By Rigas Dardalis/ dardalis@eurohoops.net
The favorite prevailed in London, as the Knicks got the 102-87 win over the Pistons, the O2 Arena was sold out and that’s what Euroleague wants to happen also in May, when the Final Four will be in town. Of course, nobody expects the Londoners to flock in order to see European basketball – at least not yet – but they might get a little more interested because of the NBA presence, as deputy commissioner Adam Silver said.
Silver, who will succeed commissioner David Stern in 2014, said in the press conference before the game: “We are working with Euroleague for a joint promotion of 2013 Final Four. We are looking at marketing tie ins, clinics and anything else during the London Final Four, in order to help the game grow”. However that doesn’t mean that the possibility of European expansion is dead. On the contrary, as Stern stated: “The international horizon is huge. The only question is, does it have to be a team (in Europe) or not? There are so many ways to capture the success that that’s just something that is going to be left to Adam and his group to decide”.
Silver added: “I know it’s increasingly something that our owners are very focused on, It’s a complex issue as to whether the NBA should expand, whether we should relocate franchises, ultimately how much fan support there is.”