101 Greats of European Basketball

Vladimir Stankovic
the teams met again in the final. The USSR was not
the favorite but won by a clear 76-63 score with 21
points by Marciulionis in 36 minutes. He made 7 of 11
two-point shots, 3 of 6 three-pointers and 4 of 4 free
throws to go with 3 rebounds and 6 assists. Sabonis
added 20 points, but Marciulionis was the soul of that
team.
On November 3, 1989, Marciulionis made his NBA
debut. And he did so in style despite his team’s 136-
106 loss to Phoenix. The starting five for Golden State
was Chris Mullin (24 points), Mitch Richmond (8), Tim
Hardaway (0), Rod Higgins (15) and Uwe Blab (2) from
Germany, while off the bench they had Marciulionis (19
points in 24 minutes), Terry Teagle and Manute Bol.
Thus, started the NBA career of one of the best
Europeans to ever play in the league. Although interrupted
by several serious injuries, Marciulionis played
seven seasons with the Warriors, Seattle SuperSonics,
Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets for a total of
363 games. He scored 4,631 points for an average of
12.8. His career high was 35 points against the New
Jersey Nets in 1992.
At 1.96 meters, Marciulionis was a shooting guard
but he could play point easily thanks to his solid technique.
His physical power also allowed him to grab
a lot of rebounds. In the NBA, he pulled 9 rebounds
several times while his assists record was 10. If I had
to choose one element of his game to highlight, it
would be his precise shooting. His fighting character
was another thing that helped him become a great
player.
At the 1989 EuroBasket in Zagreb, Marciulionis, Sabonis,
Chomicius and Kurtinaitis played for the USSR for
the last time, winning the bronze medal. Marciulionis,
coming off his first NBA season, was that team’s best
scorer, with an average of 18 points. Their dream of
playing for a Lithuanian national team came true three
years later, at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Lithuania
had previously been European champion in 1937 and
1939, prior to losing its independence. Now, after going
through the Olympics qualifying round in Zaragoza,
the Lithuanians won the bronze medal for their again
independent country. Marciulionis and Sabonis – who
had been born the same year in Kaunas – led the way to
that historic medal. Marciulionis averaged 23.4 points
and Sabonis 23.9.
In a surprise, however, Lithuania failed to qualify for
the 1993 EuroBasket in Germany. Without Sabonis, who
was injured, and with Marciulionis not at 100 percent,
the team couldn’t get through the Wroclaw preliminary
phase. Much later, I interviewed Marciulionis and he told
me that Wroclaw was the worst moment of his career.
He shouldn’t have traveled in the first place because he
was injured. Once there, although he had committed to
helping in any way he could, he was physically unable
to do much.
The great final in 1995
I have been following basketball for more than 50
years, watching an average of three or four games per
week. If you were to ask what my favorite game was in
all that time, I would have a hard time finding an answer.
I won’t even bother trying. But I am sure that among the
best five I ever saw was the 1995 EuroBasket final in
Athens between Yugoslavia and Lithuania. Yugoslavia
won 96-90 in an offensive festival and a great show put
on by stars on both sides.
It was the game of a lifetime for Sasha Djordjevic
of Yugoslavia, who finished with 41 points on 9-for-12
three-point shooting. But on the other side, there was
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