Tokyo Olympics Basketball (July 25 - Aug. 7)

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Anyone who would ever argue that they wouldn’t have peak Larry Bird in their All-Time Starting Five doesn’t know basketball. Nuff said.

That's quite a statement. Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

[dudog84]

That's quite a statement. Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

Also vodka merchants.

[robed deity]

Unbelievable. 100mins start to finish.



Agreed, live by the 3…I posted upthread (snipped below), but this team does have a ridiculous amount of excellent 3 point shooters.



The team doesn’t seem to be having as much fun or have that camaraderie we’ve seen in recent teams. A little bit of that is lack of leadership on the team (Durant’s not the guy that leads…Draymond can, but some people think he’s a pain…and Pop…the guys just don’t seem to gravitate to him). They can shoot their way to victory, but there are going to be some tough games in the knockout round where they will need cohesiveness and leadership to come back from a 2nd half hole or something…and I agree, i think they stumble.

In another Olympics, I would definitely say they'd stumble. But the field just isn't THAT strong. Spain is good, but not what they were. France is obviously a threat, but I probably wouldn't bet on them beating USA again. Maybe Slovenia? Doncic is ridiculous, but can one guy do it? (Maybe HE can..)

The US may well fall again, but I'm not so sure just because I don't think the other teams are as strong as previous years. I'd put their good chances at about 50-50 right now.

[robed deity]

In another Olympics, I would definitely say they'd stumble. But the field just isn't THAT strong. Spain is good, but not what they were. France is obviously a threat, but I probably wouldn't bet on them beating USA again. Maybe Slovenia? Doncic is ridiculous, but can one guy do it? (Maybe HE can..)

The US may well fall again, but I'm not so sure just because I don't think the other teams are as strong as previous years. I'd put their good chances at about 50-50 right now.

I did forget about Australia, which yeah... may be another that could be a problem.

[jimsumner]

Or Wilt in place of either Duncan or Kareem. Bird on the outside IMHO.

Or Jerry West. Or Elgin Baylor. Or Kobe. Or Karl Malone. Or Bill Russell. Or Shaq. Or Havlicek. Or, well we could do this all day and not reach a consensus. There are 25 or 30 guys who could legitimately be in a top-10 discussion. Maybe more.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I did forget about Australia, which yeah... may be another that could be a problem.

They lost their center due due to slipping in the bathroom, so while it sucks for them, it could be helpful to the USA.

[OldPhiKap]

They lost their center due due to slipping in the bathroom, so while it sucks for them, it could be helpful to the USA.

When you do that in Australia you fall counter-clockwise.

True.

[SouthernDukie]

Or Wilt in place of either Duncan or Kareem. Bird on the outside IMHO.

Bird is definitely top 10 all time but I don't know that he's unambiguously top 5. Like, do you really think an all-time starting five of Magic, Jordan, Lebron, Duncan, and Kareem is indefensible?

Great players all. And any combo many of us could create would be incredible. But I still say peak LarryBird has to be in a starting 5 because he could do everything well. And his smarts, grit and clutch shooting takes a back seat to no one.

[SouthernDukie]

That's quite a statement. Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

What fun is it if you can’t make provocative statements on a sports message board?

[ClemmonsDevil]

Or Jerry West. Or Elgin Baylor. Or Kobe. Or Karl Malone. Or Bill Russell. Or Shaq. Or Havlicek. Or, well we could do this all day and not reach a consensus. There are 25 or 30 guys who could legitimately be in a top-10 discussion. Maybe more.

Yep. Lots of guys up there.

[Steven43]

Bird is definitely top 10 all time but I don't know that he's unambiguously top 5. Like, do you really think an all-time starting five of Magic, Jordan, Lebron, Duncan, and Kareem is indefensible?

No, it’s not indefensible, but assembling a hypothetical team like this causes you to run into the age-old problem of comparing players from different eras, which is really quite fruitless.

But more pertinently, Larry Bird was better than Magic Johnson, though Johnson was an incredible player and the second-best of their era.

Ask Johnson about Bird and he’ll tell you the same thing. And so would Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And those guys would know better than just about anyone else.

[Natty_B]

No offense but the suggestions on the front page aren’t really doing it for me. Marshall Plumlee giving a pep talk to Durant? Baylor playing France. Uhhhh…what???

[Neals384]

No offense but the suggestions on the front page aren’t really doing it for me. Marshall Plumlee giving a pep talk to Durant? Baylor playing France. Uhhhh…what???

I’ve been worried about JD for a while now. His headline today: USA Is in the medal round. No they aren’t. They’re in the quarterfinals.last week he wrote that the Pelicans traded the 10th and 40th picks...and got back the 10th and 40th picks.

[ClemmonsDevil]

the Pelicans traded the 10th and 40th picks...and got back the 10th and 40th picks.

What is your complaint? Seems like an even trade.

[hustleplays]

In another Olympics, I would definitely say they'd stumble. But the field just isn't THAT strong. Spain is good, but not what they were. France is obviously a threat, but I probably wouldn't bet on them beating USA again. Maybe Slovenia? Doncic is ridiculous, but can one guy do it? (Maybe HE can..)

