2012 Olympic Team

[juise]

Troubling US team escapes Spain in Barcelona friendly, 100-78. (http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/basketball/story/_/id/8196775/2012-london-olympics-carmelo-anthony-lebron-james-guide-us-spain-men-basketball-exhibition)

In related news, Coach K's team knows how to get into the passing lanes.

[Dukehky]

I would really like to see AD get a little more playing time, especially in these friendlies. I know that he's the obvious 12th man, but I think he has the capabilities to be very helpful to this team, especially if Love isn't getting the minutes that everyone thought he would.

[elvis14]

I would really like to see AD get a little more playing time, especially in these friendlies. I know that he's the obvious 12th man, but I think he has the capabilities to be very helpful to this team, especially if Love isn't getting the minutes that everyone thought he would.

I suspect that Love isn't getting the minutes because he's not that strong of a defender whereas AD's strength is his defense. At the same time KLove can score and rebound with the best of them. I think we are good with either but I do see where we get a different look from each. That's a good thing because it give K the chance to go with the look that he needs for any particular opponent.

I thought our boys played really well against Spain (and I was critical of them after their previous game). It was fun to watch, team USA just has so many players with so much talent.

[Billy Dat]

Despite the seemingly lopsided score, this was a fun game to watch but I feel like both teams held back their full arsenal.

The first half of this game, especially the first quarter, was intense! Spain started Pau, Ibaka, Navarro, Fernandez and Calderon. That is a legit NBA starting 5 and they played like it. Without going back and watching again, Spain was running a lot of pick and roll action foul line extended with Pau as the screener. Because of the FIBA leniency with the screener draging the defender, Ibaka's man was often leaving him to help on the dribbler and it led to 10+ quick points, many on dunks and bunnies. When those defenders started to stay home, Spain got open looks on their continuity offense and we got down 9 or 10.

Melo came into the game and started to score in bunches, which was important because Durant was off his game early. He seemed to get caught up a lot in the officiating, which was typical FIBA-style inconsistency and head-scratchery. But Melo nailed a couple of 3s, then a couple more, and mixed in some stuff around the hoop. That lifted our defense which was fantastic in the final 3 quarters.

Lebron also had an amazing game. Fran Frashilla talked about how important it is to run the offense through him and I completely agree. Our spacing is so much better when he has the ball because he pulls so much attention. With Chandler in foul trouble, Love got extended minutes and he finally hit a bit of a groove, got a bunch of boards, threw some patented outlet passes and was a bull on the offensive glass. It was a good game for him.

After Spain was killing us with the Gasol/Ibaka combo, they barely showed that line-up again. We also showed some rare combos - like Iggy, Westbrook, Love, Williams and Chandler...so maybe K was playing along with the deception.

Like Chicago 1995 said, I worry about Kobe's place on the team. He is a ball stopper and doesn't seem to fit well. But, his performance in the last 5 minutes of the 2008 Gold Medal Game buys him a lifetime of cred.

Spain is banged up. If we see them again, I think they'll be better, but we should still win. If we play like we did from Q2-Q4 tonight, no one should beat us.

[Greg_Newton]

Well, I'd say whenever we shoot 13-23 from 3, go +11 on the boards and come away with 13 steals, we're going to be tough to beat.

I thought our offense looked a lot better tonight. I still cringe a bit at some of the threes, but the threes we took tonight seemed much more open, in rhythm, from the top of the key or corner, and as a result of penetration and ball movement rather than settling. However, there were still some possessions where we'd just have all 5 guys standing on the three point line, waiting for someone to drive, which baffles me - hopefully that's just K saving his sets for the tournament. With the team we have, there's no reason we shouldn't be using multiple ball screens and cutters on every possession; we should be getting our athletes moving and angling toward the rim.

Finally, you can tell what a handicap it is to have to adjust to a different game - different ball, different rules, different court, different dribbling/traveling violations, different contact allowed - which is kind of annoying, frankly. I still don't understand why none of the "standards" reflect those of the country that invented basketball, developed it for a century before anyone else really caught on, and has maintained the preeminent professional league throughout the history of the sport. Our players have to completely rethink their footwork with the ball; even something as simple as the way contact is called on drives really affects the game, as flailing Euros seem to get the benefit of the doubt (30 FTs) while the best slashers of the world don't seem to get rewarded for drawing contact (15 FTs).

