2006 FIBA World Championship

[Panamaniac42]

USA starts its run in the "One & Done" Round of 16 vs. Andrew Bogut's Australia team.

Anyone else up watching?

Let's go...

[BroadwayBomber55]

I hope the U.S. is not looking ahead to a possible finals clash against Argentina.

[BroadwayBomber55]

I'm following the matchups at Fiba.com

Germany defeated Nigeria 78-77 to advance to the QFs.

[Panamaniac42]

I hope the U.S. is not looking ahead to a possible finals clash against Argentina.

Yeah it's not going to be easy. I'd love to get to that point and exact some revenge.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Teams advance to the QFs.

Argentina over New Zealand 79-62.

Lithuania over Italy 71-68.

Turkey over Slovenia 90-84.

Spain over Serbia and Montenegro 87-75.

Germany over Nigeria 78-77.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Yeah it's not going to be easy. I'd love to get to that point and exact some revenge.

Hopefully, Coach K and Jerry Colangelo can resurrect the U.S. Men's Basketball Program after a two consecutive debacles in the 2002 World Championships and the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The U.S. Men's team hasn't won the FIBA World Championship since 1994.

[Panamaniac42]

Too much individual play going on right now.

Elton Brand looks out of control at times.

[Panamaniac42]

They woke up. And I'm going to bed

49-26 with 2 to play in the first half. I'm out.

[dabomb2045]

I think the US team has looked good this entire tournament. Even the Italy game, where they were caught off guard in the 1st half....they came out and ran Italy out of the building in the 2nd half.

Looking real good tonight...Carmelo and Wade have been great. I think an Argentina-USA gold medal game will happen for sure.

[SODM]

Greece blows out Yao's China by 31 holding him to only 10 points and forcing China to lose the turnover battle 24-2.
This is exactly the type of team that Team U.S.A. will be most vulnerable to; a team which applies tremendous pressure on defense and does not have only one or two guys that the U.S. can focus on to shut down the offense.

[nhyankeefan]

Greece blows out Yao's China by 31 holding him to only 10 points and forcing China to lose the turnover battle 24-2.
This is exactly the type of team that Team U.S.A. will be most vulnerable to; a team which applies tremendous pressure on defense and does not have only one or two guys that the U.S. can focus on to shut down the offense.

So far you've proven to be prophetic, the US can't stop the pick-and-roll and Greece is leading by 14 late in the 3rd quarter. What's also killing the US is their inability to hit FT's, LeBron and Carmelo just missed 4 straight.

[nhyankeefan]

Greece leads by 6 with 43 seconds left, it's over. The US once again does not win the World Championship.

[AustinTXHorn]

[SODM]

So far you've proven to be prophetic, the US can't stop the pick-and-roll and Greece is leading by 14 late in the 3rd quarter. What's also killing the US is their inability to hit FT's, LeBron and Carmelo just missed 4 straight.

Good effort by Team U.S.A last night. That they only lost by six with the Greeks shooting well over 60% is a real testament to their talent.
Unfortunately international basketball is a different game.

The U.S. would be better served hiring an international coach to prepare them.
You can't expect to win without running plays on offense against a zone defense.
With proper coaching the U.S. would still win by 20 pts. Despite the cliche phrases about the world having "caught up" to the Americans, the talent the Americans have is on another level.

[Panamaniac42]

I thought it was gonna be different Jerry Colangelo!!! I've never liked you anyway since your bitching and moaning in the 2001 WS and when your organization took a cheap shot and started playing Sinatra after you won Game 6. FU!!!! And screw Coach K, too.

[YankeeFan1]

The lost to Greece is unfortunate, but not surprising. It has never been that these guys don't care or that they aren't trying or that they are selfish. From the start I thought Coach K was a bad choice. These guys don't need to learn to be a "team." They need to learn the fundamentals of the international game which is simply totally different to the NBA game. Mike D'Antoni who has tons of experience with the international game from his years coaching in Italy would have been a much better choice as coach. Drawing from his experience, D'Antoni could made the necessary adjustment on defense during the game. Oh well, there is always the Olympics. BTW, wouldn't Bowen have been very useful helping out against that pick and roll? Coangelo and Stern will never learn.

