Game Thread - USA v CZE
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Icebear
Andlig Ledare
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Not at all.
alexrgct
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No, they don't just have to win the gold; they have to promote and advance the sport given the global forum it has with the Olympics and the relatively weak field of competitors. Anyone inclined to be a detractor of WBB had plenty of additional ammo if they watched tonight's game.
And to poo poo what the men's team did last night because Nigeria isn't Spain is silly. That was one of the greatest exhibitions of basketball you will ever see. They won by 83 points. The women won by 27, but they should have won by 40+. It was a relatively easy win. It wasn't inspiring. When you're billed a dream team, slated to dominate, deserving of more coverage, recognition, and respect than you get, you need to play like it.
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alexrgct
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They have two NBA players and a slew of guys who played major college ball. The fact that they're not a top team doesn't mean that they don't have some good talent, or that beating them by 83 wasn't impressive. The 1992 Dream Team played maybe two teams in the entire field with as much talent as Nigeria has last night, and even they didn't eviscerate anyone quite like that.
Speaking of, the fact that Nigeria would have at least made the knockout round in 1992 (and possibly even challenged for a medal) and is one of the lesser teams in this field speaks to the power of inspiration of the sort that occurs when great teams achieve their potential at the olympics. Obviously, the women's team doesn't have the global phenomena the 1992 men's team had, but they still have the power, if not the obligation, to inspire.
RadyLady
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Please. I didn't poo poo what they did. The men dominated a much lesser opponant where we were playing someone who is not much a lesser team - which is my point. Plus, There were some nice moments of basketball, and shades of former Husky moments with Tina and Maya etc.
I applaud the womens team, a team that has not had a lot of time together, and I see them improving each game, although to be honest, the swarm mess of the paint in the latter quarter I didn't get. Why they didn't reset the offense was a mystery to me, but maybe Geno wanted to work on their offensive rebounding. I don't know. I don't care.
The announcers stated during the game that every womens team that the USA has sent has been a dream team. Why doesn't the US promote that? They have how many consecutive gold medals? Do the men share that record? No. The women bring it every Olympics.
I don't play basketball. I don't play competitive sports anymore. I cannot walk in their shoes, but I sure as hell can cheer for them and I will. The appreciation of the sport may never equal the men, but to shovel all the responsibility of getting respect for the women's game all on the shoulders of this Olympic team is ludicrous.
Just my humble opinion
I applaud the womens team, a team that has not had a lot of time together, and I see them improving each game, although to be honest, the swarm mess of the paint in the latter quarter I didn't get. Why they didn't reset the offense was a mystery to me, but maybe Geno wanted to work on their offensive rebounding. I don't know. I don't care.
The announcers stated during the game that every womens team that the USA has sent has been a dream team. Why doesn't the US promote that? They have how many consecutive gold medals? Do the men share that record? No. The women bring it every Olympics.
I don't play basketball. I don't play competitive sports anymore. I cannot walk in their shoes, but I sure as hell can cheer for them and I will. The appreciation of the sport may never equal the men, but to shovel all the responsibility of getting respect for the women's game all on the shoulders of this Olympic team is ludicrous.
Just my humble opinion
arty155
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Hey, watch the language!
This is a family website!
RadyLady
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arty155
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Hey, watch the language!
-My apologies - I completely over-reacted.
-I ... I don’t know… I just
-Somehow I was afraid you were trying to get this past the censors by using a clever alternate spelling of,… well, you know who.
- I'm so sorry.
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I agree. I have been following the coverage of the Olympics at the national and local level (many Olympians from Stanford and Ca)l, and there is very little, if any mention of the women's bball team. The other day my co-workers were chatting at lunch about all the events. I mentioned women's bball is favored to win the gold, then my boss (very smart physician who follows sports), didn't know that women's bball was an event! As odd as that sounds, it's not really surprising given the media only covers gymnastics, swimming, soccer, track & field, and volleyball. So, it doesn't matter how the bball plays, it will only be big news if they lose.
HuskyNan
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Not to belabor this too much (although the NBC announcers do) but the USA team has been together for a dozen games or so while its opponents have been playing together for months on end, in some cases a year or more. There's a reason the team looks better when all of the Lynx players or majority of UConn alum are on the floor together. Their familiarity with each other helps enormously.
Geno, in his first interview with Svetlana in Storrs after she arrived from Russia -
Geno: "What do you like to do most in basketball, Svetlana?"
Sveta: "Shoot."
Geno: "What else do you like to do?"
Sveta: "Shoot."
It isn't just Europeans who try to win with 3's, the Asian teams do, as well. What kind of options do they have when their average player is 6 inches shorter than her American counterpart? They're not going to win it in the post.
RadyLady
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Icebear
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I thought his name was Boo-boo
A distant relative.
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