Team USA
by ClipperSteve
on Aug 22, 2008 2:40 PM PDT
in News
Longtime readers of my blog are no doubt confused by the fact that I've remained (relatively) quiet on the subject of Team USA and the Olympic basketball tournament so far. There are a few reasons: I was in Costa Rica for the start of the games, Citizen Mikey P has been doing a solid (if maybe a tad jingoistic for my tastes) job covering the subject. Probably the biggest factor is that the team has been pretty successful. Let's not mince words - I've been a critic of the team in the past, and it's usually easier to criticize what's WRONG than it is to praise what's RIGHT.
But with the Spain-USA gold medal game all that remains, it's time to end the silence.
Today's semi-final win against Argentina will hopefully put an end to any invincible talk. Let's face facts - the US built a 21 point first quarter lead, and ended up losing the rest of the game to a team playing without it's best player.
There is a formula for beating this team, and everyone knows it.
- Take care of the ball.
- Play a zone and turn the US into a jump shooting team.
Of course, both of these things, and particularly number 1, and easier said than done. (Chris Sheridan provides more detail on the game plan for beating Team USA at ESPN.com.)
Spain turned the ball over 28 times in the first meeting. They also played almost exclusively man-to-man against the US. But don't count on a repeat of either of those.
Pool play matters little, and I think Spain understands that better than the US. I'm not saying that they turned the ball over on purpose in that game, but I am saying they will use a different game plan in the gold medal game, and their intensity level will be entirely different. As it happens, the first meeting between these two teams could not have gone worse for the Spaniards. 28 turnovers, and the US made 12 of 25 three point attempts. If either of those stats are anywhere close to the same, the US will win the game easily.
If on the other hand we see the US go 10 for 31 from three as they did against the Argentines (including 2 for 8 from Melo and 2 for 9 from Kobe) then it could be a very different story. This may also be where Coach K's short rotation comes back to haunt him. Zone buster Michael Redd has played sparingly, and is 5 for 17 from beyond the arc in the tournament - only 2 for 10 since making 3 against China in the first game.
As for forcing turnovers, I love the pressure defense the US team has applied throughout this tournament. But it's worth noting that the objective was the same at the 2006 World Championships, and when it worked (forcing Slovenia into 25 turnovers, China 23, Germany 24) the US tended to win easily. But they barely squeaked by against Italy and Puerto Rico in pool play when the were only able to force those teams into 15 turnovers, and in the fateful loss to Greece they forced only 11. When I compare the 2006 roster to the 2008 roster, I don't really see any major reasons that this team should be significantly better defensively. Then again, I've never been a big believer in Kobe as stopper.
If forced turnovers are indeed the divining rod of the Redeem Team, the trend is not good. After averaging almost 23 per contest in pool play, they forced only 11 against Australia and 16 against Argentina in the quarters and semis. Of course, they still won both of those games, but I do think it's safe to say that Spain has more talent than Australia, and I'll mention again that Ginobili played only 6 minutes today.
The health of Jose Calderon may play a huge part in this game. If Calderon is able to play, he's Spain's best option for protecting the ball. As promising as Ricky Rubio is, handling withering defensive pressure with a Gold medal on the line at the age of 17 is a tall order.
Let's be clear. The US should win this game. If I were betting, I'd pick the US. If these two teams played 10 times, the US might well win 8 or 9 of them. But having said that, that still leaves that 1 or 2 in 10 where Spain prevails. Lots of things have to go right for Spain. Beyond protecting the ball, they also need to make shots, and they need their big players to play big. Pau Gasol has to be the best big man on the floor, and by a wide margin. Rudy Fernandez has to showcase the skills that made him the best player in Europe last season. And Calderon (or if not Calderon then Rubio or Raul Lopez) needs to play exceptionally well at that point. And even if they do all these things, they still need the US to settle for jump shots, and then miss those.