[Panamaniac42]

The lost to Greece is unfortunate, but not surprising. It has never been that these guys don't care or that they aren't trying or that they are selfish. From the start I thought Coach K was a bad choice. These guys don't need to learn to be a "team." They need to learn the fundamentals of the international game which is simply totally different to the NBA game. Mike D'Antoni who has tons of experience with the international game from his years coaching in Italy would have been a much better choice as coach. Drawing from his experience, D'Antoni could made the necessary adjustment on defense during the game. Oh well, there is always the Olympics. BTW, wouldn't Bowen have been very useful helping out against that pick and roll? Coangelo and Stern will never learn.

Agreed!

[chanman7483]

Good effort by Team U.S.A last night. That they only lost by six with the Greeks shooting well over 60% is a real testament to their talent.
Unfortunately international basketball is a different game.

The U.S. would be better served hiring an international coach to prepare them.
You can't expect to win without running plays on offense against a zone defense.
With proper coaching the U.S. would still win by 20 pts. Despite the cliche phrases about the world having "caught up" to the Americans, the talent the Americans have is on another level.

People can say all they want about this and that - The players just couldn't make free throws and shot way too many 3 poitners. There is NO REASON why players of their talent and athleticism should be shooting 40 3 pointers a game.....Take it strong you puss*es. That's why they're losing... they are all soft. Just because you can dunk and scream and grab your nuts after a dunk, doesn't make you a good basketball player. Take it hard to the hole, get the other team in foul trouble, and go from there. Unfortunately, the US players are a disgrace and don't have the heart to even attempt to do that.

[chanman7483]

It doesn't really have to do with playing as a "team" per se. I remember watching tapes of the 92 dream team and watched just about every game of the 96 dream team. There was not a lot of back door passes, weave plays, etc, or anything else you associated with "team". Instead, the coaches just utilized the strengths of each player, and just let them focus on those things. They ran, they dunked on people, they could actually shoot(The NBA is pathetic in this regard, as we know), they could play defense... but they weren't forced to be soemthing they're not. YOu can't take Gilbert Arenas, who shoots 35 times a game, stick him with Carmelo, who is the same.. .etcetc, and make them "team players". They're not team players, and they never will be. To ask this of them is just retarded. How can you ask a superstar offensive player to suddenly learn how to play off the ball with a few weeks of practice????????????????

[dabomb2045]

What an embarassment. When is the last time the USA won at ANYTHING??

Our country sports programs are a complete and utter joke. Everyone should be embarassed.

[SODM]

It doesn't really have to do with playing as a "team" per se. I remember watching tapes of the 92 dream team and watched just about every game of the 96 dream team.

I disagree.
The "team" game is what international basketball is all about.
Dream Team 1 was so much more talented than all the other teams combined they dominated playing the same type of game you see in the NBA all-star game (no defense / with streetball offense).
The talent gap is still there but it isn't nearly as wide now.
Dream Team 1 will forever be the exception to the rule......The rule being that any team functioning well can overcome any 5 talented individuals.

Even the commentators last night mentioned that when the U.S. had the ball it felt like one on five.
Was Coach K so arrogant that he felt "winging it" on offense was suitable against a savvy team of heady players lead by maybe the best non American coach?

The sooner we realize that the AND 1 mix tape is not the best way to play basketball, the sooner we can go back to dominating again.

[jpao89]

I disagree.
The "team" game is what international basketball is all about.
Dream Team 1 was so much more talented than all the other teams combined they dominated playing the same type of game you see in the NBA all-star game (no defense / with streetball offense).
The talent gap is still there but it isn't nearly as wide now.
Dream Team 1 will forever be the exception to the rule......The rule being that any team functioning well can overcome any 5 talented individuals.

Even the commentators last night mentioned that when the U.S. had the ball it felt like one on five.
Was Coach K so arrogant that he felt "winging it" on offense was suitable against a savvy team of heady players lead by maybe the best non American coach?

