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Team USA loses to Argentina, 89-81
Topic Started: Aug 27 2004, 03:03 PM (159 Views)
Strider
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I'm sure there was a simultaneous fist pump throughout the country, as thousands of Americans exhaled and enjoyed the loss. I don't know what those people wanted, but they've got it.

This loss wasn't as ugly and annoying as the one to Lithuania. The United States was just beaten. Except for a few stretches, they were outplayed the entire game and deserved to lose. They couldn't get stops in critical situations, left guys open for three, and couldn't get many momentum swining baskets. The officiating did also stink. That wasn't the reason they lost, but some of the calls were terrible. Tim Duncan's fourth foul was a joke. The whistle not being blown on the Marbury layup was a screw-up.

I'm disappointed. The NBA having nothing to do with it, I'm disappointed that America missed out on a gold medal. Hopefully things will be different in 2008 and the United States can take back the crown. I'll be rooting for them in the next game, although a bronze medal doesn't count. Bronze just means you're the runner up to the top loser. Though meaningless, its for pride.
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Grandy4MVP
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I'm sure there was a simultaneous fist pump throughout the country, as thousands of Americans exhaled and enjoyed the loss. I don't know what those people wanted, but they've got it.

This loss wasn't as ugly and annoying as the one to Lithuania. The United States was just beaten. Except for a few stretches, they were outplayed the entire game and deserved to lose. They couldn't get stops in critical situations, left guys open for three, and couldn't get many momentum swining baskets. The officiating did also stink. That wasn't the reason they lost, but some of the calls were terrible. Tim Duncan's fourth foul was a joke. The whistle not being blown on the Marbury layup was a screw-up.

I'm disappointed. The NBA having nothing to do with it, I'm disappointed that America missed out on a gold medal. Hopefully things will be different in 2008 and the United States can take back the crown. I'll be rooting for them in the next game, although a bronze medal doesn't count. Bronze just means you're the runner up to the top loser. Though meaningless, its for pride.
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Strider
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We need an international team, a cohesive unit who knows each other and has played together before. Give me the Professor, AO, Spyda, Escalade and The Main Event. Just send the f*cking And 1 team over there, this was a JOKE of a team!!!!!!!! They didn't have a true PG and nobody can f*cking shot. To sit here and watch Marion and Jefferson try to shoot was a joke. Then watching thse cats drive the lane with 3 or 4 cats waiting on them was another joke. This team was put together terribly.


I think Escalade would have a little trouble with stamina.

But honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing the And1 street ballers over there. It would atleast be entertaining. I know for sure that the Professor and Hot Sauce could put on a good garbage time show.

Seriously, I don't think we could have an international team. Atleast not one that we can expect to be great. All the elite players would want to be in the NBA. The international team would be NBA never-beens and if All Stars can't get the gold, I doubt guys from the NBDL or Americans playing overseass would get it done. Plus, who would their competiton be, between Olympics? Are you gonna have them establish a team in Europe and make them part of that league? I just don't think it would work.
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Njdevils350
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I wonder how much a difference someone like JJ Redick would make if he had left Duke. I dont know much about basketball other than we cant shoot for sh*t and JJ knocks down everything from 3
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VICTORious
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to their defense we made it pretty far with teir B players while other countries had their best playing.
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Mattingly23
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bowwowchow
Aug 27 2004, 04:07 PM
to their defense we made it pretty far with teir B players while other countries had their best playing.

Wow, you're just a clueless optimist in all sports, I see.
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Giambi_MVP_25
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The US will neer compete with the world again until they adopt some of their rules and strategies, IMO.
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VICTORious
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Mattingly23
Aug 27 2004, 04:08 PM
bowwowchow
Aug 27 2004, 04:07 PM
to their defense we made it pretty far with teir B players while other countries had their best playing.

Wow, you're just a clueless optimist in all sports, I see.

i cant stand basketball and i was rooting against the u.s. but the fact of the matter is we had our 2nd and third best players there while countries like argentina and lithuania had their best players in athens.
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Mattingly23
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bowwowchow
Aug 27 2004, 04:47 PM
Mattingly23
Aug 27 2004, 04:08 PM
bowwowchow
Aug 27 2004, 04:07 PM
to their defense we made it pretty far with teir B players while other countries had their best playing.

