2008 Olympics Blog: Day 6
Submitted by Jon_Pastuszek on Fri, 08/15/2008 - 10:16am.
Not 24 hours after submitting an article stating why the United States was a flawed team, I was served a large platter of crow, cooked medium-rare.
Last night, fans all over the world were treated to an all-around outstanding performance by the United States in their game against Greece. Engaged in a pretty close match midway through the second quarter, the US put the game out of reach by creating a lot of turnovers, turning them into transition opportunities and converting those opportunities into easy buckets. Thrilling plays like this one.
The Americans played with focus and intensity for the entire night, and put on a defensive clinic on pressure man-to-man defense.
Big ups to Coach K. I’ve been very pessimistic and critical of the way he’s handled situations in the past and present, but he had a great defensive gameplan last night. The United States were active on defense, yet limited gambling and unabashed ball-hawking in favor of a more conservative scheme. The result was magnificent, as Team USA picked off passes and swiped ball handlers to the tune of 15 steals. The Greek guards were unable to start their sets, and their bigs were surrounded and harassed immediately once they caught the ball.
I really can’t emphasize how pleased I was with the defensive performance. Team USA pressured heavily on defense, yet remained conservative and under-control, clinging strongly to organized team-defense schemes. We knew going in that team defense was going to be a critical element to this team’s success. If the United States’ players maintain focus, and Coach K maintains this scheme, then this team is going to be awfully tough to beat.
Tomorrow, the US has another test against Spain. Spain is a better team that Greece and has the ability to give the United States problems.
I’m not a total believer yet, but last night greatly eased some of my concerns. Let’s flip the switch for a minute, for arguments sake, and discuss why the United States will win gold.
Why the United States will win gold:
Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James: Team USA has arguably the two best players on the planet on their squad, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. King James is an absolute monster on the FIBA court, pretty much doing anything he wants on either side of the ball. In particular, I’ve been in complete awe of his shotblocking. LBJ has had a number of tremendous rejections, and his presence alone has caused a number of missed layups by opposing guards.
Kobe Bryant is, well, Kobe Bryant. He’s the best offensive player on the planet, and his focus on individual defense in Beijing has also been of immense benefit. His competitiveness will not allow him to lose (unless, of course, the Boston Celtics somehow secede from the States to form their own international basketball team).
Finally, there’s Wade, who after a slew of injuries the last two seasons, looks like the 2006 Wade that single-handedly led Miami to an NBA Championship. He simply cannot be stopped when slashing to the rim, and his quick hands have nabbed him a team leading nine steals. His all-around package of athleticism, strength, quickness, defense, scoring and sheer determination makes him a nearly impossible matchup.
These players are arguably the tournament’s best three players, and all play on the same team. That is excellent news for the coaches, players and fans of Team USA.
On a side note… Let’s say LBJ takes $50 million to play in Greece for a year. Judging from his performances in FIBA basketball, what couldn’t he do statistically? Average a triple-double? Achieve a quadruple-double? Score 40 a night? None of that sounds far fetched to me.
Team Athleticism: The Americans are the fastest, most athletic squad in Beijing. With their huge edge in this department, Team USA can run up and down the court all day, forcing tempo and generally making the lives of their opponents miserable. We saw it against China, Angola, and most recently Greece, and we’ll see it again in future games.
Depth: There are 10 guys out of 12 on the roster that were either All-Stars this past season, or All-Stars in previous years. Against most opponents, the US’s top six or seven guys are all better than their opponents best player. Against some opponents, the number is even more. The US is the tournament’s deepest team 1-12, and when Coach K delves into his bench, there is hardly any drop off. Team USA plays an intense, unyielding style of defense. The Americans superior depth means that players can sub in and out freely, and players can remain fresh throughout an individual game and throughout the entire tournament. This is another huge advantage that the Americans enjoy.