The sooner we realize that the AND 1 mix tape is not the best way to play basketball, the sooner we can go back to dominating again.

I agree to a point. I grew up watching the NBA in the Magic and Bird days. Those Celtic and Laker teams were TEAMS the happened to have a star or two on them, but had great role players. Then came Jordan and the Bulls. Jordan was both the best and worst thing to happen to the league. He was the best because he was an extraordinary talent that lifted his teammates up along with him. He was the worst because a Commish Stern came to believe that the only reason people were watching NBA ball was for a show, for "Air Jordan." Thus, Stern created a league where five individuals happen to share a uniform and go out and create a highlight reel.

Having said that, FIBA basketball is nothing more than H. . O. . R. . S. . E. The international rules have dumbed down the game such that individual athleticism is handicapped. At the end of the day, it becomes who is best at spotting up and shooting three pointers. If you even breathe on an opponent in the paint (which is half the court) you are whistled for a foul. The ball is smaller, aiding in shooting. Etc. etc.

I can say this with certainty, if Greece or any other country came to the U.S. and played our team under NBA rules, it would be a slaughter. They could not handle the physical or athletic nature of the NBA game. By the same token, our players simply can't play by the FIBA rules becuase the NBA has long ago drifted from being a team sport.

[chanman7483]

What happens if the US makes even an AVERAGE number of free throws (they missed 14 of 34), and end up making 26-34(76%), winning by 1? Are they suddenly a better team than Greece?

I think "playing as a team" wasn't as much of a problem as "NBA players have no fundamental skills such as free throwing shooting and mid range shooting abilities." And No Bruce Bowen does not count as a good shooter. The US should also ALWAYS PLAY MAN TO MAN DEFENSE. This is what they're used to, and would prevent against zone lapses that allow easy layups and backdoor cuts, which I saw WAY too much of.

[SODM]

Having said that, FIBA basketball is nothing more than H. . O. . R. . S. . E. The international rules have dumbed down the game such that individual athleticism is handicapped. At the end of the day, it becomes who is best at spotting up and shooting three pointers. If you even breathe on an opponent in the paint (which is half the court) you are whistled for a foul. The ball is smaller, aiding in shooting. Etc. etc.

I can say this with certainty, if Greece or any other country came to the U.S. and played our team under NBA rules, it would be a slaughter. They could not handle the physical or athletic nature of the NBA game.

WHAT????

Did you watch any of the games this tournament?
Did you see last night's game?
If you did you would have seen Greece's baby Shaq post up Elton Brand by literally clearing him out of the way.
You would have also seen DWade crying that he wasn't getting foul calls like the ones he gets EVERY time he drives to the hole in the NBA.
To say that the international game is not as athletic after having watched Greece run a motion offense vs. a U.S. team which runs an offense where only the guy with the ball moves and everyone else has cement shoes is crazy.
Don't confuse playing team basketball, which isn't flashy, with being unathletic.

Also the FIBA ball and NBA ball are the same size and in case you were wondering the rim is still 10 feet high.

It's a sad day for the U.S. when we need to make excuses for why we are being beaten at our own game.

[The Yankee Kahuna]

I don't like the showboating and overconfidence. How many times have they promised to win and come up short again?

[SheffRocks11]

Wow... I can't believe they lost to greece.

[dabomb2045]

I'll echo Tim Duncan's quote after the 2004 Olympics ended: "FIBA sucks"

[SODM]

I'll echo Tim Duncan's quote after the 2004 Olympics ended: "FIBA sucks"

I disagree.
I find FIBA basketball a much more pure and intriguing game.
In NBA terms the Euros remind me alot of the Jazz teams of the 90s.

[dabomb2045]

I disagree.
I find FIBA basketball a much more pure and intriguing game.
In NBA terms the Euros remind me alot of the Jazz teams of the 90s.

If these two teams played an NBA style game, with competent NBA officials....the US would wreck Greece.

[SODM]

If these two teams played an NBA style game, with competent NBA officials....the US would wreck Greece.

That's just it, the Greeks don't play an NBA style game. Their "style" and execution are superior to the U.S. "style" and that is why the U.S. lost and will continue to lose despite being about 500 times more athletic than the Greeks (and the rest of the world for that matter).

