Terrible news for the Boston Celtics: Apparently y’all aren’t world champions — at least according to Ergin Ataman, coach of Euroleague Champion Panathinaikos. The coach says he won’t recognize the Celtics as the best team in the world until they travel to Greece to play his team.
Ataman laid down the challenge in an interview with Greek YouTube channel Rafine TV.
“After the Boston Celtics became the NBA champions, they tweeted, ‘World Champion Boston.’ The EuroLeague also tweeted, ‘Beat this team first,’ with our photo. They see themselves very highly. They want incredible numbers to come and play a game in Europe. You are not the world champion. If you want to get the world champion title, come and beat us, the EuroLeague champion. If you are so confident, I say come and beat us in OAKA.”
On the one hand the coach kind of has a point. With basketball being more global than any point in history is it really accurate to say you’re the best team in the world without an international game between champions to settle it?
Conversely, lol the Celtics would absolutely murder Panathinaikos. I absolutely getting standing by your guys, but something tells me a team whose star player is Kendrick Nunn might not be able to hang with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Bown. Call it a hunch.
Perhaps I’m wrong. Maybe Nunn is better than Kyrie Irving or Luka Doncic now, both of whom couldn’t get past the Celtics. Just kidding.
This would be a bloodbath, but I’m also here for it. Let’s have an international contest between champions if for no other reason that the world can be humbled if they think for a second that the NBA isn’t lightyears ahead of any other league in the world.