Men's Olympic Basketball Team Exhibition Games

[Troublemaker]

I have seen large portions of the first two exhibition games.

I'm not sure that we'll see K settle on a starting 5. If there was ever a time to push his sometimes-used philosophy of "this team has no starters" it is with this group. While there are some supernovas, like Durant, it is more a team of equals and it wouldn't surprise me to see him use different starting line-ups throughout the run.

I really doubt Coach would do that. I think he would view it as disrespectful and risky to not start his best lineup against the likes of France and Serbia in group play and then obviously the knockout opponents.

The team will come together like usual. He'll set a starting lineup at some point, he'll have about 3 key bench players and then 1-2 other guys who get minutes.

We could lose. Nothing's guaranteed, so coach like it.

[UrinalCake]

On another note, I saved the game on the DVR since it came on around midnight and I wasn't going to be up for the whole thing.

There are some very well-edited highlight videos on YouTube for all of the games. They show you almost every single bucket and good defensive play in about 15 minutes. Worth watching if you don't have time to see the full game replay.

[moonpie23]

kyrie irving is a steely-eyed missile man...

[Billy Dat]

I am a big fan of those two Chinese point guards, Guo Ailun and Zhao Jiwei...those dudes won me over these past two games with their slick handles and toughness.

Melo's 16 in the first 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter was fun. The bench guys were so into it they basically were 15 feet onto the court anticipating a made 3. When it missed, there were basically 15 players on the court and the US bench guys had to dive for the sidelines.

I am ready to stop playing China, too bad we play them in Game 1. Ready for some other exhibition opponents.

[moonpie23]

coach k chilling the usa team out over taunting and disrespecting the opponents..


even the big boys get a talkin to....

[JasonEvans]

coach k chilling the usa team out over taunting and disrespecting the opponents..

even the big boys get a talkin to...

Good for K!!

The players we are playing against are putting in tremendous effort despite knowing they have no chance against Team USA. My sons both play basketball for a small high school and we have been on the receiving end of more than a few brutal beat-downs (we play Wendell Carter's team and obviously we have no one who can hope to compete with him). Nothing is more frustrating than when a dominant opposing team disrespects you.

[BD80]

... Nothing is more frustrating than when a dominant opposing team disrespects you.

Maybe when an inferior team disrespects you, then beats you?

[moonpie23]

Maybe when an inferior team disrespects you, then beats you?

then, after they beat you, they get shown doing the "we just beat the superior team spank you dance" over and over on sports center...

[Billy Dat]

Team USA having fun on the plane
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/17...usa-sing-along

Not much to report from the Venezuela game save for us being unable to make a shot.

[duke4ever19]

Wonder if there's any olympic team fall-out for this . . . .

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...image-surfaces

The guy has quite the fixation with the 'ol nether regions.

Just a quick public service announcement to any and all people in the public eye: Sending picks of your privates is just not a good idea, especially if your intelligence quotient is in the vicinity of Draymond Green.

Draymond has compiled quite the rap sheet the last couple months:

1)Several in(un)tentional tech fouls for targeting aforementioned nether regions,
2)Suspension for a Finals game for said fouls,
3)Punching a guy at a bar and getting in legal trouble over it
4)sending pics of his junk to the world

Am I missing anything?

[NSDukeFan]

Wonder if there's any olympic team fall-out for this . . . .

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...image-surfaces

The guy has quite the fixation with the 'ol nether regions.

Just a quick public service announcement to any and all people in the public eye: Sending picks of your privates is just not a good idea, especially if your intelligence quotient is in the vicinity of Draymond Green.

Draymond has compiled quite the rap sheet the last couple months:

1)Several in(un)tentional tech fouls for targeting aforementioned nether regions,
2)Suspension for a Finals game for said fouls,
3)Punching a guy at a bar and getting in legal trouble over it
4)sending pics of his junk to the world

Am I missing anything?

Losing a title and changing the perception of your team from one of, if not the greatest NBA championship teams of all-time to one of the best teams to never win the championship, via 2.

[Troublemaker]

Bummer, no Kyrie tonight:

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine 23m23 minutes ago
Paul George (left calf) & Kyrie Irving (left thigh) are not expected to play tonight for Team USA against Nigeria in Houston, USA Basketball says

[Troublemaker]

Against Nigeria, USA had their second-highest scoring game (110 points) of the five exhibitions, which was nice to see, especially while missing Kyrie and Paul George from the game.

Box Score

The team shot 13-33 (39%) from three so hopefully the shooting is starting to round into form.

[Troublemaker]

The cumulative stats for all 5 games are here, in pdf form.

[gep]

I don't think I saw much of anything on the extent of the injuries to Kyrie and Paul. Any word?

[Troublemaker]

I don't think I saw much of anything on the extent of the injuries to Kyrie and Paul. Any word?

Nothing serious. In Coach K's postgame opening statement:

We kept Paul and Kyrie out. They’ll both be ready to play in the Olympics – nothing huge there. Kyrie got that illegal screen set on him, where it just hit him in the quad in the Venezuela game, and it’s better to give another day of rest.

[SilkyJ]

Nothing serious. In Coach K's postgame opening statement:

I'll tell you what's serious: as soon as they became available a week or two ago I ordered my Kyrie Team USA jersey, but it doesn't ship til AFTER the olympics. So now I have to root for team usa wearing my warriors Dunleavy jersey, which feels just a smidge less patriotic.

(BTW, I just looked and the Kyrie jersey is no longer available on NBA.com or the USAB.com websites so if you want one you better move quick. Looks like Lids and Dick's had some online...)

[Billy Dat]

As K exits the Olympic stage, I am not sure the wider world (who doesn't obsessively follow USA Basketball) understands what he and Colangelo have accomplished.

This piece, by a writer named Brandon Anderson, tries to make a straw man that the gap between the US and the rest of the world is shrinking
https://medium.com/@wheatonbrando/is...86c#.j557sgo6q

K, who seems to have a good rapport with the players, is being raked over the coals for asking them to calm down their celebratory antics a few games ago - or maybe this is just more K bashing by "The Ringer" which is picking up the mantle from Grantland (I like both places, but they have UNC sympathizers in key positions)
https://theringer.com/coach-k-let-te...aea#.w569ohpcs

Here's something I can't believe I am saying...I am actually starting to feel bad for Harrison Barnes as Brandon Anderson sticks it to him here:
https://thecauldron.si.com/is-harris...165#.j7xvko5ok

But, the Barnes stink adheres to K, according to the Ringer who puts them on the same couch as Mohammed, Jugdish, Sidney and Clayton
https://theringer.com/who-is-cliquin...963#.8t1elrmhw

[Furniture]

http://www.si.com/longform/big-inter...?xid=si_social

[budwom]

nice piece today by Fearless Leader on Lithuania's team...but someone needs to get DBR a new atlas...the population of Lithuania is more than ten
times that of Newark, NJ....many fine Duke fans in both locations, of course.