It could happen. The team has not faced a lot of adversity, and when they saw some against Argentina today, they did not handle it as well as Coach K probably would have liked. Ask yourself this question: what does this team do if the first and second quarters are reversed? What happens if they fall behind by 15, as opposed to allowing a 21 point lead to fall to 6? It's a straw man of course: they didn't trail by 15, and losing a lead is not the same thing as falling behind. But if Spain comes out inspired in the first quarter, and the US comes out flat, it will be interesting to see how the team reacts. It's uncharted waters, and there's reason to suspect that it could be perilous. Both Carmelo and Kobe got testy in today's game. Not to mention that it's a team of superstars, where multiple players have (supposedly) had to keep their egos in check. In a close game, will Kobe be content to be the defensive stopper and let the offense go through LeBron? We may have gotten a partial answer in the closest game they've played so far - Kobe 14 shots against Argentina, LeBron 11.
Overall, I remain unconvinced in the make up of this team. Yes, they are better than the other teams and are well on their way to a Gold medal. But by they have exploitable weaknesses, and there's really no reason that they should. If Dwight Howard gets into foul trouble, they become disturbing small. Thankfully Chris Bosh has played terrific, but Boozer has remained on the bench for the most part so it's hard to know how he would respond if called on. And despite the inclusion of Redd on the roster (not to mention Mike Miller in Las Vegas), Coach K has mostly eschewed pure shooters in this tournament. The irony of course is that a USA Basketball program that was in disarray after missing out on the Gold medal in the last three major competitions, supposedly because of an over reliance on athleticism, a glut of wing players, and an absence of roll players, is on the verge of an impressive sweep in Beijing with a team made up almost exclusively of athletic wings.
So I guess it helps to just have the most talent.
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You have summarized their weaknesses perfectly
Here is where I may disagree. First, except for a very sloppy, lackadaisical, 2nd quarter, coupled with a gutty and inspired 2nd qtr. by Argentina, the US won every aspect of this game. More rebounds, more steals, more assists, better shooting %. Still won the game by 20. This game was never in doubt, even when it got close. It was definitely the toughest game of the tournament so far, but remember, it was also against the defending Gold medalist. They are a very good team, and Scola played great down low. They shot poorly at times, but they shot better later on. There is just too much talent on this team to go thru extremely long droughts.
This team is much different from 2006, IMO. Start with the PG play. At all times their is a rock steady point running the show. Also, guys like LeBron, Carmelo and Wade are older and wiser. LBJ is especially ahead of where he was in 06.
Bosh is a better player than Gasol, so I don’t see Pau being the best player on the floor Sunday. I do agree that there is not enough size on this team. The roster spot I don’t get is Boozer. That spot would have been better served with another center type player. Hell, even Kaman would have made more sense.
I am certain that Spain wasn’t tanking it at any point in the first matchup. On the contrary, they had their starters in at the end to try to find something that may work in the event the teams meet again. Spain can game plan all they want. The games seem to come down to the defensive effort put out by the US team. Way too much talent.
I suppose I was a jingo in my coverage, but I felt free to do so, since I am not a paid journalist and objectivity is not my aim (though if I were, I don’t see the harm in journalists acknowledging that they are in fact Americans living in America). Incidentally, Ric Bucher of ESPN was referring to Team USA as we in his TV appearances after the first few games, but then, noticeably, abandoned such references, although it did slip out a few times. I had no problem with it. It was kind of cool.
Otherwise, I agree on everything. LOL
F-Elton!
by mikey p on Aug 22, 2008 9:29 PM PDT 0 recs
Jingoism versus cynicism...
Don’t apologize… your tone was fine. I was contrasting it with my own, which tends to focus only on the shortcomings. There is no right or wrong.
Point guard play is a huge difference (and one that I singled out as the biggest problem in 2006). In that sense, the growth in LBJ, Melo and Dwade is secondary to that of Chris Paul. And the inclusion of Jason Kidd, who is still undefeated as a member of Team USA during an era of many, many losses, is huge.
Something that Sheridan alluded to, and I meant to mention in my first post: the refs don’t seem to be stacking the deck against Team USA the way we’ve seen in the past. For instance: where are the traveling calls against LeBron and Wade? I haven’t watched nearly as much as you, but I don’t think I’ve seen it called once. And we know that in the past they called it a lot, and we know that the NBA allows them to get away with travels by the rule book definition. In the past we’ve talked about the need for Team USA players to adjust to international play, but it seems to me the opposite is happening – the international game is adjusting to Team USA. Just another thought.
