Mon. Aug 16, 2004
This Team's No Dream
The Olympic basketball game between the US and Puerto Rico was factually a “92-73 blowout loss”, but it is better summarized by Adrian Wojnarowski: “this was something straight out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, straight out of the worst fears of every flawed top seed with too many expectations, and too little game.” Or as William Rhoden said, “They’ve inherited a mantle of greatness that they did not earn.”
The US basketball team had a tough road from the beginning, simply because their presence and reputation causes every opponent to raise their level of play several notches. Everyone dreams of being the Giant Killer, but Puerto Rico got there first.
In addition, there are issues of age and cockiness: “[Coach Larry] Brown is drilling the youngest U.S. Olympic team, with an average age of 23.6 years, since NBA players were first allowed into the 1992 Games. Carmelo Anthony has already boldly predicted a gold medal, while [LeBron] James said he isn’t concerned about upholding the American’s 24-0 mark.”
Earlier, LeBron James pronounced himself a “changed man” as a result of his pre-Olympic training games in Europe: “It’s been such a great experience, fighting for my country and laying it on the line. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”
However, after they blew that twelve year old 24-0 Olympic record that James wasn’t concerned about upholding, getting stomped by Puerto Rico (behind by 22 points at half time), James suddenly backed off that “fighting for my country and laying it on the line” Big Talk: “‘This is not our cities or our country. It’s just basketball,’ swingman LeBron James said. ‘We’re talking about basketball.’”
That’s right it’s just a game, not a career that can earn you tens of millions of dollars. It’s just a game, not an American tradition upheld by the likes of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. It’s not like you’re actually fighting for your country and laying it on the line. That’s just big pre-game talk.
The brother of one of Puerto Rico’s players put it well: “They need to get the college players back. At least when they lost, it wasn’t an embarrassment. But they looked like they didn’t care tonight.”
There’s hardly a harsher indictment for an athlete at the Olympics.
LeBron James claims he’s matured and grown up during the three weeks he’s spent in Europe. Perhaps before he leaves, he’ll mature enough to figure out the original reason he came.
For now, he’s acting like a “performer” who expects he’ll paid regardless of the level of performance. During the NBA season, a losing record will still get you a nice paycheck. As The Guardian notes, LeBron James is “a $100m-a-year Nike marketing machine” and “US captain Allan Iverson makes more from his annual shoe contract with Reebok than the entire Puerto Rican team have made in their careers.”
But if you have a losing record at the Olympics, you just get to go home empty handed, and then try to explain to your peers why it’s no big deal, “it’s just basketball.”
I’m sure Magic, Michael, and Larry will be very understanding.
Published 12:13AM, Mon, Aug 16 2004
Category: Olympics
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Peanut Gallery
I have always hated having pros in the olympics. There is simply no need to use them. Especially if they are just along for the ride. I prefer to see athletes who are hungry. They play harder and are invested in the outcome.
Yes, my intent was not to say Team USA totally laid down in front of an inferior opponent. Puerto Rico was clearer the better team on the court. And it’s not just them. Earlier, I watched Argentina play Serbia-Montenegro, and they are two very tough teams. The USA team that showed up yesterday would have been beaten by either of those teams.
Emphasis on “teams.” Most of these national teams have been playing together for months, if not years. Team USA practices for four days, has six warm-up games, and thinks that’s all the prep they need to be World Champs.
And I’m not convinced the problem is the fact the pros are involved. I think the problem is the too-tight-ties between USA Basketball and the NBA. When they issued the 12 invitations, and the majority of the big names declined, rather than replace them with equivalent positional players … what you would do to build a team ... they said, “OK, who are our next biggest stars?”
Thus you end up with a young team filled with too many small forwards and no 3 point shooters, playing under international rules that stifle their usual “slash attack” style of street ball. We have a team of individuals who can make great individual plays. But can’t run a “team” pick play. Can’t move the ball around like a well oiled team. And can’t burn the inside zones that choke their “stars” by going to perimeter shooting … ‘cuz they ain’t got none (3 for 24 on 3 pointers? I can do that!)
And my guess is, even though these flaws are clear to all (especially their opponents), they can’t “remake” themselves in the time remaining. Tomorrow, they play Greece. I guess we’ll see how serious they are then. And if they have any pride at all.
Ok, I agree the NBA Stars are a bunch of over paid babies, and I think it’s cool they got whupped.
But why does a US Commonwealth have it’s own Olympic Team? WTF?
Here is an answer, http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Puerto_Rico but it still seems lame.
How about a Texas Olympic team or a California Olympic team. Better yet, let’s have a US olympics! that way it’s on TV live & we can root for people from our own states. Sorry about that Rhode Island;( Better yet, it would force everyone to learn their stupid state song, for the medal ceremonies.
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God, you are so right. What a disgrace! They were terrible. And the Puerto Ricans REALLY shined. Did you notice, as the game wound down, how they’d grap their shirts and gesture for the crowd? They’re pointing to the symbol of their nation. Nobody on our team looked proud to be wearing USA on his jersey.
As an aside… I’m in Ireland and I’m only 2 hours shifted away from Greece… I have to say that the Olympic coverage from the BBC is fantastic. I have a satellite dish, and I get 5 different BBC feeds on my TV to choose from, or I can watch Eurosport being completely obsessive about the Games if I wish… they’ve given over completely to 24-hr Olympics until the end. RTE (Irish national TV) is also doing pretty-much wall-to-wall Olympics on their #2 station.
I feel for you folks in the US this August! I’m looking forward to being back in Texas, but I’m especially happy to be in Europe right now.