arthurracoon
The Cardinal Smiles
Suns to Participate in NBA Europe Live Next Fall
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/release_051213.html
The Phoenix Suns today were one of only four NBA teams named to participate in NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™. The Suns, along with the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and the 2005 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs, will conduct training camps in October 2006 and compete against top European basketball clubs in seven European cities in five countries, the NBA and Euroleague Basketball announced.
Each of the four NBA teams (San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers) will be based in a different European city during the first week of October. The Suns will conduct training camp in Treviso, Italy at La Ghirada, a state-of the-art training center one hour north of Venice, and will play a game against Virtus Lottomatica Roma in Rome at PalaLottomatica on Oct. 6.
It will be a return to Italy for Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, who holds Italian citizenship and speaks the language fluently. An Italian League legend after playing 13 seasons (1977-90) for Philips Milan, D’Antoni coached Benetton Treviso from 1994-97 when his team captured the Cup of Europe and Cup of Italy in 1995 and won the league title in 1996-97 after a 22-4 regular season. Prior to that D’Antoni guided Philips Milan for four seasons from 1990-94 and led the club to the 1993 Korac Cup. During his Italian tenure D’Antoni led his teams to the playoffs each season and was twice voted the league’s Coach of the Year. In 2001-02 he returned to the Italian League and once again coached Benetton Treviso, leading the club to the Italian League championship after a 28-8 season.
“We are really excited as an organization to go to Italy to train and play a game,” said D’Antoni, the 2004-05 NBA Coach of the Year. “For me personally, you can imagine how excited I am. I think it will be great for our players and it will be a nice bonding and cultural experience.”
The Suns will also participate in a tournament at the Kölnarena in Cologne, Germany. The tournament will feature games between the 76ers and the Suns and the 2005-06 Euroleague Basketball champion vs. the Euroleague Basketball runner-up on Oct. 10. The finale will feature matchups on Oct. 11 between the winners and the runners-up of each game.
“I’m just very excited. I love Italy and I love Europe in general,” said Suns guard Steve Nash, the 2004-05 NBA MVP. “It will be a nice change of scenery for us and it will make training camp more exciting for us. Italy has a terrific culture. I’m sure our team will enjoy it.”
This will be the Suns’ first training camp held outside the state of Arizona, but not the first time the team has played a game overseas. The Suns have played exhibition contests in Israel, Italy and Germany, and the team opened the 1990-91 regular season in Tokyo, Japan with two games against Utah. That marked the first time that professional sports teams from the United States played regular season games outside of North America.
The 76ers will hold training camp in Barcelona, Spain. the Spurs will travel to Lyon, France for training camp. The Clippers will travel to Moscow for training camp at the Universal Sport Hall CSKA.
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/release_051213.html
The Phoenix Suns today were one of only four NBA teams named to participate in NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™. The Suns, along with the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and the 2005 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs, will conduct training camps in October 2006 and compete against top European basketball clubs in seven European cities in five countries, the NBA and Euroleague Basketball announced.
Each of the four NBA teams (San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers) will be based in a different European city during the first week of October. The Suns will conduct training camp in Treviso, Italy at La Ghirada, a state-of the-art training center one hour north of Venice, and will play a game against Virtus Lottomatica Roma in Rome at PalaLottomatica on Oct. 6.
It will be a return to Italy for Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, who holds Italian citizenship and speaks the language fluently. An Italian League legend after playing 13 seasons (1977-90) for Philips Milan, D’Antoni coached Benetton Treviso from 1994-97 when his team captured the Cup of Europe and Cup of Italy in 1995 and won the league title in 1996-97 after a 22-4 regular season. Prior to that D’Antoni guided Philips Milan for four seasons from 1990-94 and led the club to the 1993 Korac Cup. During his Italian tenure D’Antoni led his teams to the playoffs each season and was twice voted the league’s Coach of the Year. In 2001-02 he returned to the Italian League and once again coached Benetton Treviso, leading the club to the Italian League championship after a 28-8 season.
“We are really excited as an organization to go to Italy to train and play a game,” said D’Antoni, the 2004-05 NBA Coach of the Year. “For me personally, you can imagine how excited I am. I think it will be great for our players and it will be a nice bonding and cultural experience.”
The Suns will also participate in a tournament at the Kölnarena in Cologne, Germany. The tournament will feature games between the 76ers and the Suns and the 2005-06 Euroleague Basketball champion vs. the Euroleague Basketball runner-up on Oct. 10. The finale will feature matchups on Oct. 11 between the winners and the runners-up of each game.
“I’m just very excited. I love Italy and I love Europe in general,” said Suns guard Steve Nash, the 2004-05 NBA MVP. “It will be a nice change of scenery for us and it will make training camp more exciting for us. Italy has a terrific culture. I’m sure our team will enjoy it.”
This will be the Suns’ first training camp held outside the state of Arizona, but not the first time the team has played a game overseas. The Suns have played exhibition contests in Israel, Italy and Germany, and the team opened the 1990-91 regular season in Tokyo, Japan with two games against Utah. That marked the first time that professional sports teams from the United States played regular season games outside of North America.
The 76ers will hold training camp in Barcelona, Spain. the Spurs will travel to Lyon, France for training camp. The Clippers will travel to Moscow for training camp at the Universal Sport Hall CSKA.
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