SSBA

even this kind of group can´t win it anymore.

kirk did everything he could but it wasn´t enough. how could the greece one of the worst shooting teams in europe score 100+pts against team US?

Again they shot 10+ 3pts more than the opps, had 12 more offensive rebs but this time the greece guards did a good job with ballhandling (Tos and steals were even). Greece shot 71% from inside the arc  :lol2:
Sofo the 2nd rd from the clips had a great game from the bench for the greece team.

 :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

I really thought they would win. I thought if they lost, it would be to Spain.

they're too arogants still, and you cant expect either for a team to play as a team after 3 weeks of preparations, european teams play for years with more or less same lineup, it would be better if they sent some NBA team like Heat or Pistons, then USA would win for sure 200 %.

I agree, more preparation is needed. I think they will be better prepared for the Olympics because of the same group practicing each summer.

they need to play with more or less same players, not change complete team every time, or bring the strongest possible team with Shaq,KG,Kobe,AI,"3 violins" etc.

The best solution is to send the Philadelphia 76ers.

i disagree. even some college guys knew how to defend the pick and roll and it was an incredible good performance by both teams at the offense. guess the US team should have given more LB the ball at the top of the key where he is at his best.

USA also missed a center here, Dwight played poor whole tournament, its better they used Brad Miller all the time then him.

They can surely use Sam Dalembert.

they either need to send the strongest possible team or send one NBA team that plays teamgame and they would win easily for sure.

Center isn't as imnportant in international play.  Team defense and 3 pt shooting are the keys....which just happen to be the 2 biggest weaknesses on this US team.  Team defense should improve over the next 2 years as they play together more.  

The 3 pt shooting will continue to be miserable until the idiots who pick the team figure out they need one or two spot up shooters.  This team actually has too many slasher-types for their main scorers (LBJ, Melo, Wade) and no high percentage shooters.  Billups may have helped but in 2 years should be on the decline.  Kobe will help some but is still more of driver than a spot up shooter.

As far as sending a NBA team you would have to get all the players to agree.  Miami - Shaq has said repeatedly he will never go.  Spurs have too many international players.  Detroit would face some of the same problems that the current team has...no dependable perimeter scoring.  Phoenix loses Diaw & Nash to other countries.

but having Shaq for example helps a lot, that's why i dont understand why Arenas didnt play, USA needs guys like Arenas who can shot 50 % 3PT.

And team is best solution and easy to find, LAC(All USA), Pistons(All USA), Heat(they have Zo), Philly, Nets, Hawks  etc.

Arenas was hurt during the trials and pulled out.  Just like Marion.

Team sounds good but just isn't practical.  Most teams do have some international players.  Also there are some players that do not want to represent the US (Shaq - which would decimate the Heat)...international play isn't as big of a honor in US as in European/SA countries.  And finally many teams have players (i.e. "ugly" Americans) that the US does not want to represent us on the world stage.

And IMO Argentina, Spain & probably Greece would beat Sixers, Nets, Hawks.  Those international teams are just better TEAMS.

But also those teams still have key players that are non-US:  Nets (Krstic), Pistons (Delfino, Arroyo...for half of year), Sixers (Dalembert - Born in Port-Au-Pince, Haiti and lived there for 14 years before moving to Montreal), Clippers (Radmanovic, Rebraca)

European teams are better because they're always with same players who play for years together, thats why i think
sending a team in which players know each other would be best, or to keep this USA Team and train the exact guys for
few years with maybe 1-2 changes, but core should be always same + Arenas and Marion.KG would definitely help.

But you think if Clippers sent their team of Cassell/Livingstone - Mobley/Ewing - Maggette/Thomas - Brand/Baker -
Kaman/Davis wouldnt be enough to beat any team ?? i think it would.

Or even better Bulls send their great D team Hinrich/Duhon - Gordon/Deng - Tyrus/Griffin - Sweetney/Allen - Ben/PJ

PAcers would be perfect if they had ARtest on SF still.

