Olympic Games basketball 2012 redux

[Jimmy Chitwood]

since the last thread was so troll-infested that it was locked, i thought i'd give it another try and see how it turns out ...

yesterday, both the men's and women's versions of Team USA played Brazil in a tune-up game. however, the two sides saw drastically different performances.

the men's team struggled mightily, with Brazil staying close most of the night and getting within 6 points with 6:00 left in the 4th quarter. Team USA once again showed their lack of an inside game, with none of their post players producing. starting center Tyson Chandler and starting power forward Carmelo Anthony combined for a "whopping" 6 points (on 2 of 9 shooting) and 5 rebounds in 36 minutes. ugh! Kevin Durant scored 11 (on 5 of 13 shooting)and grabbed 3 boards off the bench in 24 minutes to save the frontline a total embarassment.

"somehow," though, Kevin Love was left rotting on the bench. he saw only 5 and a half minutes of game action.

Team USA also still shot abysmally from the perimeter ... hitting only 6 of 24 from 3-point range (and even worse from mid-range). if not for 30 points from Lebron James, Team USA could've received a nasty black eye *pun* with a defeat to lightly-regarded Brazil.

the women's version of Team USA showcased what USA basketball used to look like ... especially with the dominant performance of two White guards. Diana Taurasi and Lindsay Whalen exploded, and the ladies cruised to a 32-point win over a weak opponent. Whalen had a game-high 21 points (on a sparkling 8-12 shooting), 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Taurasi had 19 points (6-12 shooting), 2 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals.

also, the team played without starting point guard Sue Bird (death in the family), who Team USA head coach Geno Auriemma calls "the best point guard in the world."

one wonders where the male version of these players is for the male Team USA, since Kevin Love is the only White man on the roster?

dominant basketball players don't have to have black skin ... even American-born ones.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

ESPN basketball analyst and former collegiate basketball coach Fran Fraschilla is calling for Kevin Love not only to play a LOT more, but to start in today's game against Great Britain.

the men tip-off in just a little under an hour ...

i'll be writing up an (i think) interesting piece on the women's game against Great Britain as soon as i'm able.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

A "Great" Brit, Shunned

She just dropped 21 points on Team USA, is the best player on the best-ever Great Britain women’s national team, and set 25 school records in college. So why is Johannah Leedham the invisible woman of women’s basketball?

Jo Leedham drives past Team USA's Diana Taurasi to score

For those who follow sport and eagerly discuss young talent in hopes of “their team” signing the next superstar, there are several phrases from scouting parlance that have become familiar. For example, possibly the most common desirable attribute in a young athlete is “upside.” “Upside” is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “promise” or “potential.” This word connotes a player’s capacity for continued growth, indicating that he or she is going to become much, much better.

A word commonly associated with “upside” is “raw.” “Raw” is defined by Merriam-Webster’s as “lacking experience.” Similarly to “upside,” being “raw” is considered a positive, because it also indicates tremendous room for improvement in said athlete’s future performance.

Other oft-seen terms that are more self-explanatory are “playmaker” (the ability to repeatedly make positive, influential contributions in a competitive setting) and “proven winner” (having demonstrated the capacity to lead a team to victory, usually over the course of an entire season and demonstrated by championship titles).

The reason these terms are so familiar is clear: according to scouts, coaches, media analysts, and so on, these attributes are among the most important when evaluating a player’s future. Consequently, a gifted athlete who also possesses these qualities is coveted … or so we’re told ad nauseam.

There’s one caveat, however. And it is something that’s never publically stated.

Talent evaluators only want these qualities if the player is black. For White athletes, they are irrelevant.

Which brings me back to Johanna Leedham, who provides a poignant example of how the Caste System impacts athletics …

RAW UPSIDE

Jo Leedham was still playing netball in her native England at 16 years of age when she fell in love with the game of basketball. She came to the USA to play and ended up at Cheshire Academy (CT) in 2004.

A 5’11” combo guard, in just her second year she led the CATS to an undefeated (27-0) season and their first-ever NEPSAC (New England Prep School Athletic Council) Championships in 2005.

Despite completely dominating AND winning AND being “raw” AND filled with “upside” (she’d only been playing competitive basketball for a few years, remember), when her high school career ended Leedham was completely ignored by all the nation’s top collegiate programs and she ended up at tiny Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.