[SODM]

If these two teams played an NBA style game, with competent NBA officials....the US would wreck Greece.

Oh BTW, is the remark about having competent NBA officials a swipe at the FIBA refs?

I can't believe these are the kind of excuses that we are having to come up with nowadays for why U.S.A. basketball keeps falling short?
How the worm has turned over the past decade

[nhyankeefan]

If these two teams played an NBA style game, with competent NBA officials....the US would wreck Greece.

That's true but the point is they have to play an international style game and despite their superior talent they have trouble beating the top teams because they haven't adapted to that style of play yet.

[SODM]

Found this in another forum.
I have to say that I agree to what this guy is saying to some extent.

Guys, I can trace the USA-Greece (USA poor showing) to the whoring out of the NBA by David Stern. When Michael Jordan became the Golden Boy, and David Stern decided to push the NBA globally, he turned the NBA into ball, where if you hand check someone or hurt their feelings, you'll get whistled for a foul.

The rest of the world continued to play basketball the way it should be played. That's why you see the players and teams pass the ball to the open man and play simple fundamental basketball, not the "high IQ" that the blathering idiot narrating the game on ESPN2 kept referring to. I kept wanting he and Doug Collins to do a game together where we could hear constant "high IQ's" coupled with "energy" masquerading as basketball commentary.

If a 12-year old kid shows basketball promise in the NBA, he'll get flooded with tons of mail from salivating coaches hoping that he'll forgo his NBA ambitions to be an indentured servant in the NCAA. He'll end up with his picture on Sports Illustrated and getting serviced by 23-year old groupies hoping to hang onto his coattails.

If a 12-year old kid shows basketball promise in the rest of the world, he gets placed on a team of grown ups where he learns respect for the game and how to play fundamentally sound. Despite how tall or short he may be, he's not categorized as a center or guard, but is taught all the skills essential to playing a well-rounded game in the NBA.


The rest of the world:

Get rebound, pass to point guard, run down the court.

NBA basketball:

Get rebound, pose for ESPN highlight shot, hold the ball and figure out if the point guard had passed it to you last time down the court, if he didn't, pass it to someone else. If the play's already been developed, then jog down the court, prepared to turn around so you don't have to run that far. If the coach complains, contact agent and have him give the coach a call.

I'm embarrassed by NBA basketball. Nice to see the World Championships where men play like men.

[dabomb2045]

That's true but the point is they have to play an international style game and despite their superior talent they have trouble beating the top teams because they haven't adapted to that style of play yet.

Its obvious that you cant put together a team of NBA players and expect them to learn the international game in like 3 weeks.

Nothing else can be done. These players arent gonna sacrafice much more of their offseason for it. And NBA teams wouldnt be happy about it either.

[YankeeFan1]

That post from that other forum is clearly not based in the reality of the NBA or the demands of its fans. The NBA is a business that in the business of attracting fans to its sport. Casual NBA fans who watch the games on tv and the hardcore fans who pay to go see games want to be entertained by talented players with amazing skills. They may like the fundamentals, but they don't want to just see that which is why the NBA finals with fundamentally solid teams like the Spurs and Pistons get such low ratings. The NBA has finally begun to recover from losing Jordan due to the arrival of players like Wade, LeBron and Carmelo.

Also, it is the greatest misunderstanding of international basketball to claim that they play fundamental basketball. In fact, they do not. They play an offensive game with a charade defense. It is watching a less talented Suns team play which may be entertaining in spurts, but they will never win against a good team playing solid D. The final game between Spain and Greece was dreadful. No one would pay to watch that crap in the U.S. If NBA fans really wanted to watch fundamentally sound basketball the WNBA would have blockbuster ratings.

There is no reason to be embarassed about the U.S. basketball team not winning gold at this championship or the Olympics. These guys played their hearts out, they always do. They will get accustomed to the international game in time and will win eventually as they keep working towards that goal.

I'm embarassed that the U.S. baseball team could barely make it out of its division in the WBC. It is the same game. What is their excuse?