Nuggets perhaps with Boykins/Miller - JR/Hodge - Melo/Ricky - KMart/Sampson - Camby

and Delfino/Arroyo wouldnt make much difference if they were US citizens, too bad Ben is out.

sorry you can´t compare teams who play in the nba where everything is build on one on one play with international teams who learn at the age of 8 that team defense is the most important thing. Do you really believe that any of the top 10 american go to guys of the nba would look good if the opp send 2 or 3 guys at them.
No penetration no overpowering the opps because it will result in a TO or offensiv foul. The american style of basketball still relies too much on athletic abilities and making highlight plays. The reason why some of the euro guys have success in the nba is because they are good at doing the little things make a layup hit the open shot and make no mistakes. You believe guys like diaw or noce are as talented as some of the US guys? sure not but they know what they can and should do to win a game.

Just finished the recorded debacle. Man, that was fun to watch.

There was one team playing wonderful TEAM basketball, always looking for the open guy, and one team moving the ball only when forced to (most of the time in heavy trafic). The US deserved to lose, as there was no concept visible, other than trying constantly going one-on-five.

But I disagree on the WHY stated earlier. This is what was missing:

EFFORT: how about at least TRYING to defend ? US guards were constantly outplayed and the inside defense was a joke, allowing layup after layup. And when the greece shot the trifectas, most of these were completely uncontested. I haven't seen that many open shots in an NBA game, and this is supposed to be the best the NBA has to offer ?

PLAYS: Couldn't Krzykwsk come up with at least ONE play the results in a layup or halfcourt shot? You don'T think most of the US guys would shoot 60% on 15-footers? All I saw was those one-on-everybody moves with kick-outs beyond the 3pt line, most of those in such a bad manner that it took the recipient so much time to get the ball under control the defense was already there.

NERVES: the three best players in the world (according to Bill Simmons value list), Wade, Bron and Melo missing free throw after free throw? Disgusting.

A REALITY CHECK: The look on the US players faces in the early 4th quarter was sensational. They couldn't believe what they saw. Nobody, REPEAT NOBODY, did prepare them for a situation where they might actually be DOWN by 10 with half a quarter to go. They were completely caught by surprise, never ever expecting this. And not only the players but the coaching staff too. Unbelievable. How can this happen when you play an international tournament where you haven't won anything for years. How?


Yup, the US is in for a reality check, I guess: HEY, YOU CAN BE BEATEN, NO MATTER IF YOU SEND A COLLEGE TEAM OR THE BEST THE NBA HAS TO OFFER. At the championships in Indy the US was caught by surprise, I heard, in Athens they were badly coached leaving the best on the bench, I heard. But this is the 3rd time in a row. No excuse anymore.


Now I hope I will NEVER EVER hear any more "world champ" reference to the NBA finals winner (which always annoyed everyone outside the States, but now it's simply ridiculous) ...
 :lmao:

i somewhat agree on some points, biggest problem i guess its difference in rules and everything, i doubt any euro team would have chance if they played based on NBA rules, but whatever.

One word: Arogance

No, no arrogance. What I have seen today is: FEAR !!!

That looks didn't tell me: "hey, don't worry, we're gonna beat them suckers and pull this one out easily"
That looks told me "damn, we will have to get back to the US without the gold, the gonna rip us apart ..."

i havent seen today's game, fear is even worse, but that fear came from arogance, thats the fact.

l guess 2 years ago macabi beat the raptors
and i believe tau or moskau could at least play better than knicks  last year :lol2: or bobcats
no european team would make the POs but playing in the NBA is no problem for the better teams.

some of these people who talk about not having any team basketball in the united states should go watch some good college basketball.  What horse shit.

Just because the selection committee is selecting 1-1 players doesn't mean there aren't an abundance of team players in the united states.

the us will continue to loose at the international level as long this stupid handchecking rules will be there.
so someone like LB or wade have no challenge at all to get to the basket. Why should they even try to learn how to make an open set shot?
Spain played wonderful team defense against greece today and if some here believe the US team will be better in China, just forget it. spain had 5 or 6 guys under 23 in their roster and played without paul who is possible the best player at the moment at international play.
i watched this year final 4 and i am not very impressed with the skill level there. If i compare it to the european championship for U20 teams the college teams have way more fundamental holes in their game.
as long as the NBA isn´t carrying about basketball as a teamsport the gap between US teams and european teams will grow imo.

