Aug 24th, 2008 at 4:29 am
Gold Medal Game
Well, it’s super late since I stayed up to watch the US play Spain live for the gold medal. It was a close, hard-fought exciting game and I’ll avoid saying who won in case anyone’s trying to catch it on replay and avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say that Rudy Fernandez, who’s slated to join Portland, looks like he’ll be a real asset and Ricky Rubio is incredibly impressive for a seventeen year-old playing against the best talent in the world.
54 Responses to “Gold Medal Game”
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August 24th, 2008 at 4:39 am
Chomp on it, Mr. East Coast. I won’t reveal anything either.
August 24th, 2008 at 5:42 am
Anyone who can’t answer the call of the 3am hoops fest doesn’t deserve to be President.
Fernandez is indeed a baller. That dunk was crazy. And JCN came up big.
Ricky! is pretty cool, but he constantly depends on using his off-hand in a way that isn’t allowed in the NBA. I know he’s only 17, and he does seem to have some real gifts, but he couldn’t excel in the association right now.
Damn good game.
—–
Team USA really was vulnerable, but no one had the personnel to take advantage. If Argentina or Spain had been fully healthy, things could’ve gotten messy. But with injuries, no one had the minimal depth necessary to exploit the problems with the US squad.
Team USA’s whole schtick was dependent on no one being able to deal with ball pressure. Beyond that, they were as full of holes as swiss cheese.
Colangelo got lucky.
—–
Beyond the gold medal game, Nocioni deserves special mention. He played amazingly on a bad knee.
—–
And folks complain endlessly about NBA refereeing, but watching these games makes you appreciate the NBA zebra system. The NBA may get individual calls wrong, and they may favor stars, but you can at least get a sense for what is a foul and what isn’t a foul in a way that doesn’t seem to exist in FIBA.
August 24th, 2008 at 6:14 am
FreeDarko is correct:
August 24th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Men’s basketball should be removed from the olympics. Watching NBA players for various countries play pickup style ball while having commentary by the same people who comment on NBA games was boring. Anyone can watch the same thing from October through June in the NBA.
The same can be said for Tennis. Why watch the olympics when it was nothing more than a cheap imitation of the U.S. Open?
If basketball is removed form the Olympics, the ESPN would not fell compelled to report on the Olympics at all and sport talk radio could ignore the olympics.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:26 am
USA! USA! USA! I liked it when the Black Mamba dumped water on Coach K’s head. Krzyzewski’s got a bad toupee so instead of celebrating the gold medal win he was worried about doing emergency rug maintainance. As always, Duke sucks. I don’t know what Randolph and Mortimer Duke were thinking when they founded that joint.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:58 am
I think they should remove track and field from the olympics. It’s just a cheap imitation of the world championships…
August 24th, 2008 at 8:01 am
I think they should remove ping pong from the olympics. It’s just a cheap imitation of what’s in my basement.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Still no love for D Wade, Matt?
August 24th, 2008 at 8:43 am
I’m not a basketball fan, which is kind of strange since I’m tall and a decent player (on defense, at least). But I do like the fact the basketball is becoming very popular worldwide. I used to say that cricket was, by far, the second most popular sport in the world. But that’s not really true anymore. On my last trip to India, I was stunned by how popular basketball had become there. The classic telltale sign: I saw a Buddhist monk take off his robes, and he had a Lakers jersey underneath. Gotta love that. It’s still not cricket, but it’s getting there. Soccer, of course, will always be the King of Sports. Economies literally shut down during the World Cup. But basketball is getting popular enough that maybe there should be a World Cup for it.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Basketball players are a natural resource here. It’s like if Colombia entered a contest to see who kept the most coke in their apartment.
$100 to the first person who can find a similar quote from a Kenyan talking about their runners.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Soccer, of course, will always be the King of Sports.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Good game. I predicted before the Olympics that the US would not have any game decided by single digits. This game was close, but the Rubio unsportsmanlike foul (i.e., not going for the ball, which is a rule I really like) plus technical put my prediction over the top.
Some thoughts on the gold medal game:
Kobe played well at the end, but he took a lot of bad shots and had a bunch of bad plays throughout the game. Someone’s got to get through to him that D-Wade and LeBron are not Luke Walton and Trevor Ariza. No more contested threes, please. This was a problem for the whole team, but especially Kobe. We’re lucky that Kobe is at the top of his talent right now – when he gets a little worse, those shots will be downright awful.
