An Ugly Win for USA WBB for the Gold Medal | Page 2 | The Boneyard

An Ugly Win for USA WBB for the Gold Medal

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Congrats to the US on another Gold! I didn't watch but kept up casually and know the team pulled it out by the skin of their teeth.

Years back I was vocal about the National Team needing to incorporate at least one younger point guard into the rotation since Sue couldn't play forever. Gray is a fine player but still appears to be rounding into form from her injury. The guards on the whole were underwelming during the all star weekend festivities and their play appeared to be uneven during the Olympics but ultimately the team won which is what counts. It's fortunate there are some young options at guard coming up through the ranks as we speak because the US needs the reinforcements.
 
Shocking, that we barely survived a mugging, I've seen less violence in some football games.
Lasting impression: I have been a longtime critic of Brittney Grinner, It was not her play that impressed me, but the medal ceremony. Differently from past pre-game and award presentations where she showed indifference to our National Anthem today, she actually sang hand over her heart wiping tears from her eyes. I'm sorry it took the Russians to teach her what a great country we are lucky to call home, but she is home now and one of us.
As a side note, how amazing was it to see all our Huskies all over women's basketball. USA, France and Cannada. Obviously, Geno and crew are "The Goat."
 
MilfordHusky said:
I have 1 word for you: Paige
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It will be interesting to see the composition of the next Olympic team. One would imagine that both Paige and Clark will be on the team, but who knows there's a lot of basketball to be played between now and then.
 
bballnut90 said:
Building a roster without a healthy PG nearly cost the US. They basically took 6 shooting guards and one hobbled point guard which made no sense from a roster construction standpoint.

They got the job done largely due to Wilson and Copper but the turnovers and poor execution offensively with a collection of stars like that was painful to watch at times. Next go around this shouldn’t be an issue with so many talented up and coming young PGs (Clark, Paige, Miles, Harmon, Hidalgo, etc.) Still though, congrats on an 8th straight gold.

France with a heck of an effort, Gabby was sensational for them. Her W career hasn’t taken off into stardom but she showed this week she can compete with the best of them. France shot themselves in the foot settling for mediocre 3pt shots all 4th quarter and hitting none until they were down 4 with under 10 seconds left.

In regards to people commenting on reffing, I thought if anything there were some crucial calls that went against France. Notably in the 3rd, Wilson hacked Johannes in the face and it wasn’t called, led to a 5 on 4 with Johannes down on the other end and resulted in a wide open 3 for Plum. 5 point swing there. Also a ball that was blatantly off Wilson late in the 4th was given to the US for another possession. Calls go both ways but it definitely was not one sided in favor of France.
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Clark will be the only PG in contention for the team if your list in 2028. Miles, Harmon and Hildago won’t be in consideration yet imo because of youth and size. Paige might be in consideration for the team but she won’t be considered a PG by then. I don’t see WNBA teams using her at a PG, she seems to be developing into more of SG in college and I think that will continue.

The player in college that has the highest chance of being considered for the team as a back up PG for Clark is Raven Johnson imo.
 
MilfordHusky said:
I have 1 word for you: Paige
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Agreed! But Caitlin Clark would have been nice as well. One thing I didn't understand was why Griner didn't play in the 2nd half? They couldn't stop her in the little time she got in the 1st half. It was also sad that Diana wasn't given at least a few seconds in the game.
 
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nwhoopfan said:
Trouble defending any of France's front court players. They all can shoot 3s and are all more mobile than BG.
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One of the things I have noted at World Cups and Olympics, especially in person, is how well some teams pass the ball and shoot the 3. It's almost as if they take lessons from Chef Curry. :D
 
What a game! Gabby, like others have said, was spectacular! She made some incredible shots, defended at an outstanding level, and just balled out!! She dang near won the game for Team France! Team USA won an ugly game but a win is a win. Congrats, Team USA!!!
 
fang said:
In theory, but the way the game was called, Paige might might not survive. The level of physicality was absurd.
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I agree about the physicality, but recall that she played power forward for a full season. :)
 
Dogdude said:
Perhaps one of the great sports quotes of the decade. And this would have been her type of game, could have settled things down.
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The backcourt looked shaken all game, insane Reeves didn’t go to her or Jewel all game given their experience and scoring ability when hot. Their floor is what the guards were giving anyway s so it seemed like a low risk low reward decision. A lot of questionable decisions by Reeves, including, but not limited to benching Stewie for for plum in the 4th.
 
