Anyone else thrilled the "dream team" lost?

[Poison]

Im getting a sick thrill out of seeing the U.S. "powerhouse" basketball team go down in flames this olympics.
They can no longer win the gold with the loss to Argentina.
Anyone else enjoying this?

[BlackArcher101]

I believe in Karma. If I say I'm thrilled they lost, then I believe Canada will lose in the World Cup.

[octothorp]

Originally posted by Poison@Aug 27 2004, 02:25 PM
Anyone else enjoying this?
yes, but we're all enjoying it over in the 'other sports' forum, where we're supposed to be!

[Reaper]

I am deriving some enjoyment out of it considering Team USA has had this arrogant swagger when it comes to the Olympics ("At least we can count on a gold medal in basketball...").

It looks good on them and I'd enjoy it if they didn't win the game for the bronze.

[Poison]

Originally posted by octothorp+Aug 27 2004, 09:36 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (octothorp @ Aug 27 2004, 09:36 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Poison@Aug 27 2004, 02:25 PM
Anyone else enjoying this?
yes, but we're all enjoying it over in the 'other sports' forum, where we're supposed to be! [/b][/quote]
Wow, well isnt my face red........ :rolleyes:

[the_only_turek_fan]

Which NBA players were on the US roster this year?
I know Iverson, and Duncan were. Who were the rest?

[O_M_A]

Originally posted by the_only_turek_fan@Aug 27 2004, 10:50 PM
Which NBA players were on the US roster this year?
I know Iverson, and Duncan were. Who were the rest?
Richard Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Lamar Odom, Stephon Marbury, Carlos Boozer, Dwayne Wade.

That's by memory though.

[the_only_turek_fan]

Originally posted by O_M_A+Aug 27 2004, 04:51 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (O_M_A @ Aug 27 2004, 04:51 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-the_only_turek_fan@Aug 27 2004, 10:50 PM
Which NBA players were on the US roster this year?
I know Iverson, and Duncan were. Who were the rest?
Richard Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Lamar Odom, Stephon Marbury, Carlos Boozer, Dwayne Wade.

That's by memory though. [/b][/quote]
They are all fine basketball players, but thats not the true dream team, IMO.

Kobe, Carter, Shaq, Kidd, Webber, and T-Mac along with Duncan and A.I. give or take a player is the true dream team, IMO.

United States is still #1 in basketball until someone beats them with the above roster, IMO.

[calgaryred]

It's still nice to see a new basketball champion besides the states! Go China in 2008!

[Dirty Mr. Clean]

I love it!!!

[Deelow]

Originally posted by the_only_turek_fan+Aug 28 2004, 12:10 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (the_only_turek_fan @ Aug 28 2004, 12:10 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Originally posted by O_M_A@Aug 27 2004, 04:51 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-the_only_turek_fan@Aug 27 2004, 10:50 PM
Which NBA players were on the US roster this year?
I know Iverson, and Duncan were. Who were the rest?
Richard Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Lamar Odom, Stephon Marbury, Carlos Boozer, Dwayne Wade.

That's by memory though.
They are all fine basketball players, but thats not the true dream team, IMO.

Kobe, Carter, Shaq, Kidd, Webber, and T-Mac along with Duncan and A.I. give or take a player is the true dream team, IMO.

United States is still #1 in basketball until someone beats them with the above roster, IMO. [/b][/quote]
Are you kidding? The team they had should have been able to sleep walk its way to the gold medal. They still had miles more talent than any team there. Part of being the best is wanting it the most...they didn't and they are no longer the best.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Hate to be anti-American but Yup, couldnt' be happier.

[moon]

With this team I am not so much happy they lost because they are the "dream Team" but more because I don't like the players on the team. In fact other then Boozer and Wade I can't think of one player that I do like on that team.

This team did not havet the swagger of other Dream Teams and they shouldn't have. They did not have the necessary skills to win an international tournament. If it were a NBA rules tournament I doubt they would have had any trouble winning the gold.

The bottom line is that if Kobe, Shaq and KG had been there it probably would have been a different story.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally posted by Deelow@Aug 28 2004, 02:15 AM

Are you kidding? The team they had should have been able to sleep walk its way to the gold medal. They still had miles more talent than any team there. Part of being the best is wanting it the most...they didn't and they are no longer the best.
Talent at what? Dunking?

The game outside of the NBA is about fundamentals and defense. Particularly SHOOTING. We don't have a single above average shooter on the team!

Not only are they NOT the most talented team at the Olympics, they're lucky they had a chance to play for a medal.

Your comments are waaaaaay off the mark.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally posted by Deelow+Aug 27 2004, 08:15 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Deelow @ Aug 27 2004, 08:15 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Originally posted by the_only_turek_fan@Aug 28 2004, 12:10 AM
Originally posted by O_M_A@Aug 27 2004, 04:51 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-the_only_turek_fan@Aug 27 2004, 10:50 PM
Which NBA players were on the US roster this year?
I know Iverson, and Duncan were. Who were the rest?
Richard Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Lamar Odom, Stephon Marbury, Carlos Boozer, Dwayne Wade.

