Basketball

[twoods]

Congrats to the US Men’s team for getting their shit together during the tournament. Happy for Damian and the crew.

[legaleagle53]

YES --- GOLD!!!!

[AimingforYoko]

They made it a little too interesting, but they got the gold.

[Lady Whistleup]

Congrats USA! I;m relieved they didn't piss away that lead. 

I felt horrible for Rudy Gobert. He looked crushed. Crying on the sidelines.

[LexieLily]

Middleton and Holliday are in the 1% of people in the world that had a great year this year - won a championship AND Olympic gold!

[Lady Whistleup]

Kind of interesting as to who did well this tournament.

KD, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker did great.

Jayson Tatum was inconsistent but got hot too.

Draymond Green was good on defense. Zach good as a rotation player.

Damian Lillard surprisingly sort of disappeared as did Khris and Bam.

Jerami,Javale and Keldon didn't play much.

Edited August 7, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[NUguy514]

I'm an American, but I was rooting for France.  I think it would've been a good thing for Olympic basketball for another country to have won the gold.  At least it was a close game.

[katisha]

OMG! Finally, a basketball Olympic medal for the Boomers! After four 4th placings even a bronze is sweet!

[cambridgeguy]

9 hours ago, greyhorse said:

Watching but just don't have much excitement for this team.  You've got Kevin Durant.  But then where are all the other mega stars of the league?  Yeah, they got Booker and Tatum and some exciting young stars.  But clearly this is the not #1-12 in the league.  I feel fortunate to have been able to watch the Dream Team.  Nothing will ever compare to that level of Olympics excitement.

The big names aren't going to come out unless the US loses (see the Redeem team).  And speaking of big names, Dame is one of the top 12 in the league and he was mediocre. 

I also think there would be a lot more push back if the US were able to assemble another super team.  There was a little bit of grumbling about the Dream Team being a bunch of bullies - this would be multiplied by 1000 nowadays.

[SnideAsides]

As usual, the medal match not featuring the United States was the more interesting one. Every Olympics, without fail.

[emma675]

2 hours ago, katisha said:

OMG! Finally, a basketball Olympic medal for the Boomers! After four 4th placings even a bronze is sweet!

Yeah, Australia!! I'm so happy for Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, and the rest of the team. 

I've had a suspicion Luka Doncic was carrying Slovenia and if an opponent could shut him down, the team would flounder. But congrats to them, too, fourth place in their country's first time at the Olympics is great.

[Lady Whistleup]

Great article about Pop.

Quote

And so, at the press conference after that gold-medal victory over France, in typical Popovich fashion he recognized Colangelo, the man who didn’t give him the job and who is bowing out as the director, and singled out a somewhat obscure play (Draymond Green knocking a French free throw off the rim, which is legal in international basketball) as one of the keys to the game. The cantankerous ex–Air Force captain said he was “totally frozen” and “scared to death” as the “out-of-body experience” washed over him. It’s a shame that some portion of America was sorry to see him there.

 

[Lady Whistleup]

12 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

The big names aren't going to come out unless the US loses (see the Redeem team).  And speaking of big names, Dame is one of the top 12 in the league and he was mediocre. 

I also think there would be a lot more push back if the US were able to assemble another super team.  There was a little bit of grumbling about the Dream Team being a bunch of bullies - this would be multiplied by 1000 nowadays.

The Dream Team was made of some great players but grade A assholes.

I think in general there's less assholes in today's NBA. Like MJ grade assholes were rare even then. 

[legaleagle53]

OK, US women. Let's go. You've got this!

[SophiaD]

Brittney Griner is an absolute force in this game, but Japan's three shooting is keeping them in it.  

ETA:  Perfect and timely shot from Jewel Loyd just now!

Edited August 8, 2021 by SophiaD

[SophiaD]

The USA subs just aren't as good as the starters.  I'm also not as crazy about Chelsea Gray as the backup point guard, although she is a great shooting guard.  I wonder that Courtney Vandersloot didn't get a look.  

Fortunately, Taurasi and Stewart are  doing their thing and Griner just came back in.  

ETA:  The commentators made the excellent point that the first-time Olympians might be nervous.  Also, Kara Lawson is a great color commentator.

Edited August 8, 2021 by SophiaD

[legaleagle53]

And GOLD!!!  Excellent play by the US women -- even better than the men last night!

[Lady Whistleup]

Womens' game sort of anti-climactic. The mens' game had more suspense.

[Minneapple]

15 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

I also think there would be a lot more push back if the US were able to assemble another super team.  There was a little bit of grumbling about the Dream Team being a bunch of bullies - this would be multiplied by 1000 nowadays.

I doubt there would be much pushback. And anyway, who cares. You're out to win a tournament, not be nice to everyone. 

 

[sally-can-wait]

1 hour ago, SophiaD said:

The USA subs just aren't as good as the starters.  I'm also not as crazy about Chelsea Gray as the backup point guard, although she is a great shooting guard.  I wonder that Courtney Vandersloot didn't get a look.  

Fortunately, Taurasi and Stewart are  doing their thing and Griner just came back in.  

ETA:  The commentators made the excellent point that the first-time Olympians might be nervous.  Also, Kara Lawson is a great color commentator.

Courtney Vandersloot plays for Hungary. She, like several other US born players, was tired of getting overlooked for the national team and decided to play for another country. It’s a shame because she’s great.

[Lady Whistleup]

You know this isn't politically correct to say but watching the 2 gold medal games b2b men's basketball really is more exciting. Bigger personalities, more athleticism, more parity between teams, more defiance of gravity.

[xaxat]

Sue Bird's resume is insane.

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by xaxat

[emma675]

Sue Bird is a bad ass. I was happy Megan Rapinoe was able to be there in person to watch her win her 5th gold medal. The majority of athletes didn't get to have family in person to cheer them on.

[choclatechip45]

Growing up in CT as a pre teenager in the early 2000s Sue Bird was my hero. 

[emma675]

I don't know why, but I've watched this about a dozen times and can't stop laughing. I don't know what cracks me up more, Sue Bird's faces or Diana Taurasi subtly twerking in the middle of almost every shot. The US men's team just sprayed each other and the locker room with champagne, the women made a choreographed music video.