Inside 2015 Eurobasket

I know that I said “the prices are too high” but as Fiba MANIAC I couldn’t avoid it and I was there finally. It was the first Eurobasket with more than one country in the organization and I wanted to live the experience.

I must recognize the main reason to buy a ticket for the gold medal game was the announce of Michael Jordan was going to visit Lille for receive the FIBA Hall of Fame membership. Finally Michael didn’t go but luckily and after hard matches Spain got the pass to the match. Anyway the balance of the trip is fantastic. I can’t deny that all is funnier in good company but without doubt it’s a kind of trip that I recommend everybody for find himself.

If you meet me then you know I always try to do a great work. And the only way to do a great work is taking time. So I was doing the best selection of pictures and writing the story by weeks. I implore you to put attention to captions in order to follow the story and enjoy completely this post. Anyway I apologize in advance if some pictures seems you boring but remember: If you don’t like it, somebody will like it.

: I made my first stop in Madrid during the stopover. The main sponsor, me and few people more “believed in the national team” in that moment 🙂

: Casually Kevin Durant visited Madrid the same day but I realized late as almost always!

: Now yes. Bringing the flight to Berlin

: As anecdote I ran into Nicolo Melli in Brandenburg Gate

: Not so famous but much more recommended: Checkpoint Charlie

: It has been 70 years but the Second World War continues very present in Berlin

: My first friend in Berlin. I shared a bit of Pizza with him hehe

: Remains of the Berlin Wall 2 minutes from the arena

: 1 minute from the arena 🙂

: The Mercedes-Benz Arena

: Another look

: The “Fan Zone”

: The main court

: The remainder Fan Zone. Disappointing

: A blue tide: The icelanders. The picture reflects bad the quantity. Like Finland in the 2014 World Championship they were the best fans. Always encouraging. The result doesn’t matter.

: Promo stall inside the grandstands

: Killing group!!!

: The flags of the competitors hang in the arena.

: My original seat in the high zone of the arena. Maybe it doesn’t seem it but the vision was perfect. Much better than TV. The only bad thing of these zones is you’re out of the atmosphere in games with low assistance … But no problem because in the matches with a low assistance the organization invited us to access to better seats … positive point for the organization 🙂

: Another look

: As I said before we were invited to down to better seats. This was the first placement.

: In the process I meet to Javier who he wore a Pau Gasol jersey like me. So I had to comment him the anecdote. Casually we were seated near in the new placement so we started to talk and also with his friends Diego and Hugo. We enjoyed the rest of the group together. This is a picture before the Spain VS Iceland game. Really nice to meet you guys!

: We changed the seats just before the halftime

: Children skills contest in the halftime

: Plan A rejected hehe

: Card-sharps 1 minute from the arena haha. Checked! Only visually hehe

: Official buses of Spain & Italy

: One proof the pictures are mine. Luigi Datome at the bottom

: Melli again xD

: Pau Gasol. I’m not the person of the photo. I took the picture before the signing moment because I was alone.

: In the queue with a well-known blogger here in Spain: Jordi Sampietro

: We had to wait a long time for enter in the arena and inside the arena also for access to the seats. So I lost the most of warm-up … negative point for the organization this time. Shawn Kemp at my left. Great jersey man!

: The tournament MVP in the electronic scoreboard during the presentation

: Original seats. Perfect vision

: In the halftime we changed to this placement. Italy won 105-98 and Spain was in trouble but it didn’t matter because we could watch the Belinelli exhibition from closer: 7/7 three pointers in the second half! Huge! You can see it in the youtube list at the end of the post. This is the interview after the game

: The Mercedes-Benz Arena at night

: Remembering a bit of italian listening the coach of Italy

: Me and Igor in the 2015 Eurobasket

: Our seats in the Turkey VS Serbia game

: One problem here. Due the “Alba Berlin tradition” everybody gets up here in the last quarter haha

: No seats available in a Germany game!

: Well … at least one yes 🙂

: Dribbling contest inside the grandstands

: Number of hits in 30 seconds by Germany NT members. I was near of the Schröder record but I had a mistake

: First row seats in the Spain VS Iceland game

: During the Iceland national anthem

: Another look

: Last warm-up before the game

: Initial jump

: Another look. Nice!

