Team USA blasted in upset of Olympic proportions

[quaoar]

http://cbs.sportsline.com/olympics/story/7579951

ATHENS, Greece -- In an upset as historic as it was inevitable, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and the rest of the U.S. basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico on Sunday, only the third Olympic defeat ever for the Americans.

It was also the most lopsided loss in the games for the U.S. team, alarming not only for its significance but also for its decisiveness.


Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan sit stunned as Puerto Rico pulls away in the first half.(AP)
Puerto Rico, which had lost to the Americans five times in the past 13 months, took control in the first half, led by 22 at halftime and gamely held off a fourth-quarter comeback for one of the biggest sports achievements in the island territory's history.

The loss was a blow to the Americans' confidence, but it did little to hurt their gold medal chances. They need only to finish in the top four of their six-team group to reach the quarterfinals.

[IndianaGreen]

1. Screw the NBA Dream Team

It is great that Puerto Rico won a great victory!

Viva Puerto Rico!

[0rion]

10. I thought Puerto Rico was already part of the US?

It's a US Territory, anyways......I didn't know we competed against other US territories.....is there a Guam Olympic team?

[ilovenicepeople]

31. We're all US territories nowadays

"You're either with US or against US"

[Zomby Woof]

47. it's more than a territory

It's desiginated as a commonwealth, kind of like a 'Territory First Class' (my terminology). A netherworld between a territory (like Guam) and a state.

If there will ever be a 51st state, it would be Puerto Rico, even before D.C. would ever become one.

[ronnykmarshall]

66. Guam does have a team as well.

[KamaAina]

70. Why didn't Hawai'i (T.H.) have its own team?

Duke Kahanamoku won gold medals (plural) in swimming, officially for the U.S., decades before statehood.

Come to think of it, the Republic of Hawai'i could have entered a team in the inaugural Athens Games of 1896; this was after the overthrow of the monarchy (backed by U.S. Marines) but before actual annexation by the U.S.

Edit: If you've been here, the surfer statue at Waikiki Beach (the one that's usually covered with leis) is of Duke Kahanamoku.

[shadu]

14. Viva Puerto Rico!

(Ooo what a disgrace in the face for the US.)

[Snoggera]

19. It's not the Dream Team anymore

Most of the big names did not wish to participate in the Olympics. No one knew they would be this bad, but no one considered them a Dream Team either.

That said, the best team won, and I am happy for Puerto Rico.

[Drifter]

61. I stopped watching the Olympics ...

when the US decided to put our Pros in.

I have never been so embarrased to hear about our Pros beating non-Pro teams by 2X.

I would rather root for an underdog team that has a 99.99% chance of loosing, than a bunch Pros who are expected to win everytime.

It warms my heart to hear that these cry-baby millionaires got their asses handed to them by the Puerto Rico team.

I have a biased opinion. I HATE basketball. 1 Simple reason.

Any sport that has a common (end of game) strategy that includes committing a foul against the opposing team, is hardly a sport.

Cheers
Drifter

[Endangered Specie]

2. I almost never pull for the U.S., and If I did, the last team I would pull

for is the Dream Team, I am SO happy they lost, its been a long time coming.

[quaoar]

3. I, too, am tired

of watching overpaid prima donnas who have to be begged to represent their country mail in a half-ass performance. Send them home so they can go back to whining about how unappreciated they are because they only make $20 milion a year.

[IndianaGreen]

4. You nailed it on the head!

I think that is why I detest the Dream Team, they are spoiled rich morons.

[The Blue Knight]

5. Celebrating the loss of a USA team? Come on guys, you're better than that.

I watched the game, and it pissed me off, I'm by no means happy tthey lost. Hopefully these guys will get their heads out of their asses and get some pride.

[Cocoa]

9. it's also a victory for the Puerto Ricans

is there a rule about how people have to react to the outcome of any of these games?

[thebigidea]

18. why the hell does it matter who wins or loses?

and how does rooting for the US team "better"?

[Chico Man]

24. I like to root for the US in the olympics since I happen to live here

That is usually a good reason for most, but if you'd like to root for any other team or the team that happens to be competing against the US, by all mean do it. This is still a free country.