That's by memory though.
They are all fine basketball players, but thats not the true dream team, IMO.

Kobe, Carter, Shaq, Kidd, Webber, and T-Mac along with Duncan and A.I. give or take a player is the true dream team, IMO.

United States is still #1 in basketball until someone beats them with the above roster, IMO.
Are you kidding? The team they had should have been able to sleep walk its way to the gold medal. They still had miles more talent than any team there. Part of being the best is wanting it the most...they didn't and they are no longer the best. [/b][/quote]
Depends what you define as "talent". Being able to dunk spectacularly and have elaborate haircuts and tattoos does not a basketball player make.

Aah whatever. Maybe they are more talented but basketball is a team game and from what I saw, they weren't playing a team game. I don't think they floated either (at least after the Puerto Rico game). They were really trying, but they couldn't do it.

This all reminds me of a Gilligan's Island TV movie I saw when I was a kid. If I recall correctly, the Harlem Globetrotters came to the island and they ended up playing a team of basketball robots. For the first half of the game the Globetrotters were getting buried by the technically proficient robots. The problem was that the 'trotters were trying to play a fundamental, non-flashy game but they just couldn't match the robots playing that way. The stakes were very high (though I can't remember what they were) and it was a very tense situation. If the robots were to win, something bad would befall Gilligan and the Harlem Globetrotters. Luckily the Professor was on hand and during halftime he came up with a solution -- that they should play their own game and confound the robots, who were not used to the high-flying and the razzle-dazzle and the bucket full of confetti routine. Soon enough the Globetrotters had the robots completely befuddled and I do believe a couple of them "fizzled out" and sparks and smoke came out of their robot orifices. In the end of course the Globetrotters won the game. Then they left the island I guess, I can't remember what happened.

Anyhow, the similarities between the "Dream Team" and the Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island are obvious -- the Globetrotters tried a different game-plan and failed for a while, so they went back to what they know best and won. The Dream Team didn't do the same thing and they tried to play with the high-flying and the razzle-dazzle and they didn't change and they lost. Hmmm. I guess there are no similarities at all. But the uniforms were the same color.

[InSutterWeTrust]

Originally posted by Deelow+Aug 27 2004, 08:15 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Deelow @ Aug 27 2004, 08:15 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Originally posted by the_only_turek_fan@Aug 28 2004, 12:10 AM
Originally posted by O_M_A@Aug 27 2004, 04:51 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-the_only_turek_fan@Aug 27 2004, 10:50 PM
Which NBA players were on the US roster this year?
I know Iverson, and Duncan were. Who were the rest?
Richard Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Lamar Odom, Stephon Marbury, Carlos Boozer, Dwayne Wade.

That's by memory though.
They are all fine basketball players, but thats not the true dream team, IMO.

Kobe, Carter, Shaq, Kidd, Webber, and T-Mac along with Duncan and A.I. give or take a player is the true dream team, IMO.

United States is still #1 in basketball until someone beats them with the above roster, IMO.
Are you kidding? The team they had should have been able to sleep walk its way to the gold medal. They still had miles more talent than any team there. Part of being the best is wanting it the most...they didn't and they are no longer the best. [/b][/quote]
I agree they should have easily gotten to the Gold medal game. But after watching a few games of the U.S there were too many "Cocky" guys trying to do everything themselves. Iverson for one, how times did I see him get the ball and go right to the net, on the other side Argentina they played as a team, they actually passed the ball quite a bit, to try and set up players. Im glad those players got what they deserve.

[flames_1987]

I do like Larry Brown as a coach though, and Tim Duncan is a great player and one classy guy. He never does much talking and always does his job.

BUT GOD AM I HAPPY THEY LOST!!!!

They had no shooters, Barry should've been chosen. The whole tournament the US had sooo many open looks and would pass them up where as every other team would nail them one after another.

Like America would've carred anyways.

[monty_]

I watched and episode of Letterman, where they had a player (Carmelo Anthony, I believe) on the show. At the end of the interview Letterman said "Good luck at the Olympics" and he replied "Yeah, we'll be bringing back the gold"

I think most of the US players thought it was going to be a cake walk. International basketball is very different than NBA basketball. 10 minute periods, shorter 3 point line, great emphasis on outside shooting, lots of questionable refereeing...I don't think many of the players were prepared for this.

But this was the situation Canada was in at the Nagano Olympics...forced to play for a medal they didn't really want. Bronze is good, but that Canadian team was a "dream team" and bronze wasn't what we went to Nagano for.

[sbailey924]

What kills me is that after the U.S.'s poor performance at the Worlds in '02, there was supposedly a rejuvenation among players to be on the team. The Olympic qualifying team was hands down better than the actual Olympic team (Jason Kidd??), and worse than that World team from '02.