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Few Thoughts:
*Horrible first half for the US. Terrible decisions with the ball, wat too much one on one attempts, missed lay ups.
*Much better second half especially because of Copper on offense and Wilson on defense.
*Gabby was amazing the whole game but in the end of the game it seems she put on a superwomen cape and went to a higher gear. The reason she is so good for France is that they let her facilitate the game, while at the WNBA they don't,
*Reeve will not remember this game as one of her better coaching jobs...
*Reeve should have put D in the game during the first half. The team was clearly rattled and out of sorts and needed someone to steer the ship. You have the most experienced player on your bench who's been in every basketball pressure scenario, and you don't use her???
*Gray was terrible. I understand she is not fullly recovered...why play her when it's clear in the very first few minutes that she is totally not effective.
*Paige and Clark can't get to the National team soon enough.
*Loved the amazing atmosphere of both this final and the Men's Final.
 
dtbtbtb said:
Few Thoughts:
*Horrible first half for the US. Terrible decisions with the ball, wat too much one on one attempts, missed lay ups.
*Much better second half especially because of Copper on offense and Wilson on defense.
*Gabby was amazing the whole game but in the end of the game it seems she put on a superwomen cape and went to a higher gear. The reason she is so good for France is that they let her facilitate the game, while at the WNBA they don't,
*Reeve will not remember this game as one of her better coaching jobs...
*Reeve should have put D in the game during the first half. The team was clearly rattled and out of sorts and needed someone to steer the ship. You have the most experienced player on your bench who's been in every basketball pressure scenario, and you don't use her???
*Gray was terrible. I understand she is not fullly recovered...why play her when it's clear in the very first few minutes that she is totally not effective.
*Paige and Clark can't get to the National team soon enough.
*Loved the amazing atmosphere of both this final and the Men's Final.
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Paige and Clark can’t handle the physicality of international ball at this point in their careers. Considering they won’t be playing overseas and won’t have many opportunities to play for the national team before the next Olympics, not sure when they’ll develop that skill.
 
UcMiami said:
Wow!
What a game from France and what a mess of a game by USA.

This was one game where I thought Diana would have been a good sub in the second quarter when the US was running around in circles - the reason to include her in the team was for a moment like that where the guards were playing scared. (And she couldn't have done worse than any of the other subs in that quarter :eek:)
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This was a game were we needed Sue or Diana. Sue would have settled them down in the first half, reduced TOs, and made a tough bucket or two. I thought this game was a big part of why Dee was on the team, but Cheryl really shortened her roster.
 
dtbtbtb said:
Few Thoughts:
*Horrible first half for the US. Terrible decisions with the ball, wat too much one on one attempts, missed lay ups.
*Much better second half especially because of Copper on offense and Wilson on defense.
*Gabby was amazing the whole game but in the end of the game it seems she put on a superwomen cape and went to a higher gear. The reason she is so good for France is that they let her facilitate the game, while at the WNBA they don't,
*Reeve will not remember this game as one of her better coaching jobs...
*Reeve should have put D in the game during the first half. The team was clearly rattled and out of sorts and needed someone to steer the ship. You have the most experienced player on your bench who's been in every basketball pressure scenario, and you don't use her???
*Gray was terrible. I understand she is not fullly recovered...why play her when it's clear in the very first few minutes that she is totally not effective.
*Paige and Clark can't get to the National team soon enough.
*Loved the amazing atmosphere of both this final and the Men's Final.
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Would think Olivia Miles would be another great option to consider. Imagine having all them of them available on an Olympic roster for the PG position.
 
oldude said:
I’ve always said, “I’ll take an ugly win any day over a well-played loss.” That’s exactly what the US delivered in the Olympic gold medal game against a spirited physical effort from France before a passionate crowd in Paris.

The US effort was plagued by turnovers, poor defensive rebounding and missed layups. A lot of the problems that the US faced were clearly the result of extremely physical play by France. There were too many “non calls” to keep track of and several “phantom” calls as well, particularly in the 4th qtr.

In the end, the US found a way as they continued their Olympic unbeaten streak, now at 61 straight wins, winning a nail biter 67-66. Gabby lead France in scoring, hitting a huge 3 down the stretch and a remarkable 2 at the buzzer, with her foot on the 3-pt line, leaving France 1 point short of sending the game to OT.
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I thought the extremely physical play went both ways, especially in the 1st half. Aja Wilson was overtly over-the-back several times and no calls were made. Additionally, reach ins and blocking fouls on the US were not called. I saw the French team adjusting to way the game was being called and started to play a more aggressive style of play. in the 2nd half...

BTW--France had 0--zero--free throw attempts in the first half! I've never seen that before. Clearly, the US was getting away with fouling and no calls were being made in the first half.
 
fang said:
In theory, but the way the game was called, Paige might might not survive. The level of physicality was absurd.
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Again, I point out: France shot zero free throws in the first half. Zero.
 
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tchalla1 said:
Again, I point out: France shot zero free throws in the first half. Zero.
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The physicality discussion with respect to FIBA ball is one that will never be resolved. Trying to discuss this point at length will be pointless.
 
UConnCat said:
Agree.

