BASKET: ITALY-USA 95-78

[Smoke]

Did I say co-favorites?

Judging by Team USA's first exhibition game overseas, that might have been a charitable assessment.

Friday's suggestion in this cyberspace that the Yanks are one of the three best bets for a gold medal in Athens only applies if the 12 players who finally did accept invitations from USA Basketball heed the preachings of Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich. Larry and Pop have been telling these guys for days that the only way they're going to win any kind of medal is with defense. The suffocating team variety.

The most distressing aspect about Tuesday's 95-78 embarrassment is the ease with which the Italians carved up Team USA. Inside and outside, it was just too easy for them.

Now granted, building a world-class team defense doesn't happen in a week, and that's basically as long as this group has been together. So, in fairness, you have to give Brown a little bit more time to get Team USA playing something that resembles a system.

You also have to concede that the Italians, playing loosely against a former superpower that lost its ability to intimidate in Indianapolis, didn't stop hitting once they got hot.

However ...

With its collective athleticism, Team USA shouldn't be overrun by a second-tier team like Italy, on the road or wherever. Never.

Not when Italy had just lost to Germany, which has Dirk Nowitzki -- playing competitively for the first time since April -- and little else you'd recognize.

The Americans have to be honest with themselves and admit that they didn't take the Italians seriously. That's the only conclusion you can draw when, according to witnesses at Cologne Arena, some of Brown's players were hoisting halfcourt shots and looking, uh, less than intense in pregame warm-ups. Then they found themselves in a hole and, as Allen Iverson noted, didn't communicate well enough on defense to mount the necessary comeback.

As one GM told me before the Italy game: "I have serious concerns about that team. No shooting, no passing, no leadership, no international experience, no knowledge of what's at stake and I don't think any respect for the opponents they're going to be facing."

Other than that ...

Right. Defense is the only way Team USA is going to be able to control tempo and get easy baskets. Only by forcing turnovers and rushing the opposition into bad shots -- and rotating religiously to ruffle open shooters -- will Brown's lads be able to offset the reality that there isn't a single Yank you'd expect to make seven 3-pointers in a game like Italy's Gianluca Basile did.

I will continue to say that it was a major mistake leaving Milwaukee's Michael Redd off this squad, which Tuesday's setback helped prove. Team USA combined for only four 3-pointers in this 16-point humbling.

The good news?

This edition of Team USA doesn't have a lot of things, but it does possess just about the two best coaches in the league. Coaches from the top two defensive teams in the league.

With about 10 days left until the Olympics start, at least there's still a little time for some Pistons-Spurs mojo to rub off.

Marc Stein, ESPN.com.

[Maestro Minded]

lol at USA.. cant even win at their own game

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA
.
.
.
When was the last time England won a title in soccer?

Stupid fuck.

is england supposed to be the best football nation and practically dominate all other teams? ..... NO
is usa supposed to be the best basketball nation and practically dominate all other teams? ..... uhm.... YES


ignorant homosexual.

you look like rupaul,  you have no right to call anyone a homo.  Now go back to the hole you crawled out of.  This bored was 100% better without you here.  Oh yea continue givin me negative karma like you used to do lol.  For those that dont know,  this is who ibo looks like



this rupaul as a man,  if iblow posted a pic of himself your see they look exactly alike

trailer boy.... always on my nuts like usual....
lol... you're so funny man.... ill post a picture , just to shut you up

now i cant see any similarities, but you know what they say: you see what you wanna see... lol...
so this "bored" used to be better without me?.... that grammar was way to advanced for me to understand..... lmao white trash homosexual, you probably look something like this:

now why dont you "go back to the hole you crawled out of", as ugly as you looks, you must have a trailer bitch as your mother, you know that type that burps and eats snots for dinner.....

now leave the library and go back to your trailer you homosexual trailer bitch, i dont have time for this, you wanna talk trash, we can do it in the battle section, ill try to lower my skills, but i still doubt that you will stand a chance...

[7even]

tomorrow Duncan and Co. face Nowitzki and Co. in Germany 

[pappy]

lol at USA.. cant even win at their own game

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA
.
.
.
When was the last time England won a title in soccer?

