Similarly to the change to
Pietrus (to a lesser degree of change) can be said for the other two major European stars of the final:
Pau Gasol and Hedo Turkoglu who incidentally are the biggest scorers of the finals after Kobe. Of cource they are bigger stars and from the start they were good players, but to manage
20 points on average in the finals isn't a little thing, especially for the likable Turkish player who is
biggest scorer in the finals for the Magic (and the player who does a little bit of everything) and scoring more than the superstar Howard. 
These players are not the exception when it comes to improvement, but the rule for players in the NBA.
And it's not only that the players improve. It is the
steps taken by the sport authority for the show.
Regulations and guidelines , which have clear and objective targets, change even in the course of the finals. The
three point line is further to "create space" (Europe hasn't learned that lesson yet),
some slips are allowed for the spectacle and the most important: the
referees let the game go on without whistling for each contact. Even the stadiums are build with that in mind (not bigger than the Greek ones) and the huge and extremely useful
scoreboard in the middle of the stadium is certainly a big difference for the audience from Europe, especially Greece, where many of the simple scoreboards barely work.
And finally we come το
atmosphere . Followers cheer the players
without cursing for every error or lost shot let alone
chasing after them outside the stadium or ambushing them.
The spectators
don't even think of threatening their opponents' players, to use laser markers or
to throw things . Win or lose they don't think of coming inbounds, not flee en mass before the end and definitely
not to try to stop the game . No cursing en mass referees, not attacking executives not fighting each other or with any rival fans.
Very
boring right? Who wants
to go with the family to the game? Who wants peace? No swearing? How quaint! Why would I envy all those things that could (and relatively easily) change;
For the quiz: 