According to Franklin Pierce head coach Steve Han****, “Jo ended up with no Division One scholarship (offers), which was an absolute total surprise.” [Author’s note: It’s not a surprise if you’re aware of the Caste System.]

“I was angry,” admitted Leedham. “I really wanted to go Division One.”

Instead, she took out that anger on the competition.

PLAYMAKER

Leedham starred at Franklin Pierce from 2006-10, leaving the program as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division II Women's Basketball history with 3,050 career points (she averaged 26.9 ppg as a senior). Her career point total is the fifth-highest across all divisions of women's college basketball (I, II & III), and she holds at least 25 school records.

She was no slouch on defense, either, ranking seventh in Division II history with 459 career steals (averaging 4.2 spg as a senior).

She was twice named the WBCA/State Farm Division II National Player of the Year (2008 and 2010).

PROVEN WINNER

In addition to her individual brilliance, Leedham helped guide the Ravens to unprecedented success. In 2009, she led the Ravens to a spot in the national championship game, and was named to the NCAA Division II All-Tournament Team as she scored a Division II-record 149 points in the tournament. The following season in 2010, she guided Franklin Pierce to a No. 1 national ranking during the regular season and a trip to the Division II Final Four.

During her tenure, Leedham also led the Ravens to back-to-back Northeast-10 Conference championships in 2009 and 2010 (the first NE-10 titles in program history) and three NCAA East Regional championships (2008-10).

She did all this while also earning Academic All-America honors and being named the 2010 NE-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's basketball and the overall NE-10 Female-Athlete-of-the-Year. Oh, and just for good measure, her number 16 was retired.

NOTHING LEFT TO PROVE?

Following her outstanding collegiate career and the 2009 World University Games (where she ranked third in the tournament in scoring at 18.9 ppg), Leedham was drafted by the Connecticut Sun in the third round of the 2010 WNBA Draft … but she’s not played a single minute in the league.

Once again, the American media’s mystical invocation that “teams are looking for the best players” is demonstrated to be false.

Leedham has played two seasons of professional basketball overseas since leaving Franklin Pierce, including this past season for the Bulleen Boomers of the WNBL in Australia, where she helped her team make it to the championship finals, averaging 9.6 ppg, 2.3 spg, and 4.8 rpg. But the WNBA still doesn’t seem to be interested …

Leedham has also continued to showcase her talents with the British national team en route to taking it to new heights, highlighted by an incredible 19 point 12 steal double-double in her 50th appearance. (12 steals is a British record at any level and surpasses NBA (11) and WNBA (10) current steal records.) Leedham, the team captain, has also been Great Britain’s leading scorer in 9 of their last 10 games, including dropping 21 on Team USA on Wednesday (July 18, 2012).

To put her situation in perspective, consider the journey of Leedham (a White basketball player from England) to that of two of her, er, darker “countrymen” on the Great Britain men’s national team. Like Leedham, both of these men also came to the game of basketball late in life, but they’ve been given much, much more opportunity.

Luol Deng was born in (now South) Sudan, moved to Egypt, emigrated to England, played for prep school Blair Academy (NJ) where he was a McDonald’s All American, went to Duke University, and is currently an NBA All-Star for the Chicago Bulls.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu, a Ghanian-turned-Brit, although not as talented as Deng, shares a similar tale of earning a Division One scholarship and receiving multiple opportunities to play in the NBA.

“Weird,” don’t you think?

Three British national team members, all possessing a similar backstory, yet only one of them has been shunned both by Division One recruiters and the premier basketball league in the world. “Weird,” indeed … at least if you don’t understand the Caste System.

 

[Truthteller]

Nice work JC. I don't follow women's basketball all that much, but beginning around 2009 I started reading up on the WNBA, trying to find out a couple things: 1) Why did a league that was fairly white friendly in it's first seven years (1997 to about 2004) suddenly turn into a female version of the NBA, where over 70% of the players are black? 2) How does a league with such a small fan base and horrific TV ratings survive?

Seems like the WNBA is alive only due to the fact that it's a joint venture between the NBA's head Marxist, David Stern, and his loyal Comrades at ESPN, who pour millions and millions of dollars into a product so few Americans care about. WNBA attendance figures you see in the paper appear to be rising every year, but are largely irrelevant as most teams simply hand out thousand's of free tickets or sell a significant percentage of their prime tickets for peanuts, knowing ESPN will help pay the salaries, which are very low compared to other "major leagues". I think MVP types in the WNBA only make like 100K and the average rookie only makes like 36K.