Stupid fuck.

is england supposed to be the best football nation and practically dominate all other teams? ..... NO
is usa supposed to be the best basketball nation and practically dominate all other teams? ..... uhm.... YES


ignorant homosexual.

you look like rupaul,  you have no right to call anyone a homo.  Now go back to the hole you crawled out of.  This bored was 100% better without you here.  Oh yea continue givin me negative karma like you used to do lol.  For those that dont know,  this is who ibo looks like



this rupaul as a man,  if iblow posted a pic of himself your see they look exactly alike

trailer boy.... always on my nuts like usual....
lol... you're so funny man.... ill post a picture , just to shut you up

now i cant see any similarities, but you know what they say: you see what you wanna see... lol...
so this "bored" used to be better without me?.... that grammar was way to advanced for me to understand..... lmao white trash homosexual, you probably look something like this:

now why dont you "go back to the hole you crawled out of", as ugly as you looks, you must have a trailer bitch as your mother, you know that type that burps and eats snots for dinner.....

now leave the library and go back to your trailer you homosexual trailer bitch, i dont have time for this, you wanna talk trash, we can do it in the battle section, ill try to lower my skills, but i still doubt that you will stand a chance...

LMFAO YOU DO LOOK LIKE RUPAUL LMFAO HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA.  nICE TRYwith my pic there loloolololoololololol.  Keep on playin ya self *continues typing happily away in the comfort of his own home* an bro i got better things to do than write a rhyme about a jerk off like you.

[DAYUM]

LMAO he does look like rapual LMAO

[Don Jacob]

like i was telling nik on aim the other day....this team sucks. doens't even match up against drea m team 2!

[Smoke]

Anyway, to close this topic, the problem of NBA is that you continue to have ex-players with no experience as first coach. Shit man, there are at least 30 European coaches who are better than you better coach. They actually coach the team, like the NCAA coaches. You should try one.

[Don Jacob]

lol tom sonned i-bo....but let it be known i was the first to say i-bo looked like rupaul......which he DOES!!!!!!!!LMAO....good job tom, and to a lesser degree good job i-bo thank you for prooving me and tom right LMAO!

[Maestro Minded]

lol at USA.. cant even win at their own game

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA
.
.
.
When was the last time England won a title in soccer?

Stupid fuck.

is england supposed to be the best football nation and practically dominate all other teams? ..... NO
is usa supposed to be the best basketball nation and practically dominate all other teams? ..... uhm.... YES


ignorant homosexual.

you look like rupaul,  you have no right to call anyone a homo.  Now go back to the hole you crawled out of.  This bored was 100% better without you here.  Oh yea continue givin me negative karma like you used to do lol.  For those that dont know,  this is who ibo looks like



this rupaul as a man,  if iblow posted a pic of himself your see they look exactly alike

trailer boy.... always on my nuts like usual....
lol... you're so funny man.... ill post a picture , just to shut you up

now i cant see any similarities, but you know what they say: you see what you wanna see... lol...
so this "bored" used to be better without me?.... that grammar was way to advanced for me to understand..... lmao white trash homosexual, you probably look something like this:

now why dont you "go back to the hole you crawled out of", as ugly as you looks, you must have a trailer bitch as your mother, you know that type that burps and eats snots for dinner.....

now leave the library and go back to your trailer you homosexual trailer bitch, i dont have time for this, you wanna talk trash, we can do it in the battle section, ill try to lower my skills, but i still doubt that you will stand a chance...

LMFAO YOU DO LOOK LIKE RUPAUL LMFAO HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA.  nICE TRYwith my pic there loloolololoololololol.  Keep on playin ya self *continues typing happily away in the comfort of his own home* an bro i got better things to do than write a rhyme about a jerk off like you.

obviously, you have a twisted way of seeing things....lol.... just for fun... tell me... is it my lips, my nose or maby my eyes that looks similar to ru paul.....
even if i DO look like ru paul, why are you so obsessed with it, you do like him/her, dont you, you pathetic little trailer homosexual son of a bitch

[Maestro Minded]

lol tom sonned i-bo....but let it be known i was the first to say i-bo looked like rupaul......which he DOES!!!!!!!!LMAO....good job tom, and to a lesser degree good job i-bo thank you for prooving me and tom right LMAO!

lol... he sonned me.... didnt he?... lol.






 




anyway... im removing the pic, im sure everybody have already seen it and tommyboy probably even saved the picture anyway and i wanna stick to the topic...
tom... if you want a piece of me, we can go to the battle board.... if not, plz don't speak to me.....


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BACK TO THE TOPIC


dont be so sure that usa will win folks.... dont forget what happened 2 years ago at world championships

[Smoke]

BACK TO THE TOPIC

[Sikx]

kinda sad game for usa, even with that team they should beat italy with one hand. i still have faith for usa, and i think they'll still win gold at athens.

[7even]

we almost beat you 
practically a tie, if you dont count the buzzer-beater
my man dirk added 32 points.. you aint got a player like that on your team do you  j/k
we still aint in the olympics which is a disgrace of course 

[Smoke]

we still aint in the olympics which is a disgrace of course 

Do you remember why?

[7even]

we still aint in the olympics which is a disgrace of course 

Do you remember why?