Drugs, lower rims and crazy bus rides: the dirty tricks used against away teams / News - Basketnews.com

Twenty-eight years ago, a pivotal EuroLeague playoff game was marred by a shocking incident of the alleged poisoning of the visiting team. While life-threatening situations are fortunately rare in basketball, dirty tactics against visiting teams still persist in European basketball today.

Credit: Rodolfo Molina/Getty Images | BasketNews Illiustration Credit Rodolfo Molina/Getty Images | BasketNews Illiustration

It was supposed to be an exciting night of basketball in the packed Piraeus arena. However, the third decisive quarterfinal match of the 1995 FIBA European League (now known as EuroLeague) turned into a complete farce.

CSKA registered only five healthy players for the do-or-die game vs. Olympiacos. Three more were hospitalized a few hours before the game, and the rest simply couldn't stand on their feet.

The visitors requested to postpone the game, but FIBA presented television contracts that would incur losses if the game were delayed, and they threatened to impose penalties.

Surprisingly, the guests even had the lead at 28-27 in the 16th minute, but right after halftime, one CSKA player received his fifth foul, and another was injured with six minutes remaining.

When the difference reached the 20-point mark, Olympiacos coach Giannis Ioannidis removed two of his players from the game, leaving both teams to play with only three players on the court. The Greeks went on to a convincing victory with a final score of 79-54 and advanced to the Final Four.

Olympiacos had no chance in Moscow, losing the first game 65-95, but they managed to bounce back at home, winning 86-77. However, after the second game, the visiting team began to feel very strange.

During their stay in Piraeus, the CSKA players experienced some strange and frightening symptoms. Some had difficulty even standing on their way to get their morning coffee, while others found themselves shooting aimlessly at the scoreboard during warmups.

Symptoms such as facial cramps, back spasms, and mouth foaming left the players panicked and confused. In some cases, the symptoms even led to depression and thoughts of suicide.

When the team was taken to a hospital, doctors were initially disturbed by their condition and even suspected that the patients might be drug addicts.

However, the severity of the symptoms was no laughing matter. CSKA doctors later explained that some players were at risk of respiratory failure, coma, and even heart attacks.

After the second game, one of their players, Nikita Morgunov, took some water bottles back to the hotel and noticed a leak when he lifted one. The home team had placed sealed water bottles on the visitors' bench before the second game, and the visiting team had drunk from them during the warmup and the match.

The Greek laboratory tested the blood and urine of two hospitalized CSKA players and found no toxic substances.

The Russians brought back bottles of mineral water and Gatorade from their locker room in Piraeus. They claimed their tests showed traces of strychnine and haloperidol, a drug used to combat hallucinations and delirium.

No independent official evidence appeared after the incident, but Borislav Stankovic, the FIBA Secretary General at the time, referenced the poisoning and condemned it as a shameful moment in European basketball history that should never be repeated.

Despite the seriousness of the incident, CSKA representatives did not believe that the Olympiacos executives were responsible for it. They argued that there were simpler ways to influence the game and dismissed the conspiracy theory.

Nonetheless, the incident had lasting consequences, with Andrey Spiridonov claiming that it forced him into early retirement due to kidney and liver problems.

Except for the shameful incident before the EuroCup final, when the head coach of Turk Telekom Ankara, Erdem Can, suffered severe injuries due to a reckless bus driver, life-threatening situations no longer occur in modern-day European basketball.

However, Europeans still remain creative in doing everything they can to help the home team win important games.

Excellence, friendship, and respect. These are the three core values upon which Olympic sports should be built.BasketNewstells stories about how these Olympic values are sometimes forgotten amid the biggest moments of the European basketball season.

Important note:this article doesn't necessarily imply that the representatives of the mentioned home teams are involved in causing these situations.

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