TEAM USA BASKETBALL LOST.... oh what a travesty

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Well in case u didn't see it USA Lost to Puerto Rico 92-73. If anyone saw the broadcast, Jim Lampley looked like he was gonna cry like he lost his kid or something. It doesn't really suprise me considering the lack of team chemistry and more importantly SHOOTING....

Edit: Just saw the list of the players that declined to play and they include Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Mike Bibby, Ray Allen, Karl Malone, and a few others (probably Shaq and Kobe)...and when that team played together they shot 47% from the 3 pt. line---quite a difference from what we're seeing already.....

Edit 2: Just added a poll. See how you guys think they will do.
 
If You Cant Shoot In A International Tourney You CAN NOT WIN!!!! And I Hate Lampley Anyways...He Always Has His Own Intrest Above Anything Else! Read It Here First We WILL NOT medal In these Games!!!!!! :cry:
 
The shooting was unbelievable. It was almost like Someone put a freaking curse on the team. They had soooo many offensive rebounds and couldnt seem to find the Big round hole up there with the ball.

They were obviously nervous for some reason - I saw quite a few horrid shots, airballs- etc. Like they were rookies or something.


Oh well, they havent played as a team very long - they're missing 3 out of the 5 best players in the league (Iverson/Duncan being two, Garnett,Bryant,and O'Neal being the other three), and they don't have a pure shooting guard. Its not like the 92 team, which had all the stars and a complete team.

It was extremely dissapointing, but thats what happens when the NBA Half asses the olympics now that international teams are relatively decent. Its too bad the Pistons couldnt just do the olympics. They don't have stars, but they're a complete team.
 
Wow I think USA shot like 3 for 25 from three point range, which is closer in International competition than the NBA. When the other team shoots 20% better than you, you really can't win. I still think we will at least medal though, better to get a game like this out of the way early.
 
I'm not surprised that the US lost. The way they play defense (or don't in this case) and the fact that most of the roster couldn't hit an open jump shot any day of the week could potentially lead to a medal-less Olympics this time around. I hope they get the gold, but this time the bronze may be a stretch.
 
I think AI is the heart and soul of the team. AI and some other player, might've been 'Bron, were still fighting for the ball with 20 seconds left. Love him or hate him, AI is playing for pride and respect, which is more than I can say for the other Team USA players.

I don't think US will medal unless they come up with chemistry, shooting and learn how to play international D in the next 2 weeks.
 
This is comparative to this year championship match between the Lakers vs. Pistons - individual game vs. team game. It's about time we stop taking those international teams for granted and put more effort in playing defense and team ball. This game just gave the other teams more confidence that they can beat us, and that's not a good news. Combine their good outside shooting and our bad defense, I think it's a longshot for us to even get any medal. A travesty indeed.
 
AI Played a decent game as always ,(just point out that evilmregg is talking out of his ass) He played very hard, and created a good amount of scoring opportunities, but he missed a good amount of 3's. (but so did everyone)

The refs took duncan and himself out of the game with some ridiculous calls

^ They are trying to play Team Ball. But they don't have a complete team (They are missing a pure center and a pure shooting guard)


This is NOTHING like the lakers - You have guys like Lebron James doing absolutely nothing but trying to make good passes to people inside. Its just that this team hasnt had any time together - they still havent figured out their roles , of which I blame Larry Brown for that
 
yeah, the US has to really build a team and not just throw raw tallent at the other countries. I'm sure the other countries have been playing together for months.
 
[quote name='Hair6a11']They were obviously nervous for some reason - I saw quite a few horrid shots, airballs- etc. Like they were rookies or something.[/quote] Some of them are rookies. They have Okafor who just got out of college. This is not a good team for the USA to have. I still think they will medal but it will not be gold, unless they can really turn things around.
 
If Ben Wallace and a couple of other Pistons players joined this USA Team, the outcome might be drastically different, don't you guys think?
 
[quote name='sj41'][quote name='Hair6a11']They were obviously nervous for some reason - I saw quite a few horrid shots, airballs- etc. Like they were rookies or something.[/quote] Some of them are rookies. They have Okafor who just got out of college. This is not a good team for the USA to have. I still think they will medal but it will not be gold, unless they can really turn things around.[/quote]


Yeah your commentary is nice, but it doesnt apply to this game at all. Did you even watch it?

It was guys like Richard Jefferson and Stephon Marbury that were playing *extremely* tentative - throwing up ridiculous shots that had to be embarassing.

Edit : Odom was dominant - I keep getting Odom and Okafor mixed up :(
 
[quote name='dukedynamo']If Ben Wallace and a couple of other Pistons players joined this USA Team, the outcome might be drastically different, don't you guys think?[/quote]


No, it would have to be the entire Pistons team. Only because they meshed so well together last year.

