58 replies to this topic

[xaxat]

I miss the trapezoidal key.

The US men's and women's teams won big going down the stretch today. Geno was making crazy whole team substitutions. It was nice to see Tony Parker playing after his eventful night on the town. I wish Ricky Rubio were healthy, but even with him I don't think Spain could beat the US.

There's talk that the next Olympics might be the last with unlimited NBA participation. The NBA, FIBA and IOC are in a power struggle to run international games.

[TWoP Howard]

The First Lady hugged every single sweaty member of the US Men’s Team. They all lined up like grade schoolers, and I thought it was cute.

[emma675]

I love that even the coaches got in line for a hug. Very cute.

[kenyaj]

The First Lady hugged every single sweaty member of the US Men’s Team. They all lined up like grade schoolers, and I thought it was cute.

It was adorable. My favorite moment of the games so far.

[xaxat]

I half expected Michelle to start handing them Popsicles.

[Dezdemona]

"The First Lady hugged every single sweaty member of the US Men’s Team. They all lined up like grade schoolers, and I thought it was cute."

That was adorable. All those rich famous guys turned to into little kids by the magic that is Michelle's smile. I'll bet her husband will be teasing her over those photos for some time. Definitely one of my favorite moments so far.

[bulldawgtownie]

There's talk that the next Olympics might be the last with unlimited NBA participation

IMO that's crazy talk coming from Stern and the team owners. The bottom line is other countries(most importantly the Heads of State) want the NBA players from their countries to play and they'll play if the NBA wants to continue to add international players to their rosters as well enjoy success in other countries. And of course if they're allowed in you better believe our players are playing because the bottom line is we have no chance at winning gold or really any other medal if other countries are allowed to use NBA players and we aren't.

Coming into the Olympics I thought our biggest challenge would be Spain with their frontcourt of Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka. But now I'm thinking it's Argentina, with it's six players with NBA experience(four currently). Plus any team led by Manu Ginobali is going to be dangerous.

Also I was so bummed I missed France versus Argentina.

[xaxat]

IMO that's crazy talk coming from Stern and the team owners.

If it were just Cuban, I'd agree with you. But I get the impression that a lot of the background sourcing for that article came from the commissioner's office and Stern is not someone I would accuse of engaging in mere speculation. If they are talking about alternatives to the current system in the league office (and are at the point of leaking the info to the public), then I think they probably have a viable plan to make it happen.

Edited by xaxat, Aug 2, 2012 @ 11:54 AM.

[SnideAsides]

I realise this game between the US and Australia is pretty much a foregone conclusion, but... how long has it been since a team scored more than ten unanswered points against the US at an Olympics?

[kenyaj]

That sequence where Kobe just kept hitting 3 after 3 was freaking ridiculous. Are the guys taking turns doing that in each game? KD on Monday, Kobe tonight. Who's next?

[SunshineDay]

Okay, okay (non)Dream Team, I give up! I love hoops, but I hate that the NBA is full of overpaid, overindulged, showboating players with a ridiculous sense of entitlement. Case in point, all the rumbling about wanting to be paid to appear, players dropping out, etc. And I loathe what the 1-season-and-out mentality is doing to college hoops – exhibit A, Anthony Davis.

And yet…dammit this team is winning me over! I love seeing the players soaking in the Olympic games experience, attending all sorts of events, cheering for Team USA, the huge respect they have for all the other gifted athletes…And I’m really surprised at how well they’re coming together as a team. (Almost) ego-free, having fun, respecting their opponents, and treating representing their country as the honor it is. Shoot, LeBron and his stupid emphasis on passing and racking up the assists is almost making me like him. Ack – make it stop!!

Also, Coach K rocks. (no, I didn’t go to Duke)

[Matt K]

All I have to say here is that Coach K rocks simply due to his meeting with the Judo Champion Kayla Harrison and how he was the one geeking out about getting to see a real gold medal. That story and his insistence on her begin featured on center court pretty much cemented Coach K being just awesome.

