Question of the Weekend before we get to NBA Free Agency: Do you believe that the United States senior men’s national basketball team has righted itself and will win a fourth successive Olympic gold in Tokyo?
The Americans routed the Czech Republic on Saturday to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals. The Czechs, remember, prevented Canada from qualifying for Tokyo by beating a team full of NBA players in Canada.
Spain, Australia, Luka Dončić-led Slovenia and France — which holds a two-game winning streak over Team USA — are the other top medal hopefuls. Who wins gold? Let’s discuss:
After watching the 2nd half of the Czech game you get a sense that the US has started to A) play as a team B) figure out what Pop wants on O & D and C) is starting to assert itself offensively. They are built as a team that needs to apply the gas to be successful, and they did that!
This was a 6 point game in the 3rd quarter, but Team US wasn't worried because the Czech team (although solid) couldn't stop them defensively. Team US shot the heck out of the ball, made some key stops, and most importantly found the open man --- and all of a sudden it was a 14 lead after 3Q's, then boom a 30 point blowout at the end. They are such a good 3-pt shooting roster, and the Int'l line is so short, they will dominate teams that cannot keep up with them on the offensive end.
France will give them trouble again in the rematch because of their size mis-match, but I also like that Pop is getting JaVale involved ... he looked to have some bounce against Czech. He could balance things out in the paint and allow Team USAs superior speed to be more evident.
All that being said, and there was ALOT to like, I still think the keys for this team are KD who was efficient, and finally looked like the best player in the tourney, and Tatum / Lavine who got themselves unlocked. They need a couple of go-to guys off the bench, and Team USA can dominate with both their speed and depth. Those 3 guys are simply unstoppable in this format with their ability to drive and hit 3's (as is Booker, who hasn't really stepped up yet).
Also love Holiday in this format. I think he's possibly Pop's favorite player after KD on this roster. Jrue just does it all!
Still think this roster needs a few more games to gel ... which unfortunately means they are gonna be sorting stuff out on the fly with Spain up next, then likely two games to exorcize their demons against both Australia and France, ie two teams they lost to early in the month! They can win the gold for sure, but it won't be easy!
"Do you believe that the United States senior men’s national basketball team has righted itself and will win a fourth successive Olympic gold in Tokyo?"
No, I don't believe that, but it's also hard to say that there was something from which to "right itself" in the first place. It isn't like some kind of virus, where Team USA is "not right" or "right." Any discussion of Team USA's chances should focus less on Team USA itself, and more on two other things: the competition, and the stakes.
Honestly, too much is written in USA media about talent. "USA has too much talent to lose." ... "They have more NBA players than anybody." ... "They were blowing teams out in past tournaments." ... "They're built like an All-Star/Dream Team." I get that USA mainstream media is star-driven. Kids grow up in the States wanting to be like their idol, and stars sell.
But basketball is a team game. And the Olympics are high stakes for other countries around the world. Those two things matter.
Team: The competition, talent aside, plays team ball. They care less about individual stats -- who scored what -- and more about whether they win or lose, as a team. That leads to heightened buy-in to coaching systems, more selfless play on the floor, and finding the best shot rather than your own shot. Some of these Olympic games don't even have box scores, unless you hunt for them in Western media. Unlike points scored or triple doubles, win-loss matters more to these international teams. And they unite more players that are used to that style of selfless play and team mindset, which helps. Talent and skill only amplify their play when it comes to executing down the stretch.
Stakes: American players may not give their all unless they're convinced that stakes are high. You see this all the time in win-or-go-home elimination games, like Game 6 or Game 7 in the NBA playoffs. Americans are trained to disregard regular season "exhibitions" because there are too many of them -- and too much risk of injury -- to exert 110% effort in every minute or each one. We won't know what they're truly capable of until the stakes are high -- elimination games -- and guys on the team need to win.
TLDR: I don't think it makes sense to discuss whether Team USA has changed materially in the span of days. Sure, they've improved. But if any problems exist, they won't go away in any meaningful way just because they played a weaker team in Iran or Czech Republic. We'll know only when they play top competition -- like Australia, Spain, or Slovenia -- and the stakes are high for both sides.
I think team USA should win but these teams are much better offensively than they used to be. That's the biggest difference I've noticed and so team USA has to lock in defensively to win it all. We should win gold but these games are going to be tight imo.
USA can win the gold. Too much talent not to. All those international teams and their years of playing together is a bit over rated. Our guys are the best in the world and will step up to the challenge, regardless of who they have to play to do it.
I think USA has still chance but what I see is that they're relying too much individual talents rather than playing together as a team. I felt like I was watching a practice game in the first quarter against Czech Republic. Today was not a success for team USA in the long run, I think, because if Lavine and KD didn't step up in the first half, the result would be much different. What I have in my mind is that USA should play sharing the ball together early in the games, when they find the hot hand [today KD, Tatum and Javale, for a brief period), they should go for him.
Some players play much more better when they are on their national teams and a lot of team have a culture which they built over years playing together as a group. USA doesn't have that. If USA can handle this, there is still chance.
And my last point before I finish is it feels like USA doesn't have a role-management system. For example, Slovenia has a simple system: Luka takes the ball and tries to find the most optimal shoot option. Same can be said for Australia (Mills) and Spain (Rubio, primarily) too. USA doesn't have that and this can be a minus point in FIBA basketball I think.
I do think the US team can still get it done. The arrival of the finals trio really helps and KD can put the whole team on his back if necessary. I appreciate them taking on this challenge at this time and I hope they are rewarded.