The USA team has tons of rebounding anyway(which they showed today) - so its not like Ben is going to add a lot.
 
[quote name='Hair6a11'][quote name='dukedynamo']If Ben Wallace and a couple of other Pistons players joined this USA Team, the outcome might be drastically different, don't you guys think?[/quote]


No, it would have to be the entire Pistons team. Only because they meshed so well together last year.

The USA team has tons of rebounding anyway(which they showed today) - so its not like Ben is going to add a lot.[/quote]

It's not the rebounding that's I'm concerning with here. It's the whole concept of team defense, helping each other out defending the guy with or without the ball.
 
I was really shocked by this. So far USA hasn't been doing to hot in the olympics, I'm somewhat dissapointed. I remember when I was younger and the US used to dominate. The glory days are over ;-{ .
 
[quote name='Hair6a11'][quote name='dukedynamo']If Ben Wallace and a couple of other Pistons players joined this USA Team, the outcome might be drastically different, don't you guys think?[/quote]


No, it would have to be the entire Pistons team. Only because they meshed so well together last year.

The USA team has tons of rebounding anyway(which they showed today) - so its not like Ben is going to add a lot.[/quote]

Agree they got a ton of rebounding....A lot of offensive..because of all those shots they bricked :roll: ....especially from point blank range...
 
Man... the game is on right now on the West Coast...I'm watching but now I see they lost... do you think next time you could put USA Basketball Game (Spoliers Inside) or somethign like that. It sucks for those of us on West Coast who see this stuff later.
 
[quote name='Hair6a11'][quote name='sj41'][quote name='Hair6a11']They were obviously nervous for some reason - I saw quite a few horrid shots, airballs- etc. Like they were rookies or something.[/quote] Some of them are rookies. They have Okafor who just got out of college. This is not a good team for the USA to have. I still think they will medal but it will not be gold, unless they can really turn things around.[/quote]


Yeah your commentary is nice, but it doesnt apply to this game at all. Did you even watch it?

It was guys like Richard Jefferson and Stephon Marbury that were playing *extremely* tentative - throwing up ridiculous shots that had to be embarassing.

Okafor was dominant - despite being a rookie. Until he fouled out (courtesy of some awful officiating)[/quote]It "applies" to the team. The fact that they have so many young players on the team hurts them. They don't have enough experience to know what it's like to play in an important game.

I did see way too many 3s that were shot up. They don't have any threats from outside.
 
[quote name='goldengraham']Man... the game is on right now on the West Coast...I'm watching but now I see they lost... do you think next time you could put USA Basketball Game (Spoliers Inside) or somethign like that. It sucks for those of us on West Coast who see this stuff later.[/quote]

Didn't think it was a spoiler since it broadcasted already here on the east (not that I would've put that on, try to post immediately be4 someone else has) and you probably are getting a tape delay....That's one of the huge problems in the Olympics this year (or maybe any year for that matter)...Most events have a 7 Hour Tape delay...so you're likely to find out about events happening before you watch them on any nbc affiliate....
 
In addition, we have a bunch of offensive minded players out there. Our point guards are not even true point guards like a Jason Kidd or a Magic Johnson back then. We don't even have a single so-called workhorse like a Ben Wallace who scraps for every loose ball or defends another man that's not his to defend or helping from the weak side by blocking shots or getting an offensive rebound. This team emphasizes too much on offense, which we know could win jack.
 
[quote name='Hair6a11']
It was guys like Richard Jefferson and Stephon Marbury that were playing *extremely* tentative - throwing up ridiculous shots that had to be embarassing.
[/quote]

I thought it was funny when the announcer was saying something about that RJ was 47th in the league in 3 point percentage, and then the next play or two down he shot up a pathetic airball from the corner. And by funny I meant depressing.
 
It doesn't shock me, our team really sucked. Besides Duncan and Iverson no one els,e was really ready to play in a tournament this big. Besides that after Those 2, Carmelo and Lebron the talent level dropped considerably. Hopefully this will finally either motivate our REAL players to play in the next Olympics or else maybe the IOC will just get rid of the whole dream team thing and let amatuers play again.
 
there is no problem with the players. The problem is there is no one go to guy.

The reason teams win is because they have first and second options. When everyone tries to be the hero, is when the team falls apart.

Look at the Lakers. When everyone passed and the ball got to Shaq and Kobe, everyone got points and they dominated(first 20 games they were eying 72 wins). When Kobe started playing like he was the only one on the team they sucked.
 