Chris Paul can’t keep anyone in front of him, isn’t a great shooter, and missed some layups. Why Paul played down the stretch instead of Kidd or Deron puzzled me. Why Paul and Deron Williams tried to make layups off steals in the 2nd half instead of passing to Kobe/Wade/LeBron floored me. You’re a point guard – pass to your wing guys on the break! Kidd wouldn’t be trying to make layups.
Why was Dwight Howard in the game down the stretch in the 4th quarter? He can’t shoot free throws. Plus, he wasn’t even rebounding that well. Bosh should have played the entire 4th.
I’d like to know what happened to our defense. We played good pick and roll defense the entire tourney until this game, when we went back to forgetting how to play D.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Soccer, of course, will always be the King of Sports.
The gold medal game was a letdown – since when are there water breaks in big time soccer? – but any time you get Argentina-Brazil in a big time match like the semis here, you can’ ask for anything else. Argentina are really fun to watch.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I hear you Al. Kobe took some unforgivably bad 3s early on in the third that let Spain back into it. But then he made clutch plays to put it away so I can’t really be mad at him. Also, Chris Paul is a really shitty defender.
Why was Dwight Howard in the game down the stretch in the 4th quarter? He can’t shoot free throws. Plus, he wasn’t even rebounding that well. Bosh should have played the entire 4th.
Dude, the refs were handing out fouls like they were going out of style. Chris Bosh absolutely had to play center for the final 5 mins. If he’d fouled out in a close game we’d have been screwed.
I’d like to know what happened to our defense. We played good pick and roll defense the entire tourney until this game, when we went back to forgetting how to play D.
What happened to our D was the refs called something like 10 fouls on both teams in the first 5 mins. When Kobe and LeBron were on the bench in foul trouble the other guys couldn’t play aggressive D. Imagine how screwed we’d have been in Wade picked up his 3rd foul in the first half.
Few glaring holes on this team:
-Dwight Howard (as much as I love him) isn’t a FIBA player. Not now at least.
-We need to bring more big man that can shoot free throws and cut through the zone for tough layups (FIBA refs won’t let you dunk on people). Chris Bosh saved our asses in these Olympics.
-Micheal Redd should have been nowhere near this team. If Jason Kapono can play pressure defense I say give him Redd’s spot next tournament.
-Carlos Boozer mush have killed couch K’s dog.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:15 am
The gold medal game was a letdown – since when are there water breaks in big time soccer? – but any time you get Argentina-Brazil in a big time match like the semis here, you can’ ask for anything else. Argentina are really fun to watch.
Stupid Messi /grumble
August 24th, 2008 at 11:25 am
When Kobe and LeBron were on the bench in foul trouble the other guys couldn’t play aggressive D.
It looked to me like the problem was perimeter guys playing overaggressive D, trying to force turnovers on every single play instead of keeping their men in front of them or funneling them toward help, combined with the fact that help rotations were never there on time when perimeter defenders got beat. In all, the worst defense I’ve ever seen played by a winning team in a meaningful game, I think.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Last year in India, I saw a Hindu priest wearing a Yankee beanie.
Also, joejoejoe, still bitter about that rejection, I see.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I was absolutely floored at how well Rubio was able to hold his own against the NBA’s best. Rubio and others seemed to have no problem shredding the American defense – I thought D was a Coach K specialty.
And it’s important to remember that Spain was playing without Jose Calderon, who most certainly would have given the Americans some trouble.
Certainly, it was an impressive win for the home team. But, man, Spain was right there and they should only get better. Which is too bad, given that they seem to lack even a little bit of diplomacy.
August 24th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I’ll go back to believing that the USA’s participation in international competition is really stupid. Basketball players are a natural resource here. It’s like if Colombia entered a contest to see who kept the most coke in their apartment.
This claim gets stupider with every passing Olympics. The best USA players were significantly tested by Argentina, even without Ginobili, and Spain, without Calderon. The talent gap will inevitably continue to narrow, especially against countries like China.