Pretty schocked with the amount of stupidity in this thread.

Alen Iverson
Jason Kidd
Mike Bibby
Ray Allen
Kobe Bryant
Vince Carter
Tracy Mcgrady
Kevin Garnett
Tim Duncan
Shaq O'Neill
Jermaine O'Neil
Marcus Camby


No team on the face of the planet would stand a chance. None. Regardless of diferent rules, chemistry, refs etc etc.


So your entire philosophy that All Star team, consisted mainly of superstars and 1 on 1 players wouldn't work is a complete bullshit.

where is the sense in that statement you just listed names nothing else.
AI tried already failed big time in Athen
TD already had 2 miserable outings
Shaq, Camby are too old and slow too really make a differnce against pick and roll even in the NBA
KG could be nice
T-mac, Kobe? where is the difference to wade, LB and melo

Did you see any game?
Spain, Greece and Argentina led the tournament in def FG % because they know how to defend as a team.

Name ONE SINGLE game US lost when sending their 12, very best players.

One!

they only sent their best players once so its impossible to discuss mr.ZLOVRO, and that team cant be compared to any possible team now.

Once? You're playin dumb or something?

maybe i dont remember, but only time USA sent strongest team was at 1992 olympics or did i miss something ?

Yeah you did. Or you're just maybe suffering from amnesia.

then which one was it ? 94 ?

In 92 the US sent MJ, Bird, Barkley, Magic.

Clearly not the best NBA players at the time, apart from MJ and Barkley, but the opponents just lay down in awe ... and took photographs of US dunks instead of defending those.
 :lmao:


If you asked ANYBODY in the US before this tournament, they would have told you Lebron, Dwyane, Carmelo, Bosh, Brand, Paul and company ARE the best the US has to offer. So forget your superstars list, last i checked these ARE supposed to be the current superstars, not washed-up vets like AI, Shaq and KG.

You really have no clue.

And funny the misery for the US didn't stop until right before halftime in the 3rd place game.

I had the believe the loss would be a wakeup call towards team oriented balling but i guess i was wrong.

Ginobili received that phantom 3rd foul (he was about a yard away from the fouled player) with Argentinia leading by 3 just 20 seconds before the break (and didn't play the whole 3rd quarter) and big man Scola picking up his 4th right after halftime (and didn't play the 3rd thereafter), that's when the momentum swung towards the US.

Wade put them on his back and went one on 5 for the rest of the quarter, got a 10pt lead, and from then on even a few team plays worked. Maybe they should have let LeBron and Wade go one on whoever every time, wouldn't have hurt the US chances i suppose ...

Ginobilli? What a overated piece of crap.

This is one of few things i completely agree with Kings, a completely overrated piece of shit.

Forget Gino individually, he couldn't beat one US player one on one, but he's so important for the Argentines team game and ball movement, opening up the game with his drives and kickouts. And his defense, taking the charges, too, making ARG better on both ends of the floor.

btw, Nocioni had another nice game, can't wait to see him back on the Bulls.
:-)

Ok, nough of this nonsense. It's too late here, i'm going to sleep.

I'll just say one more thing;

EEEARVIN

MAAAAAAAAGIC

JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHNSOOOOOONNN!!!!!!! :D :cheers:

We all saw how important he is in that game, he couldnt make a single shot and his ego told him he's better then all his fellow argentinians so he was basically the fault why they lost, his selfishness while others played good, even coach put him on bench when he saw guy thinks he's MJ (not Earvin KingsGM), Argentina would have a good chance in that game if Manu was not on pitch that game.

I have no idea which game you were watching, but WITH Ginobili the Argentines led by 3 just before halftime (when he had totake a seat until the 4th), WITHOUT Ginobili they were down by 10 in the third.

He might play too much one on one,but he undenieably makes them a better team.

But maybe his true value can't be judged by americans (or people watching too much NBA) since that whole team basketball thing isn't really understood there ...
;-)

he shot like 4-15 in that game, missed like 8 shots before making last one.