: We greeting for the electronic scoreboard lol

: VIP zone inside the main grandstand.

: Nice view entering to the main grandstand.

: Nice view of electronic scoreboard

: I could to say Nikola signed me a jersey in this moment … really he signed me the jersey the day before but I had to talk with Pau so I hadn’t time to take a picture with Nikola for caught Pau.

: The spanish reporter. Very friendly giving information 😉

: This is Ragnar. The reserve center of Iceland. The crowd laughed of his basketball skills … so this was his moment of glory. I asked him his jersey … He said me “we talk in the last game” … And it was true, but he already hadn’t the jersey in that moment.

: A new day. A new opportunity … Bogdan Bogdanovic. I already have got a jersey signed by him in the 2015 Euroleague Final Four.

: Sasha Djordjevic. Same case of Bogdan.

: Selfie with Milos Teodosic after the jersey’s signature

: Nemanja Nedovic. No jersey 🙁

: Selfie with Danilo Gallinari after the jersey’s signature

: Selfie with Marco Belinelli after the jersey’s signature

: Ale Gentile. My bag was 110% full before the flight so I had to leave his jersey in home 🙁

: Andrea Bargnani with hurry. I got the signature by miracle in the bus stairs

: A new view of the arena

: National anthems before the Italy VS Serbia

: Luckily I got a seat in the main grandstand again

: Halftime

: A kid with Danilovic’s jersey. Too young to be completely conscious of that hehe

: Italy halftime warm-up

: Ademola Okulaja. Also I left his jersey in home 🙁

: Original seat in the anticipated final Germany VS Spain

: Incredible atmosphere even in the high zone of the arena.

: Great seat for the second half and with live stats included hehe. Near of Dirk and the spanish speakers to my left. Also I tried to get information of the turkish reporter but the english is not my field by the moment hehe. Another anecdote: Do you see the “yellow man” on the corner of the court? Two seats to the right is Kevin Durant

: Another proof that Kevin Durant was there. In 2014 I was ready but KD renounced to play the World Cup a few days before the competition. Now I wasn’t ready. My jerseys were at home and the game was very hard so I enjoyed the game

: Last time seeing Pau and Dirk together in the court in an international tournament

: Spain pass to the next round after the thriller!!! The group covered all my expectations!!! 1 point between the elimination and the gold medal!!!

: Nowitzki was interviewed after the game. This scene would mean his retirement of the national team. Sometimes you stay captured by the moment and I forgot take a picture. This was the moment. Also you will find a video in the youtube list. Thank you for all Dirk!

: However I got my main goal and Dirk signed me the jersey just after his national team retirement!!! It was hard but I didn’t travel 2.500 km for fail.

: I tried to get a proof and this was the result. It isn’t the classic picture but Dirk and me with the hood … I love it!!! Without doubt the picture of the trip!

: And this is the second proof. Robin Hood Nowitzki!

: The icelanders showing gratitude for the support to the fans. Take part in the Eurobasket it was a big achievement. I talked with Ragnar but he gifted his jersey to a child.

: I tried to get other jersey in the last game of the group but without luck hehe

: The Berlin Walk of Fame. Hans Zimmer between others!

: With a foot in the “West Germany” and the other in the “East Germany”. Impossible even after my birth. It’s hard to believe it.

: I’m not sure if you’re going to find it interesting … this is the Tempelhof airport. Currently it’s a park opened to the public.

: After the first round I decided to make a short Eurotrip. The first stop was London.

: A basketball court in Footlocker. Here 5 players have a personal section: Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Lebron James and … Pau Gasol.

: A bargain in the Lebron section lol

: Jordan’s Hall of Fame in the nike store

: Let’s go Knicks!

: Next stop Rome for eat, eat and eat! Also you can feel yourself Julio Cesar in this place of the Roman Forum.

: My other secret place in Rome with the Vatican in the distance.

: Anecdote: I assisted to a proposal marriage in live in Trevi Fountain.

: Nothing of basketball in Rome. But not all is going to be basketball in life! If you visit Rome you must eat a “gelato” like this!

: My last stop before the gold medal game: Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the distance … Only 2 months before the terrorist attacks … makes you wonder