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

[Euroleague]

In response to the game played vs the bulls and olympiakos, how much different was their roster? Even still now that I think about it, chicagos roster was different too. Pippen wasn't there, and brian williams signed with detroit. Those were two guys that played big roles in the 96-97 bulls title run.

And what do you mean when you say the lakers played in the opposing team on their homecourt, but without their fans? Did they not allow the home teams fans to watch the game?

Olympiacos, after they won the 1997 Euroleague title, cut their budget by a lot and several of their best players left the team.

Here is the game report in French:

http://www2.raisport.rai.it/news/spo...3448e6dd02887/

Yes, Pippen and Williams were not there, but Olympiacos' team was missing these players from the previous season's championship team:

Sigalas, Papanikolaou, Galakteros, Anderson, Gray, Fasoulas, Welp, Rivers... from the previous season's championship team. For example, Sigalas was the Greek League MVP, he was gone. Rivers was the Euroleague Final Four MVP, he was gone. Willie Anderson, who came from the NBA, was gone, etc.

So yeah, obviously not the same team. The best players of the previous season's championship were not even there.

I mean that Barcelona played at an arena in their city, that they have used in the past, but not in their home seat. This is European basketball, not the NBA. You don't have a home crowd by just being in your home city. You have to be in the arena where your fan base is concentrated. It was basically a neutral home court for them.

You are talking about casual observers going to see the Lakers play, versus what would be die hard Barca club supporters. It's a totally different comparison.

[Meticode]

I agree with Popovich. If you win a NBA title you're not a world champion. A NBA title means so much more than a World Title anyway because the talent in the NBA is far and above better than everywhere else.

NBA Champs > World Champs

[DMV2]

I agree with Popovich. If you win a NBA title you're not a world champion. A NBA title means so much more than a World Title anyway because the talent in the NBA is far and above better than everywhere else.

NBA Champs > World Champs

Yeah, but wouldn't that give the NBA championship a world championship status considering the fact that it is the most prestige of all basketball championships? Every player in the world wants to be an NBA champion.

Dirk said it was his dream to win an NBA title ever since he was a kid.

People keep using regional competition as the reason not to call an NBA title a world championship but do you honestly think it's possible to have the NBA have teams in Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and have an 82-game season? It's impossible. They would have to set everything up like the World Cup and play every 4 years. And we'd only gonna get 3 weeks to one month of world competition anyway, the rest of the season would be regional competition.

NBA championship being the top prize championship is enough to be a world championship status, in my opinion.

[97 bulls]

Olympiacos, after they won the 1997 Euroleague title, cut their budget by a lot and several of their best players left the team.

I mean that Barcelona played at an arena in their city, that they have used in the past, but not in their home seat. This is European basketball, not the NBA. You don't have a home crowd by just being in your home city. You have to be in the arena where your fan base is concentrated. It was basically a neutral home court for them.

It's not even possibly to compare it to a game played at their own home court. You are talking about casual observers going to see the Lakers play, versus what would be die hard club supporters. It's a totally different comparison.


Here is the game report in French:

http://www2.raisport.rai.it/news/spo...3448e6dd02887/

Yes, Pippen and Williams were not there, but Olympiacos' team was missing these players from the previous season's championship team:

Bakatsias, Sigalas, Papanikolaou, Galakteros, Anderson, Gray, Fasoulas, Welp, Rivers, Zourpenko... from the previous season's championship team. For example, Sigalas was the Greek League MVP, he was gone. Rivers was the Euroleague Final Four MVP, he was gone. Willie Anderson, who came from the NBA, was gone, etc.

So yeah, obviously not the same team.

Actually, Pippen, Williams, and Rodman weren't there. And the bulls still won by a blowout. That win was legit.

[Euroleague]

Yeah, but wouldn't that give the NBA championship a world championship status considering the fact that it is the most prestige of all basketball championships? Every player in the world wants to be an NBA champion.

Dirk said it was his dream to win an NBA title ever since he was a kid.

People keep using regional competition as the reason not to call an NBA title a world championship but do you honestly think it's possible to have the NBA have teams in Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and have an 82-game season? It's impossible. They would have to set everything up like the World Cup and play every 4 years. And we'd only gonna get 3 weeks to one month of world competition anyway, the rest of the season would be regional competition.

NBA championship being the top prize championship is enough to be a world championship status, in my opinion.

FIBA wanted to setup a world club championship every year, just like how UEFA has one for football (soccer). The NBA was the only league that refused to agree to it, so it never happened.

[Euroleague]

Actually, Pippen, Williams, and Rodman weren't there. And the bulls still won by a blowout. That win was legit.

OK, so like the 5 best players from the championship team of Olympiacos the previous season were also not there. The Bulls won the NBA title that same season of 97-98. Olympiacos did not win the Euroleague title that season.

I'm not sure what your point is. Of course the win was "legit". But it sure the hell was not against the team that won the Euroleague title. It seems you are having some problems grasping that.

Olympiacos, with that new roster, did not even come remotely close to winning the Euroleague title that year. Yes, it was a legit win...over just a decent Euroleague team.

That's the point. It looks like the NBA champ played the Euroleague champ, but they did not. Besides, I counted that as a win in the NBA's astonishing 2-2 record there anyway. In reality, it should not even be counted, and neither should the Spurs-Panathinaikos game, because it was all under NBA rules and refs.

