points isn't bad considering it was 2nd vs 7th and this Spanish team are one of 2 teams that have never been relegated from Spains top league.
I reckon if they had entered the level below again in the Champions League they might have gone even further with this team.
Although if I was a lions fan I would like to hope the plan is to re-enter the Euro Cup next season and do even better.
As a BBL fan though I would hope that Lions showing in Europe would gain the league some more respect attract more investors to turn there heads and attract more investment.
We at least know one team right now that could do with a new backer.
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jt
Sixth Man
Posts: 219
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Post by jt on Apr 12, 2023 21:00:43 GMT
Unfortunate result, with Kosta maybe it's a different story.
It was so good of Lions to organise the watch party next door to the Copperbox, it wasn't a huge turnout but it was great to watch the game with a big group of fans. I hope they organise something similar more often.
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Post by voise on Apr 12, 2023 21:36:01 GMT
Enjoyed the game and thought Lions gave a really good account of themselves (aside from FT shooting) playing away against one of the legitimate title contenders. With Koufos and a fully fit Dekker it could have been a nail biter.
The challenge for the BBL is that leagues like the ACB are stacked with home grown talent. At this stage, the BBL just doesn't have a sufficient pool of Eurocup (let alone euro league) British talent outside of one or two teams.
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Post by dexter on Apr 12, 2023 23:13:48 GMT
Enjoyed the game and thought Lions gave a really good account of themselves (aside from FT shooting) playing away against one of the legitimate title contenders. With Koufos and a fully fit Dekker it could have been a nail biter. The challenge for the BBL is that leagues like the ACB are stacked with home grown talent. At this stage, the BBL just doesn't have a sufficient pool of Eurocup (let alone euro league) British talent outside of one or two teams. That’s true but there are some good British players playing in Europe. It’s just at the moment the BBL isn’t good enough or rich enough to tempt them home. |
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Post by tallerman on Apr 13, 2023 8:29:57 GMT
I think theres less than you think. Our great players are euro cup quality. Outside of Olesani and Hesson ( whos in asia ) who else is euro cup standard?
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Post by dexter on Apr 13, 2023 8:59:52 GMT
I think theres less than you think. Our great players are euro cup quality. Outside of Olesani and Hesson ( whos in asia ) who else is euro cup standard? I’m not saying they’re EuroCup standard, but most of the current GB squad are playing their basketball in Europe, although not necessarily at a level that’s any higher than BBL. |
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Post by johnmc on Apr 13, 2023 9:34:18 GMT
It's a weird one this.
Ultimately feel like Lions have been unlucky more than anything - injuries to Koufos and Dekker stopped them getting a better record and more favourable draw, and in the end also probably accounted for them last night too; albeit Badalona looked very comfortable. It was like watching London hold off a spirited BBL challenger down the stretch there.
But the points on quality of GB player are valid. Guys like Sharma and Soluade haven't been playing at ACB/Eurocup level and that's for a reason - they aren't quite good enough. Since Ovie's farrago how many of the GB players on Lions are honestly good enough for Eurocup? Probably just Luke Nelson.
There are guys out there - Hesson and Olaseni are obvious, but you probably add Yeboah, Deane Williams, Ben Lawson, Aaron Geramipour and some of the guys coming out of NCAA this year who aren't named Tosan.
To be a Euroleague level team they probably need all of them, or a rules change that lets them roster Europeans as local (I think that's the next rules change post salary cap).
You can also make a case that some of the recruitment hasn't worked, or been at the right level. Hruban looks a step above BBL, but is he worth an import slot on a Eurocup roster? Similarly, Aaron Best is a stunningly good player even at that level but you have to rotate him, Dekker, Oni and Hruban and play Zubcic in the paint to fit them in... That doesn't feel like good roster construction for team short on bigs.
Wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of turnover on this roster for next season, to be honest.
