We're watching the USA game LIVE - spoilers be damned

[VF21]

And an incredible thank you to Jerry Colangelo and Coach K!!!!

 

[Packt]

Of all the medals I wanted us to win, this one was it. Congrats to Team USA.

 

[Variant]

I'm glad Spain put up a fight, made it a much more exciting game to watch. And thank goodness Kobe was on the team for that 4th quarter.

 

[Mad D]

I'm glad Spain put up a fight, made it a much more exciting game to watch.

Same here, fun game to watch. Wade made big plays tonight too. Rudy Fernandez is NBA ready, nice pickup for the Blazers.

 

[AleksandarN]

GO KOBE!!!

Can I quote you in my signature

 

[6th]

Can I quote you in my signature

Hehehe! Yeah, but you better remove it when training camp starts.

 

[Rockmeister]

What an exciting game. Congrats to Team USA. Oh, I'm now WIDE awake.

 

[VF21]

Can I quote you in my signature

You sure can. I've mentioned it elsewhere, but I think Kobe Bryant found his love of basketball in China. And watching him truly love the game he was playing was enough to give me chills. I am proud of him - and the rest of TEAM USA.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Post-mortem: D-Wade saves USA in first half after Lebron and Kobe sit much of it in foul trouble. Spain stays in the game with their execution, shooting, and tough inside play. In second half, Navaro, Fernandez continue sizzling shooting with Pau and his bro dealing on the inside. Kobe heats up late and the rest is history. Great Olympic gold metal game ending USA 8 year long drought in international basketball competition.

 

[VF21]

What won the game at the end was heart and belief in each other. They put their bank accounts in a closet with their egos and they played TEAM.

 

[Variant]

what if calderon were playing?

They would have lost by 37?

Seriously though, Spain is a very talented team. It's essentially an NBA team out there, and of course they're going to be able to make adjustments from game to game.

I'm pretty sure USA wins a best of 7 series against them 4-0 though, even if there is a nailbiter or two in there.

My conclusion: While the world is definitely improving, USA is definitely still way ahead in the talent dept (especially in the quantity area). And the US program has taken huge strides in being able to actually put together a cohesive team out of that large pool of talent; something they were clearly behind on.

It'll be interesting to see who is worked onto the team for the next rotation of international competitions... and will the same quality and intensity still be there?

 

[bozzwell]

I'm really glad I stayed up for this one. Good game, good basketball. Team USA played really well in stretches, I never doubted that they'll win it in the end. Spain did surprise me though, I did not expect them to be able to come so close. Especially Fernandez, he looked like he belongs out there with NBA stars (dang, another very talented youngster heading to Portland).

US player wearing number 10 garnered some sympathy from me tonight. I'll go sleep it off now before it festers too long.

Great win.

 

[6th]

Time for the medals. This is what I've been waiting for.

An aside: I went to Center Court early Sat morning to watch the US Women win their gold. Ruthie Bolton was there. She let me put her gold medal from the Sydney games around my neck (while she was wearing the Atlanta games medal). MBF took our picture.

 

[Kajun]

Congrats to all team USA supporters here, I thought they were focused throughout the tournament, and they played well when it mattered. Excellent team play, and Wade was probably their MVP. He was amazing in the first half (21 pts I believe). I guess he was the freshest after having been out for quite a period.

Spain surprised me today by keeping it so close (2 point difference at one point late in the game). Pau missed some crucial free throws and FGs, and merely okay, but Rudy was awesome. Those threes and that dunk over Howard, wow! Can't say from one game that he'll be succesful in the NBA (see Jasikevicius), but definitely one to watch.

As far as I'm concerned one of the most entertaining basketball matches in international competition. Loved every minute of it.

 

[BritishColumbia]

Congrats to all team USA supporters here, I thought they were focused throughout the tournament, and they played well when it mattered. Excellent team play, and Wade was probably their MVP. He was amazing in the first half (21 pts I believe). I guess he was the freshest after having been out for quite a period.

Spain surprised me today by keeping it so close (2 point difference at one point late in the game). Pau missed some crucial free throws and FGs, and merely okay, but Rudy was awesome. Those threes and that dunk over Howard, wow! Can't say from one game that he'll be succesful in the NBA (see Jasikevicius), but definitely one to watch.

As far as I'm concerned one of the most entertaining basketball matches in international competition. Loved every minute of it.

Rudy is not Sarunas .... he is very fast and athletic ... it changes everything

 

[PurpleHaze]

I must say, I watched a helluva lot of Olympic 2008 basketball (and not just Team USA games) and here's my all tournament team.

Luis Scola - Argentina
Kobe Bryant - USA
Dwayne Wade - USA
Pau Gasol - Spain
Rudy Fernandez - Spain

 

[Kajun]

Rudy is not Sarunas .... he is very fast and athletic ... it changes everything

Oh, I didn't mean to imply they are players with comparable skills, just that performing well in international competition or in the Euroleague does not guarantee success in the NBA.

You need the right mentality to adapt quickly, and that little bit of luck. There are several euro players who haven't quite lived up to the expectation in the NBA; at least, based on their skillsets.