Wow, you're just a clueless optimist in all sports, I see.

i cant stand basketball and i was rooting against the u.s. but the fact of the matter is we had our 2nd and third best players there while countries like argentina and lithuania had their best players in athens.

Give me a break. You don't think the United States produces more top tier basketball players than countries like Argentina and Lithuania? You can't stand b-ball anyway, so don't bother to answer.
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VICTORious
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Mattingly23
Aug 27 2004, 04:51 PM
bowwowchow
Aug 27 2004, 04:47 PM
Mattingly23
Aug 27 2004, 04:08 PM
bowwowchow
Aug 27 2004, 04:07 PM
to their defense we made it pretty far with teir B players while other countries had their best playing.

Wow, you're just a clueless optimist in all sports, I see.

i cant stand basketball and i was rooting against the u.s. but the fact of the matter is we had our 2nd and third best players there while countries like argentina and lithuania had their best players in athens.

Give me a break. You don't think the United States produces more top tier basketball players than countries like Argentina and Lithuania? You can't stand b-ball anyway, so don't bother to answer.

i was just pointing out that we didnt send our best basketball players to the olympics while countries like argentina and lithuania did. We did compete against them without our best players, that means that usa basketball is still the best but the world has caught up. In 1996 we wouldve won easily with a 2nd or 3rd squad.
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Allanfan20
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I understand this is a long post. But it's my thoughts on US Basketball:

There are so many reasons we lost this competition, it's ridiculous.

To start off, I was watching the medal ceremony with my mother, and she pointed out that team US was standing like a bunch of soar losers, while Italy and Argentina were extremely happy. At first, I was like "Well, these Olympics were a failure for us, in basketball. We were expected to dominate by some. They should be upset." Then I realized, they are representing the United States of America. And they had looks on their faces as if they were little kids, making the dreadful visit to grandmas old cabin in Montana. They looked lazy up there. As if they just wanted to drop dead. I don't know about you, but that's not how I want to be represented. Have some f*cking pride in you and your country. Pick up your shoulders. Say thank you to the people giving you the crown and medal. They were lucky to even get that. Stand up like you are a man, when you are facing the rest of the world. You think all the other bronze medalists were happy when they won the bronze? Most of them weren't, but they took pride in representing themselves and their countries. They didn't look like a bunch of SOAR LOSERS, as my mom said the US basketball players DID. She was absolutely correct.

Secondly, I think we can blame the players, selection committee and the entire United States of America for this, as well. First I will discuss the players:

Yes, they did start coming together, in certain ways, throughout the tourny. But on defense, they still looked lost. I can't believe they didn't even know how to defend a simply pick and screen and roll play. That's how Argentina was getting 70% of their 3 pointers. Screen and roll, top of the key. And then, as if they haven't seen this, in their own league (cause they sure have) they didn't know how to defend the inside out game. Manu, Peppi, and Montecceci were driving to the hoop at will, and Scolli or whatever his name is, did whatever he wanted in the post. The defense collapsed like no other on these players, and they kicked the ball out. We totally underestimated the athleticism of the international competition, as well as the basketball intelligence. We played them, as if we expected them to have bricks on their feel, and giant boulders on their head. Guess what. These are top notch athletes.

Another thing about the players. It's absolutely ridiculous how nobody on our team could hit a jump shot. I could have made that team better, judging by how poor their jump shooting % was. Things need to change with some of these players.

Which leads to the selection committee. What is the excuse for not inviting Michael Redd? And after watching the competitions for the last couple of Summers, why didn't the invite him and/or a guy like, Reggie Miller, Allan Houston, (Despite injuries) Does it really hurt to have vets on your team? Isn't that how championships are built? And why wasn't Ron Artest on the team? Was he not invited, or did he decline? We could have used his defense desperately. Even Bruce Bowen would have helped, b/c he's a great perimeter defender, and a good 3 pt shooter. This is how you build a championship basketball team. You don't always choose the best players. You choose the right ones. Just ask the late Herb Brooks, who was the coach of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team.

