Team USA v. Team Oz!!

[MrChristo]

31-21 down at 1/4 time guys!!

Now I know the perils of commenting on a game before the end as well as anyone, but I thought I'd take the opp when I could!!!

USA playing very poor defense (no great surprise) and the Boomers (Aus) are hitting the open 3's.

A.I. is terrible!!...Jefferson too scared to shoot it. Duncan constantly doubled...Marrion bad aswell.

btw, what's with this Dwayne Wade Jr. all of a sudden?

Go Oz!!!! :drinky

 

[MrChristo]

Aus 51-47 @ HT.

Terrible interior D from USA. Heal and Bruton hit easy driving lay-ups 4 possessions in a row.

USA relying HUGELY on fast break points....Although A.I. hit a couple of late 3's.

Good game.

 

[MrChristo]

Big last 1/4 by Team USA.

Oz jump shots weren't falling with tired legs and the US athleticism really took over late in the game.
Lack of BIG guys really hurt Australia.
Still hard to see you guys beating a lot of the European teams who play good team defense, shoot jumpers well and have 1-2 7 footers to clog up the lane.

89-79 final....Good game to watch.

 

[dawgball]

Our representation is a complete joke. I can't believe we can not field a better team than we have. The level of basketball around the world is catching up quickly to us, and we are not responding. I blame the people who assembled the team as much as anyone. There is not one shooter on our entire roster, and it has been a huge exposure in every game.

I am under the impression that most of these teams play together more often than the US players do, but there is no excuse for the level of mediocrity we have come to in this sport.

I hope this shakes things up in this country when it come to this sport. I am one of the few US soccer fans, and I can not wait until we can play at the level of the Euro and major S American countries. This is how the other countries feel about basketball with us except we can not convince our best players to show. It is a truly pathetic (maybe accurate) showing of our lack of national pride when it comes to international sporting competition.

Your Aussies deserved that game more than we did. You are correct, though. You were a big man away from leaving the court victorious.

 

[Mjolnir]

the world gets to see just how spoiled our athletes are. what a disgrace. they should have found some college athletes who actually give a shit about our country. asswipes like iverson should stay home.

 

[GM]

The level of basketball around the world is catching up quickly to us

Newsflash - That sentence should be in past-tense. They've caught up. It's time for the US to do the catching up now.

 

[dr. freeze]

this is not "us"

the guy paddling to last place busting his ass in a rowboat is "us",the guy doing his best against the Kenyans in the marathon wearing USA is "us", etc.etc.......

this team is again not "us"

 

[mcity]

excellent dr. freeze!!! No written words have more truth than what you just stated!! I'll never consider them "us" and I'm actually hoping they get as many a$$ kickings as possible before the games end!! :yup

 

[dawgball]

GM-- sorry, but our BEST versus anyone else's best is not a comparison quite yet. It is getting close, but it hasn't happened yet.

 

[GM]

Ok. But 20 years ago the US sent nothing but college kids to the games, and they wiped the floor with everyone. Now NBA players are losing. You shouldn't need Garnett, Shaq, Kobe etc to win these games. Just a few players with heart...and some shooting touch wouldn't hurt either.

 

[dawgball]

You are right, GM. The rest of the world is now playing in the same league, but I don't think they are on the same playing field just quite yet.

 

[Irish]

Do you really think these guys are the best or are they the most recognizable. if this team hit shots with some regularity, played team defense and passed, do you really think we would be beating Aus by 10?

A lot is being said about how the worlds game is catching up, but really is the world catching up or are we slowing down? Have the lack of fundamentals allowed the gap between US and foreign basketball become bridged?

 

[MrChristo]

Have the lack of fundamentals allowed the gap between US and foreign basketball become bridged?

:iagree:

I don't think it's so much that the world is 'improving', or you guys are going backwards as such....It's just such a different game. (Style anyway!)

As dawgball says,there isn't one shooter on the team....but how many quality mid-range shooters are there in the NBA?...The style of the NBA dictates that you don't shoot the 15 foot jumper. You kick it out for 3, drive to the hoop, or get it down low to a 1-1 (even that seems to be going out of favour!)...
...and even on that point, the international rules allow a proper zone so opp teams can park a big man or 2 in the key and make you guys hit jumpers.

We've all said it 100 times, but the NBA is more now about looking spectacular. Players would rather hit a big 3...land a big dunk, or put on 4 or 5 moves to beat someone 1-1, than just hit the 2 points and get back down the other end.