Now, it’s possible once the US is no longer dominant, the best players will stop caring enough to even go, so that they aren’t in a position to lose. I think David Stern will have something to say about that though (hint: expect the all-star game to start going US vs. international on a semi-regular basis in the near future).
Still no love for D Wade, Matt?
D-Wade was the absolute MVP for the US in this tournament. What a player. Brilliant for Coach K to bring him and Paul off the bench to shred either the opponent’s second team or a tired first team — looks like he’s been discussing strategy with Gregg Popovich.
Soccer, of course, will always be the King of Sports.
Not in the Olympics, of course, where it’s a glorified under-23 tournament.
Why was Dwight Howard in the game down the stretch in the 4th quarter? He can’t shoot free throws. Plus, he wasn’t even rebounding that well. Bosh should have played the entire 4th.
Bosh was incapable of guarding Gasol, but when it became obvious that Howard’s free throw shooting might derail the entire offense, he had to come out. Agree Howard wasn’t playing all that well on the boards.
August 24th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
All the U.S. did was prove that if the U.S. stacks a team with all-stars that they will dominate all of the other NBA laden teams. The Olympics is eliminating softball because the U.S. dominate the sport. The same could be said for women’s basketball since the former Soviet countries have stopped pushing basketball.
Soccer is another sport that should be eliminate from the Olympics. The World Cup fields the needs for a world championship. Why play another one every four years?
August 24th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Soccer is another sport that should be eliminate from the Olympics. The World Cup fields the needs for a world championship. Why play another one every four years?
Name an Olympic sport that doesn’t have a world championship.
August 24th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
The argument that Olympic basketball is boring because the U.S. is too dominant is particularly dumb considering the U.S. did not win at the last Olympics. Dumb!
August 24th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I think the biggest issue is they are still brining the wrong big men, you need mobile gus who can hit the open 15 footer.
As to the game itself, someone nailed the D problem above, the guards all kept tryign to get steals on every play and let their men drive by them too easily. That worked fine vs the lesser teams, they need to play against a team like Spain the way they would in a regular NBA game.
Kobe was big down the stretch, but his lousy shot selection earlier was keeping Spain in it. Wade was the man, with all his injuries and the bad suprting cast in Miami I had forgotten just how good he is.
As a Portland fan I want to once again say thanks Phoenix, gee you think they’d rather have Rudy now than $3 mil of Paul Allen’s money?
August 24th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Kobe played well at the end, but he took a lot of bad shots and had a bunch of bad plays throughout the game. Someone’s got to get through to him that D-Wade and LeBron are not Luke Walton and Trevor Ariza.
Damn you, Al, that’s exactly the comment I was about to write. I think it’s important to reiterate it, though, before “Kobe’s clutch play saves the day!” becomes the conventional wisdom.
I must have yelled at the tv 5 times, “Jesus, Kobe, pass the ball! That’e LeBron over there, not Luke Walton!” I would note that LeBron, Wade and the rest did not have any problem shifting away from the shoot-first mentality they have on their NBA teams.
August 24th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Willie,
For many sports, winning an Olympic medal is the ultimate such as the 100 M dash or Gymnastics. HOwever, for professional basketball players, winning an NBA title is the ultimate, for tennis players winning a Grand Slam is the ultimate, and for soccer players winning the World Cup or the Premiere League championship is the ultimate.
If winning an Olympic medal is not the ultimate, then the sport should be eliminated. Especially sports likes mens basketball that looked like NBA pre-season games with the same announcers and the same analysis on ESPN.
August 24th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
With respect to Deadspin.com, their headline says everything about why professional basketball should not be an Olympic sport.
Nike’s US Division Defeats Nike’s Spanish Division at Company Picnic
August 24th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
And folks complain endlessly about NBA refereeing, but watching these games makes you appreciate the NBA zebra system. The NBA may get individual calls wrong, and they may favor stars, but you can at least get a sense for what is a foul and what isn’t a foul in a way that doesn’t seem to exist in FIBA.
It seemed like the definition of a foul changed over the course of a game. The first quarter saw a bunch of ticky-tacky fouls called. The second quarter was a no-holds-barred cage match. I think Spain got the benefit of confusion (with Kobe and LeBron sitting early). I wonder how (if at all) the various effects of NBA stardom and race influenced the calls.