And now on to US, the people. Why did the US Selection Committee invite a bunch of athletic freaks. Most of them not being able to make simple Js or LAYUPS (Lamar Odom!!!!!!!!). I think you can blame us. Strider, I know you personally love the dunks, but I hate to tell you this, but it's true. Dunking is about 0.00001% of the game. It's just a type of way of finishing, and that's it. If you can't hit a layup, but you can jump high enough to dunk the ball, it shows you are a good athlete, but not a good basketball player, plain and simple. Granted, these guys are real good, but they are also fundamentally flawed in some aspects. But back to my point. The USSC possibly selected some of these players, b/c it's based on what the majority of the US population likes to see. High hops. The killer crossovers. You know. The parts of basketball, that again, aren't really that important in the actual game. But since when does the MAJORITY ever know the right thing. I am a firm believer in the power of the minority. Think about it, b/c it's true. There is so much in a game, it's ridiculous. Dunking and crossovers aren't even the icing on the cake. They are the gummy bears that stand on top of the icing, which makes the cake look extra pretty. It's the truth.

Another thing. we can blame our superstars for declining invitations. What gives most of them this right? T-Mac is healthy. So is KG. Do they really really think that their safety is on the line? That Olympic Village is crawling with soldiers, and various security features, making it impossible for terrorists to break through. It's one thing for a guy like Jason Kidd to nurse his wounds or for Kobe to be fending for his OWN freedom, in court. But some of these guys are making up excuses. It's really sad, and gives us a bad name.

In closing, this took a long time for me to post, b/c I am really tired. I just hope this is something we can all learn from. US Basketball has been scarred. It's time we start the healing process, and going back to doing what we should be doing best. Playing basketball.
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Strider
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AllanFan, I know that dunks and crossovers are just eye candy. Its like the homerun in baseball. The Yankees might hit 1,000 homeruns this year, but they can't drive a run in from 3rd with 1 out. An RBI single (layup or jumpshot) is the equivalent of a solo homerun (dunk). I have said that I prefer the And 1 "games" to the NBA and I'm serious. Although I know that solid fundamentals and good play wins games, if I don't have a rooting interest, I just wanna be amazed. If its the Knicks vs. Heat, I don't care how its done, I want a win. If its the Sonics vs. Jazz, unless somebody is doing a 1080 windmill, I'm bored. With And 1, it doesn't matter who is winning (because I don't care) and I might just see a 1080 windmill. That's what I meant by that.

Quote:
 
Which leads to the selection committee. What is the excuse for not inviting Michael Redd? And after watching the competitions for the last couple of Summers, why didn't the invite him and/or a guy like, Reggie Miller, Allan Houston, (Despite injuries) Does it really hurt to have vets on your team? Isn't that how championships are built? And why wasn't Ron Artest on the team?


Reggie Miller? Carmelo's on the come-up and he's what's hot in the NBA. Its much easier to sell an Anthony Olympics jersey than it is a guy who is pushing 40 and whose statistic decline looks like a mudslide. Michael Redd? Good player, great shooter, amazing pickup in the second round....but he's no LeBron James. He doesn't have a 50 inch vertical. He didn't make the jump from high school. He doesn't have superstar status (and bank account) at 19. Bron Bron is easier to market. Bron Bron jerseys fly off the rack.

I think a lot of the selections had a lot to do with marketting. A lot of people are like me with the whole "entertain me" thing. Outside of a few examples, jumpshots don't score as many points with the people as dunks do. Playing tight defense doesn't get you on Sports Center. If you ain't even on SC, how the hell are they gonna push your jersey or bobblehead or sneaker or beverage or lunch box? If they had left out guys like Richard Jefferson, Ameka Okafor, Stephon Marbury, and LeBron James and replaced them with guys like Ron Artest, Bruce Bowen, David Wesley, and Miachel Redd, I don't think the team draws as much attention without the stars. I think the USSC thought, "We're stomping the sh*t out of Puerto Rico anyway, might as well do it in style, with big names, and be able to market it." As I've said before, they probably just went down the list of PPG league leaders. Peja would be playing for Serbia, next. Kevin Garnet doesn't wanna come, next. Scoring and big names, because they score with big names. Team was flawed.
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Allanfan20
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No, you are exactly right, but this is the freaking olympics. You don't do this to sell jerseys. You do this to make the team good. LeBron and Carmello didn't do anything for this team, probably b/c they are so young and immature. Same thing with Amare. They were probably driving Larry Brown NUTS in practice. Reggie isn't a shade of what he used to be, but he can hit the 3ball, hit a clutch shot, and hit some free throws, unlike anyone else on the team. He's also a leader. He would have helped out team USA. The USSC should have taken stuff like this into consideration. They were very careless.

