OLD MAN WINTER AND NORGY ARE BACK
Winter has finally arrived in Poland, and probably the rest of Europe (though I can't be sure, because I haven't checked out CNN lately). It had been so unseasonably mild that I was starting to think I was playing in Northern Italy rather than Northern Poland. Now, the snow is here, the Molten balls are finally worn in, the Super Bowl is Sunday, and it is seriously do-or-die time for many Euroleague teams - including us! I just finished watching the Euroleague highlight show and saw the intensity that was displayed in so many of the penultimate matches of the first round - overtime games, big plays, and buzzer beaters. With so many Top 16 positions still unfilled, I expect nothing but the same this week. This is the time of the season when teams on the edge can really show their character, show their heart, and show other metaphoric body parts which I shouldn't print in English (so I'll do it in Spanish - COJONES). It's going to be an exciting week.
Unfortunately, Prokom was not an exciting part of the highlight show. Despite being down by only three points at halftime (while shooting 78% from two-point distance) to an uninspired Tau team last week, we played a horrible second half, ending the game with a double-digit loss. The loss alone is not a huge issue - Tau is one of the top teams in Europe playing on their home court - but what stands out form this game was the nearly unfathomable difference in rebounding. Tau had 20 offensive rebounds and we had one! I don't know which is more unbelievable, but in my fifteen years of college and professional hoops I cannot recall any team having 20 offensive boards NOR any team finishing the game with ONE offensive rebound!!! I can't say what exactly accounted for this strange disparity - effort, tactics or just plain dumb luck (probably a combination off all three, weighted on effort) - but it was ugly nonetheless.
The previous week we didn't look much better. In the first half it seemed like we were about to get blown out of our gym, Hala Oliwia, by Marcin Gortat and the rest of the bottom-of-Group A squad from Cologne. Fortunately, we turned up the defense in the second half - just in time to gain a crucial victory. I say, "we", but actually I should say "my teammates", as I didn't get my warm-ups off. I did have a good view from the bench of a pretty interesting occurrence, however. I wouldn't necessarily say there was a passing of the torch, but the stellar performance of Polish legend Adam Wojcik and the obvious talents of future star, and Polish native, Marcin Gortat highlighted the night. Obvioulsy, Adam is nearing the end of his career, but can still impress the fans with periodic reminders of his "glory days" and Gortat seems to have a bright future ahead of him. An NBA team occasionally asks for my input on European prospects and I definitely feel Gortat is an NBA player. I don't see him as the next Dirk Nowitzki, but he does a lot of things well that impress me and can help an NBA team. A big man who is athletic, runs the floor, shoots the ball decently, and has great footwork on defense (stepping out on screens) is not easy to find. In today's basketball one doesn't NEED to make the NBA to have a successful, high-level career - the Euroleague is proof of that - but I do think it is a goal for many young players. I think Gortat will be there soon. But what do I know? A few years ago I advised an NBA team that the player I felt would have a big impact on an NBA team was Arvydas Macijauskas. I also felt, after two games against Skonto (while I was playing for Polonia), that Andris Biedrins "...wasn't worth a lottery pick. I can't believe that there aren't 10-15 college players at that position with as much skill and talent." Results: Macijauskas wasn't happy with the Hornets (or vice-versa) and is now recovering from a major injury in Athens, while Biedrins - who can't drink legally in America (you must be at least 21) - is leading the NBA in FG% as well as registering a double-double average in his 30 minutes-a-game action with Golden State. OOPS!!!
Regardless of our recent performances, we have done enough throughout the season to put us in a position - a great position - to advance to the Top 16. What do we have going for us in this match-up with Climamio? The following:
- We are playing at home, with rims so stiff they could make Ben Gordan shoot like Ben Wallace. No visiting teams have shot well in the unfriendly confines of Hala Oliwia.
- We essentially start the game with a 14-point lead. Thanks to a late fourth-quarter spurt against a frustrated Climamio unit in early December, we were able to turn a very close battle into a double-digit victory in Bologna. I know the Italian squad would love to have the last two minutes of that game back. Maybe at the time they didn't think the margin would come into play, but it seemed like once the victory was ours, they let up a bit, which cost them six or eight points.
- James Thomas, who has been one of the best big men in the Euroleague - especially over the last six weeks or so - is injured and will miss the game. The tenacity that he has shown on the glass has been very impressive and will be a welcome absence on Thursday. Particularly considering our recent rebounding woes (see above).
- Norgy is back! Okay, first of all, I don't like to speak (or type, in this case) in third person, but I'm Norgy. It is one of my many nicknames. It hasn't really caught on with my teammates here in Sopot - who seem to prefer Istvan Nemeth's creation, "Jazzy" (as in DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince) - but all of my buddies back home call me Norgy, amongst other things. Secondly, I'm sure my slightly less than impressive Euroleague stats don't put fear in the hearts of Edney, Belinelli, or Bluthenthal. Nonetheless, after a three week absence from Euroleague - which included the surgical removal of my bursar sac - my elbow is fully healed. What affect my return will have on the outcome of the game is yet to be seen, but I'd like to think that it will be a positive one.
- On our deathbed we will receive total consciousness. So, we've got that goin' for us, which is nice...
Ok, maybe that last one was intended for Caddyshack's Carl Spackler, in lieu of a tip from the Dali Lama himself. But what I'm saying is that we have a great opportunity, we just need to seize that opportunity. I don't like to use too many cliches, but it really is the time of the season to leave it all on the court. In each of the groups it won't necessarily be the team with the MOST heart who rises to the challenge and advances to the Top 16, but it will take plenty of heart to get there!
POSTED BY
Jeff Nordgaard - Sopot, Poland
DATE:
Tuesday, January 30, 2007