http://espn.go.com/espn3/player?id=32257 A test to see how we do against a good Lithuanian team with Kleiza
jesus christ those are vuvuzelas are obnoxiously annoying. I hate the kind of idiots that bring those to a basketball game for crying out loud. I don't mind them when there's 50,000 of them in an open field.....but I do mind them when there's a couple dozen in a small, echoing arena.
Thats what happens when you try to mash players together in a short amount of time that for most of them never played with one another. Even the Lebron, Kobe Wade team had their bumps and bruises before they became a team. It would shock me if they even get to the final game.
Check out these magical stats: "The U.S. labored through a poor first period, hitting 3 of 21 from the field and making six turnovers" Holy molly guacamole, not even last years Nets had that bad a quarter. It's funny, lots of people had no problem anointing USA shoe-ins before this game...how could a team with so many NBA stars lose to teams with 1 or 2 NBA players? It's impossible!
Who are you talking about? I don't remember many (if any) making Team USA a "shoe-in" to win the Worlds. Most people doubt this 2nd rate squad that was just recently thrown together. They will do well to medal, and I thought that before today.
Looking through the roster: -5 PGs, 2 Bigs -Eric Gordon made it? Wasn't he the 3rd or 4th best player on THE CLIPPERS? I hope Colangelo isn't brought back this year. This is a joke of a roster. It is like his working for Canada now.
The question still stands because the post he was quoting is totally stupid and inaccurate. You ever heard of creating a straw man and then destroying him? For good reason, there are a boatload of people who think the Heat will do very well next season. There was never a consensus that this Team USA would be "shoe-ins" to take the gold in Turkey. Stating a falsehood and then proving it wrong is dumb. Quoting such a post in order to make a different point takes it to another level.
Wow, get rid of the intellectual facade please. Can you really not understand that he's trying to say everyone is making Miami the favorite solely because they put together three superstars and he's equating that with Team USA's situation, saying that it's not all about star power and they will face the same chemistry issues USA is struggling with. Gawd, even I could see that. Reading comprehension 101
False. People are making Miami the favorite because they were able to put together a decent roster around the big 3. Everybody is surprised, if not shocked, good their roster actually turned out. Read some of the threads as they signed player after player. There are weaknesses but I doubt many figured it would turn out this well. Morey supposedly argued to Chris Bosh they would only win 45 games. Of course there was some reaction when LeBron announced he was going to "South Beach", but upon reflection, there was a lot of doubt. There shouldn't be much doubt left that the Heat will be very very good. They won't face anything near the chemistry issues of Team USA. The significant point about this version of Team USA is they LACK star power and offensive talent. When you also consider they are playing a "foreign brand" of basketball (so to speak), the odds are against them. Look, I knew the very lazy point he was trying to make.
Well, we will see. I don't think Miami can be the favorites due to the fact that the Lakers are still the two-time defending champs (chemistry clearly there) AND they improved (strengthening their bench by adding Blake/Barnes/Ratlliff). And they have a major edge down low (Lakers are loaded with bigs and all Miami has is that vag, Bosh), they have a major edge on coaching (don't think anybody can argue that) and they have two NBA-caliber PGs (while the Heat have zero). Not to mention, nobody on the Heat can guard Kobe (while Artest/Kobe would put up a good fight against LBJ/Wade). Until Miami proves otherwise, they are "just another dream team." A collection of talent hoping to be able to beat real basketball teams.