[Bullshot]

28. This isn't about national patriotism,

(cripe, are we stooping to the levels of the freepers?) Some of the members of this team (i.e. Iverson) are little more than spoiled prima donnas. I want the team representing my country to be good citizens as well as good athletes, not some punk, spouse-abusing brat who sires children in 30 states.

When Italy handed it to them in an exhibition game a couple of weeks ago, the sports pundits said this would be Team USA's wakeup call. So, what happened next? It took a half-court shot at the buzzer to beat an outmanned Germany team. So much for wakeup calls.

Puerto Rico beat them in every facet of the game today. They were never seriously threatened. Team USA looked disorganized. No team concept. Whoever brought the ball upcourt usually took the shot, often from long-range, where their shooting percentage was abysmal. The sports commentators said that Puerto Rico wasn't even considered a contender for a medal. So, what faces Team USA when they're up against the formidable opponents?

[IndianaGreen]

38. How many Puerto Ricans are buried at Arlington?

Or is it that their language, culture, and skin color makes them less Americans than the rest in the continental USA?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

40. Seems to be more like animosity towards NBA prima donnas

I don't see people here rooting for Michael Phelps to lose.

[info being]

64. Yeah, I mean *WE'RE NUMBER ONE*

At least you'd think so watching those motherf*ckers enter the stadium during opening cerimony. Watching those punks lose gives me great satisfaction.

[richabk]

6. Speaking of which....

I know the US didn't make the Olympics in baseball, but are there any MLB players who play for the US Olympic team? If not, is it the same reason why NBA stars don't or is it because it's in the middle of the baseball season?

[Kellanved]

8. The Greek Team has many Greek-Americans

I think several MLB players among them.

[nonbelief]

37. The Greeks scouted for them.

in the 4 years before the games, Greek officials visited Australia to try to convince Greek-Australian athletes with dual citizenship to compete for Greece rather than Australia. Alot of money was offered.

No doubt they did that on a much bigger scale in the USA

[newyawker99]

17. Hi richabk!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Columbia]

33. Olympics are in the middle of the MLB season

[mama]

52. The U.S. baseball team was eliminated

in the preliminary rounds months ago. I don't know if there were any professionals on the team, but the were competing against teams from central americaan countries who produce excellent players. I think the "prima donna" attitude isn't as common in baseball. Most of the players work their way up to the majors, instead of being granted gazillionairehood as a teen.

[lazarus]

29. Sheesh

Not one of these players had to be begged to be on the team.

The prima donnas are Shaq, Garnett, Kobe, et al., who AREN'T there playing.

[quaoar]

7. I'd much rather watch

A team of college players who were thrilled to be representing their country giving it everything they had, than a pack of crybaby professionals. Maybe next time we should just send whatever team won the national championship that year.

[tkmorris]

12. Pre-Dream Team

We used to do that, or rather something similar. The Olympic team was comprised of college players, sort of an NCAA all-star team. There were even stories of players manipulating their college eligibility so they could still be eligible for the Olympic team rather than get to the NBA as soon as possible.

Then the Olympic comittee changed the rules to allow some professional athletes to compete and the spirit of the Games was lost forever.

[Chico Man]

25. Its tough for sports like basketball..

to be represented by the olympics. We have the NBA. Who needs olympic basketball?

Track and field, on the other hand, is obviously a different story. Same goes for swimming, diving, gymnastics, etc.

Basketball players dream of playing in the NBA. Runners dream of being in the olympics.

The olympics should simply drop the sports represented by corporate billion dollar sporting industries.

[shanti]

35. exactly!

that's who i want to see too - no pros - it taints them....and us. how are things like this changed regarding olympic rules and such? do you know?

[realcountrymusic]

48. What happened to "amateur" sports?

I tried to watch some of the olympics today. What a pukefest. A bunch of professional athletes with endorsement contracts, completely mismatched events, ridiculously verbose and unknowledgeable commentary, and commercials and gauzy biopics every five minutes. Every four years I remember why I dislike the entire thing. But I do root for the underdog countries in every event. Or in this case, the underdog "territory." I saw a few minutes of the USA/PR game on highlights, and as a one-time serious fan, I saw a mismatch -- PR was the much better team. What a delightful turn of events. I may cruise through El Barrio (I live in Harlem, so it's a few blocks away) to take the pulse of the community reaction tomorrow.

