OT: 2023 FIBA World Cup

[aceboon]

anyone else watching? very entertaining hoops being played on ESPN+, Tremont Waters just posted 37 & 11 for Puerto Rico. FIBA refs can be inconsistent with their calls but I like that they let more contact go than in the NBA and they do call the travels when guys try to move their feet first before dribbling(ala Jaylen Brown).

 

[aceboon]

SGA vs Luka(Canada vs Slovenia) in an entertaining one, on now

 

[whalerfan]

End of German/Latvia was crazy

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Canada has way too many options. It was basically Luka on his own vs Canada.

 

[aceboon]

Luka also took himself out the game being a crybaby and complaining about foul calls all game long for the 2nd consecutive FIBA tourney. Did it last year in the Euros as well.

 

[aceboon]

Canada vs Serbia/US vs Germany is a nice final four, NBA talent on all teams. US losing to Lithuania kinda did them a favor, they were able to avoid Serbia in the quarterfinals and got to refocus vs Italy.

 

[Travelman6]

How can FIBA get to the point where it's like the world cup in the sense that all the stars want to play? It's not like football stars don't have a full season, because they do. It's also super lame how countries are just allowed to rent players by offering them citizenship just to increase odds of winning.

 

[aceboon]

How can FIBA get to the point where it's like the world cup in the sense that all the stars want to play? It's not like football stars don't have a full season, because they do. It's also super lame how countries are just allowed to rent players by offering them citizenship just to increase odds of winning.

For the US I would like to see them get back to the original premise when Colangelo and Coach K took over USA Basketball where that if you wanted to play in the Olympics(which the US stars clearly prefer) then you need to commit to at least one international cycle(FIBA World Cup + Olympics). The 2008 Olympic team played together in the 2006 World Cup sans Kobe. Now it's clearly back to mostly being up and coming stars and vet role players for the World Cup with a few then being kept on for the Olympic team. Internationally, for the most part the stars play, the notable exceptions we see this year are Giannis missing due to the knee surgery, Jokic sitting out due to to the long NBA Finals run and Jamal Murray doing the same.

 

[alexd]

Canada vs Serbia/US vs Germany is a nice final four, NBA talent on all teams. US losing to Lithuania kinda did them a favor, they were able to avoid Serbia in the quarterfinals and got to refocus vs Italy.

Yep.... And Lithuania has a certain MO in these international tourneys. Play well in the prelims. Maybe beat the US every few years along the way. Get a nice seed for the knockout stage and then lose early. Not having Sabonis didn't help this time. But they still couldn't have stopped Bogdanovic & Serbia in the Quarters.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Luka also took himself out the game being a crybaby and complaining about foul calls all game long for the 2nd consecutive FIBA tourney. Did it last year in the Euros as well.

He cried but Canada was getting all the calls

 

[aceboon]

hilarious how much more in sync the USA bench unit is compared to the starters

 

[aceboon]

I like Brunson alot as a player but man he just does not create offense for others in the halfcourt, the difference b/w him and Haliburton is night and day

 

[aceboon]

US just can't defend, you could see this outcome eventually happening. I will never understand the concede every switch defensively even when it's a half*** screen. they're getting cooked defensively switching everything

 

[RichCTBB]

USA looked undisciplined on defense going for pump fakes constantly. Credit to Germany for superior ball movement. On offense. It looked like a lot of hero ball va a cohesive game plan. Really need some commitment and continuity in the roster if we’re not going to have our best players out there.

 

[Travelman6]

Well the world has caught up with the US and a team like Germany shows just pure athleticism alone isn't the most important thing. It's not just about how high you can jump.

 

[Matrim55]

Huge win for Niels, who's Germany's 10th or 11th man. Got on the court for a minute or two this game.

US are a mess. Still ultra-reliant on 1v1 specialists, and Kerr for whatever reason didn't trust Kessler -- which he really needed to, b/c JJJ is a fraud. Blocks shots but doesn't rebound and gets abused in the post.

If Clingan improves like we all hope there is a path for him to be the starting US center in the LA Olympics. Fingers crossed.

 

[auror]

USA just shot 58% from the floor, 48% from 3, 95% from free throw line, committed less turnovers and fouls, and lost.

 

[REB1094]

The rest of the world is too good at basketball for the US to breeze through with their C team. Coordinated team defense is a requirement instead of the typical playground ball that used to work. Unfortunately the top American players will probably sit out next year to avoid wear/tear on aging bodies (Lebron, Steph, Lillard) or avoid injury for injury prone players (Durant, AD, Kawhi)

In both losses, Austin Reaves got hunted on defense. Can hardly blame him as last season he was a 2nd year role player, now expected to be a major contributor. He seemed to be one of few players who actually cared

The US' 3 big men were Jaren Jackson Jr (not an offensive threat), Paolo Banchero (SF in a PF's body), and Bobby Portis (oh.)
No surprise they got eaten alive. Kessler is raw but he was needed, didn't get minutes for some reason

Haliburton, Bridges, and Brunson have just started to be the main guy on their teams, so they weren't experienced enough to translate it internationally. Josh Hart and Cam Johnson are great role players in the NBA, but that didn't translate either

Ant Edwards is going to be a superstar next season.

Realistically who will the US bring out next year? There are some really skilled G/F players (Booker, Tatum, Beal, Trae) but the NBA is lacking superstar American big men other than AD, who probably won't play

 

[aceboon]

sounds crazy to say but Kevon Looney probably would have been an ideal big on this team, doesn't get murdered on switches in the NBA and we know what he can do on the glass. Offensively the USA was fine, it was their defense and rebounding that lead to the losses vs Lith and Germany

 

[RichCTBB]

If Germany goes on to win the gold, it further cements Neils Giffey as a champion. Love to see it!

 

[Waquoit]

On offense. It looked like a lot of hero ball va a cohesive game plan.

Sounds like UConn in the mid-2010's.

 

[Huskyforlife]

More proof that one game tournament set ups lead to obviously fraudulent outcomes. The NBA has it right playing a best of 7 to decide each matchup, winning 4 games means there’s no doubt. College should do best of 3 imo.

 

[RichCTBB]

More proof that one game tournament set ups lead to obviously fraudulent outcomes. The NBA has it right playing a best of 7 to decide each matchup, winning 4 games means there’s no doubt. College should do best of 3 imo.

I get that. Personally, I like the single game format. Every game is a must win.