How the hell did this happen?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

United States - 73

Puerto Rico - 92

[RivetJoint]

1. That's what happens when

Streetball meets Basketball.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. World players play team ball

NBA is "Me" Ball.

[Ruffhowse]

3. Cocky, overpaid, prima donnas got owned!!!!

[GOPisEvil]

4. Two words: no defense

Two more words: lousy shooting

The bottom line is that we can't just show up and win these days. Our guys actually have to play as a team, and they aren't. It's time we stop taking a team made up of superstars and start making up a team just like we would to win in league play: some superstars, and some role players.

[RivetJoint]

5. Two words: no fundamentals

Can't shoot, pass, rebound, nor defend. We don't play basketball in the US anymore. John Wooden, where are you???

[Commendatori]

25. Two words: no desire

They didn't give a rat's ass. They're more concerned with avoiding injury and having a good time in Greece than they are about representing their country.

Since last July we beat that team five times, and look at this. I can't wait until that asshole Iverson derides the idea of practice again. I used to be all for sending in our pros and crushing people, but now I say leave these overpaid assholes home and send in the college kids. I'd rather lose with kids who want to be there than lose like this.

[Sporadicus]

6. PR Played Good Zone Defense & US Team Had No Good Outside Shooters

that's my assessment of what happened.

[terrya]

7. I find it sort of interesting that we were playing a territory of the US.

That seemed a bit strange to me.

[RivetJoint]

9. Yah, I noticed that Hong Kong has a team as well

I wonder how the IOC determines that kind of stuff.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

23. That is odd. Why Hong Kong and not say, Scotland or Catalonia?

Why not just have 'official' countries?

[matcom]

8. EGOS

period.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

10. Hasn't the NBA also got lax on the rules of bball?

I mean all the walking and stuff? They haven't had to play strict rules in a really long time. They suck now...and most if it is ego and divadom.
Duckie

[underpants]

11. Yes and the international game isn't like the NBA (an example)

See in the NBA the "point guard" walks the ball up the floor, waits for the isolation on one side, bounce passes to the low post, everyone stands around watching the "superstar" and the "match-up we are looking for", shuffle step-dribble-pumpfake-shuffle step-shoot-every runs toward the glass, whether they make it or not you ever gets the ball gives it to their "point guard" who walks it up the floor............

The international game is much different and the wider lane neutralizes the height advantage as it is designed to do.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

12. this is why i prefer college ball

infinately more entertaining

[mrboba1]

13. who the hell picked this team anyways?

Why is there no one that can shoot the ball?

When the Lakers couldn't win the championship with an all-star(or at least a former one) team, that should have set off some alarms.

You have to pick someone that can shoot the fuckin' ball!! Otherwise, don't even bother coming to an international event.

Good God!

[underpants]

14. A lot of the marquee players backed out

some blamed it on the long NBA season (the lockout shortening season a few years ago proved they really only need 50 regular season games) but in reality it was due to security reason/concerns....oh and not getting paid to play too.

[mrboba1]

15. surely they could still find someone that could shoot the ball

I mean they are professionals, right?

I'm going to look for Bill Simmons' (espn) articles, I bet he's said something about this already...

[mrboba1]

16. and so he did. Bill Simmons wrote this 2 weeks ago...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/040804

"We can't win," I told him. I felt like I was standing atop a stairwell screaming at Rocky Balboa.

"Wait, I thought we killed 'em?"

"We did. We can't win. We're not going to medal."

And so I told him what I watched. How we didn't learn the lessons from the World Championship Debacle two years ago. How we basically threw together another All-Star Team. How we ignored the three essentials for any successful international team ...

1. A pure point guard who can penetrate, create shots for teammates, make open threes and make good decisions in the open floor.

2. At least two pure shooters, ideally three.

3. Big guys who can bang down low, set picks, shoot threes and run the floor.


God, this guy knows his roundball...

[underpants]

18. Well if Iverson would break out of his cocoon and shoot

Hold it wait throwing it to AI is like throwing it out a window, it ain't coming back.

He was actually hitting fairly well until yesterday at least the is what Doug Collins said.

[Bertha Venation]

17. I'll probably take a helluva lot of shit for this.

I despise men's pro basketball. The egos, the salaries, the signing of high-school kids and scouts scouting grade-schoolers, and the fact that it has become a game of who can show up whom the best -- it's disgusting. Last game I watched was in the finals during the Lakers' recent string of championships (the year of the riot in L.A. when the Lakers won! -- wtf is wrong with people?! It's a game!). I didn't see any strategy, no real defense, and precious little finesse. It's all about who has the best shoes, who can jam with more aggression, and who can throw the most elbows and talk the most trash without fouling out. It's disgusting.

Make men's basketball competitive again: Raise the rim to 14', extend the court by another half-court length, and make it a third again as wide.

The NBA! Bleagh!

These team USA bball players in Athens came out of this rancid game. This game is all flash and ego, and no heart.* That's why they lost. And (now I'll really take shit) I hope that team USA doesn't even medal in men's bball.

* Maybe there's some heart somewhere in NBA teams. If so, it is buried beneath this shit.

[underpants]

19. Not ragging on you but raising the rim would benefit height

to a greater extent that it already is. Add to the fact that they literally would be playing a different game than everyone else (college too) who play on 10 foot racks.

[GOPisEvil]

21. I think the NBA should adopt the international rules.

It might help, and couldn't hurt.

[Bertha Venation]

26. In baseball, one doesn't see a wooden bat until one reaches the majors.

Maybe that's not quite analogous, but my point is there are a lot of differences between pro and amateur sports.

How about raising the men's game rim universally to 12' (including high school) and in pros to 16'? :)

[mrboba1]

20. NBA does suck now. But,

Make men's basketball competitive again: Raise the rim to 14', extend the court by another half-court length, and make it a third again as wide.

Actually, that would hurt the shooters even more - raising the rim. All they really need to do is adopt the large lane to neutralize the big man advantage. And enforce the travel call. And make them pass the ball (5 second call, anyone?)

[Bertha Venation]

27. Enforce the rules?!

BAH! If the refs enforce the rules, the thugs in the game will beat them to little bloody pulps every night. Seems that's another part of the problem. This one feeds on itself.

[redqueen]

22. I enjoyed watching them go down in defeat

The words most often repeated watching this game at my house: overpaid, ego, primadonna, boring.

But as long as people keep buying tickets & merch, nothing will change.

[mrboba1]

24. merchandising. yuck!

But as long as people keep buying tickets & merch, nothing will change.

And that's all they seem to care about at this point...
:(

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

28. My only regret about the loss is that my man Okafor was there

Greatest.Husky.Ever!

[DinahMoeHum]

29. In contrast, US women's team - deadly serious from day one. . .

I can still remember that in 1988, the US women's team wore T-shirts with the slogan "SOLE GOAL - SEOUL GOLD"

The US women's teams tend to be a lot more FOCUSED and TEAM-ORIENTED.

Even now, with the professional WNBA, the US women still play the game as a team.


:evilgrin: