Basketball
Mitrou-Long, from Nazareth to Piraeus
Olympiacos have signed Naz Mitrou-Long and Vassilis Skoundis paints his portrait…
Didn’t Olympiakos become a branch of Zalgiris? Don’t be bored, I’m joking, even if sometimes the joke isn’t far from… hybrid reality!
In order not to be misunderstood, I would like to clarify that my comment only refers to the fact that there are currently three players in the Piraeus squad who have worn the jersey of the Lithuanian team!
That’s what we call a village!
Tomas Walkup is in his third season at Olympiakos, Ignas Brazdeikis joined the red squad two months ago and Naz Mitrou-Long has taken over to complete the trio.
Brazdeikis and Mitrou-Long didn’t catch walkup in Zalgiris, while both, who also hold Canadian citizenship, had a brief and rather… symbolic symbiosis in Kaunas.
The hustle and bustle in Nicosia and the Zalgiris locker room
Nicosia is also to blame for everything, because there, on September 23 last year, on the sidelines of the Olympiacos-Zalgiris match as part of the tournament in memory of Neophytos Handriotis, whispers began about the transfer announced the next day, and indeed they came Brazdeikis arrived in Greece almost at the same time as the mission!
Brazdeikis had not played in the two games of the tournament, while Mitrou-Long had 12 points (3/3 d., 2.7 tr.), five rebounds in the September 22 game in which Olympiacos defeated Zalgiris 75-72 and four “wrote.” Steals, one steal and three turnovers in 22 minutes and 46 seconds.
I’m laughing now as I write this, but Christos Bafes and Antonis Katsikis should be careful on Friday, so Walkup, Brazdeikis and Mitrou-Long get mixed up and turn to the visiting team’s locker room…
The reason;
The day after tomorrow Olympiacos welcomes Zalgiris, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if his three exes met!
Walkup and the two young women national nominations
Am the other one?
Two of them, in addition to playing time and roles in similar positions, may also claim a place in the national team as naturalized if the son of Trinidad’s Jersey Long and Sparta’s Georgia Mitrou receives the Greek passport.
By the way, Mitrou-Long could have played for the Canadian national team, but since this was not the case at the 2021 pre-Olympic tournament, he may be made available to Vassilis Spanoulis if deemed appropriate.
And he, as well as his brother Elaiza, who has been living in Greece for several years and, after PAOK, Apollon and Aris, is competing in Peristeri this year.
Tsalbouris and Katsikaris
Behold then (not…Jesus, but) Mitrou-Long of Nazareth!
The newcomer to the Olympic Guard is named Naz, which comes from his baptismal name (Nazaret), and beyond his family connections, he began playing Greek basketball at an early age.
Many and even doubles, since in college (Iowa State) he had a teammate with Giorgos Tsalbouris, while in the NBA (Utah Jazz) he was coached by Fotis Katsikaris as an assistant coach to Quin Snyder.
“We were close for a season, we became friends and are in frequent contact,” George Tsalbouris told me some time ago, whom I saw in Glasgow, where Bilbao are playing the Gladiators in a FIBA European Cup game tonight.
“He is a great boy, very nice, always smiling and that will help him settle in immediately,” continues the international center.
Of course, as Vassilis Goumas used to say: “If he’s a good boy, I’ll make him consul with my sister, the question is what kind of smoke rises in basketball”!
Two became one
So here is the… scouting report from Tsalbouris, which of course is not limited to the 2014-15 season, after all he makes sure to follow the progress of his former teammate…
- “In college he played shooting guard, he was our shooter and even performed very well in off-screen situations. Over time I notice that he has become more inconsistent, but offense is in his DNA,” comments Tsalbouris.
- “He can prepare his teammates with passes and at the same time he trusts his instincts a lot in attack. He wants to shoot and score, but of course that depends on the coach’s plan and the roles in the team.”
- “Defensively he’s not lazy and I see him lowering his body and applying pressure and of course I see his game has matured.”
Maturity in decisions
I’m intrigued by this latest conversation from Tsalbouris, because Giorgos Bartzokas indeed wants to see the newly acquired guard’s mature game…
Mitro-Long’s image is that of a guard who tends to play too much with his instincts and thus master the situations that arise in the game.
The so-called offensive player is able to create in pick-and-roll phases and see good passes.
So it remains to be seen how quickly and effectively he will adapt and respond to Olympiakos’ style, especially in terms of handling situations and, above all, in terms of making mature and quality decisions.
Mitrou-Long is considered more of a playmaker than a playmaker, and there is a delicate point here: how he behaves and what reactions he will have in pressure situations so that he does not become disorganized.
