[valentine]

Hey, Ricky Rubio, now I’m the rock star!

Just joking, but it’s been a crazy day for me after playing a good game and beating the Lakers last night. Lots of phone calls answered and autographs signed.

You know, the funny thing is, my friends in the States and my family got to watch the game on ESPN2 and now everybody is calling. I’ve been getting calls from Korea, from the Philippines, Greece, the States… Everywhere. They are all congratulating me about the game. Everybody watched the game live, which is great. Having my people watching me play live was the best feeling.

But for me, this was just a game, a competitive one. Us winning this exhibition game was not the greatest feeling. What I liked is the chance to play against some of the best players in the world. Getting the chance to guard players one-on-one and stopping their drives every chance I could. That’s the biggest challenge. I was able to take the job against Kobe. I took it pretty personal.

OK, it was a good performance and the U.S. media got the chance to see me play. I’m American, so it was a great experience to play against an NBA team.

I got the chance to speak with legend James Worthy during the game. When I was shooting a free throw, he told me “Hey, I read your HoopsHype blog, and I like it” and I said “cool.” It’s great to have a Hall Of Famer who reads my blog and have a conversation with him during the game! Things like that, having legends like him to come to Barcelona and respect the way you play and you say is big.

COMPETITIVE WITH RON

One hour before the game I was told Ron Artest said “Pete who?” when they asked him if he knew who he was going to guard. Anyway, it really doesn’t matter what he said. It had no factor the way I play. He doesn’t even have to know me at all. I could care less what any guy says, good or bad. I’m a team basketball player. He started off physical, tried to show his physical strenght, and I didn’t back down at all. This is our gym, our home, they came to Barcelona to play us. I don’t really want to get into what happened with Artest on the court. I don’t know him at all, just saw him on TV and I had never played him.

The fact that the winner of the Euroleague beats the NBA champion gives more opportunities for the media to debate if FC Barcelona can compete in the NBA. For the world of basketball, it’s a great thing. Now people in the States know who FC Barcelona is. It’s not just Ricky, who might play in the NBA soon, but a roster full of great players. This helps us worldwide. That’s what I love about this game. To come out and compete, that’s great. It’s all about competing – competing against guys bigger and stronger. No matter what league you’re playing. I don’t care if Kobe Bryant won five NBA championships. This was just a basketball game and I focused on doing my job.

THE KOBE BATTLE

Phil Jackson said we wouldn’t have a chance in a 82-game NBA regular season. Well, look at what Kobe said after this comment. Kobe, who is a basketball player, not a coach, disagreed. It’s different being a coach and actually being a player. Kobe, obviously, has respect for FC Barcelona because he competed against us for 25 minutes. He didn’t played team basketball, or passing the ball, he was playing too much one-on-one. Here it’s kind of a different game. The NBA is a great, great League. But here in Europe there is good basketball too.

We had a little conversation on the court that went like this…

Kobe said to me “Hey, this game might get you in the NBA,” trying to be a smartass. “If you think that, then put your money where your mouth is,” I replied. “I put my $10 million against your $100 million.”

It was a competitive game, and that’s what I liked the most apart from my friends and family watching me live.

We’re in the right direction.

Talk to you soon!

PS: Rock Island, Illinois, I still love you.

[stanford hoops]

Linc Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 1:48 pm

Pete,

Good game against the Lakers, but please don’t start popping your collar just yet. I tell you what, why don’t you and your guys suit up against them a bit later in the year when they’ve had a chance to adjust to each other and break training camp. Oh yeah, we won’t talk about injuries because rarely are both teams 100 percent healthy. I’d love to see you and your amigos against a fully-healthy Kobe and a certain seven-footer named Bynum. You guys won an exhibion game by four points for crying out loud and you’re acting like you won the world title. Keep handling your business and much success — but please keep it real!

Better Version Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 1:51 pm

Almost a triple double including 26 points! Awesome game! Don’t be so friggin modest haha. Would you play in the NBA if you were given a guaranteed deal?

peter krause Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 1:57 pm

Pete, you’re a bum. Don’t ever disrespect a legend of the game like kobe. He would tear you a new one in a game of 1 on 1. Artest would then eat you alive in a street fight. Stay in the ACB with all those nba rejects

  Memo to Lakers: It’s our gym – Hoops Hype (blog) by Gyms Fitness USA Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 2:01 pm

[…] Hoops Hype (blog) […]

TAVO Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 2:05 pm

Memo to Lakers: Its our gym? please!!! From the beginning of the game you wanted to proof something. Acting all hard, if your that hard why couldn’t you make it in the best league in the world. At best your a D-league player. Your lucky Kobe’s coming of surgery and didn’t bust your ___. I hope you enjoyed your 15 minutes of fame, but you better hope and pray you never again play against The Black Mamba.

Pedro Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 2:07 pm

Hey Pete, I’m Pedro, 17, from Brazil and particullary i prefer to watch European basketball, because that’s the true basketball you play in every place of the world. I watch the game and want to congratulation you and the Barcelona to show to a NBA team what’s the real basketball. Nice season to you, good bye.
P.S: Sorry if i type any word wrong, my english is not the besto.

