Has European Professional Basketball Caught up to the NBA?

Contrary to conventional wisdom, American professional basketball players and Euroleague teams have been actively competing for the past 20 years in direct competition other than at the Olympics. The competition began when in 1987 the Milwaukee Bucks defeated Tracer Milan of Italy, 123-111, in the opening game of the first McDonald's Open, held at the Milwaukee Arena. The Bucks beat the Soviet National Team, 127-100, in the championship game of the tournament sanctioned by the NBA and FIBA.

The next year, in the very first McDonald's Championship to be held in Europe, the Boston Celtics beat Real Madrid 111-96 at the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid, Spain.

Also in 1988, the Atlanta Hawks became the first NBA team to play in the Soviet Union when they defeated the Soviet Georgia All-Stars, 85-84, in a pre-season game.

By the third year, the McDonald's Championship moved to Rome, Italy. This time, the Denver Nuggets represented the NBA against the Spanish Champion F.C. Barcelona, the European Champion Jugoplastika Split, and Philips Milan. The Nuggets beat Barcelona in their tournament opener and went on to edge Jugoplastika Split 135-129 to capture the title.

In 1991 the so-called 'city of lights' was the site for McDonald's Championship. The Los Angeles Lakers went to Paris, France to compete against the host team CSP Limoges, Joventut Badalona and Slobodna Dalmacija Split of the former Yugoslavia. With Magic Johnson taking charge, the Lakers beat CSP Limoges before eking out a win versus Joventut Badalona 116-114 to claim the title.

It was 1993 which saw the first pre-season game between two U.S. pro teams ever played in Europe, the Orlando Magic, led by 14 fourth-quarter points from Dennis Scott, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 120-95 before a sold-out crowd of 9,483 at Wembley Arena in the opening of the two-game NBA London Games series.

In 2003, the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies played an NBA pre-season game in Paris, as part of the NBA Europe Games 2003, in front of a sell-out crowd of 14,480. The NBA Champion Spurs won 105-93 and Spurs player Tony Parker got a standing ovation when he received the MVP in front of his home crowd. After the noted game, the Memphis Grizzlies traveled to Barcelona where they played local team FC Barcelona on October 10. Memphis won the game 91-80 and Spanish native Pau Gasol, former player for FC Barcelona, put his many skills on full display.

Matthew Paolini is a Baton Rouge, LA-based content provider with http://Citybook.com Business Yellow Pages.

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Restaurant Decor Ideas: Serve Unusual Framed Art with the Meal of the Day!

If you feel your restaurant decor is drab, spruce it up with unusual framed art. Every wall can tell a story from the past, reflect a certain theme, or create the dining atmosphere you want for your patrons. There are paintings and posters to reflect almost any theme. From African-American art to Latin art, and even Native art - there's something for every type of restaurant! Here are some great ways to enhance the look and feel of your restaurant with unique framed art.

Jazzy Theme for the Musical Atmosphere

If you want to create a "jazzy" theme, choose framed art that reflects musicians and musical instruments in action. There are several amazing African-American paintings by Bearden that bring the jazz or blues scenes to life with saxophones, guitars, drums and other instruments. Diners will be in the mood for some relaxing live music once they catch a glimpse of your attractive framed art of musicians!

1950s Theme - A Walk in the Past

For a "malt shop" style restaurant, there's nothing better than some great framed prints or posters from the past. Create a nifty atmosphere with framed art or posters of Elvis Presley, classic automobiles, or 1950s-style cafes.

Classical Elegance

Use classical framed art to create an elegant dining experience for your customers. Try gorgeous prints such as Diego's "The Infanta Margarita Teresa in a White Dress" or "Museo del Prado" to illuminate each wall in your restaurant or cafe. Classical framed art can be matched with your restaurant colors or table colors, and you can choose from many styles of elegant wooden frames to complete your decor.

Give your Restaurant Personality with Cultural Themes

If you want to portray a cultural theme in your restaurant, you can choose from a variety of Latin art, African-American art, Native art or other cultural themes to suit your tastes. These come in all different colors, themes and frames so you can easily match paintings to your restaurant decor.

More Framed Art Tips

Don't stop with paintings! Add a touch of individuality to your "walls of art" with other unique home decor items such as wall sconces, wall mirrors, wall fountains and wall plants or flowers. These will attract attention to your framed art so customers will take notice as soon as they enter your restaurant. You can even use small spotlights above or beneath the paintings to illuminate them and add soft lighting to every wall.

Place matching flowers or candles on each table to create a romantic atmosphere. Or, use your table centerpieces to complement the theme of your paintings - no matter what the theme. The possibilities are endless!

Using framed art to decorate your restaurant is easier today than ever before. There are almost unlimited resources online to find all the framed art you need!

Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://www.majon.com

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