This might explain why the league suddenly got much darker. I mean if the Commie's that keep it afloat are frittering away millions to give the false impression that the league is "viable", why bother with Jo Leedham types that some middle class whites might pay to watch? Just field a bunch of all hood-rat squads like the Liberty and Sparks and televise it on ESPN at noon on Saturday's, when no one is watching TV anyway.

 

[Carolina Speed]

I second that Truthteller, thanks JC from someone that admittedly doesn't follow alot of basketball either. Nice comments from you also Truthteller. It never ceases to amaze the knowledge and insightfulness of so many on CF.

 

[foobar75]

ESPN basketball analyst and former collegiate basketball coach Fran Fraschilla is calling for Kevin Love not only to play a LOT more, but to start in today's game against Great Britain.

Is it any surprise that the caste media criticizes the only White player on the team, arguably a top 5 player in the NBA?

From Fox Sports:

"In a game full of dunks and spectacular plays by Team USA, Kevin Love's lack of athleticism was conspicuous. Instead of catching an alley-oop pass above the rim in the fourth quarter, he waited for the ball to come down, then collected it for an easy layup. Love can still be effective with this team as a rebounder and 3-point shooter, but he hasn't found his niche yet. Expected to play a significant role after injuries to other big men, Love isn't an easy fit for a team dedicated to defense and running."

 

[white is right]

Is it any surprise that the caste media criticizes the only White player on the team, arguably a top 5 player in the NBA?

From Fox Sports:

"In a game full of dunks and spectacular plays by Team USA, Kevin Love's lack of athleticism was conspicuous. Instead of catching an alley-oop pass above the rim in the fourth quarter, he waited for the ball to come down, then collected it for an easy layup. Love can still be effective with this team as a rebounder and 3-point shooter, but he hasn't found his niche yet. Expected to play a significant role after injuries to other big men, Love isn't an easy fit for a team dedicated to defense and running."

Wow another moron, a 6'9" man doesn't need any athleticism to dunk. He chose not to dunk to save energy or to risk injury. I did notice that US tries to play a combination of real basketball and Harlem Globetrotters showboating. Against Britain today once they had a safe lead they let their foot off the pedal and tried to show boat for the crowd and let the British creep back into the game because of missed dunks and crazy alley oops. Against a true medal contender that mentality could lose them a game. I'm "shocked" that coach K lets these guys play that street ball style for stretches of the game. I would probably bench morons that did that until the message got through to the team that show boating is left for the Ruckers tournament and allstar games.

 

[jaxvid]

Great article by Jimmy Chitwood on women's caste-ket-ball.

Since you were name dropping British players that got a chance in the us of a I think a shout out should go to one of the worst wastes of human flesh in modern NBA history--british half-rican John Amaechi who wasted millions of dollars of NBA money and then came out of the closet--and wrote a book about it. Steve Luhm, a sports columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune, wrote about him:

"John Amaechi remains one of the worst players in franchise history. I'm not Amaechi-bashing here. I'm just stating a fact. On July 19, 2001, the Jazz signed Amaechi to a four-year, $12 million contract. Over the next two seasons - before being traded - the young Brit redefined the cliche, 'Take the money and run.'

"Amaechi took about $6 million of Larry Miller's money and didn't run . . . didn't shoot . . . didn't rebound. Looking back, the price tag for his astonishingly unproductive layover in Utah is mind-boggling.

"Amaechi ended up being paid $5,660 for every minute played, $21,879 for every point scored and $32,258 for every rebound he ever grabbed for the Jazz. In 104 regular-season games, Amaechi averaged 2.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and shot 32 percent from the field.

 

[white is right]

There was Scot who played for Illinois that had brief career in the NBA named Robert Archibald, I think he was in the game yesterday. He only had a cup of coffee in the NBA though.....

 

[Zeus]

Overrated Negro dominated team of USA sweats and bleeds to win against Argentina 86-80...............Spain dismantled Argentina by 20 not too long ago. Man I am positive that Spain will smash USA at the Olympics, mark my words, this generation of Spaniards in sports is PHENOMENAL and has the spirit of the champion!

 

[Liverlips]

Yes, was cheering hard for Argentina. I do hope Spain - and any other white team - can beat the U.S. team.

