What up with the US Basketball team?

[Sukisyn]

Man... first we get beat by Perto Rico and today we get beat by Lithuania. Guess this justifies my thinking that they are overpaid to begin with. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Drsracing]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

Screw basketball, I like the Gymnists

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

because they are made up of individual stars that don't get "team" concepts.

what an embarrassment to the USA, especially in a sport that we invented. Dream team my ass.........

[lerxstcat]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

Ricky Williams showed up with some killer weed and they can't think straight. Also, like Pat
said, they're a bunch of prima donna bitches.

Sad for our country that this is happening, but maybe the fuckers will get cut from their teams and the next time the team will play like it matters!

[paddok]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

It's actually pretty understandable. None of our best players wanted to go to Athens because of the terrorist threats. Kind of a wussy move, but what can you do?

[VitaminG]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

it's not just a personnel thing or a matter of the best talent staying home - the guys on that team all still pretty kick arse players. It's just time that the US start respecting the teams from overseas and put in some prep time before a tournament. Gone are the days they could throw a squad together, shoot around together for an afternoon and rock up to take the trophy.

For every other team in the tournament, it is a matter of pride to play for your country. The teams are kept together long enough to develop cohesiveness, chemistry and a real sense of team, which is why these groups with apparently much less talent are giving the US trouble, and even beating them now. To get into your national team, you need to be good enough to oust one of the incumbents, not just bring a shoe endorsement & enough showtime that the 14 year old fans vote you into the All Star game this year. The suggestion that the US team hold try-outs is a good one. You would get guys that really want to be there, guys that want to do whatever needs to be done to win, that are prepared to fit into the existing national team culture & structure. Of course, that culture has to be built first. Your position in the team would not be a given after your All Star selection. The coach wouldn't have to ensure that everyone gets a run in every game, just to massage all these individual "stars" egos. And maybe they should try staying in the Olympic village instead of on the Queen Mary. They'd be surrounded by other world class athletes, not screaming prepubescent fans.

Still, even if more team-oriented players had been picked, Tim Duncan would still have been there. That dude is playing in the Olympics for all the right reasons. And Iverson's attitude as surprised me, especially his comments after the Puerto Rico game. He's been a real example for the rest of the team.

It was funny reading the US press after the win against Australia. There was little recognition that the Aussies had actually beaten the US for 3 quarters before running out of steam and the US finally stepped up to play some smothering defense. Hey, our guys play a 30-something game season compared to the 82-plus that the NBAers do, and they just couldn't maintain that intensity into the 4th. That's fair enough, we were beaten on the day, but it was fun putting a scare into the opposition for 30 minutes.

And that lone quarter where they actually decided to play? It was heralded as the US finally "turning the corner" - everything would be alright for Team US now. The way the US press called it: the US played badly for a half, so-so for a quarter and then as you'd expect for the 4th to win the game. It seemed that the outcome was little effected by the effort of the other team. I understand the parochial reporting, reading US news services about a US team. But you'd almost believe that the other team has no effect on the end result, it's all down to whether the US plays well or not. So in effect, no one beats the US, it's just sometimes the US loses.

I liked one comment Van Chancellor made in SI.com interview: Better starts -- the United States has trailed in the first quarter of every game -- would help, too. But instead of wondering what's wrong with his team in that regard, Chancellor prefers to rephrase the question: What's right with the opponent? "I think this happens to us sometimes. I think it's happening to the men,'' he said. "We seldom ever give the other team very much credit. In other words, if the USA is having problems, it's because it's the USA's fault. It might be the other team is playing really well.''

That's indicative of the attitude the US women have taken into this tournament, and one that US men could stand to adopt.

Still, with a much better effort against Lithuania, & with Angola to play next, the US will make the top 4 in the pool & move on to the semifinals

[lerxstcat]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

I can't argue with a thing you said, G. Our men's team was complacent and got their bells rung pretty well, due to not taking the games and their opponents seriously. It's not that they completely control their own fate, but their apathy has caused them to relinquish much of what control they DID have over their fate. Not quite the same thing, but close.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

Right on Gary!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jeff300]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

[ QUOTE ]
because they are made up of individual stars that don't get "team" concepts.

what an embarrassment to the USA, especially in a sport that we invented. Dream team my ass.........

[/ QUOTE ]


I totally agree. I bet they didn't even practice a single game together and figured they can beat anybody. Hah!

And FYI, basketball was invented in Canada. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

The first game was played in the late 1800s, at McGill University in Montreal, against visiting Harvard.

[pro-fusion]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

Most of the other national teams spend a lot of time playing together internationally. Our team is a bunch of NBA guys thrown together a couple of weeks before the Olympics. No comparison.

Also, the sad fact is that U.S. basketball has devolved to a bunch of guys who seem to spend all their time practicing their Dr. J/Jordan moves to try to make it onto the SportsCenter highlights. NBA guys can't make a jumpshot anymore. The foreign teams are simply clogging the middle on defense and daring our guys to hit open jump shots--which they can't do.

[Newc]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

Exactly. The NBA players can't make a 3-pointer to save their lives, but they can dunk and jam and be "in yo face" like punks on a playground, but 1-point slams don't matter against a 3-point shot. But then, you don't get on the cover of SI by nailing perfect 3-pointers - you get it by hanging from the rim, travelling, double-dribbling, and all that other stuff that USED to be against the rules, which were relaxed to compensate for the "slow learners" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Newc

[Drsracing]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

I think it less egotistical than that these guys don't get to play with each other and are playing like it's an all star game. Melo should be on the court at all times, Larry Browns just a dick.

[morbid]

Re: What up with the US Basketball team?

[ QUOTE ]
because they are made up of individual stars that don't get "team" concepts.

Dream team my ass.........

[/ QUOTE ]

You got the point bro... [img]/images/graemlins/what.gif[/img]

US Dream Team... [img]/images/graemlins/bs.gif[/img]

Puerto Rico! Puerto Rico! Puerto Rico! [img]/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif[/img]