I actually was impressed by Iverson's hustle today, especially going after steals and loose balls down by a ton with under a minute left. He never gave up. The officiating was also very inconsistent. There were some outrageous calls, many against Tim Duncan, and at other times the players were allowed to be very physical, particularly on some of the picks I saw. Give Puerto Rico credit too, they hit some very tough shots which were almost unreal. The U.S. had trouble dropping any shots for whatever reason, they don't have any really amazing outside shooters for all the talent they do have.
 
LOL I saw that coming. Now a GOOD basket ball game was Argentina versus SBC(not sure wat country that was) but the last second score was awesome.
 
[quote name='magilacudy'][quote name='Hair6a11']
It was guys like Richard Jefferson and Stephon Marbury that were playing *extremely* tentative - throwing up ridiculous shots that had to be embarassing.
[/quote]

I thought it was funny when the announcer was saying something about that RJ was 47th in the league in 3 point percentage, and then the next play or two down he shot up a pathetic airball from the corner. And by funny I meant depressing.[/quote]


Thank god someone else noticed - He (RJeff.) was absolutely Pathetic! He was 3 for 16! (0-6 from the 3 point line). We need Duncan to be shooting more than Jefferson , who only shot 11 times. But i realize they were playing Hack - A - Duncan and he didnt even have a chance to shoot sometimes

But Ill tell you who else that was almost as bad - Shawn Marion. He was 2 for 8, and made a good amount of mistakes himself.

Apparantely They (U.S.) only scored 7 points in the second quarter. That was the killer, considering Puerto Rico scored 28
 
As long as Tim Duncan stays out of foul trouble, no one should beat the US. He is the most dominating big man on the planet whose last name isn't O'Neal. He should be the number one option on every play, especially when no one is hitting the outside shots. If he gets hot, then the US will have better looks on the outside.

That being said, it really is a shame that we don't have our best players out there (other than A.I. and The Big Fundamental). But its no excuse. If we lose its because the other team was better, bottom line.
 
[quote name='Matrix2k3']LOL I saw that coming. Now a GOOD basket ball game was Argentina versus SBC(not sure wat country that was) but the last second score was awesome.[/quote]

I think that was SGC (?), or Serbia-Montenegro. Yeah, I don't know how they came up with that abbreviation either, weird translation.
 
[quote name='CaseyRyback']there is no problem with the players. The problem is there is no one go to guy.

The reason teams win is because they have first and second options. When everyone tries to be the hero, is when the team falls apart.

Look at the Lakers. When everyone passed and the ball got to Shaq and Kobe, everyone got points and they dominated(first 20 games they were eying 72 wins). When Kobe started playing like he was the only one on the team they sucked.[/quote]

I see your point, but I have to disagree. If this team had Garnet, Shaq, Kobe(as much as I dislike him), Mcgrady, Carter, Duncan, Iverson, Francis, Wallace, Bibby, K-Mart, Artest, Brand, ect... We don't lose. Bottom line.
 
Well now thats true - Half the team could fall asleep and theyd still win most games fairly easily. With guys like bibby and Shaq - we'd actually have a complete team. sigh

its so annoying that so many guys declined to play :(
 
[quote name='Hair6a11']Well now thats true - Half the team could fall asleep and theyd still win most games fairly easily. With guys like bibby and Shaq - we'd actually have a complete team. sigh

its so annoying that so many guys declined to play :([/quote]


Yep, not much you can do when guys don't want to be on the team, like I said hopefully this will encourage our best to actually play next olympics, or if they don't wanna go, why not just sent college kids?
 
[quote name='magilacudy']Hopefully college kids will be accustomed to seeing zone defense and will have at least some fundamentals.[/quote]


They see plenty of zone defense, much more so then in the NBA. My thoughts are if we are going to send 4th and 5th rate players, why not just scrap the whole NBA thing and give the college kids something to remember? I gurantee they will play a lot harder then most of the current USA team.
 
[quote name='jimbodan'][quote name='magilacudy']Hopefully college kids will be accustomed to seeing zone defense and will have at least some fundamentals.[/quote]


They see plenty of zone defense, much more so then in the NBA. My thoughts are if we are going to send 4th and 5th rate players, why not just scrap the whole NBA thing and give the college kids something to remember? I gurantee they will play a lot harder then most of the current USA team.[/quote]

I second that... 8)
 
If the US doesn't win the gold,, thats just a shame. Still with the team we have now,, that talent SHOULD be better then anybody in the world. You can't get much better then a NBA player... these guys should take this lose as a slap in the face.

And iverson is playing hard.....and with heart. . so props to him.
 