Redemption and Vengeance: As the world witnessed in their thrashing of Greece, this team is out for revenge. “The Redeem Team” has been assembled to win the gold medal and put the USA back on top of the world’s pecking order. This team isn’t just out to beat teams, it’s out to systematically destroy them. This team is 100% committed to winning this thing for their country, and nothing is going to stop them from completing their goal.
Despite the performance, this tournament is far from won. The United States still have several tests in front of them, and I for one won’t be a total believer until I see the entire team standing upon the podium with gold draped around their necks.
Matchday 4 Preview:
Matchday 4 is an especially critical day in determining who will be advancing to the medalround. Here’s a quick preview of what to expect tomorrow.
Greece-Angola
After getting trounced by the United States on Thursdays, the Greeks will turn the tables by trouncing the winless Angolans. There’s really not much more to say here. Greece will go to 2-2, Angola to 0-4.
Russia – Australia
Both teams stand at a surprisingly disappointing 1-2 record, and this game becomes critical to both teams medal-round ambitions. The winner will go to 2-2, and the loser will basically be out of the quarterfinal equation.
These two teams have to feel a little shocked to be at this point, especially Russia. They were definitely expecting a better performance after winning the 2007 Eurobasket tournament. And as an up and coming basketball nation who gave Team USA a good scare in an exhibition game, Australia also has to feel frustrated. Group A is far from set, but this game will help to clear the muddled medal-round picture.
Croatia – Lithuania
With a win over Croatia, Lithuania can clinch first place in Group A. After getting off to a very promising 2-0 start, the Croatians fell rather convincingly to the Argentines in the final fixture of last night’s round of games. Croatia shot just 3/15 from the three-point line, and will need to improve if they are to stay with the extremely disciplined and talented Lithuanians.
This should be a largely perimeter-oriented game, so if you are a fan of the three-ball, make sure to tune into this one. Croatia may be coming back to Earth after getting off to a hot start, but can solidify themselves as a true medal contender if they win.
Iran – Argentina
Does anybody doubt Argentina now? Manu Ginobili and company smoked the previously unbeaten Croatians yesterday to get to 2-1. They will run their streak up to three games in a row over Iran, and I can guarantee nobody wants to play the Argentines in the medal-round if the Olympic champs are playing on this level. All of Argentina’s main guys are well now, including Andres Nocioni, who had 18 last night. Don’t sleep on this team, there is still plenty left in the tank for these Olympic veterans.
Germany – China
Many pre-Olympic prognosticators dubbed this match as the one that would determine who would clinch fourth place in Group A and advance to the quarterfinals. Those prognosticators were right. With Germany playing the United States and China playing Greece on Monday’s final round of matches, this looks like both team’s last chance to win a ballgame.
Both teams are set-up quite similarly. China’s trio of seven footers, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi are opposed by Germany’s own trio of seven footers, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Kaman, and Patrick Femmerling. Both teams have shaky guard play and both teams can get streaky from three.
I expect this game to be pretty tight the entire way. With their pride at stake, and their nation cheering them on, I predict that China comes out on top.
Spain – United States
The obvious choice for the game of the day, the two 3-0 teams will battle to determine who will clinch first place in Group B. Along with the US, Spain is one of the favorites to win gold in Beijing, and it’s with good reason. They are talented at every position, with the Gasol brothers up front and a deep backcourt led by Jose Calderon and Rudy Fernandez. The Gasol’s could potentially hurt the United States’ thin frontline, and it will be worth watching to see if the United States can limit the two.
ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan brings up a good point in his article:, writing that the United States has nothing to avenge when they play Spain. It’s true, Spain has never beaten the United States, and it will be interesting to see how Team USA responds to a team in whom it has no history with.
As always, keep an eye on Spain’s Ricky Rubio. This will the first time this tournament he will be defending elite point-guards. Some scouting reports seriously doubt his ability to guard on the next level due to his poor lateral quickness. Yet, others think that he makes up for that with his unbelievable defensive awareness and anticipation. Something has to give, and we’ll get a sneak peak at just how well he guard the likes of Jason Kidd, Chris Paul and Deron Williams.