[bulldawgtownie]

That sequence where Kobe just kept hitting 3 after 3 was freaking ridiculous. Are the guys taking turns doing that in each game? KD on Monday, Kobe tonight. Who's next?

Pretty much, that's what Chris Paul was saying at the beginning of the Olympics when the international press asked him why the US basketball team would win gold. He said they all weren't going to have a bad shooting game on the same day. And I'dd add their insane depth is their strength. If Pau Gasol is off Spain is in trouble, if Kirelinko is off Russia is in trouble. If Lebron is off we still have Chris Paul, if both he and Lebron are off, we have Carmelo Anthony, and so on and so forth.

And yet…dammit this team is winning me over! I love seeing the players soaking in the Olympic games experience, attending all sorts of events, cheering for Team USA, the huge respect they have for all the other gifted athletes…And I’m really surprised at how well they’re coming together as a team. (Almost) ego-free, having fun, respecting their opponents, and treating representing their country as the honor it is. Shoot, LeBron and his stupid emphasis on passing and racking up the assists is almost making me like him. Ack – make it stop!!

As crazy as it may sound "only" winning the bronze medal in 2004 was a blessing. NBA players acted entirely different before then, they lived apart from the Olympic village and never interacted with any of the other athletes. IMO they believed playing in the Olympics was a chore. Which explains why none of the superstars of the league back then played that year(Kobe, D-Wade, etc) and thus why we didn't win gold. Yes Lebron and Carmelo were on that team too but they were just starting out and no where near the superstars they are now. In addition we all were pretty arrogant and assumed winning the gold in basketball was our birthright or something so we really didn't take the basketball competition in the Olympics as seriously as we should so you had the players not even practing for the Olympics until two or three weeks before the games started. Since 2004 things are pretty different, players take being on the Olympic team seriously and for the most part players have had to play in international competition and play together for at least a couple of years before being selected for the Olympic team and even then a player has to try-out for the team and earn their spot. In addition although they still live apart from the Olympic village(I would think for security reasons) they are encouraged to interact with the other athletes representing USA and to attend their events.

Edited by bulldawgtownie, Aug 9, 2012 @ 12:57 PM.

[kenyaj]

All I have to say here is that Coach K rocks simply due to his meeting with the Judo Champion Kayla Harrison and how he was the one geeking out about getting to see a real gold medal. That story and his insistence on her begin featured on center court pretty much cemented Coach K being just awesome.

Aw, I missed that. I've been so inspired by Kayla, so I love that Coach K gave her that recognition. I went to Duke and have so many amazing memories of Coach's interaction with the students, so I loved him already, but this puts my love over the top. Hope he and the team have a fantastic day tomorrow.

How cute was the celebration by the French team today? I loved them saluting the crowd and being so joyous about their first ever medal. They did themselves and their country proud. And, of course, congrats to Team USA. There's really nothing left to be said about their dominance, but I bow down to them, especially Candace Parker. I hope Pat Summit is sitting somewhere right now, smiling her ass off.

[stafford]

Now that's a way to celebrate a gold. No pandering or obnoxious corporate T-shirts. USA women rock.

[CPP83]

Now that's a way to celebrate a gold. No pandering or obnoxious corporate T-shirts. USA women rock

The way a true champion celebrates a win is to act as if they've been there before, and after five straight golds, I expected nothing but class from the ladies and that's what they gave. It was a great game, the French did as well as they could, but the US team has been untouchable for so long it's as if no one can stop them.

