Olympics Basketball: Puerto Rico 92, United States 73

[Smoke]

All the players from the Italian team combined (12 players + coach + staff) makes a total of 5m $ a year.
Italy cancelled Boozer from the floor and embarassed USA.

[eS El Duque]

in about 5-10 years, USA will still be favoured to win the Olympics, but wont be surprised if they don't.

Like Canada with hockey, who are expected to win everytime they play in the olympics (or the world cup coming up this august) or any other world championships. Like U-20 World champions every christmas (that we end up losing in the final, but we've got a medal (silver or bronze) the past 6-7 years )

But, we Canada wont be a shocked if Sweden, finland, Chezhs, Russia or USA (or even Slovakia!) end up winning, becuase they are all great teams (with pros in the NHL)


Same is gona happen with the NBA, more internationl players are gonna be coming to the NBA, so their National teams will get better.

But right now however, USA should have the BEST team int he world and SHOULD WIN every game, however Shaq/Garnett and Co dont want to play becuase, will, its expected that even the USA's 4th team should win it all lol (which is true)

[Smoke]

its expected that even the USA's 4th team should win it all lol (which is true)

Let me highlight the NBA's official ALL-NBA 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams.

2003-04 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM:
Tim Duncan
Kevin Garnett
Shaquille O’Neal
Kobe Bryant
Jason Kidd

2003-04 ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM
Jermaine O’Neal
Ron Artest
Ben Wallace
Sam Cassell
Tracy McGrady

2003-04 ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM
LeBron James
Lamar Odom
Baron Davis
Michael Redd
Zach Randolph

Those are the players (in order) who received other nominees: Steve Nash, Dallas, 75, Paul Pierce, Andrei Kirilenko, Stephon Marbury, Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Brad Miller, Jamaal Magloire, Pau Gasol, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Elton Brand, Erick Dampier, Michael Finley, Manu Ginobili, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Williams, Richard Hamilton, Shawn Marion, Tony Parker, Rasheed Wallace, Carlos Boozer, Steve Francis, Corey Maggette, Kenyon Martin, Theo Ratliff.

Which means you have 1 player ALL-NBA 1st team, a pair of 3rd team, and a couple of 4th team.

[Montana00]

I wouldnt care if USA doesnt win one game. I know that america has the best ballers, and i dont need them to beat some third world country to prove it.

[Da WCC Hopar!]

you know not very long ago pro athletes (that means who got paid in any way) weren't even allowed to compete in the olympics..

its just like with football, rugby and cricket and us english..  we invented them all.. we took them to our colonies.. now india and pakistan and the west indies routinely whoop our butts at cricket... and although we're on top right now others were kicking our ass at rugby.. and the less said about football the better... lol

its probably good for the US to lose.. because it'll make them realise they have to work, and maybe next time ya'll will bring a stronger team (sounds like ya'll think some people should be there...)

i agree wit u

[M Dogg™]

I always thought the USA basketball should be represented by the NBA champions, and in the case of foreign players on the team, then replace them with college students... lol. For reals, that way we already have a TEAM out there, which is the most important thing. Another thing, we need to make Puerto Rico a state right away, shit, and get some of their players. We need good players by tomorrow.

[Javier]

U.S.A basketball in a fucking crisis right now.

 im sick and tired of this bullshit.


1. No more god damn HS players can enter the NBA, no college players can enter the NBA until their 3rd year playing college ball.  This will pretty much make them smarter players , have a better work ethic, and actually compete against GOOD DEFENSE. Of course there are some exceptions but damn now its a fucking joke.  You have every good HS player thinking they can jump from HS to NBA so easily.

2.  THen you have players who dont give a fuck for their country, while the women's USA team is completely the opposite.  They LIVE for this, they play hard, to get to the olympics and to get that pride of the medal and then you have players that are afraid to go to Athens for security reasons, well what a pussy they play in arenas where every other night they have a game and there is a possibilty of a terrorist attack in every arena at all times.  That is an insult to all the other american athletes that are competiting at the olympics.  so basically, have some fucking pride and balls.

3.  What the fuck am i seeing?  U.S.A basketball getting BITCHSLAPPED by Puerto Rico.  WTF is that?!  Nobody on the god damn team knows how to play defense.  You have arroyo busting and 1 moves on the team and dancing all around them, whil they just fuckign stand there.
 

4.  I would much rather see the elite college players being coached by Coach K.  They would have pride, balls, and play much smarter ball and will fucking sweat that jersey.  What kind of player plays harder for their club than their fucking country.

[Smoke]

U.S.A basketball in a fucking crisis right now.

 im sick and tired of this bullshit.

1. No more god damn HS players can enter the NBA, no college players can enter the NBA until their 3rd year playing college ball.  This will pretty much make them smarter players , have a better work ethic, and actually compete against GOOD DEFENSE. Of course there are some exceptions but damn now its a fucking joke.  You have every good HS player thinking they can jump from HS to NBA so easily.

2.  THen you have players who dont give a fuck for their country, while the women's USA team is completely the opposite.  They LIVE for this, they play hard, to get to the olympics and to get that pride of the medal and then you have players that are afraid to go to Athens for security reasons, well what a pussy they play in arenas where every other night they have a game and there is a possibilty of a terrorist attack in every arena at all times.  That is an insult to all the other american athletes that are competiting at the olympics.  so basically, have some fucking pride and balls.

3.  What the fuck am i seeing?  U.S.A basketball getting BITCHSLAPPED by Puerto Rico.  WTF is that?!  Nobody on the god damn team knows how to play defense.  You have arroyo busting and 1 moves on the team and dancing all around them, whil they just fuckign stand there.
 
