Okay...I know we will get belted down in Melbourne tonight when we take on your guys, but I am an Australian and proud of it, soooooo...GO FELLA'S! Smash the Yanks! On a more serious note,your lead up games haven't even been competitive...whereas we have played some good games recently and beat the World 'Champion' Yugoslavia team mid week. No doubt you should beat us easily, but looking at the front court...it mightn't be as easy as everyone thinks. Longley, Anstey, Rogers and Bradkte have all played NBA...so they won't be overawed at all. Your front court of ZO + Baker doesn't look ALL THAT MUCH better. Obviously, ZO is...but I doubt our guys will be trembling at the thought of it somehow. Not to the same extent as if it was Shaq and Duncan anyway;-) As for the guards and swingmen...well, we ain't got a hope there! Prediction...closer than people think, but obviously you will win. Just one final note...I saw your guys on the news last night and I almost didn't recognise Payton with that afro and goatee! ------------------
carter looks even funkier than payton. you think these guys would have realized how ugly one looks with a fro nowadays. just ask kobe ------------------ Fun Police Says: 1. Stupid threads are not FUN! 2. Spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure are not FUN! 3. Stupid BBS names are not FUN! 4. Conduct yourself in a FUN way! The Fun Police are Watching. Vote for the Rockets & Have FUN or be Assimilated.
I dunno if anyone saw the game, but I LOVED the way those Aussies psyched Vince Carter out of the game. Also, gotta say that I now dislike Vince more than a lot and he's got some sort of problems. Normally you'd expect a player of Vinces stature to outplay Sam McKinnon (who?) but this McKinnon guy took Carter to the rack and totally shut him down all night. He looks pretty good and outscored Carter pretty easily - he also took Garnett baseline! ------------------
Gotta say I am pretty proud of the way our blokes played. When Andy Gaze drained that three early in the second half and we got within a few points...I almost half thought "hey, we might eveb win!'... Sanity returned and your athletic guys were too good. Yep, the boys totally outpsyched Vince Carter...who looks really lost in the international game (where zone defenses prevent the more athletic guys dominating) He doesn't have a great shot...and without any laneways to the basket, he seemed pretty frustrated. As for Sam Mackinnon...'Slammin Sam' is basically our equivalent of Carter. He is one of the best athletes in all of Australian sports. He has been a star in our basketball since he was 17 (He is now 24) The sad thing is, Sam is 100 times the player Anstey is...but Anstey's size meant that he got drafted into the NBA wheras Sam missed out. It is still his ambition to play there...so I think that containg Carter and going baseline on Garnett probably didn't hurt his chances somehow. Maybe Rudy might have been impressed?;-) ------------------
SRJ, did not see the game, but considering the gems Rudy has pulled out of the CBA, you can bet he took notice. I guess there's still a chance for McKinnon - heck Moochie's 27! Also, Dream Team aside, beating Yugoslavia is no easy feat. I have relatives in Croatia and they live and breath hoops. In 1976, they played the Russians for the Silver Medal and a relative from the US was visting. He told me the WHOLE COUNTRY SHUT DOWN TO WATCH THE GAME! They even put TV's in store shop windows as the stores were closed. Be very proud of the victory over the Yugoslavs. ------------------ GATER [This message has been edited by GATER (edited September 09, 2000).]
Andrew Gaze? Isn't he about 50 years old now? ------------------ In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things: 1. Don't tell everything you know.