I'm rooting for Bolivia, Cameroon, Kenya, and Iceland. I cannot abide by the jingoistic coverage NBC is providing. It reminds me of the way the "news" channels cover politics, with their allegiance determined by marketing concerns and plain for all to see. It removes all the joy of sports. It makes me embarassed (even more embarassed) to be an American.

RCM

[osaMABUSh]

11. F' the Dream Team - all the talent in the world and can't beat

Puerto Rico? I shed no tears.

At least, will be spared the obnoxious USA! USA! USA! chant in a sport we should dominate.

[Toots]

13. Well we didn't put up any real star players

Most of our players are just kids fresh out of college with a year or two in the NBA. The only two with any real experience are Iverson and Duncan and they sure can't win by themselves. They have not played together for any length of time so aren't really a team and half the players they played against were NBA players as well. I am sad they lost but I'm sure they will stage a comeback and put forth a little better effort. I am hoping they win whether you people here are or not.:shrug:

[TankLV]

15. bush* IS a uniter, not a divider!

Anyone who still harbours the illusion that the rest of the world is not working mighty hard to rub our noses in our lies and corruption represented by the bush* misadminstration, however unfortunate for our children who represent us in these particular games, will never learn.

I am NOT cheering for the USA this time around.

The morgue-lie atmosphere of these games is singularly striking.

Refreshing not to see all those rude American citizens acting like they own the place they we typically see.

[paulk]

27. Bush is responsible for the poor performance of the US

basketball team?

:shrug:


that's a stretch.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[paulk]

42. Is a personal attack really the best you can do?

I would wager that the reason Puerto Rico (which is a Commonwealth of the US, whose chief of state is the President of the United States, BTW), defeated the American team had little to do with their overarching hatred of the Americans and a lot to do with the American inability to hit the jump shot and break Puerto Rico's zone defense.

[montana_hazeleyes]

16. I was up late so I slept late

so missed the game. Question- how did Iverson do? I can't imagine him not giving his all in any game.

[Uzybone]

67. Iverson and Duncan were the only bright spots

Team USA cant shoot, cant get the ball inside and cant defend. It was a poorly picked group of (mostly) showboats.

[Chico Man]

20. They should have ditched the idea after 92

How could any team be called "dreamy" after this cast?



Charles Barkley
Larry Bird
Clyde Drexler
Patrick Ewing
Earvin Johnson
Michael Jordan
Christian Laettner
Karl Malone
Chris Mullin
Scottie Pippen
David Robinson
John Stockton

[chenGOD]

53. What name strikes you as incongruous in that list (from the 92 team)

Charles Barkley
Larry Bird
Clyde Drexler
Patrick Ewing
Earvin Johnson
Michael Jordan
Christian Laettner
Karl Malone
Chris Mullin
Scottie Pippen
David Robinson
John Stockton


lol-I know he was happy to be there and all but....

[fishwax]

62. He was the token college player

And he sure does stand out on that list :)

Since that was the first time they used professionals, they also used one college student as a nod to tradition, I guess. A lot of people were upset that they didn't pick Shaq.

[0rganism]

21. If the team weren't a bunch of overpaid pros, I might give a shit

I remember when it used to be a bunch of really good amateur college players. That was kind of interesting.

[Snoggera]

22. If the idea behind the olympics is for the best athletes

those with the best skills to participate, what does it matter whether or not they are pro or amateur?

[Chico Man]

23. They may be the "best" athletes, but are they the "best" team?

Obviously not. Basketball is a team sport.

[0rganism]

26. Is that what the idea is? Really?

IIRC, the Olympics used to be an amateurs-only event, until the USA decided the eastern bloc countries were over-subsidizing their athletes' training and demanded to put pros in to compensate. It's never been the "best of the best", it's the "best of those who are willing to play on a national team".

Seems to me like it was always supposed to be about humanity pushing itself to new limits, and nations co-existing peacefully in a spirit of friendly athletic competition. Nations of the Mediterranean would put aside their differences for a short time, to throw metal frisbees around. But never mind all that humanitarian bullshit, let's blow up some Iraqi mosques while our $$20 million$$ contractors strut their stuff.

