With the new Euroleague season looming large, the top teams are finalising their plans and getting ready for the new campaign. Plenty of players will be coming off the recent FIBA EuroBasket, so there should be a good level of fitness, and these games will give some of the best European basketball players the chance to take on the cream of the NBA.
On Tuesday the 6th of October, the Mediolanum Forum in Milan sees the Boston Celtics come to take on Olimpia Milano. This is a game between two teams who have a massive name and history in basketball. The Celtics have won the NBA Championship 17 times and Milan have triumphed in the Euroleague three times while they have also won the Italian League Championship 26 times. This will be a massive chance for basketball fans in Italy to see one of the most famous names in basketball but hopefully it will help inspire a greater love and passion for European basketball.
The Celtics and Real Madrid is a massive game between two big names
This is the first of two games in Europe for the Celtics because on Thursday the 8th of October they head to the Barclaycard Center in Madrid where they take on another famous name, Real Madrid. Given that Madrid are the current Euroleague champions (and have won the title 9 times) and have won the Spanish League Championship 32 times, this is a match that will draw attention from all around the world.
The NBA Global Games will also stop off in China, Mexico and London later on this season, so there will be plenty of chances for European basketball fans to see some of the big teams. The game in London, scheduled to take place in the O2 in January, will be a regular season game between the Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic.
Euroleague has a win over NBA opponents already this pre-season
However, the Euroleague has already drawn first blood against the NBA thanks to Fenerbahce’s 96-101 win against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night in the US. Jan Vesely offered 18 points while Bogdan Bogdanovic provided 17 points and Gigi Datome grabbed 16 points in the win against the Brooklyn side. All three of these players had near-misses with the NBA in their career, so you can guarantee that they were fired up to show what they can do. Brook Lopez provided 18 points for the Nets while Wayne Ellington offered up 16 points.
The Euroleague Basketball World Tour continues on Friday night when the Turkish side play against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The win against the Nets moves the Turkish side on to a 2-2 record against NBA teams and they’ll be keen to take the lead at the weekend. This is the fourth year in a row that Fenerbahce have played against NBA team although this is the first time that they have played in the US, with all of their previous games taking place in Turkey.
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