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Post by dexter on Apr 13, 2023 10:11:03 GMT
I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing London Lions didn’t get any further this year. Next season they should be targeting a quarter final spot which is progress. I don’t see how they can go any further than that. There are 5 very good EuroCup teams. Gran Canaria, Turk Telekom, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Prometey, and Joventut. That makes getting to the semi finals very difficult for anyone else. Of course lots of things can change but I don’t expect EuroCup to get any easier.
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Post by Stephen Abootman on Apr 14, 2023 17:56:42 GMT
Don't get me wrong I'd love for Riders to somehow be in a position to compete in this. Pants format though innit? You don't really have to do anything to qualify. You've got a 5-6 month regular season that serves only to eliminate 20% of the field. Followed by a rather inadequate single elimination knockout phase to determine the champion. Meaning that if you're a lower seed you'll likely play one postseason game, on the road, and that'll be that. The format they were using up to the 2020-21 season was far better. I wonder what persuaded them to switch to this crap. I reckon if they had entered the level below again in the Champions League they might have gone even further with this team. Although if I was a lions fan I would like to hope the plan is to re-enter the Euro Cup next season and do even better. There's a very good chance they'd have had a deep run in Europe Cup with this squad, if that's what you mean. If they'd successfully qualified for the Champions League (and it's far from a guarantee that they would) I reckon a last 16 finish would have been the best cast scenario. Not inconceivable they could have gone out in the first round as the current format is quite tough. I imagine they'll be back in EuroCup next season. Flawed though it is, it probably doesn't make sense to walk away from that competition and risk not even qualifying for BCL. |
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Post by dexter on Apr 21, 2023 11:14:48 GMT
As expected Koufos has left London Lions. No explanation has been given. I suspect, like Ovie, his body is getting on a bit and this could be the end of his playing career. I’m really glad we got to see a player of his calibre playing in the UK. It has been a privilege.
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Post by docker on Apr 21, 2023 11:20:16 GMT
As expected Koufos has left London Lions. No explanation has been given. I suspect, like Ovie, his body is getting on a bit and this could be the end of his playing career. I’m really glad we got to see a player of his calibre playing in the UK. It has been a privilege. Agreed - it was a real privilege to see him play. Shame he could not be involved in the final Euro games. |
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Post by LTfan on Apr 21, 2023 14:08:43 GMT
As expected Koufos has left London Lions. No explanation has been given. I suspect, like Ovie, his body is getting on a bit and this could be the end of his playing career. I’m really glad we got to see a player of his calibre playing in the UK. It has been a privilege. Agreed. Although I'm sure Lions said on twitter his absence the last few weeks has been due to him dealing with a family issue, so I wouldn't say no explanation has been given - just a vague one (which when it comes to personal matters is probably all we're really entitled to). On a related note, it's slightly concerning Dekker is back out of action 'indefinitely'. |
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Post by LTfan on Apr 27, 2023 9:50:38 GMT
For those still watching, the EuroCup Final will feature 2 Group B (London's group) teams - Gran Canaria and Turk Telekom.
I'm a little surprised because I thought Group A was the slightly stronger group, but maybe not.
EuroCup Final - Gran Canaria v Turk Telekom, Tuesday 2nd May 23:00 UK time.
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Post by D44 on Apr 27, 2023 10:30:05 GMT
For those still watching, the EuroCup Final will feature 2 Group B (London's group) teams - Gran Canaria and Turk Telekom. I'm a little surprised because I thought Group A was the slightly stronger group, but maybe not. EuroCup Final - Gran Canaria v Turk Telekom, Tuesday 2nd May 23:00 UK time. Goes to show the fine margins at this level given London had very narrow losses against both in the group. |
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jt
Sixth Man
Posts: 219
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Post by jt on Apr 27, 2023 10:55:44 GMT
Gran Canaria deserve to win it - every game of theirs I've watched they show elite discipline and intelligence. Zero easy buckets against them!
A great semi final last night
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