Weather and driver, as we say in such cases …
Déjà vu with the Hines brothers
Oh, lest I forget: with the takeover of Mitro-Long, Olympiacos and Peristeri will experience the déjà vu of the 2012-13 season…
What I mean;
At that time, the European champions had Kyle Hynes in their ranks, while his four-year-younger brother Tyler, who had the same boy (1.98 m) and the same Hui, competed for the “Princes of the West Bank”. ..
He also insisted on playing in the middle, at worst with four!
Naz of Piraeus and Elaiza of Peristeri have a difference in age of three years and six points in height…
Luckily for Bartzokas and Spanoulis, neither of them want to play center!
Source: sport 24
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.
Greek “Panathinaikos” The team faced serious personnel problems due to the flu epidemic.
Eight players and three members of the coaching staff were immediately diagnosed with influenza A with severe symptoms.
Panathinaikos has shown good form in recent matches, but flu A has spread to Greece and has affected the team, which will most likely lead to the postponement of the Greek championship match against Maroussi, scheduled for December 27.
The problem is not only related to the championship match, but also to the derby against Olympiacos in the Euroleague, which is scheduled for January 2, as the epidemic prevents the team’s normal preparations.
Since many players have severe symptoms, no one can say for sure how the disease will progress and when everyone will be healthy.
The names of the sick people have not been disclosed at this time.
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
Nine regular season games took place in the NBA on the night of December 26-27.
Utah hosted the Eastern Conference leader and won a sensational victory.
The first half of the match was spent with a small lead for the Pistons, who kept their opponent one or two shots away most of the time and entered the long break with a 1-point lead at 68:67. The decisive factor in the match was the third quarter; In this quarter, Jazz made a 16:3 move and took the lead by 12 points, 90:78. The home team had the advantage in the score, but Detroit gradually reduced the gap and 19 seconds before the siren, after two free throws by Cunningham, they equalized the score – 129:129. However, the match did not go to overtime – Utah took advantage of the remaining time with the efforts of George, who scored a two-pointer 3 seconds before the siren – 131:129.
Svyatoslav Mikhayyuk He stayed on the field for 21 minutes and recorded 9 points (3/4 two-pointers, 1/2 three-pointers), as well as 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.
The most productive player was George, who scored 31 points for Utah, while Nurkic had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
NBA. Regular season, December 27
Utah-Detroit-131:129 (33:36, 34:32, 44:35, 20:26)
Utah: George (31 + 7 rebounds + 8 assists), Markkanen (30), Nurkic (16 + 11 rebounds), Mikhailyuk (9), Bailey (0) – start; Sensabaugh (20), Love (14), Collier (9 + 9 assists + 5 turnovers), Filipovski (2), Hendricks (0), Clayton (0).
Detroit: Cunningham (29 + 17 assists), Harris (16 + 7 rebounds), D. Robinson (14), Düren (11), Thompson (8) – start; Ivey (11), LeVert (11), Holland (11), Green (8), Jenkins (6), Stewart (4), Reed (0).
Atlanta-Miami-111:126 (32:32, 19:31, 33:27, 27:36)
of Atlanta: Young (30 + 6 assists), Johnson (24 + 9 rebounds + 10 assists), Okongwu (12 + 7 rebounds), Daniels (8), Risache (5) – start; Alexander-Walker (15), Krejci (11), Gueye (4), Newell (2), Wallace (0).
Miami: Powell (25 + 7 rebounds), Larsson (21), Wiggins (18 + 8 rebounds), Ware (16 + 13 rebounds), Mitchell (6 + 7 assists) – start; Jaques (16), Jovic (10 + 7 rebounds), Yakucionis (8), Smith (6).
Washington – Toronto – 138:117 (35:32, 38:30, 29:38, 36:17)
washington: George (23), McCollum (21), Coulibaly (21 + 8 rebounds), Sarr (15), Middleton (6) – start; Carrington (15), Johnson (12), Shempeny (8+7 rebounds), Riley (8), Bagley (6), Brenham (3), Watkins (0), Vukcevic (0), Johnson (0).
toronto: Ingram (29), Quickley (25), Barnes (14 + 7 assists), Mamukelashvili (13 + 11 rebounds), Agbadji (8) – start; Walter (15), Shed (6), Dick (5), Lawson (2), Temple (0), Bettle (0), Mobo (0).
Indiana-Boston-122:140 (39:28, 22:47, 30:36, 31:29)
indiana: Nembhard (18 + 8 assists + 5 losses), Maturin (13), Siakam (11), Huff (9), Jackson (6) – starts; McConnell (13), Walker (12), Thompson (11 + 6 assists), Furphy (9), Potter (9), Jones (4), Bradley (4), Peter (3).
Boston: Brown (30), Pritchard (29 + 9 rebounds), White (21 + 6 assists), Keta (8 + 7 rebounds), Walsh (3) – start; Houser (23), Garza (15), Simons (8), Scheierman (3), Gonzalez (0).
Orlando-Charlotte-105:120 (28:38, 20:19, 29:39, 28:24)
orlando: Black (24), Carter (16 + 8 rebounds), Bane (15 + 10 rebounds), Banchero (13), Jones (8) – start; Richardson (14) and Silva (8), Kane (5), Isaac (2), Howard (0), Penda (0), O. Robinson (0).
Charlotte: Ball (22 + 7 rebounds + 6 for loss), Knippel (16), Bridges (16 + 11 rebounds), Miller (15), Diabate (10 + 13 rebounds) – start; Hall (14 + 8 rebounds), Sexton (13), Hall (7), Green (6), Connaughton (1), James (0), Mann (0).
Chicago – Philadelphia – 109:102 (30:28, 19:24, 32:33, 28:17)
Chicago: White (13 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Giddy (12 + 11 assists + 5 turnovers), Buzelis (10 + 8 rebounds), Okoro (8), Vucevic (7 + 7 rebounds) – start; Collins (15), Jones (15), Smith (12 + 8 rebounds), Herter (9), Dosunmu (8).
Philadelphia: Embiid (31), Maxey (27 + 8 assists), George (15 + 12 rebounds), Edgecombe (10 + 7 rebounds), Barlow (7) – start; McCain (6), Drummond (2), Grimes (2), Bona (1), Walker (1), Edwards (0).
Memphis – Milwaukee – 125:104 (25:35, 35:15, 32:33, 33:21)
Memphis: Jaren Jackson (24 + 9 rebounds + 5 blocks), Morant (17 + 10 assists), Coward (15), Wells (14), Aldama (12 + 7 rebounds) – starter; Spencer (19), Caldwell-Pope (13), Jackson (7), Koloko (4), Small (0).
Milwaukee: Green (20), Porter (16 + 8 rebounds + 7 turnovers), Portis (15 + 12 rebounds), Kuzma (15 + 8 rebounds), Turner (8) – starts; Rollins (15), G. Harris (8), Jackson (3), Coffey (2), Sims (2), Anthony (0), Nance (0), T. Antetokounmpo (0).
New Orleans – Phoenix – 108:115 (23:26, 25:27, 32:28, 28:34)
new orleans: Murphy (19), Fiers (9), Bay (9), Quinn (7 + 7 rebounds), McGowens (4) – start; Williamson (20 + 8 rebounds + 6 assists), Poole (19 + 6 assists), Alvarado (11), Missy (7), Matkovic (3), Peavy (0).
Phoenix: Booker (30 + 9 rebounds), Williams (24 + 13 rebounds), Gillespie (16 + 9 assists), Brooks (14), O’Neal (3) – start; Dunn (9 + 8 rebounds), Ighodaro (6), Fleming (6), Goodwin (4), Buey (3).
Portland – Clippers – 103:119 (35:25, 27:31, 16:29, 25:34)
Portland: Avdija (29 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists + 6 turnovers), Kamara (20), Sharpe (16), Clingan (10 + 8 rebounds), Murray (4 + 7 rebounds) – start; Love (14), Ruper (5), R. Williams (4 + 12 rebounds), Sissoko (1), Rith (0).
cutting machines: Harden (34 + 6 assists), B. Lopez (31), Lenard (28 + 8 rebounds + 6 assists), Collins (8), Dunn (7) – start; Sanders (5), Miller (3), Batum (3), Bogdanovich (0), Christie (0), Niederhäuser (0).
tournament tables
Western Conference
Eastern Conference
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
Boston defeated Indiana in an away match of the NBA regular season.
The meeting in Indianapolis ended with a score of 140:122 (28:39, 47:22, 36:30, 29:31) in favor of the guests. The most productive player of the match was Boston basketball player Jaylen Brown, who scored 30 points. Indiana had 19 points from Andrew Nembhard.
Boston (19 wins, 11 losses) is in third position in the Eastern Conference standings. Indiana (6 wins, 25 losses) is 15th.
Results of other matches of the game day:
“Washington” — “Toronto” — 138:117,
“Atlanta” – “Miami” – 111:126,
“Orlando” – “Charlotte” – 105:120,
“Chicago” – “Philadelphia” – 109:102,
“Memphis” — “Milwaukee” — 125:104,
“New Orleans” — “Phoenix” — 108:115,
“Utah” — “Detroit” — 131:129,
Portland – Clippers – 103:119.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has been writing for a news website since 2015. My work primarily focuses on sports news, but I have also written about other topics such as technology and the arts. I have an extensive background in journalism, having worked as a reporter for a local newspaper before moving to a news website.
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