FanNation - The Republic of Sport

As I watched that game, I seemed to see that this is a different Team USA. I don't I saw a 1-on-1 play the whole game.......Good blog.

Thanks, Denis and, you're right, most of their play was completely devoid of one-on-one isolation plays except in certain situations. At times, Coach K would call an iso for Kobe to back his man down and hit the fadeaway J. I also saw some instances with DWade as well where he was allowed to take his man.

Good blog. I have no TV at the moment so I couldn't watch the game but I really hope that the US do not take their opponents lightly because if they do then more failure is ahead.

Hey, and what happened to Tayshaun Prince? Did you see his numbers? 0 points, 0 FGA, 0 REB, 0 ****, and 1 PF. Did he even play then?

That was 0 Assists.......Sorry.

Thanks for reading, Hova, and you're exactly right. I'm almost thinking that a loss in one of the exhibitions would help them a little.

Oh, and Denis, Tayshaun played maybe 6 to 8 minutes (somewhere in that range) and was a non-factor, especially on the offensive end of the floor.

Are you saying that Canada wasn't a challenge? They had the great Levon Kendall!

Good Blog. Team USA looked very good. But I agree with you on the same problems that you saw

I don't like the showboating they were doing, but still, it's a great way to get some more momentum going into the Games...

Thanks for reading, guys. And yeah, that's what I was talking about when I mentioned Kobe laughing while he was going through his routine at the line. I did like LeBron's words with the Turkish center. It elevated his game and he played better after that little incident.

Keeper, they rebound pretty well but I still think they need to cut down on their opponents' offensive boards.

Pitt Panther, I'm sorry, but a team that you almost double up in scoring shouldn't be considered a challenge.

They keep winning, but at the same time. LeBron should stop with his gaurantee.

guarantee* sp.

Yeah, actually, before I edited this blog, I had a bit at the end about imagining what would happen if LeBron's guarantee proved false. I cut it out though because it didn't really fit with what I was saying.

Good blog. It's very interesting to me seeing American players used to NBA rules having to play in a much more aggressive international style of play. I agree with you about the lack of defense...but, very few of the players on the roster are used to having to play defense..it's just the nature of the game there are going to be some poor rotations..but it does need to be addressed.

Thanks, badgerfan, and yeah, it's not like they're going to have absolutely perfect defense, but an improvement is still needed. It was nice to see even Carmelo hustling back on D.

Nice analysis.

I'm going to predict, though: Team USA isn't going to win the gold in Beijing.

About Redd's shooting... he's the team's main perimeter shooter. If the guy has an off-night, things could get messy.

I am going to root for Team USA, but I just don't see it happening.

Either by lack of size or by lack of team chemistry (G.O.A.T.: you read these two arguments somewhere, hey? hehe) I don't see it happening.

Thanks for reading, Hyped. I agree that if Redd has an off night against a good team such as Spain or Argentina that USA may experience some trouble. However, I believe their DEPTH will be key in getting them through tough games. Watching the Turkey game, the Americans always had fresh legs and seemed to be never tired. Turkey, on the other hand, was struggling to keep up with the pace of the game. Granted, a more elite national team will be better conditioned and have more depth, but it's still a nice asset to the team.

And my size and chemistry arguments are a lot of basketball people's thoughts. It's an obvious observation if you know the game. haha

"Carmelo Anthony, arguably the best international player in the entire world as Fran Fraschilla said" LOL, on his best night, maybe. Otherwise he's just a top 10 player. Rating schemes for players is subjective, like art, so in this case if you have leanings one way or the other, that will cause you to select one player over another.