[bawarner]

I'm a big fan of USA women's basketball in general and the team in particular (not a fan of the guy's team because I still am disgusted by the attitude exhibited by the bronze team) but I saw something from them today that I really didn't like. They were up by 30 with 4:00 or so to go in the game and they were still going full out. I'm not suggesting that they should start tanking in that situation or anything but at that point there's simply no need to be pressing or running the fast break full out. I would have much rather have seen them just play some solid D and run the shot clock down a bit before shooting. Since I hate Geno I'm just going to go ahead and assign the blame for this to him:)

I also didn't like the whole 6 UConn players on a team of 12 thing either. Bird, Taurasi, and Moore were no-brainers of course but the others being chosen were suspect to me. I get they did it because there wasn't much practice time and the UConn players know Geno's system but I still didn't like it. I'm hoping for a different Coach, *cough* Dawn Staley *cough*, in Rio.

But all of that aside, I'm amazed at Team USA and what they did. Five straight team gold medals and 41 wins in a row! Wow!

[whyistherumgone]

So proud of and happy for the US women's team. 5 straight is quite the accomplishment.

I'm pulling hard for the men's team tomorrow (er...today, London time...whatever). I'm not a huge fan of some of the members of the team, by any means, but I adore Coach K. And I want him to win it again in his last go-round.

And because it cannot be mentioned enough, behold the insane/mystifying/magnificent transformation that Kevin Love underwent in about a year's time prior to the last NBA season: Seriously...what?

[Haveahabit]

Hell, yeah. From yuck to yum.

[SophiaD]

Congratulations to Seattle Storm's Sue Bird (and former Storm player, Swin Cash) and the whole USA team on their gold medal.

We were well-represented on the medal stand - Belinda Snell, Suzy Batkovic, Lauren Jackson (of course!) and Edwige Lawson-Wade all played for the Storm at some point.

Ann Meyers has the female equivalent of a bromance with, or, at least, a major crush on Diana Taurasi. She's a great player, don't get me wrong, but the way AM carried on, it was as if she was the only player on the floor.

[kenyaj]

That was a really good game, but it could have been a great game, if the refs hadn't tried to make it all about themselves, with all those ticky-tack calls against both teams. In any event, congrats to Spain for giving us hell. Special props to Pau Gasol; it was really nice to see how much respect all the players and Coach K showed him after the game.

I love this team -- how unselfish they are, how much joy they have in playing for their country, and how they've conducted themselves. After all their business-like reactions to the end of each game, it was great to see them finally celebrate today. And I especially love all the players' celebrations with Coach K, especially LeBron's. Thanks guys. Best recruiting tool ever! (Go Duke!).

[superpole2000]

My favourite thing about Olympic basketball: Much faster games! Fewer timeouts really helps the game flow, even with all of those fouls in the gold medal game.

My least favourite thing about Olympic basketball: The shorter three point line.

[skeeter22]

All the ridiculous fouls made that game torture to watch. I suppose the refs did keep the game close, but I'd rather watch a fast lopsided game than one that keeps sputtering to a stop.

[Cynic]

I don't normally watch basketball, so I was surprised how much I enjoyed this game and I was really happy that it wasn't a blowout. Also, can I just point out how adorable the hug between Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant was?

[getawayjordan]

Great game, but ditto on the refs and their ticky-tack foul calling. Also, I didn't like Spain taking intentional fouls to keep USA from ramping up the tempo. I guess they called that good strategy, but I say take that sissy style of play back to Spain (along with your silver medals). Boo!

Coach K almost blew the game at the end by pulling the starters too early. I understand the desire to get everyone in the game, but that was a bad call by the coach. No excuse. I sat there screaming at the TV while the USA players celebrated on the sidelines when the game was still somewhat undecided. If team USA had lost in the last 35 seconds, they would have run coach K out of town on a rail.

Team USA needed a stronger front line. No disrespect to Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, et al (they did an admirable job in the paint) but USA's lack of size almost bit them in the butt against Spain. Their biggs (Pau and Mark Gasol plus Serge Ibaka) came dangerously close to stealing the game. If not for the consistently strong play of Lebron James, combined with timely shooting by Durant, Kobe, Chris Paul et al, it could have been an entirely different outcome.