Pet peeve of mine when watching international games.

[COYS]

Well, I'd say whenever we shoot 13-23 from 3, go +11 on the boards and come away with 13 steals, we're going to be tough to beat.

I thought our offense looked a lot better tonight. I still cringe a bit at some of the threes, but the threes we took tonight seemed much more open, in rhythm, from the top of the key or corner, and as a result of penetration and ball movement rather than settling. However, there were still some possessions where we'd just have all 5 guys standing on the three point line, waiting for someone to drive, which baffles me - hopefully that's just K saving his sets for the tournament. With the team we have, there's no reason we shouldn't be using multiple ball screens and cutters on every possession; we should be getting our athletes moving and angling toward the rim.

Finally, you can tell what a handicap it is to have to adjust to a different game - different ball, different rules, different court, different dribbling/traveling violations, different contact allowed - which is kind of annoying, frankly. I still don't understand why none of the "standards" reflect those of the country that invented basketball, developed it for a century before anyone else really caught on, and has maintained the preeminent professional league throughout the history of the sport. Our players have to completely rethink their footwork with the ball; even something as simple as the way contact is called on drives really affects the game, as flailing Euros seem to get the benefit of the doubt (30 FTs) while the best slashers of the world don't seem to get rewarded for drawing contact (15 FTs).

Pet peeve of mine when watching international games.

Completely agree with you, here. The rules of soccer are uniform throughout the world. Yes, some leagues are known for ther physicality while others are known for their finesse. Other leagues are offensively oriented while others tend to be more defensive. And of course, the referees aren't all perfect across every league. But at least the rules are the same and the fields are the same. I dont even necessarily think that the nba rules are always the best, but it makes no sense not to have continuity between all of the highest professional leagues and in international competition. You'd think that the rules in place in the USA would be the de facto standard. The powers that be in FIBA and the NbA need to fix this, IMO. I completely agree.

[Jderf]

Completely agree with you, here. The rules of soccer are uniform throughout the world. Yes, some leagues are known for ther physicality while others are known for their finesse. Other leagues are offensively oriented while others tend to be more defensive. And of course, the referees aren't all perfect across every league. But at least the rules are the same and the fields are the same. I dont even necessarily think that the nba rules are always the best, but it makes no sense not to have continuity between all of the highest professional leagues and in international competition. You'd think that the rules in place in the USA would be the de facto standard. The powers that be in FIBA and the NbA need to fix this, IMO. I completely agree.

Hey, at least it's not as bad as the international differences in other sports. Take a look at the CFL. During the first year my family moved up to Canada, I remember tuning into the Grey Cup (Canadian Super Bowl) and seeing that the score was 1-0. Pretty hard to take the league seriously after that.

[phaedrus]

Hey, at least it's not as bad as the international differences in other sports. Take a look at the CFL. During the first year my family moved up to Canada, I remember tuning into the Grey Cup (Canadian Super Bowl) and seeing that the score was 1-0. Pretty hard to take the league seriously after that.

I see nothing to criticize about a nation of people who prefer to see actual kick returns to touchbacks.

[Atlanta Duke]

Based on this photo from Kevin Love's Instagram page the team left it all on the floor against Spain


Team USA Goes Into Cryogenic Sleep for a Two-Hour Flight:)


http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/33196/team-usa-goes-into-cryogenic-sleep-for-a-two-hour-flight

[Billy Dat]

David Thorpe is one of my favorite NBA writers for ESPN and he is also a highly respected trainer, a coach who players pay to get them ready for the draft, for summer league, etc.

This is an ESPN Insider piece, so you'll have to pay to read more than a few sections, but it's basically a love letter to Coach K for his work with Team USA. I love when a writer I really like and respect gushes about one of my favorite teams or coaches/players.

Coach K's effect on NBA talent
NBA players seem to love Coach K, but would he succeed in the pros?
http://insider.espn.go.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/8204582/olympics-players-follow-krzyzewski-

[EDIT: As the opening ceremony is tonight, I've closed this one, and started a new thread (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?28918-Men-s-USA-Basketball-Olympic-team) with a TV schedule]