Tomorrow should be a great day, and the Beijing blog will have a full report on all the games.
Aside from potential NBA prospects, there’s also a small group of players that will be playing actual NBA ball next year. Let’s take a look at how they’ve been playing this Olympics, and how they might do in their rookie season.
2008-2009 Incoming NBA Internationals
Marc Gasol (PF/C, Memphis): The 2007-2008 ACB player of the year will be joining his brother, Pau, in the NBA next year as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. Though the two brothers will be playing in the same league, Pau and Marc have very different body types and two very different talent levels.
While Pau is fluid and athletic, Marc is heavy, lumbering and slow. He’s not a terrific leaper, and his footspeed is pretty slow. Marc has a much bigger frame, and thus does things differently than Pau.
But, like his brother, Marc has good footwork, good hands, good touch and a nice arsenal of post-moves. But, he hasn’t showed much range on his jumpshot and he also hasn’t shown a great level of toughness this Olympics. On a Spain team loaded with scorers, Marc is not called upon to score, but rather eat up space in the middle and grab rebounds. In this respect, it’s a little tough to judge how much he will contribute offensively on the next level.
Still, I think Marc’s mechanical movements and slow, lurching style is going to hurt him in the NBA. Especially when you consider that Memphis’ young core of Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo are among the league’s most athletic, you really wonder where he is going to fit in. He’s a backup center at best who will be called upon to rebound and provide a bit of scoring. If that turns out to the case, Memphis traded Pau Gasol for a backup center, Javaris Crittenton, a first round pick (which Memphis turned into Darrell Arthur), and the artist formely known as Kwame Brown. Put your hands together for Chris Wallace, everyone!
Rudy Fernandez (G, Portland): Fernandez’s arrival in Portland has been highly anticipated ever since he was drafted 24th overall in 2007. He played last season in the ACB, and put up extremely good numbers. In Beijing, he’s also had great success, averaging 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Rudy has a varied offensive game, but he’s best when he’s catching the ball on the move, using his long strides to get to the rack. His excellent coordination and control of his body makes him a threat to slither in the lane when he sees any type of opening. He has NBA range on his three point shot, and possesses a nice step back jumper as well. Fernandez’s defense is quite suspect, and he will need to improve in that area. And his relatively poor vertical leap could make him a liability on the glass. However, he is reportedly a highly coachable player, and Nate McMillan could help him become a more driven defensive player.
Of all the incoming internationals, Fernandez is the most talented and the most ready to contribute right away. Portland’s backcourt is already pretty deep with Brandon Roy, Steve Blake, Martell Webster, and rookies Sergio Rodriguez and Jarryd Bayless. Still, Fernandez’s talent is too good to keep him on the bench, and he should be able to contribute meaningful minutes this season for the up and coming Trail Blazers.
Sun Yue (PG, LA Lakers): On August 9th, the day after the Opening Ceremonies, Sun signed a two-year contract with the defending Western Conference champions, the terms of which have not yet been disclosed.
In China, Sun is considered a very good shooter who possesses good ball handling skills and great creativity. He plays point for his CBA team, and is one of the better players in the league.
At 6-8, Sun is very tall for a guard, and has the potential to cause matchup problems. But, I question his ability to handle the rock. If you’re that tall, you either need to have a very low dribble, and/or a big frame to ward off smaller, pesky defenders. Sun does not have either of those attributes.
There has not yet been one successful Chinese guard in the NBA, so history is not on Sun’s size. But, Sun is a good situation in LA. Sun’s good shooting ability will fit in nicely with Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, while his questionable ball handling and decision making will be largely hidden. The Lakers’ backcourt rotation is pretty set with Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic and reigning MVP Kobe Bryant, so Sun will not be expected to contribute right away. But, he could turn out to be a nice role-player down the line if he takes his sweet shot across the Pacific and into the NBA.
That’s it for today. Be back with more tomorrow.
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Rudy Fernandez
What i raelly care is that