Strangely enough, the only 2 times that NBA championship teams played with their core players against the Euroleague....they lost. Bullets to Maccabi and Lakers to Barca.

I was being generous and overly giving in gifting the NBA those other 2 wins. Because they are actually 0-2 when they played with the cores of title teams against good Euroleague teams. Maccabi did not win any titles those 2 years, but they did win something like 2 out of 5 within that general era, so I counted it.

[Rooster]

FIBA wanted to setup a world club championship ever year, just like how UEFA has won for soccer. The NBA was the only league that refused to agree to it, so it never happened.

the reason is sportsmanship. Why do NBA keep rubbing it in against hopeless scrubs from Europe.

[Xover]

Dont let this euroleague guy get under your skin, your playing right into his troll hands. It's obvious every thread he makes has an agenda and he's not exactly stupid, he's aware of what he is doing and how people will interpret it ; it's his mission. So when you reply to his trolling, accusing him off being exactly what he is, it fuels his fire. He smiles for the fish he just reeled in.

Doesn't take a genius to see how biased he is, frankly he aint shy about it either because what he's doing is trying to #$@% with your head

[Euroleague]

the reason is sportsmanship. Why do NBA keep rubbing it in against hopeless scrubs from Europe.

FIBA offered the NBA $10 million, as a prize to winning the tournament. $5 million for the NBA if they won, and $5 million to the winning NBA team. They still refused.

It's pretty obvious why the NBA refused.

http://www.nba.com/games/20101007/LA...#nbaGIboxscore

[Rooster]

OK, so like the 5 best players from the championship team of Olympiacos the previous season were also not there. The Bulls won the NBA title that same season of 97-98. Olympiacos did not win the Euroleague title that season.

I'm not sure what your point is. Of course the win was "legit". But it sure the hell was not against the team that won the Euroleague title. It seems you are having some problems grasping that.

Olympiacos, with that new roster, did not even come remotely close to winning the Euroleague title that year. Yes, it was a legit win...over just a decent Euroleague team.

That's the point. It looks like the NBA champ played the Euroleague champ, but they did not. Besides, I counted that as a win in the NBA's astonishing 2-2
record there anyway. In reality, it should not even be counted, and neither should the Spurs-Panathinaikos game, because it was all under NBA rules and refs.

Strangely enough, the only 2 times that NBA championship teams played with
their core players against the Euroleague....they lost. Bullets to Maccabi and Lakers to Barca.

I was being generous and overly giving in gifting the NBA those other 2 wins. Because they are actually 0-2 when they played with the cores of title teams
against good Euroleague teams. Maccabi did not win any titles those 2 years, but they did win something like 2 out of 5 within that general era, so I counted it.

You actually think Maccabi was so good on that era. This like 8 years before the corpse of McAdoo dominated the Euroleague.

[97 bulls]

OK, so like the 5 best players from the championship team of Olympiacos the previous season were also not there. The Bulls was on the NBA title that same season of 97-98. Olympiacos did not win the Euroleague title that season.

I'm not sure what your point is. Of course the win was "legit". But it sure the hell was not against the team that won the Euroleague title. It seems you are having some problems grasping that.

Olympiacos, with that new roster, did not even come remotely close to winning the Euroleague title that year. Yes, it was a legit win...over just a decent Euroleague team.

That's the point. It looks like the NBA champ played the Euroleague champ, but they did not. Besides, I counted that as a win in the NBA's astonishing 2-2 record there anyway. In reality, it should not even be counted, and neither should the Spurs-Panathinaikos game because it was all under NBA rules and refs.

Strangely enough, the only 2 times that NBA champ teams played with their core players against the Euroleague....they lost. Bullets to Maccabi and Lakers to Barca.

I was being generous and overly giving in gifting the NBA those other 2 wins. Because they are actually 0-2 when they played with cores of title teams against good Euroleague teams. Maccabi did not win any titles those 2 years, but they did win something like 2 out of 5 within that general era, so I counted it.

My point is in response to your implicaation that had that olympiakos team had their team totally intact, it mightve changed the outcome. I beg to differ. I'm not gonna sit here and say that I'm efficient on knowledge of the players you mentioned, but id be willing to bet they don't amount to pippen, rodman, and williams. And as I said before, chicago still blew that team out. Its not like that game was close.

[Rooster]

FIBA offered the NBA $10 million, as a prize to winning the tournament. $5 million for the NBA if they won, and $5 million to the winning NBA team. They still refused.

It's pretty obvious why the NBA refused.

http://www.nba.com/games/20101007/LA...#nbaGIboxscore

What the hell is 5million meant to NBA. Lakers are throwing Luke 5.8 mil and he ain't worth a crap.

[Meticode]

Yeah, but wouldn't that give the NBA championship a world championship status considering the fact that it is the most prestige of all basketball championships? Every player in the world wants to be an NBA champion

No. A World Championship is totally different than a NBA Championship. A NBA Championship is far more greater. I think when people see "World Champion" they automatically want to put that in the notion that it's better to bigger, and it isn't.

[ThatsGame]

Anyone not trolling knows the NBA is the best league in the world AND Popovich is right in saying they aren't technically world champions. They still could beat anyone in the world however.

[Rooster]

No. A World Championship is totally different than a NBA Championship. A NBA Championship is far more greater. I think when people see "World Champion" they automatically want to put that in the notion that it's better to bigger, and it isn't.

Yes even the college version of Kenny Smith was a world champion and nobody gives a crap.