[realcountrymusic]

56. that was not the idea behind the olympicsfor most of the last century

the idea was the best *amateur* athletes, for good reasons; the Greek tradition referred to saw athletics as part of a well lived life, not its be all and end all.

rcm

[PATRICK]

30. Simple Solution

Make Puerto Rico a state just before the finals.

And if Iraq does well in soccer, annex them too.

[skippysmom]

32. I'd rather watch the women

now that's a Dream Team!

[tokenlib]

36. Good for Puerto Rico!

I stopped watching the USA Olympic basketball games when they let the NBA players in. No one team should be so dominant. It's boring. It was more exciting before the NBA professionals got involved.

We lost something special when the change took place.

[osaMABUSh]

39. OK, the USA lost - BFD. How about that Argentina game???

Now that was a great finish to a great BB game.

I've been to one Olympics (LA '84) and I didn't even go to a USA BB game. In fact I gave my BB tix away. I went to shooting, fencing, water polo, swimming, track and field, tennis (exhibition sport then), kayaking, women's volleyball, team handball, soccer, etc.

I enjoyed those events much more than any USA BB game. The Olympics are about athletes from all over the world competing in sometimes obscure but always interesting games. I thoroughly enjoyed every event and athlete I saw. Like today seeing a female weightlifter from Thailand win her country's first Gold Medal was totally awesome.

No matter what you hear or read going to the Olympics is a great experience. Not to see the how many medals the USA can win but to see people and athletes from all over the world giving it their all - win or lose.

[minkyboodle]

46. chuck says it best

[ChocolateSaltyBalls]

49. The Argentina game would have been a lot better if the player.....

who won it with less than a second on the clock wasn't a spoiled rotten NBA player.

I guess NBA players only suck if they are American....or Black.

Who knew?

[Zech Marquis]

41. excellent game Puerto Rico

:bounce: it's a HUGE shock, for the so called NBA Dream Team members (Ha!) to get absolutellt whipped like THIS, in fornt of the whole world no less. Maybe the AIs will see that practice is rather important afterall :evilgrin:

[geek tragedy]

43. There is one reason why the US lost:

THEY CAN'T SHOOT.

Seriously, when did hitting a simple jumpshot become impossible for NBA players. The NBA is all about driving to the hoop and posting up. In the international game you need guys who can knock down the J.

[notbush]

44. Tell me you're not sayin'

NBA players can't Bang the shit out of 3 pointers......
Do you watch the game, or do you only comment on it?

[geek tragedy]

55. They can hit shots from 23'6'', but

they can't stick the mid-range J.

Iverson is especially guilty of this, but the entire team is like that.

[Uzybone]

68. 3 for 24 from 3 point range

Geek Tragedy is 100% correct. They cant shoot.

[TahitiNut]

45. It should be "of Olympian proportions"

Since they're seeking to sound semi-literate and employ an adjective that means "large" or "huge" then 'Olympian' is the choice. 'Olympic' is only used in reference to the Olympiad (Olympic Games). For example, one would NEVER say 'the Olympic gods,' and would only say 'the Olympian gods' in making such an allusion.

---

O·lym·pi·an adj.

1. Greek Mythology. Of or relating to the greater gods and goddesses of the ancient Greek pantheon, whose abode was Mount Olympus.
2.
a. Majestic in manner.
b. Superior to mundane affairs.
c. Surpassing all others in scope and effect: Olympian efforts were mounted to keep the city from going bankrupt.
3. Of or relating to the Olympic games.
4. Of or relating to the region of Olympia in Greece or its inhabitants

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Olympian

[w4rma]

50. The smaller of our teams beat the larger one. (nt)

[rooboy]

51. Not a surprise considering it was really NBA players vs NBA players. n/t

[truthisfreedom]

54. it's bush. our olympians are psyched-out by the fact that US actions and

policies around the world are offending everyone and creating ridiculous levels of tension and hatred. would you want to represent bushco in a foreign country right now?

we aren't the "hate America first" crowd, like they like to paint us. we are the "bush is seriously screwing up everything for our country" crowd, and we're exactly right. bush goes, and everything starts coming up roses.

