Did someone say Celtic Pride?

This time last year I was hiking across France, Belgium and Germany following the NBA Europe circus. This year I didn’t have to travel very far as they were on my doorstep at the phenomenal O2 Arena. Having seen Prince twice in the last month in Greenwich I wondered how the atmosphere would be in the place once called the “Millennium Dome”. Let’s face it the British Basketball fans aren’t the best in the world at creating the loud presence found in all football stands throughout the country. Maybe it’s because in the last few years there is not much to cheer about in our professional game.

As I was working for FIVE I was unable to mingle amongst the fans and get a good feel for the game. However there was an electric vibe in the arena, way better than what I’d witnessed in the Cologne Arena in Germany the previous year. I suppose the sea of green supporters had a lot to do with that as the Celtic fans are sniffing championship. After an awesome pre-season shopping trip by Doc Rivers and GM Danny Ainge; the Boston boys acquired 2 All-Stars in the shape of shooting Guard Ray Allen and the extraordinarily talented 7 footer Kevin Garnett. They will team up with the Celtics own All-Star Paul Peirce and will hopefully live up to the hype.

One thing is for sure; all eyes will be on this Boston team as they look to bring the “Celtic Pride” back to the East by making it all the way to the NBA finals. However Boston fans should proceed with caution! This is a huge gamble by the club; yes it will fill the Garden every night and do the same when they are on the road, but fans, GM’s and team will have to pray to the basketball gods, imploring them to be delivered safely to the finals. As I mentioned in last weeks telecast, these boys are one injury away from collapse as this team is not very deep once you get past the big 3.

What people are failing to mention is that it is important for the rest of the team to step up – big time! Rajon Rondo is the most important player of that supporting crew, he has the job of leading the team and distributing the ball (evenly) to the scoring machines he has at his disposal. So I am figuring that he will earn himself many free meals from his superstars! After all they must keep him happy and playing confidently and in a manner way above his potential! June is a very long road!

Barca Baby!!

Sights from Las Ramblas, the spot in Barcelona

Having been on air for the last month, staying up every Tuesday night until 6am, I really needed to recharge my batteries. A trip to Barcelona was the perfect remedy - a good way to see some hoops, experience good weather and eat in really nice Tapas restaurants!

The plan was to watch DKV Joventut as Andy Betts, Andrew Sullivan and Robert Archibald are all members of the squad clocking major minutes. But in recent weeks Betts has been sidelined due to injury. Archibald is recovering from another off-season knee surgery and is being rushed back due to Betts’ untimely sick note. Meanwhile Andrew Sullivan is currently playing a very undersized power forward position; hence not clocking the kind of minutes he has been accustomed to.

On my arrival DKV Joventut were on the road in their Euroleague match-up against Lottomatica Roma on Thursday night. They lost to the Italian side 71-69. My return flight was scheduled for Sunday morning, so I was unable to catch their ACB league encounter against Etosa Alicante; which they won by a comfortable 81-63 margin.

Having not seen the guys play I had to at least call them to see how they were getting on in Spain. Apart from the obvious injuries and lack of court time, the English cats seemed very upbeat and in good spirits. Their team are currently 2-2 in Euro play and 6-4 in their domestic league, so it’s not all bad news.

I was unable to hang with the guys; however we did manage a phone call. I did have time to catch-up with Ed Scott. Ed is now working for FIBA Spain and is based in Barcelona. We chilled at Starbucks on Las Ramblas and parlayed about world basketball, the UK side to be precise! We agreed this is where we would like to see things develop.

Ed and I kicked it for a couple of hours whilst I chugged on a Mocha Frappaccino. As my trip in Spain came to an end, it was time to hit the road and head back to the howling wind and rain of South London!

Now fully recharged and ready for a full week, I have the NBA match-up of the Knicks @ Bulls on Tuesday night to look forward to. Bulls are failing to live up to the hype as they sport a rather dismal 4-9 record, whilst my New York crew are just continuing on their downward spiral from last season. They are the proud owners of a 5-10 record, which is not good news for Coach and GM Isiah Thomas! It will be interesting to see how the soap opera in the Big Apple develops…

Andre Alleyne

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