The game got away from the head coach. USA BB was very fortunate to win.
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Exactly, I don't thk she knew how to control the egos on the team, LOTS of 2 pass offensive sets for the team for Long stretches in the first 3 quarters, in the 4th seems tht the players realized tht they can actually lose tht game, started , cutting down on the turnovers, play more in ur face defense , passing instead of dribbling with 2 defenders on you, and rebounding soo much better.
 
In some ways Sue and DT created a developmental bottleneck for the USA - they outlived all the other guards that came after them - Kara, Whalen, etc. And from the 2018 WC on they have been searching for someone to come in claim a spot. Loyd has been a constant I think because no one has done enough to displace her, but otherwise ...

Young and Copper looked really good in stretches, as did Ionescu and Plum, but I don't know if they can clearly claim a spot. Gray didn't look good but if healthy may still be an option. And there are both college and recent graduates coming up the ranks, but it will be two years before we see the full team again for the WC and lots can change.

One of the issues I see coming is the decrease of players playing internationally - the earlier pools were full of US players that had gotten blooded in the international furnace so were use to the refs, the style of play, and the actual players they would see in the WC and Olympics. Thankfully the athletes have many more options for their off-season and a bit more money from their W contracts and endorsements, but are not getting that international exposure (and the age competitions are a pale comparison to national team play.)

Ionescu had one WC experience but that was the extent of her international experience as an adult having never played overseas for example. And I will be surprised if Clark or Buckers end up playing for an international team as neither will have a financial incentive.

Compare that to the players coming out of college from 2000-2015 when everyone made their money in Europe or Asia. Skylar's decision not to do so was big news in 2013.
 
oldude said:
Yes & no. The refs clearly called more fouls on France. And the US cashed in from the foul line. But the refs could have called many more fouls on France, but they just don’t want to relegate a championship game to a constant procession to the free throw line.

It reminds me of UConn’s games with UCF in the old AAC, where the “Hack a Husky” strategy was employed by UCF. The refs could have called a foul almost every trip down the floor. But no referee wants to call a foul every trip down the floor, so a level of really physical play is permitted.
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Hack-A-Husky has always been a strategy against Uconn and has existed for many years esp in the old BE
 
nickp91 said:
Reeve didn’t do a good job (there were some games better than others). Like most Olympic coaches before her she won’t be head coach again.
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Soooo much truth in this post, I'd go as far as to say tht it's an understatement
 
Great that US won but watching Gabby brought back some terrific memories of her 4 years at Uconn and what a great player she was/is
 
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Dogstar said:
Exactly, I don't thk she knew how to control the egos on the team, LOTS of 2 pass offensive sets for the team for Long stretches in the first 3 quarters, in the 4th seems tht the players realized tht they can actually lose tht game, started , cutting down on the turnovers, play more in ur face defense , passing instead of dribbling with 2 defenders on you, and rebounding soo much better.
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She seemed like she felt as if her role was to get out of the way and let her players "out talent" the other team. She said as much after the championship game. The problem is that the days of the US team being able to outplay their opponents at every position have likely ended.
 
UcMiami said:
In some ways Sue and DT created a developmental bottleneck for the USA - they outlived all the other guards that came after them - Kara, Whalen, etc. And from the 2018 WC on they have been searching for someone to come in claim a spot. Loyd has been a constant I think because no one has done enough to displace her, but otherwise ...
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Yeah, Sue and Diana were too good for too long. I think Sue could have given us 10 good minutes out of the stands today.
 
This game offered a scenario that UConn fans have seen before. If you can't match up with your opponent, skill-wise, you hack and foul them continually to slow them down and even things up.
 
Too many turnovers, too much dribbling, poor rebounding, poor foul shooting, missed layups....... that described the 1st half. I also don't know why DT wasn't put in to try to settle things down. She's the most experienced player who can handle physical play, wouldn't get rattled and could settle the rest of them down.

They finally found the right combinations in the 2nd half. Plum and Copper stepped up at the right time, and Aja refused to let us lose.

On the other side, Gabby was fabulous. I wonder how many WNBA teams will try to sign her for the rest of the season.
 
uconnfan68 said:
Have to wonder why anyone would want that job. Have to win gold AND keep all the players, and worse, the fans, happy.
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Kinda of like the UConn HC job.

Some thoughts:

OK the DT haters can throw poop on me, but, and I'm going out on a limb here, and say no one on this board will ever see a WBB player win 7 basketball Olympic gold medals in their lifetimes. Think about that... The record will stand, maybe for all time.

Happy for the USA, a little sad for Gabby. About 6 inches from forcing an OT. Geez we were lucky. No other word for it.

So many missed layouts. Looked like a UConn game. USA should have made some of the layouts despite the physical contact.

God willing, we will have the best backcourt in Los Angles. As good, maybe better than Sue and DT.
 
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