The US may well fall again, but I'm not so sure just because I don't think the other teams are as strong as previous years. I'd put their good chances at about 50-50 right now.

I hope that you guys are not on to something but you very well might be.

The winning USA teams I have watched over the last couple of decades exuded esprit de corps. They also had gritty eaders like MJ, Jason Kidd, LeBron, Kobe, Carmelo, Bird and others. They also had a coach who seemed to inspire them to subordinate their individual bests to whatever the team needed.

This year's team seems to be trying really hard, but without joy. Am I wrong in that? I hope so, it's just what I'm seeing. [Kedsy can confirm that my eyeballs are not omniscient.] They want to win, they're trying hard to win, and maybe they will win a medal, if not the Gold. But I would like to see more sheer joy out there on the court, for their own sakes and for our chances to win a medal.

Really happy to be disabused!

[Steven43]

This year's team seems to be trying really hard, but without joy. Am I wrong in that? I hope so, it's just what I'm seeing. [Kedsy can confirm that my eyeballs are not omniscient.] They want to win, they're trying hard to win, and maybe they will win a medal, if not the Gold. But I would like to see more sheer joy out there on the court, for their own sakes and for our chances to win a medal.

Really happy to be disabused!

I haven’t been watching much of the basketball at the Olympics, partially because so many people have been running down Team USA so hard that it has taken away some of my enthusiasm as a fan. As a consequence I don’t feel qualified to weigh in with an opinion on whether or not they appear to be playing with “joy”.

What I can say, though, is that of the most recent basketball I’ve watched closely — pretty much the entire NBA playoffs as well as an extra intense focus on the Finals — I didn’t notice seeing a whole lot of what I would describe as joy, other than when a player would hit an important shot towards the end of a close game.

I guess what I’m trying to say is when the stakes are high and the players are focused and intense “joy” seems naturally in short supply. But who knows, maybe you’re right.

[hustleplays]

I haven’t been watching much of the basketball at the Olympics, partially because so many people have been running down Team USA so hard that it has taken away some of my enthusiasm as a fan. As a consequence I don’t feel qualified to weigh in with an opinion on whether or not they appear to be playing with “joy”.

What I can say, though, is that of the most recent basketball I’ve watched closely — pretty much the entire NBA playoffs as well as an extra intense focus on the Finals — I didn’t notice seeing a whole lot of what I would describe as joy, other than when a player would hit an important shot towards the end of a close game.

I guess what I’m trying to say is when the stakes are high and the players are focused and intense “joy” seems naturally in short supply. But who knows, maybe you’re right.

I respectfully suggest that you retrieve videos of past USA Olympic teams, The spirit of the USA Olympics teams has been a very different animal than that of most NBA teams, for understandable reasons. Playing in the NBA is the players' job, their profession. The most fortunate players find themselves on teams, with coaches, who can also bring them joy.

With respect to the Olympics, the players sacrifice a lot to subject themselves to an intense, demanding experience, after grueling NBA seasons. The players express why: they are proud to represent their country. Historically this has meant an intense esprit de corps, with, yes, joy and pride.

I'm not a USA Olympics team member mind reader or whisperer. I greatly hope that our guys are fueled by that deep intrinsic motivation -- in addition to incredible talent -- that has propelled our teams in the past to claim victory. We'll see, and I will be watching both the tangibles and the intangibles.

Regardless of the outcome, I greatly appreciate the sacrifice and effort that our players have demonstrated.

[roywhite]

I really liked the USA's performance against the Czech Republic.

It appears that the players' roles have become much better defined. Jrue Holiday's defense is a huge plus -- we now have an antidote vs Patty Mills if the US faces Australia. Ball movement overall has improved and what a group of shooters this team has. Durant, Tatum, Lillard, Booker -- it doesn't get much better. Nice energy from Zach Levine, Draymond, and Adebayo.

I don't know if the team looks joyful, but they do look determined and increasingly confident of what they can do.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I really liked the USA's performance against the Czech Republic.

It appears that the players' roles have become much better defined. Jrue Holiday's defense is a huge plus -- we now have an antidote vs Patty Mills if the US faces Australia. Ball movement overall has improved and what a group of shooters this team has. Durant, Tatum, Lillard, Booker -- it doesn't get much better. Nice energy from Zach Levine, Draymond, and Adebayo.

I don't know if the team looks joyful, but they do look determined and increasingly confident of what they can do.

Second half defense was the difference between a squeak of a lead at the half and a massive blowout in the last twenty.

The upgraded defensive effort led to lots of quick breaks and easy buckets. And, it meant the Czech team quickly got frustrated and had to go away from their interior game (which was very effective in the first half) in favor of threes to try for the quick comeback.

I watched the game a second time on replay, and it's deceptive how quickly it went from a four-six point margin midway through the third to a forgone conclusion of a game moments later.

[gumbomoop]

Quaterfinal pairings are in. Top 4 ranked teams are in same side of bracket. US v. Spain, winner plays winner of Australia-Argentina. Tough bracket. Maybe France and Slovenia would be just as tough if in US side of bracket, but brackets do look unbalanced.

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/...tokyo-olympics