Is Team USA, basketball, not that good anymore?

maveric

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:36 PM
Original message

Is Team USA, basketball, not that good anymore?

They lost to Puerto Rico earlier and they are now losing to Lithuania.
So much for players from the NBA.

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:40 PM
Response to Original message

1. NBA Basketball Is An Awful Thing To Watch...

These multi-millionaires really don't know how to play the game. The can't shoot, won't pass, won't guard and won't be coached. Other than that everything's fine. ;(

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Cobia

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:40 PM
Response to Original message

2. A lot of Lithuanian players play in the NBA

Losing to Puerto Rico though was inexcusable.

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calico1

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:56 PM
Response to Reply #2

10. Actually...

in Puerto Rico basketball is extremely popular and there are a lot of good local players. Its not as though its some freak thing for them to have won. They love the sport there! Although I am surprised the US lost by so much. Aside from the blowout by PR, the US has had a number of close games in recent international competition. While I don't think this is the best team the US has had, I do think the US continues to be good of course. But the thing is that basketball is becoming increasingly popular in other countries too. I think the days of absolute dominance are probably close to being over for the US, if not already.

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mark414

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:41 PM
Response to Original message

3. not really

i think the rest of the world is just catching up.

but i still remember the original dream team for '92...some of the greatest players to ever play the game. that was probably the single greatest team in the history of the game. jordan, bird, magic, barkley, stockton and malone, etc. etc. etc.

http://www.nba.com/history/dreamT_moments.html

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King of New Orleans

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:43 PM
Response to Original message

4. They are a badly constructed team

emphasis on the word team too. International basketball has different rules from the NBA and outside shooting is more important. This team isn't a very good shooting team. Also, athleticism can only substitute so much for teamwork and this team is strictly trying to get by on athleticism.

If the NBA champion Pistons could go as a team, they'd crush everyone (even though they aren't a particularly good outside shooting team either) because they are a team--again emphasis on the word team.

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Cobia

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:45 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. Where was the 3 point ace?

Outside of Iverson they didn't have a good 3 point shooter.

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Mojambo

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:52 PM
Response to Reply #6

8. Ray Allen was to be that guy

Edited on Sat Aug-21-04 03:54 PM by Mojambo

But I think he's getting married over the summer so he bowed out.

But it's kind of irrelevent anyway because most of the guys on that team should be able to hit threes from the shorter 3 line anyway.

They lack heart. Plain and simple.

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lapfog_1

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:44 PM
Response to Original message

5. They are not a team, and don't want to play as a team.

They wanted a quick trip to Athens, collect a gold medal, and
fly home (likely on private jets). They have no love of the
Olympics or, possibly, the game of basketball.

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Alenne

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:51 PM
Response to Original message

7. The problem is people are comparing them to the Dream Team

The majority of these guys are not even the best on their team. The Dream Team members were the best in the NBA. Everybody was expecting second rate players to go to Athens and play like Michael Jordan.

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Cobia

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Sat Aug-21-04 04:06 PM
Response to Reply #7

11. Come on

Richard Jefferson and Allen Iverson are talented enough.

The prob with this team is they didn't play like a team.

And the rest of the world is getting better.

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Alenne

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Sat Aug-21-04 04:12 PM
Response to Reply #11

12. Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan are

but Richard Jefferson is not the best on his team. There are way better players in the NBA then half of the team. The other players just didn't want to go to Athens. No Shaquille, Kobe, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace. A team like that would have been the equivalent of the Dream Team. Most of the players aren't even All-Stars. If we want to beat the best in the world we need the best in the NBA. We don't have that because the best didn't want to go to Athens.

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maveric

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Sat Aug-21-04 03:55 PM
Response to Original message

9. Final Lithuania 94 USA 90

They've lost twice now.

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