 

[Variant]

Yep, who knows. Can't tell from one international game how someone will do in the NBA. Carlos Arroyo tore it up a few years back in Athens, and although he's not a bad player in the NBA, he's nothing special either.

Time will tell, but it certainly gives PDX fans reason to be optimistic!

 

[PurpleHaze]

There are several euro players who haven't quite lived up to the expectation in the NBA; at least, based on their skillsets.

I agree, but since Drazen Petrovich became the first Euro player to excel in NBA back in the 1980's the league has gone from barely 10% int'l players a decade ago to now something like 30% and rising.

Spain's Juan Carlos Navarro is an example of a Euro player who never quite excelled at the NBA level compared to his legendary exploits in Europe. He recently decided to return and play professionally back home. I don't think it was as much about "not making it in the NBA" as signing for LOTS more money in Europe. BTW, he played rather poorly in Beijing until tonights final game for the gold. He couldn't seem to miss that patented little floater of his slicing into the lane all night long.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Congratulations to team USA. It was a great final. Spain almost had it in their grasp but ultimately didn't have enough to get past the Americans. The Redeem Team can really stiffle their opponents with their depth and athleticism. All the same, it was great to see Spain almost out-play USA. Really shows how much basketball has grown which is only a good thing.

I'm not sure USA will ever be knocked off their perch. They're probably always going to be more athletic (I won't go into it but it's obvious why) and being able to out-run and out-jump your opponent is always going to give you a big advantage as team USA showed this morning.

Great job, USA!

 

[KingsFan93]

Congrats to the US Team and Respects to España!

 

[PurpleHaze]

I'm not sure USA will ever be knocked off their perch. They're probably always going to be more athletic (I won't go into it but it's obvious why) and being able to out-run and out-jump your opponent is always going to give you a big advantage as team USA showed this morning.

This so-called superior athletic USA team has repeatedly been "knocked off their perch" over the past 8 years in world basketball competition. Bronze metal last Athens Olympics in which some USA team members said they were embarrassed and did not want to wear such a low class 3rd place metal around their necks. Totally humiliating 6th place finish in World Championship, etc.

Look how excited Argentina and Spain were to receive their metals last night. Argentina had won gold four years ago but were beaming, singing, as they proudly accepted bronze this time. Spain the reining basketball world champion had just been defeated in a tough game in which gold seemed within their reach and instead of whining was joyful, respectful, and excited to accept their first Olympic basketball metal of any kind in 24 years.

I was glad to see this USA "redeem team" give proper respect to the other competitors and especially Spain who was not intimidated for one second in the championship game by Kobe, Lebron and company. Now, if they can just make sure Coach K is around for next Olympics in London maybe they'll be favored again - more athletic or not.

 

[Dime Dropper]

This so-called superior athletic USA team has repeatedly been "knocked off their perch" over the past 8 years in world basketball competition. Bronze metal last Athens Olympics in which some USA team members said they were embarrassed and did not want to wear such a low class 3rd place metal around their necks. Totally humiliating 6th place finish in World Championship, etc.

Look how excited Argentina and Spain were to receive their metals last night. Argentina had won gold four years ago but were beaming, singing, as they proudly accepted bronze this time. Spain the reining basketball world champion had just been defeated in a tough game in which gold seemed within their reach and instead of whining was joyful, respectful, and excited to accept their first Olympic basketball metal of any kind in 24 years.

I was glad to see this USA "redeem team" give proper respect to the other competitors and especially Spain who was not intimidated for one second in the championship game by Kobe, Lebron and company. Now, if they can just make sure Coach K is around for next Olympics in London maybe they'll be favored again - more athletic or not.

I'm confused - are you agreeing or disagreeing with me? Or simply adding something?

Either way, I didn't mean it in a bad way towards the US. It's quite clear they're far superior athletically to any other team in the world and I can't see that changing anytime soon. Basketball-wise, I think other countries have started to catch up and some are already there, eg. Spain.

Undoubtedly USA will not dominate as much as they've done in the past, and I'm sure they'll go on to lose a tournament/olympics within the next decade, my point is I still think they'll be consistently the best for a long time.

As far as LeBron and co. not being happy with anything but Gold - I guess it's understandable since expectations are so high. But I would have liked to see them respect other countries more - at least this year they seemed to have done just that. I think it's slightly disrespectful to be-little Silver or Bronze but then again it's all about perspective.

None of the above is aimed at this USA team because they did what they needed to do - win the Gold.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Dime my friend, you appear to put too much faith in just being a great athlete. Yes, it means something, can mean a lot, but it's not the be all end all in TEAM SPORTS.

I've played basketball all my life and seen extremely athletic teams at all levels, high school, college and pro get their collective arse's handed to them numerous times by less athletic teams. That's why discipline, playing together and good coaching are just as important as being a great athlete. Angola had one of the most athletic teams in Beijing and they went nowhere. I guess Angola would disagree since just qualifying for the tournament is a huge accomplishment on the world stage. The idea that USA has some gigantic advantage by having all these superior athletes in the 21st century seems well... outdated. Russia won the basketball European championship over Spain this past year with an African-American point guard who hit the winning buzzer shot. Obviously, many Olympic teams can draw athletes from all continents besides their home turf - another reason any supposed USA athletic monopoly is history.