I didn't even want to make this post, but I think I might as well just say something to clear the air. Thanks to Daeyeth and BleedRocketsRed for speaking on my behalf and interpreting my post the way I wanted it to be interpreted. Look, A_3PO, I greatly respect you as a poster and have found myself nearly always agreeing and appreciating what you post on the forums. I have no loss of love for the posts you have in this thread, but you're taking things a bit too seriously. I obviously made a simplistic post meant to just get a smile out of people while expressing my opinion that I have always viewed chemistry as being the fundamental (though people, including Morey, claim as overrated) aspect of basketball and drew a simple parallel between the USA team and the newly formed Miami team. Nothing more, nothing less. People are obviously free to disagree with me as you have done, and while it is indeed a "lazy" point made in large part with jest in mind, by no means was it something that I thought you would take offense to (though that's likely not the right word, as it's hard to gauge feelings from text alone). Miami has not proven anything and while they're a favorite to kick boot-ay, they still haven't accomplished anything. I made a prediction, or rather assumption, that they may have growing pains as well despite the sheer amount of bandwagoning that's going on for that team. In all likelihood they're going to shut me up a few games into the season. But like the USA team, which I DO think is INCREDIBLY talented but you seem to think differently, I thought they would have stretches or losses that can be blamed on everyone just not being certain what they should be doing on the court. The points you brought up about how the Miami team made an actual 1-8 rotation out of the 3 guys are obviously true and I completely MEANT that in my post, since they are all rather famous individuals (Mike Miller, Big Z, Eddie House, and a few others), but it still doesn't change the fact I made an implicit comment about their chemistry and never about their talent level. And of course the situations are very different situations. But I just took what I saw as a commonality between the two teams-- a lack of games and a lack of chemistry together as a unit-- made a tongue-in-cheek post, and that was that. I know you know what I meant, and from what I'm getting from you is that you're more upset that perhaps I'm perpetuating a falsehood, that being there are expectations that Team USA was going to crush foreign opposition when in fact that was not really the common opinion, while the Miami team will IN FACT crush other teams. Fair enough. I'm a bit uncertain about that, though. Team USA struggled. They're in their what, sixth practice together? Maybe third exhibition game? Of course they're probably going to look a bit frazzled out there. It doesn't change the fact that I want Team USA to wreck all the other countries because I love those guys. And at the same time, their lack of familiarity with one another on the same side of the court-- i.e. chemistry in some part-- could very well have been affecting their performance. No longer is it the days where we could slap together a team and crush everyone like we do in Olympics play (and with our failures in the Worlds and how much more seriously people in other countries take it), and especially not with the team we have right now. Certainly the odds are against us, with a foreign brand of basketball as you mentioned and importantly a team that is very young with little international experience. They need to grow, yes. But to question their "star power" and offensive power... in my mind what makes USA right now weak is their roster imbalance and lack of experience, not the amount of "put the ball in the hole" power they have. I believe with more competitions under their belt-- and people are hoping that this team is one that can stay together for the next Worlds so there's some consistency with our international teams-- they'll start playing up to the amount of talent they actually have. Maybe not their Worlds but the next. You can argue differently but that's how I see things. Regardless, let's try and get back to talking about our guys with the red white and blue, I think the Miami team shouldn't have even been brought into this conversation and I made a mistake by doing that.
tofu, compare this Team USA roster with 2006. THAT team had star power and just about everything else you could want. They lost. The current Team USA will probably lose also. They may not even medal. With their pathetic roster imbalance combined with lack of chemistry and zero experience playing under international rules and referees, it will be very tough against seasoned competition. Star power is about the only way they could reasonably expect to win gold in Turkey, and they don't even have that (as they did 4 years ago). You have to play the games, so anything can happen. I expect them to play much better going forward. France's team always has major chemistry issues just like Team USA, so that game had no effect on my opinion. Yesterday against Lithuania was very good for them to learn from. Overcoming the early jitters, deflecting passes, making steals, the physicality on the perimeter, getting fouled hard, etc should help humble this squad and make them appreciate each and every possession. They should be well aware the road is going to be tough and hard. People love to blast NBA officiating, but FIBA refs are so unpredictable it's a joke. These players have to realize this and just move on when things happen. I think you very much overestimate the amount of "put the ball in the hole power" of this squad. There is a reason some say KD will have to erupt for 30+ at least a couple of times for them to bring home the gold. Their lack of time together is why the offense is likely to struggle. On defense, hustle, effort and quickness can overcome a lot, though they have to be careful on PnRs and back door cuts. Plus, some guys on the squad aren't used to playing hard/smart defense. The bottom line is if Team USA doesn't knock down outside shots, they have no chance. Whether it's KD or someone else, they will have to punish defenses that pack it in. I've resigned myself to accepting that rebounding will be a big problem. I don't expect miracles. Lastly, the Celts hadn't proved anything either when Ray Allen and KD joined Paul Pierce in Boston. All they did was take the NBA by storm and win the championship. Eddie House is correct when he says the Heat's big 3 is like the Celts big 3 on steroids.
Not only that, but Miami will have spent more time playing/practicing with each other by mid-November then the totality of the entire existence of this team USA in the FIBA biennial all-star tourney.