Andy Gaze is 73 actualy Bob;-) Seriously, he is just a GREAT Player and would have done well if he'd played in the NBA at his peak (instead of when he was way past his prime) For a COMPLETELY NON ATHLETIC guy...it just shows how smart his 'basketball brain' is that he made it so far and has had a great career. Gater, yep...the win over Yugoslavia was a great one. I think our blokes fancy they can beat just about anyone (USA aside) nowadays. Longley, Anstey, Bradkte, Heal, Rogers and Gaze have all had a go in the NBA...which is a fair record for a sport here that is VERY minor compared to the various football codes. Actually, I thought it was VERY ironic that in the game v USA last night their were only two guys on the floor who'd won NBA rings... and BOTH of them were Australians! ------------------
SRJ - Now THAT'S an interesting stat! I have lost track, so my information is probably dated. I think at one time there were more players in the NBA from Yugoslavia than anywhere else (obviously excluding native-born Americans). This may have changed with the explosive growth of the sport. Nationalism aside - I LOVE THIS GAME. Can't wait for the NBA season. ------------------ GATER
I'm not big vince fan but wrestling him to the ground to prevent him from going up court after a miss isn't psyching out . .. just dirty play If someone did that to Francis. .i think i'd be on the court ;-) Also Traveling must be different in international play cause the americans had some pretty questionable calls. It was a er . . ruff and tumble kinda game. . .like the wnba. . . Rocket River ------------------
Well, it was VInce who did the wrestling mate! Gaze is hardly a thug!! Secondly...yep, travelling IS different in international games, they actually CALL IT ------------------
Well actually river it is the NBA that changes the Travel rule and others and the rest of the world operate on a normal set of rules that aren't over-rided by the entertainment factor. The referees got em all right on saturday, for example the mourning lay-up, he took too many steps, whereas it would be legal in the NBA cause it's entertaining. Referees outside the US/NBA referee on the basis of applying the rules to the game instead of being influenced by the players status and pay packet. Rudy should sign Sam ------------------ Discombobulation Imminent
Did you guys in the US notice the crowd chanting during game, did NBCs microphones pick it and did the commentators comment on it. If you didn't they were chanting "CARTERS A WANKER" ------------------ Discombobulation Imminent
This may just me my ignorance showing itself again, but wasn't Chris Jent an Aussie? (I know he went to Ohio State, but that doesn't mean anything). What happened to him? He should only be 30 or so. You'd think Australia would have let him harm the bench at least, and reminisce with Rudy a lil. ------------------
Chris Jent an Aussie...... NO WAY He is 100% Yank Post Rockets, he played in Australia for a year or so, thats it. ------------------ Discombobulation Imminent
I saw the action, and I'm gonna backup SRJ (mate) - Gaze shot a 3 and got run into by Carter. As Carter was running into him he dropped the shoulder and tackled Gaze to the ground. THEN he gets up and stands over him and mouths off...... oh my... "Carters a wanker!" 'Zo knew that he travelled - he got upset because it doesn't normally get called, but he knew! As for McKinnon, according to his statistics he doesn't attempt too many 3's - is his shot poor? Not that it matters because he's such a good defender and has a good FG% (indicating smart shot selection!) - he would look good at the end of the bench for the rockets - and I imagine that the league minimum would be a huge pay raise for him. ------------------
Thanx Smeg. I knew I remembered some sort of Aussie connection (even if it was just a year playing there). ------------------
Hey Doc Mate, Slammin Sammy has not got a great shot. It's impoved a lot since he was young...but let's just say Andrew Gaze he is not. Sammy is just a flat out great athlete however and he'd be one of the Rockets best defenders (easily) if they were to pick him up. Without a great shot however...I doubt he gets a shot (excuse the pun!) at the NBA. As for Vince Carter. I am a big fan of Payton, Carter and Mourning personally. HOWEVER, they really let themselves down...and with it, your country, by their antics in that game. Payton and Carter both REFUSED to shake our blokes hands before the game. That's just not on... Then ZO just went on like the biggest goose I have seen. Verballing a FEMALE referee...who'd come on simply as a result of a frekish accident and was just doing her best....was embarressing. Then, after the game, ZO sat there simply saying "we are the best...hands down, we are the best. NO one is as good as us" Hate to tell you ZO...but no one here could give a stuff. Like, we are the best at Rugby and Cricket...but we don't need to tell you that every five minutes. Basketball here is a MINORITY sport...so coming here and saying "we are the best" means jack all. I LOVE the NBA and I am in the vast minority of aussies who actually watch all the games, read all the news, hang out on web sites like this. It's my favourite sport. The USA team was a discredit to the NBA and a real embarresment for your country on the weekend... I heard a USA TV Guy comment in our press that they were embarresed and that that the NBA guys needed to realise this is INTERNATIONAL sports...not the NBA. I hope they can pick up their act when the real thing starts his week. AS Hakeen always says"stay humble..." ------------------
SRJ, what part of Aus are you from? I believe the Aussies resume is pretty large in terms of being world champs: Let's see... Rugby Union Rugby League Test Match Cricket One Day International Cricket Netball Tennis (Davis Cup) Womens Hockey (not sure if they lost that this year...) Aussie Rules Football (although I think they lost to the Irish in a hybrid game of ARL/gaelic - so dunno if that counts) I'm not sure, but I think Baseball is another sport that should be on this list. Makes the accomplishments of the Basketball team all the more phenomenal considering there are SO MANY other more high profile sports out there!! ------------------
Hey Doc Mate, I am from Sydney. Born and bred here and spent all my life in this city (I am 30). Wouldn't trade it for any other city Well, maybe one...I spent the first half of this year in Chiang Mai in Thailand (my fiance is a Doctor at a Hospital thier) and I really loved that city also. I have just moved to a place right in the heart of the city this week...so it's a bit surreal at the moment with all the Olympic things occurring. The atmosphere is starting to build up...so that's pretty cool. Can't say I am much of an Olympics fan however...between the stuff it down your throat marketing and the drug cheats, it really has lost anything for me. Where are you? You seem to know our sports pretty well, so I am presuming you live here? If so, whereabouts? Cheers ------------------