When I was in high school and college I was considered a very good athlete on my teams. Kind of a young Brent Barry type at around 6'4-6'5. I was surrounded by a lot of top athletes (some going on to play in NBA or Europe professionally) who were somewhat better jumpers, somewhat quicker than me - but not by huge margins. I made up for whatever small missing parts I lacked by working extremely hard in practice and just being a b-ball junky 24-7. I also could shoot better from the field and free throw line than 80%-90% of those so-called better athletes around me and was never intimidated by the competition. Several of my coaches told me because of my skill, athleticism, work ethic and attitude my upside was whatever I wanted it to be. As I got further along in college I decided to make hitting the books hard much a priority than bouncing a round ball endlessly - so I'll never know if I would have ended up a true Brent Barry-like clone.

If I had to single out one thing that made me MOST successful as I grew on the basketball court from about the 10th grade in H.S. it was coaching. When I had superior coaching I flourished. When I lacked good coaches, or ended up on the wrong page in some system not maximizing my talents, I suffered some set backs.

I think this USA Redeem Team, as great as they were, as athletic as all get out, might very well have lost this final game against Spain if Coach K was not steady and solid at the helm.

 

[Variant]

Yep, Team USA is definitely still not infallible. Even the NBA champion can lose a game or two in a first round best of 7 series right? Team USA can have an off night and their opponent could have a great game... a team can learn a lot from an initial match (see the 37 point drubbing) and make strategic changes that can go a long way in a rematch. The same could be said if there were a third game from Team USA's perspective. The talent gap is still obvious, but not wide enough to make for up variances in the game-to-game "intangibles" department.

In addition, I think there is still room for improvement in the "team" area (playing as a cohesive unit). I think Spain clearly played together as a better team; Team USA has obviously improved much in that area from the last go-around, but still relied on their superior raw talent and athleticism much of the time. Conclusion: there's still a lot of room for improvement.

I'm not sure if there will be however. Will the next team have the same focus and determination now that the gold is back in US hands? Maybe they'll need to go through some adversity as well. There definitely needs to be some overlap and congruity in the personnel department. We don't want to just rotate out this group completely. Keep some continuity in the coaching department, and certainly we need to see back some of the players as well who have become familiar with the FIBA game and can help new players to the program get it figured out.

I have no doubt that Team USA will continue to be the overall top ranked international team. I don't think any other country out there consistently puts out a team that wins nearly all its games -- each country has ups and downs in their program whereas we're expected to be THE best team (by far) every time around. I expect there to be losses from time to time, but definitely an increasing large and lop-sided number in the W column.

 

[Variant]

I think this USA Redeem Team, as great as they were, as athletic as all get out, might very well have lost this final game against Spain if Coach K was not steady and solid at the helm.

I was glad to see him liberally making use of time outs throughout the game to make corrections. And the value of big-moment experience of players like Kobe and Wade can't be understated either. They performed down the stretch and Spain imploded in the end somewhat.

I would love to see a third game between these teams for. I'm sure the coaching staff would love to work on some sort of scheme to defend all those curls a little better. They certainly never figured it out in-game to Spain's credit!

 

[bajaden]

Gold medal.

I don't know if this belongs in this particular fourm, but I just wanted to thank the USA men's basketball team for bring the gold back to where it belongs. I also want to give the Spanish team a round of applause for playing their hearts out and making the gold medal game one to remember for a long time.

Prop's to Kobe for doing what he always does at the end of a game. And to Rudy Fernandez for scaring the daylights out of me and the rest of the country. Small Props to Ricky Rubio for playing pretty darn well in the biggest game of his life.

No prop's go to NBC, for showing the game in the wee small hours of the morning.

 

[JerN820]

Also, props to these guys off of the court. They were good embassadors for the game. They proved that you can get great athletes together and put egos aside. I have gained more respect for some of those guy during these Olympics (hard to say, but especialy Kobe). Much better on and off of the court than back in the '04 games. The gratitude, honor, and respect they have shown to other teams and the fans over there should make us all proud.

 

[VF21]

I don't know if this belongs in this particular fourm, but I just wanted to thank the USA men's basketball team for bring the gold back to where it belongs. I also want to give the Spanish team a round of applause for playing their hearts out and making the gold medal game one to remember for a long time.

Prop's to Kobe for doing what he always does at the end of a game. And to Rudy Fernandez for scaring the daylights out of me and the rest of the country. Small Props to Ricky Rubio for playing pretty darn well in the biggest game of his life.

No prop's go to NBC, for showing the game in the wee small hours of the morning.

While I agree wholeheartedly with your first two paragraphs, I vehemently DISAGREE with your last comment ... at least for this gold medal game.

It was shown LIVE all across America. NBC didn't schedule the timing of the gold medal round.

 

[Warhawk]

While I agree wholeheartedly with your first two paragraphs, I vehemently DISAGREE with your last comment ... at least for this gold medal game.

It was shown LIVE all across America. NBC didn't schedule the timing of the gold medal round.

Agreed. It's the one time they did it right.