 

[Zeus]

Yes, was cheering hard for Argentina. I do hope Spain - and any other white team - can beat the U.S. team.

Spain will beat anyone this year, trust me, they are the real dream team!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Women's Olympics hoops ...

a player that has gone down the media-induced American-memory hole is Becky Hammon.

born and raised in South Dakota, the red-blooded American combo guard plays in the Olympics for the (formerly) Big Red, Russia, who are currently ranked #2 in the world. one might wonder how a pure American became the lead guard for Russia ...

as is so often the case, it has to do with the Caste System.

Hammon was shunned by the Team USA selection committee on multiple occasions, not even granting her a try-out opportunity despite being an All-WNBA player (Team USA had a different coach at that time - Anne Donovan - who was much more caste-minded than current head coach Geno Auriemma). finally, in 2008 Hammon had enough of the insulting dismissals and became a Russian citizen (she played professionally for CSKA Moscow in the WNBA offseason) and tried out for the Russian team. she eventually went on to win a Bronze Medal with the Russians.

at any rate, 4 years later Hammon is still one of elite guards in the world and making plays for the Russian national team. today, despite a poor start, Hammon scored 8 straight points in the 4th quarter to help all-White Russia come back against a surprisingly competitive Canadian team. Hammon finished with a team-high 14 points.

Kim Smith had a game-high 20 points for a diverse Canada team, who led by 10 with 6 minutes left in the 4th Quarter ... of course, that was before Hammon took over.

the game may signal future struggles for Russia, however, as they obviously missed their big center Maria Stepanova (out with a knee injury).

*****************************

in other women's hoop news:

all-White except for one Turkey completely destroyed all-Black Angola, winning by 22. "weird," since Angola is soooooooooo affletic. :heh:

Team USA easily handled Croatia ... except for the bad ass (and VERY lovely) Marija Vrsaljko. a 6-5 forward who is very smooth and dynamic in the lane, Vrsaljko simply couldn't be stopped. she went 8-11 from the floor en route to 19 points off the bench.

Marija Vrsaljko

small forward Jelena Ivezic scored a game-high 22 (on an impressive 9-17 shooting), but she struggled with America's ball pressure. Croatia's backcourt simply couldn't get an open look against USA's perimeter defense, shooting a combined 3-for-32. ouch!

Team USA's balance was impressive. six players scored between 8-14 points. they are an even bigger Gold Medal favorite than the men's side.

 

[Matra2]

Yes, I'd forgotten all about Becky Hammon. I just saw highlights of the Russia v Canada game. Becky was the star. It would be sweet if she led Russia to a victory against the 'sistahs' who make up Team USA. Just seeing the rage of the DWF patriotard crowd would make it one of the highlights of the Olympics.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i'm not convinced the Russia women are as good as advertised ... they clearly have excellent physical talent and size, but after watching them play twice now it seems (aside from Hammon) that they are playing whilst sleepwalking. they are going to have to step it up if they want to be a medal contender.

similarly, Australia's women side didn't bother to show up today and got upset by France (who at one point had five blacks on the court at one time), even after getting a brief reprieve and forcing overtime with a from-beyond-half-court heave that went in and forced overtime. they should challenge the USA for Gold, but if they don't start playing aggressively, it'll be an easy road to the top for America. Lauren Jackson, the forward/center for Australia, is THE best women's player in the world ... but she was nearly invisible and fouled out. ugh.

conversely on the men's side of things, Russia, Argentina, and Spain dominated against their weaker opponents, perhaps highlighted by Russia's outstanding duo of Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved.

it's also nice to see a pro-White (albeit obliquely stated) statement by the Russian AK47. and if i may, i'll re-post what i submitted on the Minnesota T-Wolves thread:

i've had my issues with Andrei Kirilenko's play over the years (he has been heavily involved in some nasty off-court stuff that has negatively impacted his play), but he is an INCREDIBLY gifted all-around player ... and he apparently has some White pride, albeit having to speak of it in a carefully measured way:

Kirilenko likened the Timberwolves to Rick Adelman's Sacramento Kings teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s, a free-wheeling group with plenty of Europeans, such as Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac, playing prominent roles.

"For me, it looks like European flavor on the team," said Kirilenko, referring to Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic, himself and Shved. "For me right now, it's pretty much the same type of team-building. A lot of European guys, a lot of guys who can run the floor. Alexey is another big, big plus."