They needed that Iran game to fix themselves. Seems like their game is now free-flowing, and the stars are playing like themselves, getting to their spots and taking their shots. I’d say they’re fixed, but the next France game is the ultimate test.
After watching the 2nd half of the Czech game you get a sense that the US has started to A) play as a team B) figure out what Pop wants on O & D and C) is starting to assert itself offensively. They are built as a team that needs to apply the gas to be successful, and they did that!
This was a 6 point game in the 3rd quarter, but Team US wasn't worried because the Czech team (although solid) couldn't stop them defensively. Team US shot the heck out of the ball, made some key stops, and most importantly found the open man --- and all of a sudden it was a 14 lead after 3Q's, then boom a 30 point blowout at the end. They are such a good 3-pt shooting roster, and the Int'l line is so short, they will dominate teams that cannot keep up with them on the offensive end.
France will give them trouble again in the rematch because of their size mis-match, but I also like that Pop is getting JaVale involved ... he looked to have some bounce against Czech. He could balance things out in the paint and allow Team USAs superior speed to be more evident.
All that being said, and there was ALOT to like, I still think the keys for this team are KD who was efficient, and finally looked like the best player in the tourney, and Tatum / Lavine who got themselves unlocked. They need a couple of go-to guys off the bench, and Team USA can dominate with both their speed and depth. Those 3 guys are simply unstoppable in this format with their ability to drive and hit 3's (as is Booker, who hasn't really stepped up yet).
Also love Holiday in this format. I think he's possibly Pop's favorite player after KD on this roster. Jrue just does it all!
Still think this roster needs a few more games to gel ... which unfortunately means they are gonna be sorting stuff out on the fly with Spain up next, then likely two games to exorcize their demons against both Australia and France, ie two teams they lost to early in the month! They can win the gold for sure, but it won't be easy!
"Do you believe that the United States senior men’s national basketball team has righted itself and will win a fourth successive Olympic gold in Tokyo?"
No, I don't believe that, but it's also hard to say that there was something from which to "right itself" in the first place. It isn't like some kind of virus, where Team USA is "not right" or "right." Any discussion of Team USA's chances should focus less on Team USA itself, and more on two other things: the competition, and the stakes.
Honestly, too much is written in USA media about talent. "USA has too much talent to lose." ... "They have more NBA players than anybody." ... "They were blowing teams out in past tournaments." ... "They're built like an All-Star/Dream Team." I get that USA mainstream media is star-driven. Kids grow up in the States wanting to be like their idol, and stars sell.
But basketball is a team game. And the Olympics are high stakes for other countries around the world. Those two things matter.
Team: The competition, talent aside, plays team ball. They care less about individual stats -- who scored what -- and more about whether they win or lose, as a team. That leads to heightened buy-in to coaching systems, more selfless play on the floor, and finding the best shot rather than your own shot. Some of these Olympic games don't even have box scores, unless you hunt for them in Western media. Unlike points scored or triple doubles, win-loss matters more to these international teams. And they unite more players that are used to that style of selfless play and team mindset, which helps. Talent and skill only amplify their play when it comes to executing down the stretch.
Stakes: American players may not give their all unless they're convinced that stakes are high. You see this all the time in win-or-go-home elimination games, like Game 6 or Game 7 in the NBA playoffs. Americans are trained to disregard regular season "exhibitions" because there are too many of them -- and too much risk of injury -- to exert 110% effort in every minute or each one. We won't know what they're truly capable of until the stakes are high -- elimination games -- and guys on the team need to win.
TLDR: I don't think it makes sense to discuss whether Team USA has changed materially in the span of days. Sure, they've improved. But if any problems exist, they won't go away in any meaningful way just because they played a weaker team in Iran or Czech Republic. We'll know only when they play top competition -- like Australia, Spain, or Slovenia -- and the stakes are high for both sides.
I think team USA should win but these teams are much better offensively than they used to be. That's the biggest difference I've noticed and so team USA has to lock in defensively to win it all. We should win gold but these games are going to be tight imo.
USA can win the gold. Too much talent not to. All those international teams and their years of playing together is a bit over rated. Our guys are the best in the world and will step up to the challenge, regardless of who they have to play to do it.
I think USA has still chance but what I see is that they're relying too much individual talents rather than playing together as a team. I felt like I was watching a practice game in the first quarter against Czech Republic. Today was not a success for team USA in the long run, I think, because if Lavine and KD didn't step up in the first half, the result would be much different. What I have in my mind is that USA should play sharing the ball together early in the games, when they find the hot hand [today KD, Tatum and Javale, for a brief period), they should go for him.
Some players play much more better when they are on their national teams and a lot of team have a culture which they built over years playing together as a group. USA doesn't have that. If USA can handle this, there is still chance.
And my last point before I finish is it feels like USA doesn't have a role-management system. For example, Slovenia has a simple system: Luka takes the ball and tries to find the most optimal shoot option. Same can be said for Australia (Mills) and Spain (Rubio, primarily) too. USA doesn't have that and this can be a minus point in FIBA basketball I think.
Defense will be key for USA. The Spain/Slovenia game means a lot now. Loser will have to go through a really tough opponent to get to medal round.
I do think the US team can still get it done. The arrival of the finals trio really helps and KD can put the whole team on his back if necessary. I appreciate them taking on this challenge at this time and I hope they are rewarded.
I think Luka may just pull this off…going to be very interesting.
Slovenia will win it all.
They needed that Iran game to fix themselves. Seems like their game is now free-flowing, and the stars are playing like themselves, getting to their spots and taking their shots. I’d say they’re fixed, but the next France game is the ultimate test.