"Scores of fans filed past the silhouettes of cranes and construction work surrounding Barcelona's Camp Nou last Friday night. But they weren't there for the world famous soccer stadium. Instead, the sea of Barca jerseys was heading for the club's basketball arena, the Palau Blaugrana. There was an expectant but apprehensive buzz in the air the night marked a big occasion: Real Madrid were in town."
"It's widely accepted that the biggest rivalry in basketball is between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics; between them they have won almost half of all championships in NBA history. The Lakers-Celtics showdowns of the 1980s went beyond basketball and embodied different Americas: West Coast glitz versus East Coast grit; flashy fastbreak basketball versus fundamentals; and, frankly, though perhaps sometimes oversimplistically, Black versus white."
"You have almost certainly have heard of soccer's clasico. It's arguably the biggest derby in the world and attracts around 650m viewers. Like the Celtics and Lakers, Barcelona and Madrid's football and basketball teams are also the most storied in their leagues. In basketball, they've won 58 Spanish league titles between them and Madrid have dominated Europe over the decades to win 11 EuroLeague titles, the most in the history of the continent's elite competition. (Barcelona have two.)"
Large crowds wearing Barcelona jerseys converged on the Palau Blaugrana for a high-stakes Barcelona v Real Madrid basketball match, creating an expectant, tense atmosphere. Historic rivalries in basketball carry cultural and regional meanings beyond sport, with Lakers–Celtics framed as competing Americas and identities. Several European rivalries—Panathinaikos–Olympiakos, Red Star–Partizan, Fenerbahçe–Galatasaray—exemplify fierce local passions and significance. Barcelona and Real Madrid dominate Spanish basketball, collectively winning 58 league titles, while Real Madrid's 11 EuroLeague trophies underscore continental supremacy. The Barcelona–Real Madrid clásico in basketball now commands intense interest and could rival legendary global matchups.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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