...

But the chance to play with Rubio, Kevin Love and under Adelman — and that big pile of money — was too much to pass up.

"It's a great team (they're) creating," Kirilenko said. "Kevin has really started to turn into a superstar this year. Last year, a lot of my friends were watching the games, especially Minnesota and how they play. It's very, very energetic and nice."

you can read the entire article here: http://www.freep.com/usatoday/article/56590988?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Detroit Pistons|p

also, speaking of the flashy Russian point guard, Alexey Shved, he showed well against Great Britain and has gotten some nice reviews. while Great Britain isn't a very goot team, he certainly showed the kind of dominant playmaking that an NBA lead guard needs to create against an inferior opponent. here's one report:

For many American viewers, this might have been the first live look at Shved, the 6-foot-6, 23-year-old guard with jets, springs and flare, plus a wrist that snaps and eyes trained up the floor. He showed a capacity to get his, popping for 16 points on a 6-of-11 mark from the field, but was much more notable for the degree to which he kept Russia on time and on target — his 13 assists were three more than Britain managed as a team. Add in his six rebounds, including two on the offensive glass, plus a block and three steals — none of which, to my recollection, came as a result of the sort of unsound gambling to which young guards can often be prone — and you could argue that his impact on the outcome was larger even than Kirilenko's.

Alexey Shved

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

in men's basketball, i've watched the Russians play twice. their defense has been very, very good. they are physical, long, and very active. they help each other in an exemplary fashion. at times, it looks like there are 6 or 7 players on the floor in Red. it's a joy to watch a European team play such top-notch defense.

against China, Russia put it on cruise control early in the second quarter, and their bench players got a lot of minutes.

if Shved can play well against the USA's pressure defense, Russia's frontline and defense are strong enough to give them a shot against the Americans.

Pau Gasol, for Spain, is the best post player in the Games. i don't know of any player in the tournament that can guard him. so, please, somebody tell me why he's not a bigger star in the NBA. i HATE the Caste System.


in women's basketball, Angola is an embarrassment to the Olympics. how did a team this stinkingly atrocious qualify? i thought black people were good at basketball ... apparently, no one on the African continent has ever learned this (along with how to count, read, write, or do pretty much anything non-criminal), because Angola (along with every other African team, both men and women, at the Games) is simply god-awful.

 

[white is right]

in men's basketball, i've watched the Russians play twice. their defense has been very, very good. they are physical, long, and very active. they help each other in an exemplary fashion. at times, it looks like there are 6 or 7 players on the floor in Red. it's a joy to watch a European team play such top-notch defense.

against China, Russia put it on cruise control early in the second quarter, and their bench players got a lot of minutes.

if Shved can play well against the USA's pressure defense, Russia's frontline and defense are strong enough to give them a shot against the Americans.

Pau Gasol, for Spain, is the best post player in the Games. i don't know of any player in the tournament that can guard him. so, please, somebody tell me why he's not a bigger star in the NBA. i HATE the Caste System.


in women's basketball, Angola is an embarrassment to the Olympics. how did a team this stinkingly atrocious qualify? i thought black people were good at basketball ... apparently, no one on the African continent has ever learned this (along with how to count, read, write, or do pretty much anything non-criminal), because Angola (along with every other African team, both men and women, at the Games) is simply god-awful.

Kobe Bryant is the reason. The offense doesn't flow through Pau, like a traditional offense would. It's similar to Jordan and on bad nights Allen Iverson. When the Lakers won back to back titles and three peated with Shaq, Bryant was always less of the offense. Ps Angola is only marginally better than the team that lost by 50 to the 92' Dream Team.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i wanted to make a few comments after seeing France pull away for the win against Lithuania in the second half, after Lithuania had a 4-point lead at halftime. Lithuania's third quarter killed them, as they hit an atrocious 3-18 shots from the floor in the period (scoring 9 points). ouch!

i've been a fan of Lithuanian basketball since their (brand new) nation qualified for the '92 Olympics and went on to win the Bronze behind the stellar play of all-time great center Arvydas Sabonis.

while they are a bit down this year (literally! they have even less size than the USA), they still play terrific basketball. and they fear no one! what's incredible to me is that they are amongst the world's elite basketball nations EVERY year (they've qualified for the Olympics every Games since '92 AND have made it to the semifinal round each time), yet they are a tiny country.

