USA Basketball

[hitmansb]

I did watch the game....Lithuania is a decent team...and had a couple of shooters that were absolutely on fire...

That being said, the US missed far too many open shots. Their outside shooting has been terrible...it's hard to win basketball games when you aren't hitting many jump-shots...especially with the short 3.

[hitmansb]

Take a peek at the roster and stats for the 1992 Dream Team. The first thing that jumps out at you is that there were plenty of guys who could knock down long 2's and 3's.

[Keiser]

Team usa beats undefeated Spain. :)

ATHENS -- Greek customs must have finally cleared Team USA's box of perimeter shooting.




Nearly two weeks into an Olympics in which the Americans were far and away the worst 3-point shooting team of the 12 participants, Team USA hit 12 of its 22 attempts (55 percent) from 3-point range Thursday, sparking a 102-94 quarterfinal victory against previously unbeaten Spain.

The Americans (4-2) advanced to Friday's semifinals with the victory, while Spain (5-1), the winner of Group A, will play for seventh place.

The most dangerous American Thursday was one who had been all but invisible so far in Olympic play, Stephon Marbury. Not only did the New York Knicks guard make six of his nine attempts from 3-point range, but he was 10-for-15 from the field overall on his way to a Team USA single-game record 31 points. Charles Barkley (1992) and Adrian Dantley (1976) held the previous mark of 30 points in a game.

It was quite a turnaround for Marbury, who was just 2-for-16 (12.5 percent) on 3-pointers in the Olympic tournament prior to Thursday. Overall, Marbury was shooting just 20 percent (6-for-30), and was averaging only 4.2 points per game.

U.S. 102, Spain 94
Marbury heats up
Coaches square off
Game Images
Basketball section front

He said a call to Knicks general manager Isaiah Thomas earlier this week helped spark the revolution in his game.

"Isaiah just told me to attack and draw my gun first," Marbury said. "Just go out and embarrass people. I haven't been playing like I play in the states. Tonight was the first game I've just gone out and played."

And boy, did the Americans need it.

Team USA star Tim Duncan played just more than four minutes in the first half, a result of drawing two fouls early on. With Duncan on the bench, Spain, as expected, turned to 2002-03 NBA Rookie of the Year Pau Gasol. The 7-foot Spaniard responded in a big way, taking advantage of Duncan's absence to score 19 of his team-high 29 points in the first half.

That's where Marbury's newfound accuracy came in quite handy. He scored seven points in the first quarter and 10 in the first half to help the Americans counter Gasol's dominance.

He and fellow starting guard Allen Iverson became even more important in the second half, with Duncan still in foul trouble. Though Duncan was on the floor for much of the last two quarters, he played most of the fourth quarter with four fouls, clearly limiting his defensive aggressiveness.

But whatever the Spaniards got inside because of Duncan's cautiousness, Marbury and Iverson got back on the other end. The two combined for 18 points in the third quarter alone (11 for Marbury, seven for Iverson), and Iverson's jumper with 2:05 left in the third gave the Americans the lead for good.

Iverson finished with 16 points, going a more modest 3-for-8 on 3-pointers. All three were big, however, one of them turning a three-point lead into a six-point advantage early in the fourth.

Carlos Boozer also scored 12 points off the bench, connecting on five of his eight shots.

The Olympic spirit seemed to depart at the conclusion of the game when Spain coach Mario Pesquera took exception to a timeout by Team USA in the final minutes and refused to shake American coach Larry Brown's hand. Pesquera confronted the game's officials, and afterward, had a discussion with Team USA assistant Gregg Popovich. As Popovich tried to make peace with Pesquera, Brown joined the discussion, and things got heated between the two bench bosses.

Popovich said later the Americans certainly weren't trying to show up the Spaniards, and that by international rules, Team USA had requested the timeout several moments before it was awarded.

"Timeouts are different in the NBA than they are here," Popovich said. "In the NBA you call them immediately. In Europe you have to put in for a timeout. We had already put in for a timeout before that moment. We wanted the timeout because we had just lost the ball on the press. We wanted to set our press offense, and the timeout was already there. When there was a dead ball, we asked to take it off. We said we didn't want it now because so much time had gone by, but they blew the whistle and the timeout came.

"It wasn't intentional. Nobody is trying to embarrass anybody."

Team USA will meet the winner of Thursday's Argentina/Greece matchup in a semifinal Friday.

[miamibluntz]

Many stars were invited to play, but they were too busy on their off season to join their countrys olympic team. They were concerned that they might be blown up. These guys are escorted by some bad muthafukers holding assault rifles and have snipers overlooking the area before they set foot anywhere. Bunch of pussys.

[beefcake]

Originally posted by Keiser
Team usa beats undefeated Spain. :)

Finally, the last of the americans in the olympics to get their shit together. Hopefully it lasts though.

[jmac2222]

Originally posted by hitmansb
Take a peek at the roster and stats for the 1992 Dream Team. The first thing that jumps out at you is that there were plenty of guys who could knock down long 2's and 3's.

THis almost makes me cry when I look at this roster and think about the jerk-offs we have playing in the NBA now. I blame the shoe companies and the referees for turning the pro game into a farce.

The shoe companies for pouring so much money into "superstars" that these guys forget about the team. Look at this roster. Most these guys came into the league before the "shoe deal" was 90% of your income.

The referees dont call traveling or charges anymore. Part of the thing that was really great about a Dr J dunk was that it didnt happen all the time. When refs are calling charges and traveling it's hard to gorilla dunk the ball. WHich is what made it so magical when it happened. Now this all these guys ever do, and it's all they have to do because the league commissioners think this is all the fans want to see.

We are now starting to see where this is all taking US basketball. When the game is called the way it is supposed to, and played with a team concept we suddenly notice that we are not as good as we used to be.

Question: If team USA loses, can the winner of the NBA Finals still call themselves the World Champions?

[hitmansb]

They lost to Argentina....best they can do now is a bronze. Damn, these guys just couldn't get it together to play as a team.

[Tinfish]

unbelievable

http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/basketba...v=ap&type=lgns

[bonebreaker]

OVERPAID, UNDERTALENTED FUCKING JERKS!! THEY SHOULD BE SO ASHAMED AND NEVER BE SEEN IN PUBLIC AGAIN--ASHOLES. BB

[FX4]

Originally posted by bonebreaker
OVERPAID, UNDERTALENTED FUCKING JERKS!! THEY SHOULD BE SO ASHAMED AND NEVER BE SEEN IN PUBLIC AGAIN--ASHOLES. BB

Tell me about it....if their game was as big as their fuckin egos we wouldn't have just got the shit beat out of us :cursin: ....poor Tim Duncan, who is really a team player

[beefcake]

I guess it would suck to say you belong to the first US olympic b-ball team to not bring home gold in over a decade. :(

[Keiser]

This sucks, they let me down.

That being said, I think they played hard and as a team towards the last few games, but the other teams are getting better from what I can see. Props to Argentina and Manu Ginoblii.

[jmac2222]

Again, I'm not mad at this team.

I hate Kevin Garnett, Shaq, Kobe, McGrady, Kidd and any other spineless fuck who wouldnt play for thier country

[Keiser]

Originally posted by jmac2222
Again, I'm not mad at this team.

I hate Kevin Garnett, Shaq, Kobe, McGrady, Kidd and any other spineless fuck who wouldnt play for thier country

I agree. We didn't send our best over there. Here is a good article with Iverson ripping the no shows:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5851082/

[hitmansb]

Props to Allen Iverson. The guy is blood and guts....I think he was a hockey player in a previous lifetime.