[Chovexani]

58. I agree but

You also have to consider that a lot of guys are in legal trouble atm too. Kobe Bryant being the most egregious example.

[Chovexani]

57. Why are people insisting on calling this sorry lot a dream team?

For fuck's sake, it's not, and anyone that knows even a little bit about the NBA would not be calling this squad a Dream Team. Let's look at the roster:

Allen Iverson - Decent player, but a little inconsistent
Stephon Marbury - Ditto--and this is coming from a Knicks fan
LeBron James - The only real star on this team besides Duncan, Iverson & Marbury
Dwayne Wade - Who?
Carmelo Anthony - Ditto
Carlos Boozer - Ditto
Richard Jefferson - Pompous prick who can perform when he wants to
Shawn Marion - Who?
Lamar Odom - Seriously, who?
Emeko Okafor - Um, okay
Amare Stoudamire - This guy is good. Lots of potential.
Tim Duncan - Good guy.

Coached by Larry Brown (a decent guy) and a bunch of people I've never heard of except Gregg Popovich (and I can't comment on his quality, I don't know him that well).

Now, let's compare this squad to the original Dream Team of the '92 Barcelona Games:

Charles Barkley - The man, the mouth, the legend
Larry Bird - One of the all time greats
Clyde Drexler - An oldie but goodie
Patrick Ewing - The Man. I still miss him, bad knees and all.
Magic Johnson - 'Nuff said
Michael Jordan - Michael. Fucking. Jordan. Okay? Okay.
Christian Laettner - Was good back in the day
Karl Malone - The Mailman, despite embarrasing present-day ring desperation w/ Lakers
Chris Mullin - Solid guy
Scottie Pippen - One of the best go-to guys of all time
David Robinson - The Admiral!
John Stockton - See Scottie Pippin

Coached by Chuck Daly, Asst. Lenny Wilkens, P.J. Carlesimo & Mike Krzyzewski

Okay, the latter? Is a Dream Team, people. I don't even want to count how many rings those guys have between them. Every last one of them is Hall of Fame material, including the coaches.

The former? A bunch of young, inexperienced rookies for the most part with a couple of decent team leaders. Almost none of them have any kind of experience playing internationally--except one guy that was on a similarly pitiful squad that managed to lose 3 times in the 2002 World Championships. That is a huge disadvantage right from the start, as they have never experienced playing in front of extremely hostile crowds and haven't dealt with the increased physicality of international hoops and the resultant ref calls. None of these guys have ever played together, like on a junior team, All-Star team or something. A couple actually can't stand each other (Jefferson and Marbury, as any NY basketball fan knows).

No one in the sports press, except maybe a couple of really pig-headed nationalists, has been expecting this team to obliterate the competition and cruise to a gold medal the way we have in past years. Just because you have a team comprised of professional players, does not mean you have a Dream Team. Fuck, the Clippers are a professional NBA team too, and they'd probably get their asses kicked by blindfolded midgets.

[TahitiNut]

59. "team"? (More like an odd collection of pituitary anomalies)

If you want to look at a "team," take another look at the 1980 Olympic hockey TEAM. The word 'team' means far more than dressing up and pretending.

[Pachamama]

60. It's the girl in Eagle, CO's fault-Kobe Bryant would have been there

....to save the day....<sarcasm off>...

But I bet that the "Kobe" supporters will find that to blame on her too, won't they? And surely Kobe's ego thinks he alone could have won every game at the Olympics?

[skippysmom]

63. Mark my words:

our best players will be in Beijing in 2008. The American Olympic folks won't stand for losing. After all, wasn't it our loss that led to the inclusion of NBA players -- so we could kick everyone's butt?

[ronnykmarshall]

65. Viva Puerto Rico!

and Viva HOTTIE Carlos Arroyo

[Barkley]

69. Where did PR's team members train?

[RivetJoint]

71. Probably in their home country...

the US! :-)

[SKKY]

72. If these clowns keep playing like...

...crap, I'd rather we go back to the old days of an all-star team of the best college players. That way, although we probably won't win the gold regularly, there's still the possibility of magic happening on the court. Either way, the team assembled now are garbage. Straight crap.