I hope so too - it will mean the US is up by 20-30. I'll also gladly take a 14 point game by Scola - well below his tourney average.
I smell a boxing match between Boozer and Scola, and by end of the day, Manu will have to require a surgery, so he will be out of next season, USA takes the title....
Is that really the key? I can think of at least a few more important things: 1. Don't miss half their free throws. 2. Don't start trying to go 1-on-1 and forcing up bad, contest shots. 3. Play good team defense. 4. Take Manu out of the game. And wouldn't it be more important not to fall behind in the 3rd quarter than early in the game? I'm not sure how you see not falling behind early as "the key". That's the best time to fall behind, if they fall behind at all.
every game starts with a "oh my God, what if we lose" type thought in the back of team USA's head, and an "oh my God, what if we beat these guys" attitude from the other team. the early lead gets rid of any jitters team USA might have and takes away the mental edge of having no pressure that the other team has b/c they realize team USA isn't going to completely suck in this game (which is a large part of hoping you beat team USA). that pressure of losing is what causes a lot of those 2-12 on 3's or 10-20 from the line or gambling too much on D or forcing one-on-one shots things that happen when you get behind and start pressing and worrying. an early lead lets team USA relax and play their game, and when that happens, it's almost impossible to beat them. i don't remember the '02 worlds, but i don't remember any of their other losses coming on the heels of a comfortable start. they usually seem to be off-kilter right from the beginning and then don't know what hit them or how to fight back. give them a lead and the knowledge that everything is going to be OK, and a lot of that other stuff (defense, passing, hitting shots) falls right into place.
I wouldn't compare this Team USA to ones from recent years. With LeBron, Kobe and Wade, we've seen a slow start doesn't mean anything. This squad realizes that when other teams stay with them for the first half or so, time is on their side because of depth and athleticism. IMO, gambling for steals, lackadaisical defense and horrible shot selection are the main culprits for the slow starts. This tells me they are trying to make things easy on themselves and sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes for them to snap out of it. Against Argentina, I expect our players to play sound basketball from the start. I think the revenge motive is going to be a big part of this game. The sting from 2004 should be an open wound for LeBron & Wade (maybe Melo too) and the other players will be thinking about it. It stings me to this day.
If you've been watching the Olympics he occasionally gets burnt on D. Manu being at whole different level to those players, Kobe should be worried.
In my mind Team USA has pretty much already proved they are the best team in the olympics by a wide margin. So thats what i'm afraid of, they need to make sure Scola doesn't get too hot. Also they better have somebody double teaming manu or waiting for him at the basket. How many more games does Team USA have to win to get the gold?
EAM USA cannot worrybout stopping Argentina. If they force turnovers and convert them into east fast break points, make there freethrows and not settle for outside shoots they will have no problem with Argentina. All I want to see is Argentina not ignore Scola so much.
as BrooksBall noted, i find it hard to believe Kobe can shut down a much faster/better ball handler in Barbosa and get burned on D now. I think people are confusing lack of respect/care for not being able to contain someone. USA is more concerned with creating turnovers (cause they're good at it) than keeping guys away from the cup. They're D may be undisciplined but they know what their doing. They want Vaginobly to get by Kobe so Lebron can reach over, strip him, and ignite the break.
Manu has 10x the basketball mind (and heart) than LB--which way more than compensates for any pure athletic advantage LB has. I don't think you stick anyone on Manu and assume the other 4 guys don't half to help in the team game. Too smart of player and with too much skill and counter-moves and the ability to play off his teammates. That said I don't think Arg can stop us at all. It would take a Villanova like perfect offensive day for them (and probably a lot of missed FTs for us) because we are going to score a lot and get fouled a lot.
Honestly IDGAF. Only thing I care about is Scola comes out unscathed. Whatever the scoreboard does, it does.
Heres hoping Argentina wins it. Would I rather want a team with Scola or a team with Boozer and Williams win it? Thats a no brainer. Go Scola! Win it for the Rockets!
So it's on at 8:15AM Central? I checked comcast tvguide.com and I only have MSNBC and they aren't playing it. What channel is NBC.