4.  I would much rather see the elite college players being coached by Coach K.  They would have pride, balls, and play much smarter ball and will fucking sweat that jersey.  What kind of player plays harder for their club than their fucking country.

5. Get some coaches from Europe. They arent worse than 90% of the coaches in the NBA. And give them respect. Cause they better than retired players who thinks they can coach somebody just cause they dunked over people when they were 20.

6. Change the fucking rules and make them like the international ones. In the rest of the world Basketball is a team sport. In the USA it's a show.

7. Improve the game. In the States one big man, Shaq, dominates the whole NBA alone. It's not possible. Here you can stop Duncan and everybody with zone, 3pts, double-triple teams, half pressure, Centers shooting from 3pts, pick 'n' rolls.. In America? Shaq is enought to win a title. Wack. The only team i've seen playing European style was been Detroit. Great team (i gotta admit it) with no real "superstars" but with that European style, you know, playing like a TEAM, with great defence, great karma. In fact they are world champions.

8. Istead of having that Iverson attitude: "Pozzecco? Who's Pozzecco?" (it was the Italian PG who litterally schooled him the night before, when Italy won by 17), show some respect to Europeans and South-Americans. Players like Yao, Okur, Nowitsky, Gasol, Stojakovic, Kirilenko, Ginobili, Bodiroga, Parker, Jasikievicius, S.Nash, etc.. are not Americans, but they still damn good. Better than a lot of players in the ALL-NBA 2nd team/3rd team.

[Javier]

iverson is an idiot, getting parking ticketrs for parking in handicapped zones, fuck Iverson.  How the fuck can he be co captain if he shows up late to team meetings, and then bitches at how he should get special treatment cuz hes the co captain.  What a fuckin scum.

"practice, we are talking bout practice here not the actual game"

"parking tickets? we are talking bout tickets here not a federal law parking tickets"

"meetings?! we are talking bout meetings here not the actual game"


Iverson is getting paid millions to be a piece of shit

[Nutty]

It's good that they lost the game, then maybe it'll kick some sense into the NBA players who turned the opportunity to rep the US @ the games. How can u not want to rep yer country?

1 problem is that their ego's are so big.

lol@ rugby. Don't even think about sending a 2nd string team again. Pity man, I wanted the ABs n Aussie to play the English WC team. Might've been a different result.........(not), lol.

[M Dogg™]

No offense to the European game, but it sucks donkey balls. It's boring, and when compared to a true American Dream Team, they got whopped by an average of 40 points. I agree with Javier, we need to have players stay in college, so they can devolpe, instead of do a few moves to get in the NBA. Or players are not ready to be in the NBA, let alone the world game. I still like the NBA champion idea, but if not, well, fuck it, get some real players. Too bad we only had one Dream Team, I still don't know how anyone could ever play against the 3 greatest players ever. We have Kobe, Shaq, and Duncan, and all we have playing is Duncan.

Oh, and for Shaq winning all the titles, He would too in Europe. When we had Shaq in the national team, he dominated the other countries like he was Godzilla in Japan. It's Shaqzilla!!! Shaqzilla!!!

[eS El Duque]

I still don't know how anyone could ever play against the 3 greatest players ever. We have Kobe, Shaq, and Duncan, and all we have playing is Duncan.

LMAO

[.:DayGoStyLz:.]

its probably good for the US to lose.. because it'll make them realise they have to work, and maybe next time ya'll will bring a stronger team (sounds like ya'll think some people should be there...)

The problem with the US team is that all the players who were selected didn't want to play for one reason or another...Only two players remain from the players originally selected (and one of them isn't even American): Iverson & Duncan...That's why the team is so shitty...LOL.

i wondered if that was the case.. perhaps next time there will be more pressure for them to play if the US loses.

it wont. It sucks to knock this team. Like it was said earlier, the only two that SHOULD be there are Duncan and Iverson. None of the other selected players came. Give props to those two for actually putting themselves aside and comin to play. Everyone else who turned it down are fuckin pussies.

[.:DayGoStyLz:.]

7. Improve the game. In the States one big man, Shaq, dominates the whole NBA alone. It's not possible. Here you can stop Duncan and everybody with zone, 3pts, double-triple teams, half pressure, Centers shooting from 3pts, pick 'n' rolls.. In America? Shaq is enought to win a title. Wack. The only team i've seen playing European style was been Detroit. Great team (i gotta admit it) with no real "superstars" but with that European style, you know, playing like a TEAM, with great defence, great karma. In fact they are world champions.

lol. Shaq is coo and all...but "enough to win a title"? Cmon, dont be stupid. Shaq didnt win a title before he came to the Lakers...and wont win one now either. So dont say he can win it alone. He looks good some games, bad some games...just like every other player. Despite what u might think, he doesnt REALLY have an S on his chest. And i havent seen the teams in the Olympics really STOPPING Duncan. He's getting alot of the shots he wants, just like alot of players. Thats not stopping somebody. Its up to them to knock down the shots. He has been the only real consistent player. Iverson has had some good games too. But nobody else is stepping up at all.

[M Dogg™]

I still don't know how anyone could ever play against the 3 greatest players ever. We have Kobe, Shaq, and Duncan, and all we have playing is Duncan.

LMAO

wow... you quoted that to make it seem like I'm calling Shaq Duncan and Kobe the greatest players ever... lol. I was typing really quick going from the Dream Team, Mike, Magic and Bird, then talking about today. I was speedy on the boards today... lol