I don't care for the international game, in general. The goal tending rules are woefully outdated and the officiating is laughably bad. What passes for a flagrant foul in International play would barely qualify as a regular foul in the NBA.

Team USA(s) gets hated on for running up the score but I have no problem with them beating up on international teams without mercy - such as the way they destroyed Nigeria. Everyone hates the NBA players (though they all want to be in the NBA) and want to see them lose. The international community uses the American players to improve their game and up their profiles while secretly despising them for being so dominant and praying for the day when the hated Americans are finally crushed. If a gold medal game were ever really close at the end I have no doubt that the entire international officiating staff (refs, timekeepers, scorekeepers, statisticians, et al) would all conspire to take Team USA down (a la 1972) and think nothing of it.

[angelita100]

Great game, but ditto on the refs and their ticky-tack foul calling. Also, I didn't like Spain taking intentional fouls to keep USA from ramping up the tempo. I guess they called that good strategy, but I say take that sissy style of play back to Spain (along with your silver medals). Boo!

That is a normal strategy in the NBA as well. And the NBA players are some of the most popular at the games.

I do agree about the front line but also they need to play defense and to stop believing other teams are just honored to be on the floor with them. They come to play as well. And if they go to Stern's desire for players 23 and under they will get their hat handed to them.

Glad they won gold. Love Pau and Kobe! Looking forward to seeing Pau play his natural position next season.

[Last Time Lord]

The Men's basketball medal ceremony was the only medal ceremony of these Olympics I've gotten a chance to see.

I swear they were playing the Chariots Of Fire theme during the ceremony. It was an interesting choice if that is in fact what was playing.

[AimingforYoko]

They've been playing COF during every medal ceremony.

[getawayjordan]

I do agree about the front line but also they need to play defense and to stop believing other teams are just honored to be on the floor with them. They come to play as well. And if they go to Stern's desire for players 23 and under they will get their hat handed to them.

I don't know. The embarassment of 2004 probably cured Team USA of the idea that the international teams can't compete with them. Many of the teams like Nigeria are still not up to snuff, but teams like Spain, Argentina, et al, are no joke and everybody knows it. IMO USA's defense was pretty good throughout the tournament and it helped to spark many of their offensive runs that put several opponents away. The ticky-tack fouls (arrghh!!) made it difficult for either team to mount and sustain any kind of real defensive intensity and I really think it hurt the game overall. Many of the better players got into foul trouble and had to sit for extended periods, or were forced to play tentatively for fear of hearing that dreaded whistle blow if they happened to breathe too hard on an opposing player.

That [fouling opposing players to prevent runs] is a normal strategy in the NBA as well. And the NBA players are some of the most popular at the games.

Not so sure about this being normal in the NBA. International teams may use it to great affect on squads that are deep in talent and can afford to lose a few players to foul trouble. Teams in the NBA that use this tactic on a regular basis to slow down quicker teams would end up losing key players to foul trouble and would also pay at the free throw line. Ultimately (IMO) the fans would become disinterested in that brand of basketball as they have become accustomed to watching the players display a very high level of athleticism. No disrespect to the ladies, but we only need to look as far as the WNBA and it's relative lack of fan support for evidence of how a slower, less athletic game would hurt the league at the ticket window.

On that note, I have one more International game pet peeve. I really hate how flopping is such an integral part of the International game. Flopping? Really? That is so.....last millenium. But as one announcer said, they flop because that kind of behaviour is rewarded in the international game. Are they looking for a best foreign film nomination? That's just one more reason for me to dislike basketball as it is played across the pond......

Edited by getawayjordan, Aug 12, 2012 @ 6:33 PM.

[Last Time Lord]

They've been playing COF during every medal ceremony.

It felt out of place, to me, being used for Basketball.

It being used for a non race event in general, actually. The race events at least have something to do with the movie it comes from.

But, like I said, this was the first ceremony I actually got to see.