I don't blame the players on the team for the loss, although they couldn't be consistnent outside at all. Guys like Shaq, McGrady, and Ben Wallace are sitting back enjoying themselves, thinking how great they are for being needed on a team to win the gold.

It's this overall attitude of the NBA why I just don't care about it. Give me college ball any day over the NBA.

[moon]

Hard to blame guys like Shaq, McGrady and Wallace who didn;t go over because of concerns about their safety.

Prior to teh Olympics there were legitimate concerns about Greeces ability to provide adequate security. We have seen so far that they have been able to do so but if there was any conern about safety then I can understand that they might not want to go.

[troutman]

I still think there is a HUGE gap between the best American players and the rest of the world. If the US sent some outside shooters it would have been a cake-walk. Next time the US won't mess around, and will send the right kind of players for the int'l game.

[the_only_turek_fan]

Originally posted by troutman@Aug 28 2004, 10:18 AM
I still think there is a HUGE gap between the best American players and the rest of the world. If the US sent some outside shooters it would have been a cake-walk. Next time the US won't mess around, and will send the right kind of players for the int'l game.
Exactly.

Just after Canada lost the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, we realized that we cant just send the best players, but the best team. Hence the Drapers, and Maltbys that we see today.

If they wanted a shooter, god knows why Reggie Miller is not on that team.

This was the one sport that I thought no one would ever beat the US in. Good to see another country beat them though, even though it wasnt the Americans best team, or best group of players.

[Cowboy]

Originally posted by the_only_turek_fan+Aug 28 2004, 02:40 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (the_only_turek_fan @ Aug 28 2004, 02:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-troutman@Aug 28 2004, 10:18 AM
I still think there is a HUGE gap between the best American players and the rest of the world. If the US sent some outside shooters it would have been a cake-walk. Next time the US won't mess around, and will send the right kind of players for the int'l game.
Exactly.

Just after Canada lost the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, we realized that we cant just send the best players, but the best team. Hence the Drapers, and Maltbys that we see today.

If they wanted a shooter, god knows why Reggie Miller is not on that team.

This was the one sport that I thought no one would ever beat the US in. Good to see another country beat them though, even though it wasnt the Americans best team, or best group of players. [/b][/quote]
Actually TOTF, Gretzky said the exact opposite, he said he would send the best player in the world to the Olympics because they could play any position (It just so happens the best of Canada do play great all round hockey) Sather in 1996 picked the role players such as Rob Zamuner.

The World Cup of Hockey is completely different because it is not played on International ice surface. Maltby and Drapers line is great for NHL ice but not for the bigger ice surface.

[Coolsurfer79]

Originally posted by InSutterWeTrust+Aug 27 2004, 09:11 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (InSutterWeTrust @ Aug 27 2004, 09:11 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Originally posted by Deelow@Aug 27 2004, 08:15 PM
Originally posted by the_only_turek_fan@Aug 28 2004, 12:10 AM
Originally posted by O_M_A@Aug 27 2004, 04:51 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-the_only_turek_fan@Aug 27 2004, 10:50 PM
Which NBA players were on the US roster this year?
I know Iverson, and Duncan were. Who were the rest?
Richard Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Lamar Odom, Stephon Marbury, Carlos Boozer, Dwayne Wade.

That's by memory though.
They are all fine basketball players, but thats not the true dream team, IMO.

Kobe, Carter, Shaq, Kidd, Webber, and T-Mac along with Duncan and A.I. give or take a player is the true dream team, IMO.

United States is still #1 in basketball until someone beats them with the above roster, IMO.
Are you kidding? The team they had should have been able to sleep walk its way to the gold medal. They still had miles more talent than any team there. Part of being the best is wanting it the most...they didn't and they are no longer the best.
I agree they should have easily gotten to the Gold medal game. But after watching a few games of the U.S there were too many "Cocky" guys trying to do everything themselves. Iverson for one, how times did I see him get the ball and go right to the net, on the other side Argentina they played as a team, they actually passed the ball quite a bit, to try and set up players. Im glad those players got what they deserve. [/b][/quote]
Here's a good article on Allen Iverson at the Olympics.
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer04/bas...tory?id=1870490 (http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer04/basketball/columns/story?id=1870490)

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally posted by moon@Aug 28 2004, 09:14 AM
Hard to blame guys like Shaq, McGrady and Wallace who didn;t go over because of concerns about their safety.

Prior to teh Olympics there were legitimate concerns about Greeces ability to provide adequate security. We have seen so far that they have been able to do so but if there was any conern about safety then I can understand that they might not want to go.
I actually thought that fear was a pretty weak excuse. If the Olympic Games was something you truly thought was the crowning accomplishment of your career, you'd still go despite the fears. It's pretty obvious that for some pro players they really think representing your country is more of an exhibition game than anything else.