The team has massive talent, and Coach K has shortened his bench to keep the uber-talents out there. They’re really, really good, and they are working hard – defense is hard work. Spain will have to play an almost perfect game to beat them.
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
by ClipperSteve on
Aug 23, 2008 8:28 AM PDT
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There has been one travel called on Kobe and one on Wade
can’t recall any on LeBron. I have been surprised by the officiating. I figured there was a chance the Intl Refs would be out to get the US, but instead I have noticed that the US has probably benefited from a lot of calls, overall. In the Argentina game, the whistle blew too much, affecting both teams.
Jason Kidd was the best player for Team US yesterday. That is the cool thing about this team; you never know who’s night it’s going to be. At all times, Coach K can have 5 NBA stars out there at once.
This team is not the best Dream Team…92 would whoop em, and 96 would probably push them to the limit, too. But I think this team has been quite good and fun to watch.
F-Elton!
by mikey p on
Aug 23, 2008 9:34 AM PDT
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Point guard play...
On a collection of all stars, with limited time together on the court, the ‘coach on the floor’ point guard is far and away the most important position. Having an NBA veteran who has the unquestioned respect of players like Kobe and LeBron is another huge factor. Finally, the pass-first point guard is also a huge factor, since scoring is not the issue for such a team, but keeping lots of players happy can be. A Jason Kidd, who is happiest distributing to everyone else while never taking a single shot, is the perfect answer.
And it’s why 2002, 2004 and 2006 were failures. Baron Davis and Stephon Marbury are shoot first points. Andre Miller doesn’t have the leadership qualities. Chris Paul wasn’t ready and hadn’t earned the respect of his teammates. And Kirk Hinrich, was, well, Kirk Hinrich.
If Beijing successfully transitions Team USA from the Kidd era to the Paul era, they will be in good shape for many years.
But isn’t that curious about the traveling whistles? In 2006, Wade was called for a travel or a charge pretty much constantly. He was useless – made so by the style of officiating. I don’t think he has changed.
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
by ClipperSteve on
Aug 23, 2008 9:54 AM PDT
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Question
Don’t you get an extra half step in the international game? So they weren’t letting Wade or Lebron take their THIRD step in the past, but now sometimes they’re letting it slide?
by citizen zhiv on
Aug 23, 2008 4:33 PM PDT
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Spain is the Redeem Team
And something tells me they pull it out. They have 2004 firmly on their minds right now.
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill
by FlyByKnight on Aug 23, 2008 4:15 AM PDT 0 recs
I don't think Spain is good enough
and plus the US will probably be at their best because they don’t want to get this close and lose. I think it is going to be a blowout similar to every other game the US has played.
by bestclipfan on Aug 23, 2008 7:40 AM PDT 0 recs
Jingoism and Cynicism
I also found MP’s excellent coverage to have just a sniff of rah-rah USA-USA-USA to it, and it’s surprising that it somehow isn’t to my taste. What could be wrong with being an American rooting for USA Basketball in the Olympics?
It just a weird situation I guess. The USA team does have some arrogant players, starting with Kobe. They have been beaten in the recent past, so it’s important to see them approach to competition with a great deal of humility and respect. It seems that they’ve done a good job of this.
I don’t like the coach at all, who may be the biggest egomaniac, most arrogant of all of them. I loved the story where Coach K didn’t know the names of any of the players on Greece in 06 who were killing his team—he was too good to do the hard work of scouting the opponent.
I liked Greece and the role that Sofo played in beating the 06 US team, and it seems like that might work out well for the Clips. I was curious to see Kaman and Novitzki on Germany, and it was fun to track them as they qualified.