Lithuania has a population of only 3.2 million, which is just barely more than my home state of Arkansas (2.9 million). to put it in perspective, France has a population of 65.4 million.

20-year old 7-footer Jonas Valanciunas is Lithuania's only post presence. a very talented youngster, he needs to greatly strengthen his frame and avoid picking up cheap fouls to become a dominant presence. as it is, he will likely challenge Anthony Davis for NBA Rookie of the Year in the upcoming 2012-13 season (barring injury of course).

it's a shame that Martynas Pocius has been plagued by injuries throughout his (collegiate and professional) career. he is an elite slashing guard, and watching him explosively attack the rim is a joy. he is a knockdown perimeter shooter, as well, but he has a propensity for playing a little bit out of control.

Linas Kleiza is an excellent all-around forward. he can do a little bit of everything.

also, there is something fundamentally wrong with France starting an all-black five. ugh. Turiaf and Parker are fun to watch, though.

 

[Jack Lambert]

I'm glad I finally managed to catch Russia play! What a game against Brazil!! Vitaly Fridzon won it on a last second three for Russia, even though he was getting fouled by the Brazillian player.

Russia's Big 3; Kirilenko, Shved, and Mozgov all had good games. AK-47 had 19, Mozgov had 18, and Shved had 17 points.

Shved did make some youthful mistakes down the stretch for Russia though, but he hit the clutch three that tied the game at 72 for Russia with about 35 seconds left to go. All in all, a good performance for Team Russia!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

if anyone gets the chance, they should check out Australia before the Boomers get eliminated. they're a fun team to watch. in particular, i'd like to mention their gifted young big man, Aron Bayne, who usually comes off the bench.

Bayne's name might sound familiar, as he was the post presence when Washington State became a nearly-all-White power (albeit a short-lived one) in college basketball a few years back. at 6-10 and with very good springs, Bayne is always looking for an opportunity to dunk on someone's head or block a shot. also powerfully built, Bayne plays a very physical game and isn't afraid to mix it up.

the Boomers also feature a couple of fun-to-watch, talented wing players in the high-rising Brad Newley and sweet-shooting Joe Ingles, as well as a young point guard in Dellavedova, who will be a senior at Saint Mary's (CA) this fall, who is just a good all-around player.

 

[Jack Lambert]

If anybody got up to watch Russia and Spain play some hoops early this morning, then you weren't disappointed. What a game!! Spain started the game on an 20-2 run and was up 28-11 after the first quarter. Russia started to fight back, outscoring Spain 45-25 in the next two quarters. In a game where both coaches made some lineup adjustments during the game, Russia's young stud PG Alexy Shved was left on the bench for most of the game for Anton Ponkrashov, and maybe for good reason. Ponkrashov played great today, scoring 14 points off 6-8 shooting and dishing out 11 assists, with only TWO turnovers to his name. Ponkrashov was one of the reasons Russia played well after a rocky start today. Sharpshooting guard Vitaly Frizdon was another reason.

On a day when Russia's main scorer for the tournament, Andrei Kirilenko, struggled to get much going, scoring only 8 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, Frizdon had a great day shooting the basketball. He went 9-15 from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe, including sinking two clutch free throws at the end of the game. Frizdon finished with 24 points on the day, and NO turnovers. Timofey Mozgov turned in another solid performance for the Russians today. The Russian big man finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds, including the eventual game winning dunk with about 18 seconds left. Forward Viktor Khryapa also had a great day, scoring 12 points off of 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc, one of which was the game-tying three with 1 minute left in the game.

The Russians are definitely the surprise of the Olympics so far this year, going a perfect 4-0 in group play to this point, and sewing up Group B with their win over Spain today. It's been said, and I'll say it again, Russia is a very fun team to watch, and they never quit.

