A day at the Valhalla 
WANT 100 (VIII)
Many times I have wondered what was the best match I've seen live. I've seen many, of course, but I've always had a clear answer. The two best games I've seen live were: one with 10,000 spectators in the stands in Athens (the final of Eurobasket 1987); another, without more public than writing New Basket. I'll explain it.
years ago, the FIBA \u200b\u200bconvened from time to time a European team. Bringing together a group of best players, usually to participate in games tribute to a player who was retiring. One of those calls came in 1982, finished the season just after the conclusion of Mundobasket in Colombia.
As coach, FIBA \u200b\u200bnamed Antonio Diaz Miguel , and assistant to the then Soviet Gomelski Alexander, the Z Silver orro called him by the color of his already thinning hair. Antonio, as at that time was with the English team before each tournament, the team focused 20 kilometers from Barcelona, \u200b\u200bCastelldefels, in Playafels hotel, which had a hint of regulatory measures on the beach. We spent countless hours over many years with our selection, witnessing all of your workouts, codeándonos with the players, sharing splashing and playing, at the end of the training of Antonio, who held perfect host always-sided game unforgettable.
And one day we went there again this time, to live life one day nothing less than the best players in Europe, without the tension before a major championship but in an environment almost on vacation. Had to fill a few pages of the magazine next week ...
Morning softly Antonio led training, unpretentious, just to keep in shape. Then we all have a good time at the beach, laughing Gomelski, who is behind the eyes were on topless girls. And once showered at the table.
Antonio, where we were all in the Playafels, order a paella. That day they joined us and Aito Manel Comas, who had also appeared there. The desktop, also as usual, was eternal, but we flew, debating, discussing, critiquing, brainstorming, dreaming projects ... It was the time when the English basketball began to rethink their structures, their future, a time when everyone (well, all but Diaz Miguel) longed for a league and then were already in Italy: two Americans per team playoff ...
And it was time for afternoon workout, once the players had completed their little bit of siesta. It was then that we are in paradise. Antonio
merely to organize two teams with ten players I had available. On the one hand played Corbalán , Epi , Dalipagić , De la Cruz and Jerkov on the other, Marzorati, Berkovitz, Mishkyn , Kropilak and Tkachenko. Could have been any more, but they were the creme de la creme European basketball at the time. Gomelski air threw the ball to y. .. Was wonderful! The partidillo have lasted half an hour, but it was something indescribable, all imagination, creativity, risk, gold passes, dunks artistic shots without fear of failure, low bias to destroy, unleash the talent. And we, sitting on the bench, his mouth open. It was a half hour of the museum, movie, whatever you want, and more.
When he finished we almost had to wake up. We had seen a show that hardly going to be able to attend anymore in our lives, the best example of creativity, class, technology, resources and artistic beauty of this blessed game called basketball. THOSE TEN
SUPERCRACKS, Yugoslavian Jerkov (who later played for Scavolini) was the most serious, the least talkative. His compatriot Dalipagić Drazen, a of the best shooters in the continental basketball history, had just signed for Real Madrid, but only to play the European Cup. In those years in the league could field a single foreigner per team, and the template Madrid occupied that place the base-escort Bosnian Mirza Delibasic , probably the best player I've seen live: excellent passer, deadly shooter exquisite individual technique. In those days in Castelldefels, Dalipagić was interested in following the World Cup, which was playing just in Spain. In the afternoon we were watching on television a while a Peru, Cameroon, until Dalipagić got fed up. "I would do better," said , and left. Logic: the great Drazen was among those who acknowledged that although he knew he had to defend, what he liked was to attack. And throw. And put them, of course, because getting into. In some games seemed infallible.
Corbalán , Epi and De la Cruz hosts exercised, reveals that the rest of our country have chosen a good deal and be happy. And we got. Marzorati
technique was personified, the Russian was Mishkyn had more natural talent: it was an overhang of 2.07 (a rarity in time) of feline movements, an extraordinary ball control. He could have noted in the NBA, but had a flaw: it was a bit vague. "I do not like the tactics or systems, the training is boring, I just enjoy playing" , I said when, before we left, I did an interview. It was a great player. He loved Elton John and, like most international players of the Soviet era, playing for TsSKA (and was written then the Army team) and was theoretically military profession "I am captain, but years ago that a floor headquarters, he said.
Another Israeli was genius Micky Berkovitz , a lot of overhang class, also excellent shooter, but above all a master of counter complete with trays of gold. Another player who loved to watch me play. As I recall, was one of the first Europeans who targeted a training camp in the NBA. It was in 1979, invited by the then coach Hubie Brown Atlanta Hawks. Berkovitz did sign a contract with the Hawks (also tried to sign him the New Jersey Nets), but Maccabi, with which it was committed, threatened him with a complaint in court if he stayed in the United States. That same summer that saw him in Castelldefels received an offer to enroll in the ranks of the prestigious UCLA, but then it was he who preferred to remain at Maccabi.
Kropilak The Czech was also very good, a center of 2.12 capable of bouncing across the runway as a basis. And I was
Vladimir Tkachenko, the great giant of the era. A retiring type, bit chatty (because they only spoke Russian) but very friendly and willing to please everyone, and no face ever breaking a plate. Special Mention
Gomelski, the eternal coach of the Soviet Union, which was one of the characters of those years in love with our country. He liked to live well and when I was living here very well. It was, along with Miguel Diaz, one of the big players in European basketball. He also did an interview, in which we released this statement: "The basketball is basketball, the biggest thing there is."
Joan Cerdà, that is-or at least it was for so many years, a compulsive reader of literature, mythology, named after writing the report that among all A day at the Valhalla . As he explained, is Valhalla in Norse mythology, the palace in which the god Odin met their heroes to celebrate major feasts (or something like that I am more than mythology fish ..) Our feast that day in Castelldefels, paella apart, was the best and most carefree basketball possible, an exceptional break from many parties Veradero and fierce competition. Anyway, one day all unforgettable.
Incidentally, this European team played two games of the 50 th anniversary of the founding of the FIBA, against a selection of the best college players of the moment the United States, including a certain Magic Johnson. Europe won the two parties: first, in Geneva, at 111-92, the second in Budapest, at 103-88.
The photograph THAT DAY, drew PINOTTI. I'M WITH THERE AND MIGUEL ANGEL TCKACHENKO Forni. THE PICTURE WAS MORE landscape, THE OTHER SIDE OF JOAN CERDA TCKACHENKO WAS, BUT THE verticalize-can not remember why-we ate HIM ...
