Greg Popovich Agrees That NBA Champions Are Not The "World Champions"

[Euroleague]

The best players in the world play in the NBA

FACT.

The NBA champions only play against teams from USA/Canada.

FACT.

[LEFT4DEAD]

I have to agree on this one. "World champions" is just silly. Imagine if winner of Champions League in soccer, the best league in the world, smt similiar as NBA in bball, is called the World champion. Maybe they should make small tournament for the best teams from each continent, and than it would be called like that. But now, naw, they are not "World champions".

[Timmy D for MVP]

I think it's a stupid semantic argument and anyone who really honestly gets offended or angered by it should check their priorities.

Glad we got that out of the way.

[Fiba basketball]

Nba champion and Euroleague champion should play for the world champion title .

[Walker]

This thread has absolutely nothing to do with the Euroleague.

Yes it does.
It's yet another thinly veiled attempt by you to say the NBA is not the best league in the world.

Like another posted alluded to you bring nothing to this board other than trying to troll users about a league NO ONE CARES ABOUT.

This is a NBA forum, what exactly will it take to get that through your head?
If you hate the NBA so much explain why you're here other than trying to insite arguements?

[JGXEN]

Cut the crap and lets do this guys
http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/report.php?p=6706015

[BlackWhiteGreen]

Yeah.... you can't be the world champions of something that's only played in 2 countries. Yes they probably are the best club team in the world. But they haven't won a world championship. I don't like how American teams do that. MLB can though, cos no one else gives a shit about baseball.

[Jyap9675]

I think it's a stupid semantic argument and anyone who really honestly gets offended or angered by it should check their priorities.

Glad we got that out of the way.

This

[niko]

Yeah.... you can't be the world champions of something that's only played in 2 countries. Yes they probably are the best club team in the world. But they haven't won a world championship. I don't like how American teams do that. MLB can though, cos no one else gives a shit about baseball.

Japan has a baseball league so no, that doesn't work. BTW, this is Popovich. You know he got a stupid question so he was being saracastic, right?

And Euroleague, when there was a lockout, and people might have been interested in European BBall, all you did was act like a ****ing idiot and explain to us how American players would suck. Well, we heard you, didn't care and now the NBA is back. So just go away. NO ONE CARES. Do you see me in EPL threads arguing how underrated the Russian League is?

[Blue&Orange]

There's a reason Popovich is a great coach, he is smart dude.

The "World Champions" thing makes me laugh, it' idiotic, even more when it's used in sports that only the US play. It kind of reminds me the fat kid that doesn't get picked and goes to his room and makes himself world champion of something. It seems to be a overcompensation for sucking real bad on the biggest sport on the planet, the one that really matters.

Everyone knows Barcelona FC is the best soccer team in world, people that follow many sports will even acknowledge that it's the best "sports" team in the world, but they were called world champions only after defeating the best teams from all continents... because it's what makes sense.

[GOBB]

Speaking for myself I dont care about the saying world champions. If a team uses it? So be it. Doesnt bother me.

This goes for any sport across the globe. A crickett team could call themselves world champions. I'm not going to see if it played enough teams internationally to qualify for the saying. Its really not that big of a deal at the end of the day.

Folks say its a silly saying? I guess, but I think its a silly argument. Does it bother you THAT much? Or are you just a smartass where you want someone to just acknowledge "You are right." but the one constant is neither side really cares.

[BlackWhiteGreen]

Japan has a baseball league so no, that doesn't work. BTW, this is Popovich. You know he got a stupid question so he was being saracastic, right?

And Euroleague, when there was a lockout, and people might have been interested in European BBall, all you did was act like a ****ing idiot and explain to us how American players would suck. Well, we heard you, didn't care and now the NBA is back. So just go away. NO ONE CARES. Do you see me in EPL threads arguing how underrated the Russian League is?

Well, if 3 countries play a sport professionally, it must be huge.

But he's right you aren't world champions if youve played teams from 2 countries. Premier League is the best football league in the world, are Manchester United World Champions? No, Barca (and Spain, I guess) are.

[themurph]

What is your problem?

[Rake2204]

I think it's a stupid semantic argument and anyone who really honestly gets offended or angered by it should check their priorities.

Glad we got that out of the way.

I agree. I don't know of anyone who takes the term "World Champions" literally. Even as a child, I knew if the Detroit Pistons were "World Champions" it just meant they won the NBA championship, not some world-wide tournament.

We had a thread on this no more than a week ago. And I agree "World Champions" is totally inaccurate, but I don't think it birthed from some sort of collective elitist American viewpoint. Rather, I've always sort of assumed it was developed by some NBA representative in the 1950's who wanted to create an extra draw to the game. As I said in the other thread, to someone trying to sell the league, what sounds better: "Come watch the winners of last year's league tournament!" or "Come watch the World Champions!"

But to reiterate, again, I don't think anyone puts stock into the term "World Champion". It is indeed a matter of semantics in my opinion.

Here's a link to the original topic: http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=246108

[sodap]

football (soccer):
champions league is the biggest competition in football. whoever wins it, is probably the best team in the world, but its not the "world champions", its the "european club champions". world club championship is another competition between champions from every continent.


nba is restricted to the US so they cant be the world champions