Speaking of Spain, they played pretty well in the loss, although I think they mismanaged the last minute or two of the game. Spain was powered by the Gasol brothers today, with Pau leading the way with 20 points, and Marc finished with 10. Spain opted to go with the Gasol brothers for most of the game, as Serge Ibaka finished with only 2 points in 9 minutes. Spain was ice cold from three point land today, going only 3-15 from three. The very quick Sergio Rodriguez provided Spain with a nice spark off the bench, with 8 points, but it wasn't enough for Spain today, who will most likely have to play the United States before the Gold Medal game now.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

little Lithuania (both in size of national population [3.2 million] and size on the roster [only two players over 6-foot-9]) gave mighty USA all it could handle, losing 99-94.

behind tough defense, stellar shooting, and unselfish passing, Lithuania actually led briefly in the third quarter and on two occasions in the 4th quarter before finally succumbing to the Americans. playing physical defense and packing the lane to slow down penetration, the Lithuanians stalled the American fast break and left the USA to resort to a lot of one-on-one offense (only 19 assists for USA; they'd averaged 32 assists coming into the game) and jacking up 3-pointers (America hit 10 of 33 from long range). consequently, team USA struggled to score as easily as they've become accustomed.

meanwhile, Lithuania shared the ball very well, shooting a sparkling 58% from the floor (with 21 assists). unfortunately, the ball handlers for the Lithuanians struggled to take care of the ball, and their 23 turnovers cost them.

two guys really stood out to me for Lithuania.

the athletic Martynas Pocius was the quickest, fastest guy on the floor for either team. he got to the rim seemingly at will, either finishing (14 points) or creating for a teammate (6 assists to just 1 turnover). at one point, Pocius outran Russell Westbrook (team USA's fastest player) the length of the floor to score. he also did a good job on the glass, pulling down a team-high 7 rebounds.

defensively, he was mostly matched up with Kobe Bryant and did a good job containing him, holding Bryant to just 6 points. when healthy (he struggled throughout his time at Duke University with ankle problems), Marty is an elite talent. he's only 26, so i wonder if the NBA will pursue his services ...

the USA couldn't guard forward Linas Kleiza. he scored a game-high 25 points on 8-14 shooting, and he often brought the ball up against the pressure defense of the Americans. his ball handling on the perimeter was a huge problem for America's post players.

for the USA, Lebron James was the difference down the stretch. he was a matchup nightmare for Lithuania. James finished with a team-high 20 points, tied with Carmelo Anthony. Anthony continued his hot shooting in the tournament. he's been on fire. Kevin Love led the USA with 8 rebounds.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

in women's basketball news ... did anyone else see Great Britain ALMOST pull up the HUGE upset over heavily-favored France?

if not for TWO buzzer-beater 3-pointers (one at the end of regulation and the other at the end of overtime) by Celine Dumerc of France, the host country would have pulled off the biggest shock of the Olympics so far. wow! what a game!

for the Brits, Johannah Leedham (see the article on the home page) once again was the go-to playmaker. Leedham finished with a game-high 29 points and pulled down 8 rebounds (tied for the game-high). just imagine if she was talented ...

the very dark French were saved by one of the few White women who see the court. Dumerc has ice water in her veins.

 

[Truthteller]

little Lithuania (both in size of national population [3.2 million] and size on the roster [only two players over 6-foot-9]) gave mighty USA all it could handle, losing 99-94.

This should prove to many that a Caste system actually exists. How can a totally white country with a smaller population than than the state of Connecticut (3.59 mill) be able to go up against the "greatest athletes ever assembled" and come so close to taking them down time after time? I guess these NBA guys aren't so dominant when they don't have Jewish commissioners, executives and team owners saving close to 80% of rosters spots for blacks only and fixing games to make sure the blacker team wins (check the Western Conference finals 10 years ago).

Speaking of Connecticut, which all the DWF's say is a "basketball crazy state": In almost 3 decades of coaching, I don't think James Buffoon ever had a white kid from the state that was ever more than token fringe starter. He wouldn't even recruit the Lithuanian-American kid on Notre Dame, Abromiatis, who's dad played at the school in the 70's....yet smaller Lithuania can continually assemble rosters that can go nose-to-nose with our "Dream Teams". I think they beat the U.S at the 2004 Olympics and came a hair away from winning in 2000.


P.S: It must be noted that Lithuania has also produced some excellent NHL players and usually have good soccer teams. Not that it matters, but I wonder if basketball is even the top sport in the country?

 

[Matra2]

P.S: It must be noted that Lithuania has also produced some excellent NHL players and usually have good soccer teams. Not that it matters, but I wonder if basketball is even the top sport in the country?

Basketball is the most popular sport in Lithuania. Latvia I believe both hockey and basketball are bigger than soccer. They are two of the only countries in Europe where soccer is not king.

Lithuania also won a gold in women's swimming.