Jabari Parker is one victory away from experiencing its first Euroleague Final Four. Already extended by FC Barcelona for next season, the former Bucks winger is flourishing completely in Europe, and on Tuesday evening, it was he who scored the free throws for the victory in overtime against Olympiakos Piraeus in a volcanic atmosphere. In the second round, he had his best match in the Barcelona jersey with 24 points.
The opportunity for him to answer questions about the differences between the NBA playoffs and those in the Euroleague.
“For the moment, the matches are very close. In the NBA, often in Game 3 or 4, there are big gaps because of home court advantage. But there, even when they came to play in Barcelona, the matches were very close. And it’s the level of competition that requires that. Everyone knows how to play, everyone is intelligent and very strategic. European basketball is great basketball! »
A real audience of enthusiasts
In Spain or in European theaters, Parker discovered the public's enthusiasm. In Serbia, Greece and even Turkey, the public really plays the role of 6th man, and former NBA players are not necessarily used to it.
“We have to give these fans what they deserve,” says Parker to Eurohoops. “They pay a lot of money to watch these games and it’s up to us and our team to show that they deserve it. I don't like it when a team takes days off or benches players. It happens, but in the Euroleague it is a high-level competition. Every match counts. I don't know what the atmosphere is like in the NBA. But I know that here [en Europe], people come to see basketball. It's different. Maybe in the NBA, people attend games to meet, network and eat a lot, but here, you don't see spectators leaving their seats. »
