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USA basketball no sure bet in Olympics
USA basketball no sure bet in Olympics
Despite heading into the Beijing games as heavy, heavy favorites on the hardwood, the men's basketball team from the USA is in no way a lock for the gold. Under the guidance of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the red, white & blue stars will have to play much better than in their final tune up in which their sloppy play was just enough to get past an Australian squad without its star on the floor.
The greatest sports spectacle in the whole world is here. The 2008 Olympic Summer Games start Friday after over seven years of preparations. But the spectacle on offer this year goes well beyond sport – or even drugs and sport. For example, American cyclists arrived in Beijing wearing masks to protect themselves against pollution; one day later, they were compelled to apologize.
Air quality is a serious issue for all athletes, but especially those competing in endurance events. There are also legitimate concerns over food and water safety; with athletes held to a strict drug policy, some American and Canadian athletes have been given special permission to bring their own meals. And those are just the non-political threats the athletes will face in Beijing.
Given the amount of government interference in these Games, it’s almost a given that there will be a “home-court” advantage for Chinese athletes. They have been funded heavily by the Communist Party, they’re relatively used to the conditions in Beijing, and they are likely to receive preferential treatment everywhere they turn. Corruption (or zouhoumen, “taking the back door”) is a familiar buzzword at every level of Chinese politics.
In this environment, the U.S. men’s basketball team is an island unto itself. They’re apparently still not subject to anti-doping measures, which was part of the original agreement to get NBA players on the Dream Team in 1992. They’re staying at a five-star hotel, after luxurious stops in Macau and Shanghai for pre-Olympic contests. The players have been instructed to focus on basketball and not the pomp and circumstance of the Games themselves, let alone the politics surrounding them.
Those instructions have coincided with some dominant performances on the court. Team USA is the 1-5 chalk on the men’s basketball betting odds, despite losing to Argentina in the 2004 Games. Their 12-man roster is filled with star quality. The worst player is arguably shooting guard Michael Redd, who scored 22.7 points per game last year. But as a pure shooter, Redd is a useful part of a Team USA multi-pronged attack that should fare much better as a team than the 2004 model.
Teamwork is being trumpeted wherever the Americans go. They are working under Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, with assistants Mike D’Anonti of the New York Knicks and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. Their task has been to convert 12 NBA players into 12 FIBA players, learning the different rules and playing a breed of basketball that can be more effective on the world stage. The make-up of the roster represents that goal: Dwight Howard is the only true center, flanked by Chris Bosh. Even LeBron James played at the five during pre-Olympic competition.
Now it’s just a question of effort. And that effort was very much in question during Team USA’s final tune-up, a sloppy 87-76 victory over an Australian team that didn’t even have Andrew Bogut on the floor. The U.S. didn’t lock down on defense, didn’t hustle on offense, and only shot 3-for-18 from long range and 20-for-33 from the free-throw line. It was enough of a battle to remind everyone of Team USA’s disappointments of the past six years.
If the U.S. is overvalued at 1-5, then it follows that Spain is the value pick at 5-1. The Spaniards are the reigning FIBA world champions, led by Pau Gasol in the middle and accomplished players like Juan Carlos Navarro and Jose Calderon on the perimeter. It’s up to Chris Paul and Deron Williams to prevent Calderon from penetrating; Jason Kidd is not up to the task at age 35, but then again, few men are.
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Originally Posted by louisvillekid