It seemed to me like Spain played the refs like the Spurs do. On the defensive end, they flopped like soccer divas; on the offensive end, the set moving-grabbing-poking-pushing screens on almost every play.
Now that we’ve won gold, I’ll go back to believing that the USA’s participation in international competition is really stupid. Basketball players are a natural resource here. It’s like if Colombia entered a contest to see who kept the most coke in their apartment.
As noted earlier, this is pretty retarded. Lots of countries (or regions) dominate in different sports. Should Kenya(/Ethiopia/Eritrea) stop competing in the marathon or Jamaica from the sprints or the Nordic countries from javelin? There is no lack of competition in the international game and it makes no sense to have the best players sit out the games.
All the U.S. did was prove that if the U.S. stacks a team with all-stars that they will dominate all of the other NBA laden teams.
Of course. That’s why USA basketball has dominated in international play the last 8 years, right?
August 24th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
HOwever, for professional basketball players, winning an NBA title is the ultimate, for tennis players winning a Grand Slam is the ultimate, and for soccer players winning the World Cup or the Premiere League championship is the ultimate.
People assert this all the time, but I’m not convinced it’s true. Kobe and Wade have won NBA titles before, but both seemed just as motivated and thrilled to get a gold medal. Roger Federer said a doubles gold medal was the highlight of his career. (Soccer is a little different since many top players are actually restricted from playing, similar to baseball, due to scheduling).
August 24th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Why Paul played down the stretch instead of Kidd or Deron puzzled me.
Al, I think you might be the first person ever to suggest subbing Kidd for Paul. Although he may play some defense, I thought Kidd was on the team more as a mascot or for his “leadership” than for any actual production.
August 24th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
What kept Spain in the game so long is that they played like a team and ran offensive plays, whereas the U.S. played more like a collection of all-stars who were trying to make plays all by themselves.
August 24th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
too many steves sez: I must have yelled at the tv 5 times, “Jesus, Kobe, pass the ball! That’e LeBron over there, not Luke Walton!” I would note that LeBron, Wade and the rest did not have any problem shifting away from the shoot-first mentality they have on their NBA teams.
That must be why Kobe led the team in assists in this game, right? In your telling, it sounds like he never passed the ball, and all his teammates had adopted “pass-first” mentalities garnering them loads of assists.
Except that, you know, the opposite happened. Kobe passed plenty, and played an excellent game.
Blinders…
August 25th, 2008 at 4:10 am
A bold assertion, but not one I necessarily agree with. You want to back it up? Because this would seem to turn the Olympics into a collection strictly of second-tier sports no one cares about in any other venue, instead of a celebration of all sport.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Anthony,
the Olympics is elimiating women’s softball because the U.S. is too dominate and baseball because the U.S. team is not very good. The Olympics has soccer but not rugby. It has Tennis but not golf.
Just eliminate the few sports where professional from professional leagues are playing such as basketball, soccer, tennis. the gymnastics, swimming, track and field, will still be there.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:31 am
“Al, I think you might be the first person ever to suggest subbing Kidd for Paul. “
I also think CP3 is kinda useless in the FIBA game, and would’ve increased Kidd’s and Deron’s minutes.
I’ve even suggested it before.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Just eliminate the few sports where professional from professional leagues are playing such as basketball, soccer, tennis…
…and handball, and waterpolo and track & field and…
August 25th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
the Olympics is elimiating eliminating women’s softball because the U.S. is too dominate dominant
Japan has something to they’d like to tell you.
[The Olympics] has Tennis but not golf.
That’s because golf is not a sport.
Kobe may have led the team in assists, but he also leads in eliciting my hate.
August 25th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
That must be why Kobe led the team in assists in this game, right? In your telling, it sounds like he never passed the ball …
Kobe’s ball-hogging had nothing to do with his assist numbers. He was happy to pass the ball early, but in the 4th quarter he was just making some ridiculous heaves.
Assists total aside, LeBron, Wade and many of the other guys really changed their style of play for the Olympics. Kobe just kept chucking.
Petey, Chris Paul is not kinda useless in any type of basketball. Kidd played better than a lot of people here give him credit for, but there’s no way he should have played more minutes.
November 16th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Soccer, of course, will always be the King of Sports.
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