But you are right. When watching and And1 game, I wanna see some amazing dunks. But this isn't And1. This is a kickass internationall basketball competition, on the rise, and we totally underestimated everything about them.
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Strider
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I agree with you. I was just doing it from the USSC perspective. They probably felt that the US would win no matter which crop of stars they sent over and it would be better to send stars because its better for marketting. I knew the team was flawed (no shooters and no defenders), but still I thought they would have pulled it out. I underestimated the international teams.
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amit
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Strider
Aug 29 2004, 06:42 PM
USSC

USOC*.
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Strider
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I was talking about the "selection committee" not the Olympic one. Unless its the same thing and I'm misinformed (not wrong).


I love you. :thumbup:
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Ray
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To start off, I was watching the medal ceremony with my mother, and she pointed out that team US was standing like a bunch of soar losers, while Italy and Argentina were extremely happy. At first, I was like "Well, these Olympics were a failure for us, in basketball. We were expected to dominate by some. They should be upset." Then I realized, they are representing the United States of America. And they had looks on their faces as if they were little kids, making the dreadful visit to grandmas old cabin in Montana. They looked lazy up there. As if they just wanted to drop dead. I don't know about you, but that's not how I want to be represented. Have some f*cking pride in you and your country. Pick up your shoulders. Say thank you to the people giving you the crown and medal. They were lucky to even get that. Stand up like you are a man, when you are facing the rest of the world. You think all the other bronze medalists were happy when they won the bronze? Most of them weren't, but they took pride in representing themselves and their countries. They didn't look like a bunch of SOAR LOSERS, as my mom said the US basketball players DID. She was absolutely correct.


I was thinking the same thing when I was watching the ceremony. It was absolutely disgusting how they were acting during it.
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Strider
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Mr. Ball Buster asks: Were they acting black?
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Ray
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Strider
Aug 29 2004, 08:24 PM
Mr. Ball Buster asks: Were they acting black?

<_<

What do you want me to say?
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Strider
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Well, I'm going back to school tomorrow and it would give me some excitement if you said, "Oh yeah, they were acting real niggerish. All that was missing were a few glocks and some gang signs."
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Ray
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Strider
Aug 29 2004, 09:01 PM
Well, I'm going back to school tomorrow and it would give me some excitement if you said, "Oh yeah, they were acting real niggerish. All that was missing were a few glocks and some gang signs."

Weeell...... :think:

Nah I'm kidding. I'm really not racist.
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Strider
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nyr27 nym23
Aug 29 2004, 09:05 PM
Strider
Aug 29 2004, 09:01 PM
Well, I'm going back to school tomorrow and it would give me some excitement if you said, "Oh yeah, they were acting real niggerish. All that was missing were a few glocks and some gang signs."

Weeell...... :think:

Nah I'm kidding. I'm really not racist.

Not since someone from Virginia denied f*cking his cousin, has there been a bigger lie.

Shaaaaaaame Staley, shaaaaaaame. :no:
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Ray
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Strider
Aug 29 2004, 09:12 PM
nyr27 nym23
Aug 29 2004, 09:05 PM
Strider
Aug 29 2004, 09:01 PM
Well, I'm going back to school tomorrow and it would give me some excitement if you said, "Oh yeah, they were acting real niggerish. All that was missing were a few glocks and some gang signs."

Weeell...... :think:

Nah I'm kidding. I'm really not racist.

Not since someone from Virginia denied f*cking his cousin, has there been a bigger lie.

Shaaaaaaame Staley, shaaaaaaame. :no:

:no:
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