In the end, there are only going to be rare cases where I root for a dominant team. I hate the Lakers and their dominance, for starters. Sympathetic dominance needs to be based in hard work, humility, and excellence, and it’s not earned by just waving the flag and chanting USA. It seems as if putting some of the very best, truly extraordinary NBA players on the USA team gives them a great advantage, but the NBA stars are so extraordinary that the trick is trying to create a real team out of the egos, bank accounts and talents. I must say that the coach and team seem to be doing a very good job of all this, but excuse me for being cynical about at least a couple of these characters and their motives going in.
For Coach K, it’s about showing that he’s somehow better and more extraordinary that being “just” a very successful college coach. I think he’s somewhat out of control in controlling his Duke empire. It seems like he wants to use coaching Team USA as a way to show he could be a great NBA coach if he only chose to do it, but the truth is that he would never do it because he probably wouldn’t be very successful or good at it. The story about Greece said a lot about the Coach K myth. I think he wants this gold medal badly, to show that he’s one of the greatest of all time, but he should probably be trying to figure out how to bring Duke basketball back to elite status. He’s good and he’s done very well, but he just doesn’t seem worthy of all the adulation.
Kobe is a phenomenal player, but not somebody I generally enjoy watching from the team perspective. After being humilated by Boston, he needed these Olympics badly to feed his voracious ego. From my own cynical perspective, his participation is spectacularly individualistic, as he says how great it will be to win gold even while that allows him to leave his runner-up team behind and become one of the leaders of an even more dominant squad. Just because I’m not a fan of his, I would love to see Kobe playing for Argentina, Spain, Germany or any of the underdogs, just to see what would happen. Would he show the courage of a Nocioni? We’ve seen Kobe crack and disappear in a lot of similar circumstances. Instead, on Team USA he gets to burnish his credentials and build his global popularity.
So I find myself like Steve, looking for the weak spots and cracks, a little cynical, especially when it comes to the “team” side of things. But I don’t feel very good about it, and I’m actually pretty happy to see MP’s enthusiasm and enjoyment of the victories. It’s good stuff.
One dominant team is plenty for me. Besides that, I’ll stick with the Clips and the underdogs.
by citizen zhiv on Aug 23, 2008 4:31 PM PDT 0 recs
Yeah, it is weird
I am an underdog guy all the way. I’ll root for David every time. But at some point during the China game, I bought in to what Team USA was doing. Part of it was probably just the fact that is was fun to watch, and fun to root for a winner. But the other part of it was Americanism, too. Blind Americanism is acceptable in the Olympics, I think. It’s really the point of the Olympics. We wouldn’t have them without countries. (Yet, I often root for athletes of different countries all the time, so it’s not just about that).
But I really got into these games from that point of view. And the fact that I really got sick of people claiming that US Basketball not the world’s best anymore. The Celtics, Pistons and Heat beg to differ, and the Spurs, while full of foreign talent, are anchored by a guy who plays very American, if such a statement can apply. I think much of the criticism of US Basketball is well deserved. Compared to European players, the shooting and fundamental skills have deteriorated. But as the Celtics showed the Lakers, toughness counts for something, too.
Anyhow, I’m off on a tangent. I have been writing this during the breaks of a very tough Gold Medal match with Spain. The US played with hunger down the stretch, and they are sooooo excited to win the Gold. It is genuine, and great to see, and I am a proud flag waver right now. The US players have been great during these games in terms of being accessible and supportive of the other American athletes. Kobe and LeBron in particular were great ambassadors.
As for the not so great guys on the team, I equate it to Casablanca, and the scene where Bogart tells Major Strasser that he would be foolish to try invading certain parts of New York. In a way, he was proud of the toughness of his town, and comforted by the fact that the thugs of NYC would fight for the city if the fight called for it. I feel like that about Carmelo, for instance. I don’t know how any of these players feel about America day to day, but their sense of pride called for them to battle.
Besides, the US winning gold will be discounted because they didn’t blow out Spain, or because they only won by bringing all of their stars, or whatever. Anything less than blowouts is questioned. But, as I’m sure you could tell, I really enjoyed rooting for this team.
Now back to the Clippers.
F-Elton!
by mikey p on
Aug 24, 2008 1:55 AM PDT
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