another loss for Team USA...to Lithuania

[chillzatl]

Embarassing, nothing more you can say.

[Plainview1981]

Calm Down! They are gunna win gold medal(snickers)

[chillzatl]

Maybe it would be a wakeup call for some of the guys in the NBA and a lot of these kids that want to play pro ball. There's more to the game than dunks, commercials and highlight films.

[Plainview1981]

Do they honestly deserve to be called team USA? Don't

think they deserve it to be honest with you.

[chillzatl]

So it's not really their fault. It's not their fault that what they need to do to win, isn't what any of them are good at...shooting and passing.

I blame the people who picked the team for building it on big names and not on guys who can win at that style.

I also blame the jackass players who declined the invitation because they were afraid "something might happen". [censored] cowards.

[Plainview1981]

Well, Richard Jefferson is getting paid max bucks by

NJ and he can't even do something like shoot. It's so

messed up. The fact is these guys should be better

shooters. We can say"We should have sent a team with

more shooters" but guys like LaBron James/Anthony and

Jefferson are going to be making max bucks but they

can't shoot. Doesn't make any sense.

[cyman3]

"Maybe it would be a wakeup call for some of the guys in the NBA and a lot of these kids that want to play pro ball. There's more to the game than dunks, commercials and highlight films."

- for that reason, i would NOT be disappointed if USA losses. it'll be a great wakeup call for us. We'll go back to the fundamentals and concentrate less on our AND1 skills.

i got nothing against AND1, i think its very entertaining and the players obviously work hard to get those dribblin skills down. however, its 2 different basketball games bein played. heck- 3 if u add INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION. using NBA players, this is what i mean

in the NBA game, KG/TIM DUNCAN/SHAQ/etc are the best.

in the AND1 game, guys like RAFER ALSON are the best.

in the INTERNATIONAL game, fundamental sound players like Steve Nash would be bigger stars than Marion/Jefferson/etc.

i think its just 3 different games bein played. U gotta choose 1 and adapt to it. i think the NBA should follow euroball and go back to the fundamentals.

with our athleticism and increased fundamentals, we'll cruise through the next olympics.

[Admin]

the Gold medal this year and we almost won with a terribly flawed team I would say we did pretty good today. Lithuania is the best shooting team in the world, with just about every member of their team capable of shooting 40-50% from 3pt land. Its just impossible to keep a team with that many shooters from scoring, which is the problem we had today. Also, the US has assembled the worst collection of shooters in the entire Olympics, women included. The average for all the teams is something like 36% from downtown, whereas the US is shooting something ike 16%. Today the team played with heart and they hustled and played defense, but they got killed from downtown and another huge reason for Lith being able to shoot like they did was the US players are accustomed to going under screens instead of over or through them and that allowed Lith to have far too many open long range jumpers.

I would not be surprised 1 bit to see the Lithuanians win the Gold this year. I was very impressed by them, more so than by Puerto Rico who was beaten by Lithuania for their only defeat.

The US can and should still make the quarter finals so its not over officially, but I would be shocked to see us win it all. All I can be thankful for is that they gave 100% effort in todays game. Maybe next time we wont send a team full of dunkers plus a chump PG like Marbury who is as worthless as tits on a man. Add a healthy Jason Kidd to this team and nobody beats us. Or a Shaq. Just a shame that so many of our stars turned down the chance to represent their country.

[Plainview1981]

Also, the US has assembled the worst collection of shooters in the entire Olympics, women included"

Well, if Marbury and Jefferson and these guys can't make

shots are they really worth these insane ammounts of cash?

It's amazing that basketball players can get 10 million

and they can't even shoot. The team that is there should

be able to win because it has alot of top dollar players.

Simple as that.

[Eeeee]

For starters, international basketball is the way nearly the whole world learns to play. If you include college basketball, which is comparatively very similar to international basketball, its the main basketball also played in the USA.

The NBA (Or NDA - No Defense Association) you could call it is an aberration. Its a place where exceptinal athletes get favourtism. Individuals are promoted over team concepts. Defense is minimal. Passing is even more minimal unless you are a superstar individual who is known for that and you want to lead the league in a assists. A pplace where a coach is considered great because he can get two superstars who constantly fight and bicker over shots and limelight to play together. Players whine over money, over playing time, etc etc etc.

Dont even get me started on the AND 1 phenomenon, while it is great to watch, it is responsible for more dilution of fundamental skills in the modern game than anything.

International basketball IS basketball. Period. The olympics is simply showing us who can play, and whon cannot.

[BOShforRoy]

Nicely said Eeee, i couldn't agree with yo more. American basketball is soooooo flawed. what i was thinking was here in america Lebron james is considered to be the basketball saviour because of all his "unquestionable skills" but overseas he probably would even have trouble making a team.that's how much difference there is between the internatinal and NBA game. Also i was thinking why doesn't atlanta assemble a team like lithunia, get the lithunanian players for cheap and put them in an Atlanta uniform. That team could be deadly considering all the trouble the are giving the americans and we can put some american athletic players in there too.

[detroitdave]

I wholeheartedly share the general sentiments in this thread. If embarrassment of Team USA (either by losing, or hopefully winning gold by the skin of their teeth) can lead to a rebirth of fundamentals, I'm all for it. But I'm not optimistic. Main culprits like ESPN and the AAU will look the other way for scapegoats, you can bet on it.

On the game, I thought the U.S. played quite well until one turning point--Dwyane Wade going out with that minor injury in the second half. He was clearly the best player on the floor, ball hawking EVERYTHING, and the drop-off from him to Marbury was enormous. What a player this kid is, even without a great shot. As for the Coney Island Hotdog, how many times in his life has he been told to fight OVER the screen against a three-point shooter? I could have shot the guy. Thank God he's not a Piston.

[cyman3]

i agree w/ u and Eeee.

the only players in the NBA who wouldnt lose a step playin in the international game would be guys like TIM DUNCAN who already have their fundamentals down.