Burzhui

US loses to Greece in the semi-finals of the World basketball championships
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...mGw&refer=home

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DarkFury

Yup... it's a shame that you didn't post this in the Entertainment Forum.

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Burzhui

i don't find it entertaining, i find it sad

guiseppewv

So true, it is very sad and not very entertaining or sporting.

GraingerGuy

Well....on the bright side (for me and Gear02)....V Span, one of the players on Greece, did well. He's going to be on the Rockets' roster next year.

But yeah....I was disapointed when I found out that the US lost...yet again.

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nickel

i was reading a discussion board about this game and one guy came to the conclusion that the USA is losing it's edge in competitive basketball because we are all about superstars and not being team players. he claims the team from Greece played together more as a whole team unit than the USA team did.

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ray

Coach K has a couple years to get these guys to play more like a team, but the biggest problem the US faced in their last 2 games was their horrid shooting from beyond the arc. While a good portion of these NBA players like to go straight to the hoop, many of the international players are all about shooting from the outside. The NBA game is a physical game. The international game is all about finesse.

bachviet

The US didn't play D against the pick-n-roll thus Greece made most of its shots starting in the 2nd quarter. The defense failed the US but if the offense could offer a little more help especially from the free throw line, the US walked away with a W.

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DarkFury

Heh... that being said, then maybe we should send members of the WBNA to go and embarrass those other World teams... they are about "finesse".


On a side note, having a U.S. Team of a few major and minor "superstars" from the NBA who don't normally team together (and gel as a team) doesn't really make for a good national team. They make for a good "pickup" team but in the end, they are still more or less a bunch of individuals. Many foriegn countries have national teams that have been together for years and are definitely a "team". I believe a few years ago, someone mentioned that maybe the USA should send over the reigning Championship team to play... and see if the World team can beat them.

BTW... one of the biggest problems I have with World Basketball is... What gave them the right to change the dimensions of the basketball court? Why is the lane bigger? Basketball was created HERE, so why isn't the court the same as here? The dimensions of a soccer field didn't change when it became a "world game" did it?

But then again, those dayuum Canadians did change the size of the football field as well... at least the World League didn't. (I think ... or did they?)

MikeD

Basketball in the US today is mostly about flashy, hot-shot, individual performance; the team game has taken a back seat. For example, the playgrounds today have just as many kids looking up to the And 1 Tour guys as they do players who work within the team concept, such as the Pistons. Unfortunately for the US, the team game normally wins in the end, hence us getting our asses handed to us consistenly in the Worlds.

BTW, the team that shot the ball (especially from 3 point range) won. Not the team that had the best athletes and threw down the most highlight-worthy dunks.

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Showtime

Not at all surprised, in fact I was kind of expecting to read this today. I was up late switching channels between this and a poker tourney and I kept thinking the US could lose to this team. I don't think I saw team USA make one open 3 pointer. Team USA would look dominant for stretches, but Greece would go on a nice run. By dominant I mean that Carmelo, etc. would go and do their thing while the other stood around. If they did pass to a wide open wade, etc. for a jumper or a 3, it wouldn't go down.

My other take is this... Who cares? We invented BB, why should we play by their sissay international rules. **** international play, come play NBA style and even the Clippers would whup any international squad every time.

Anyways that's that I will get back to much more important sports in the Los Angeles area.

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Maarchk

Thats part of why i was sad that they dropped Bruce Bowen. I dont like him and i think hes a little dirty... But in worlds, its much more full contact and 3 pt shooting. Two things he does excpetionally well. I think he would have helped make the difference. i hope they pick up michael Redd or someone for the big tourneys like the olympics... They dumped both adam morrison and jj redick.. two good shooters and they hope to play one on one against a zone.. not a good plan.

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Showtime

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...mGw&refer=home

``There is no greater success in the history of Greek basketball,'' George Orfanos, the country's deputy minister for sports, said in a statement received by e-mail. ``The national team showed it is so strong that it made the unbeatable Americans bow to them in respect today.''

Ha ha! Now we are getting clowned by Greeks everywhere.

MikeD

Well, if we're so good then we should be able to beat them playing with "their" rules. Also, the entire world plays by those rules...maybe we should bend a little and play by them too.

Bottom line: we got beat, again, by the team game. Don't look for it to end anytime soon, either.

InfiniteNothing

What are the main rule diferences besides dimensions?

Yossarian

only major one i can think of is no goaltending.

and i watch the thrid quarter of the game, the us and NO d against the pick-and-roll, i've seen better d played in pick up games.

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MikeD

3 point line is closer than NBA and the lane isn't rectangular...

Freelance Superhero

i agree. i dont think the rule and dimension differences are so great that it should make THAT much difference in the game. yes, it has some impact, but not enough for anyone to say, "yeah, if they played by NBA rules, even the clippers would whoop em." come on now, let's be realistic.

as someone already pointed out, these international teams have been together and practiced together much longer than the US teams have. the US team is very much just a thrown-together bunch of stars and semi-stars who, in my opinion, think the same way Showtime does, which inevitably leads to their defeat. "we're invincible... oh wait... oh sh*t, we just lost..." it's one part arrogance, one part lack of team cohesion.

on a side note, i can't stand grandstanding ballhog players, and while i think streetball is entertaining, i can't stand what it's doing to playground basketball everywhere. if i want to play a decent game, i've got to bring between 5 and 9 buddies, because there ain't NO WAY i'm playing pickup with a bunch of teenagers who won't pass the ball and spend more time trying to dribble fancy than look for an open man. that sh*t pisses me off, especially because i'm an asian guy, so they automatically think i'm terrible. bah...

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bachviet

Also no illegal defense, i.e. zone instead of man-2-man D

g1984

That is not shame or suprising either.

People keep forgetting that international players have caught up with the Americans. Team USA is never going to dominate the game as it did back in the Dream Team era. We still have the best players and coaches. And Team USA is still fairly young. I can tell you that we did a whole lot better than the '04 Olympics. The team chemistry and dynamics were greatly improved. I still have mad love for Team USA.