Urdo Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 2:11 pm

Pete teach Bryant how to play!!!!

Arrogant Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 2:11 pm

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a Lakers fan or Kobe fan by any stretch of imagination. I prefer point guards and players who can make a team play as a team. That being said, to the Lakers, this is a PRESEASON game. PRESEASON, as in, oh &$#%#&@!, why don’t we just &$#%#&@! around since these games don’t actually count. It wasn’t “competitive”; to the Lakers, it was the equivalent of playing against their practice squad. You’re like the high school punk who went around saying you beat up the toughest guy in school while instead you suckered punch him while he wasn’t looking or taking you seriously. “The NBA is a great league…”? I think you have way two more periods than you need. Keep thinking you accomplished something, but the only thing you managed to do was show how stupid people in this world are who pat themselves on the back for hollow victories. Mommy not give you enough praise when you were young?

DYh Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 2:18 pm

Pete, kudos to you for being a competitor. But do remember, the Lakers played this game as a PRESEASON game. It seems to me that you and your squad treated this like Game 7 of the Finals. I guarantee you that had this been a playoff game, let alone a regular season NBA game, Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant would have treated y’all differently.

I do wish you the best and hope you can make it to the NBA. Until you do, please don’t be hated before you step foot on the NBA court.

Max in Missouri Said,
October 8, 2010 @ 2:27 pm

Great job, Pete! You played great and it must have been very gratifying to beat the Lakers. Lakers fans want to try and dismiss it as preseason non-sense, but it really seemed like they were trying to win it all. Good job on denying them that moral victory! I also want to commend you on not backing down when that filthy rapist started talking smack to you. I have a whole new level of respect for you now, Mr. Mickeal!

[Michael.S.Participant]

Cool. Pete obviously had the better game, but Kobe was injured and that was obvious. We all know who the better player is.

I also found it interesting that he said Kobe wasn’t a team player. I don’t find it surprising that Kobe would say something like that, though. I llike Pete’s response though…I’ll take 100 mill over 10 any day.

[Da1potParticipant]

Preseason game or not, a win is a win and Barcelona did a good job against the Lakers. This is the kind of game the Lakers would win 9 out of 10 times, but Kobe had a very poor shooting night and is obviously hurt(he also only played  24 minutes). Andrew Bynum also didn’t play due to injury. The Lakers still should have won this game though. They need more production from their bench and their second unit in general. Every single player on their bench had a negative plus minus rating and the whole bench only scored 14 points combined.

I know Odom will be coming off the bench likely when the Lakers are at full strength, but do you think that their bench could possibly have trouble scoring at all this year?????

[llperez]

i wouldnt blame that one on the bench too much. Kobe was awful and pau had a very misleading game in that his stats were solid but he missed a ton of low post shots and finished 7-21. The team as whole didnt shoot well going 0-14 from 3. Very uninspiring game for the lakers as a whole. Blake and odom are the only two who i think could feel good about their performance. I had no idea so many people would make such a big deal about that game when i was watching it. They could rematch tommorrow and i htink the lakers take it to them.

[Da1potParticipant]

Yeah, that’s why I’m saying this was a game the Lakers would win 9 out of 10 times. I’m not calling it a fluke victory but when your superstar is not playing up to par, other players have to step up-which the Lakers didn’t do. Agreed though, the Lakers played a very uninspired game and seemed to be taking Barcelona very lightly. But Phil Jackson did get burned though for saying that they coudn’t compete in the NBA, and then having his team lose….. They didn;t just beat an NBA team like the T-Wolves or the Nets, they beat last years NBA champions…

[skip-bayless-is-my-hero]

i used to go to rock island high school, and chasson randle broke pete mickeal’s scoring record in the middle of his junior year.

[marcusfizer21Participant]

Oh man… It was a friendly game that turns into a big deal to a LOT of people… If this was a seven-game series, the Lakers would sweep… It’s one game with a Lakers team filled with non-100% healthy players… Barcelona thinks they’re better? pffft

[Emili PazParticipant]

Irregardless, it was a fun game that both champs (of the Euroleague and the NBA) showed fans. This is why the defending Euroleague champs are well favored to clinch a back-to-back title win this season.

 

Fans of the FC Regal Barcelona club can now travel to the team’s home turf as they try to defend their crown in the Euroleague 2011 Final Four. How is that possible? Ticket2Final offers the best way to secure tickets to yourself or a group way before it sells out, such that you can get them for their actual value.

 

[Emili PazParticipant]

Irregardless, it was a fun game that both champs (of the Euroleague and the NBA) showed fans. This is why the defending Euroleague champs are well favored to clinch a back-to-back title win this season.

 

Fans of the FC Regal Barcelona club can now travel to the team’s home turf as they try to defend their crown in the Euroleague 2011 Final Four. How is that possible? Ticket2Final offers the best way to secure tickets to yourself or a group way before it sells out, such that you can get them for their actual value.

 

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