Man if they just had a zone buster out there. A guy with shooting ablilty like J.J. Redick would bw a HUGE boost. Hell, they should have asked Steve Kerr. I think another problem is that Team USA relies too heavily on athleticism. That is dangerous against seasoned teams.
 
I think this just illustrates the lack of fundamentals and team play. It's the emphasis on the individual over the team.

Even without the top stars of the NBA, the U.S. should be head and shoulders above the other teams based on talent alone. Of course all the talent in the world doesn't matter when you don't play defense.

I'd say getting college players would be a good idea, but of course since the nation's best players never make it to college. The whole basketball system is at fault.

I mean when middling NBA players get signed to ridiculous contracts you know things aren't going well. Our Olympic team is now showing it.
 
[quote name='jimbodan'][quote name='CaseyRyback']there is no problem with the players. The problem is there is no one go to guy.

The reason teams win is because they have first and second options. When everyone tries to be the hero, is when the team falls apart.

Look at the Lakers. When everyone passed and the ball got to Shaq and Kobe, everyone got points and they dominated(first 20 games they were eying 72 wins). When Kobe started playing like he was the only one on the team they sucked.[/quote]

I see your point, but I have to disagree. If this team had Garnet, Shaq, Kobe(as much as I dislike him), Mcgrady, Carter, Duncan, Iverson, Francis, Wallace, Bibby, K-Mart, Artest, Brand, ect... We don't lose. Bottom line.[/quote]

So we need to have 9 specific players to beat Puerto Rico? We have 260 million or so people here and our top we need the top 10 players to beat Puerto Rico? a country of 4 million? This is like North Dakota beating Texas in a state Football contest, or Wyoming all stars beating the California All stars. its siimply unbelieveable... Its like Iraq beating Portugal in Soccer..oh wait already happened.
 
[quote name='magilacudy'][quote name='Matrix2k3']LOL I saw that coming. Now a GOOD basket ball game was Argentina versus SBC(not sure wat country that was) but the last second score was awesome.[/quote]

I think that was SGC (?), or Serbia-Montenegro. Yeah, I don't know how they came up with that abbreviation either, weird translation.[/quote]

thanks, yea the abbreviation really confused me where is the C from?
 
Not exactly on topic, but is there a website I can go to to find out how certain teams are doing? The wife of one of my teachers is o the Canadian softball team, and I want to know if they are winninng or losing.
 
[quote name='Lootr2Core']The wife ON ONE OF YOUR TEACHERS???

That is why Canada rocks![/quote]
LOL, I didn't catch that before I posted that message. I fixed it now.
 
stu jackson should be fired for assembling this team together that has now become the laughing stock of olympics in basketball. come on, USA IS SO SUPPOSED TO KILL EVERY TEAM IT FACES. the team need shooters for real. could had gotten brent barry, kyle krover from philly, michael redd. we dont need some street ball players who have low basketball IQ. we need some players who r smart and know their role. this is the not the DREAM TEAM. this is NIGHTMARE TEAM. i dont want to say it but i hope USA gets their asses whoop. stu jackson is the same idiot who was the gm of the grizzles in vancouver canada before moving to memphis (the worst team maybe to the clippers and warriors at the time).
 
I think it has to say more about today's players. How many shooters are there in the NBA today? 3? Teams zone up on Duncan forcing USA to shoot from outside and we have who? Back when the pros first started playing there were several.. but they were products of a different time, a different NBA game. Today its not about shooting the 15 ft jumper, its about trying to make a pretty dunk, its about one man and not the assist, its about rape (oops sorry had Kobe on my mind I guess)

who are the shooters in the NBA that are american? Wally Szerbiak?
edit: from above post that I missed like a dork.

could had gotten brent barry, kyle krover from philly, michael redd.


wow I don't know if any of those three would have been on the radar screen..
 
from slate.com

Josh Levin: Hey Robert, it's not really a surprise the U.S. finally lost a basketball game in the Dream Team era. It is surprising that they didn't lose because the best NBA players refused to go to Athens or because of insufficient pre-Games practice time. Nope, the only reason the Americans were blown out 92-73 is the lack of political will for Puerto Rico statehood. If those bureaucrats in Washington had noticed the nation's severe point guard deficit, Carlos Arroyo wouldn't have wriggled through the U.S. defense for 24 points, then pointed proudly to "Puerto Rico" on his jersey as he walked off the court. Let's start up the chant: "That's all right, that's OK, you'll be playing for us someday!" So, what do you make of the Americans getting knocked around by a fake country?
 
In case you didn't see it , Team USA Lost AGAIN this time to Lithuiana 94-90 mostly by some MAJOR 3 pt. bombs and sick perimeter shooting, one of the many things Team USA sorely lacks....Now question remains, Will they even medal?
 
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