should be interesting to watch. I was definitely hoping for this so the USA can say they went through every top team (plus we get to watch Scola against his best competition to date). Is this game on at 7 am here like the rest have been?
Good point on saying that the US can say that they went through every top team and it will definitely be nice to see Luis battling the US squad, but just like we blew out all the top teams thus far, i just cant see this game being much different.
I think this is the most dangerous match up for Team USA. I hope they bring their best in every sense of the word. It's really the gold medal game, as Spain is just much lamer than the past, as is Lithuania for some reason. They just don't have good young players for some reason, and seem to rely on their graying stars. Even Pau is passing his peak.
I'm excited to watch this one. Not only just to see Scola play but also to hopefully at least see Team USA get tested at some point in this tournament.
Argentina doesn't have the depth to take this game. They also don't play defense nearly good enough. It may stay close for a while but Team USA's pressure on both ends of the floor exhausts the opponent. Spain is the only team with good enough guard play and depth to stay with Team USA for 40 minutes. All we have to do is sic Kobe on Manu and it's over, even if Delfino plays way above his head again, which is doubtful. In my view, Argentina showed great weakness by barely squeaking by Greece. This is not their year. Hope Scola does very well.
the big question is will kobe get suspended for elbowing genobili in his pinocchio nose midway through the first minute
Why double him when Kobe can handle it? They just need to switch when he rubs off of picks. If Team USA plays it right, Manu will have never worked harder in his life to get off shots. On the other end, either Kobe or Wade will have a field day abusing him. Manu mentioned how tired he was after the game against Greece and that it affected his late shooting. He ain't seen nothin' yet.
this will be easily the hardest game for team usa so far. the chances that argentina will come off with the win are minimal, though. i say anything better than a 10 point loss will be a success for argentina. it'll probably be around 15, maybe 20, i guess. i'll be rooting for scola.
Argentina's interior defense was nonexistent. THey will get destroyed if they show up the way they did yesterday, or the way did in 2006 when Wade and James lit them up. I'll ignore the fantasy about Spanoulis and point you to Ginobili's last stat line vs. the US two years ago, which was 2-9 for 10 points, with 6 of his FGA's being 3 pointers. Kobe didn't play in that game but he didn't seem to have much success getting inside, did he? Oh and don't give me that "only a bronze medal game he wasn't trying " crap - it was a sold out arena in Japan against a vulnerable US team, of course they were trying to beat them.
He demolished Barbosa last summer who is way quicker than Manu. We'll see. One thing for sure is Team USA won't be stepping back and daring him to shoot those bunny 3 pointers like Greece did. That was taking candy from a baby for someone like him. I think Kobe undersestimated Newley's first step and wasn't familiar with him at all.
this was the one team i didn't wanna play. i still think they're the best matchup against team USA and they are the team i would most hate to lose to (although at this point, a loss against anyone else would be equally horrible). they've got manu who won't be troubled by ball pressure, knows how to play against these guys, and loves to come up big. they've got nocioni (i'm guessing he'll be healthy as a horse for this game no matter what problems he's had with the ankle) who knows how to hit 3's and drive hard to the basket, scola's dipsy-doodle post game gets stopped fairly easily in the NBA (after teams got about a month to adjust to it) but last summer it worked fairly well and probably will again. and then they've still got delfino and oberto, a lot of experience, a good offensive system, and one of the better D's in this tourney. add it all up and there's no one i'd rather not face. granted, avenging 2004 and getting to beat every top team would be great, and i'm sure these guys aren't afraid of any challenge, and if team USA plays up to par they should win easily given argentina's struggles this tourney. but i don't think any team has more potential against team USA than argentina and i hate them the most, so this game has me nervous. as always, the key for the US is not to fall behind early. they don't have to blow anyone out in the first or even really lead, just don't fall behind and let the enormous pressure of absolutely having to win that no other team in the olympics faces get to them. and if team USA does get up early, that usually means it's over. the team relaxes and the opponent loses the hope that this will just be one of those horrible days for team USA. edit: oh yeah, kobe vs ginobili. kobe will come out superhyped b/c this is his biggest matchup yet, but i expect he'll pick up a quick early foul and foul manu on at least one of those step-back, pump fake 3's he does (no one fouls 3 point shooters, whether in the NBA or FIBA, more than kobe). kobe just needs to play solid D and not gambling reaching, practically knock the guy down physical D. let his natural talents do the work instead of negating them.
