Paris Olympics Discussion Thread

[Blueballer]

The USA was up 25 with 4 minutes left. Nigeria made a lot of shots when the game was over. Even to the extent that they scored with less than 2 seconds left in the game. Even after the USA let the shot clock run out on their last possession.
Copper took exception to the last second layup.

But instead of taking the high road Copper had to throw the ball in the girls face. Not a good look. A tech was called but take into account the Nigeria team was taught to play hard until the clock runs out and they are an up and coming program. Of course they want to play the USA team as close as possible. If it were a team you played a lot like in this country go ahead and be ticked off. But every 4 years in the Olympics just let it go. A word between the coaches would have sufficed.

 

[UcMiami]

Didn't like how the US coaches played the 4th quarter - basically shut it down and stopped coaching. Yeah the USA was never in danger, but they looked bad. As Geno has said 'you are in show business - these people may never see you play another game, give them what they paid for the full 40 minutes or sit on the bench. Sloppy play sloppy passes, poor defense after 3 quarters of really solid play. Disrespectful.


As for the last two plays, USA just dribbled the ball for the 24 second shot clock leaving about 7 seconds remaining. They expected Nigeria to dribble out the clock and were annoyed when the ran in for a layup - Copper then threw the ball at the feet of Kalu and received a T. Basically a tempest in a teacup. But with the bad fourth quarter, it just added to a poor showing in my mind.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Thanks all for the details.

 

[JellyBean]

The USA was up 25 with 4 minutes left. Nigeria made a lot of shots when the game was over. Even to the extent that they scored with less than 2 seconds left in the game. Even after the USA let the shot clock run out on their last possession.
Copper took exception to the last second layup.

Interesting that she would take exception to that last second layup.

 

[cancontent]

Interesting that she would take exception to that last second layup.

Could you kindly elaborate? Did she do something similar to a team or allowed a last second lay up during a game? Or the fact she took exception at all?

 

[GoUconn7961]

Don't know if anyone watched the men's steeplechase yesterday. The USA men roaring back and finishing in the top three is a nice pattern.
I don't think I remember the last time the USA won a medal in that event. I can't find out what happened to the player that fell. Anyone have info on that?

 

[Plebe]

Don't know if anyone watched the men's steeplechase yesterday. The USA men roaring back and finishing in the top three is a nice pattern.
I don't think I remember the last time the USA won a medal in that event. I can't find out what happened to the player that fell. Anyone have info on that?

The runner who fell (Girma of Ethiopia) was the world record holder and one of the clear medal favorites.

Really a horrifying fall. Seemed to hit his head on the track and lose consciousness, but appears to be doing better in the hospital.

Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma taken to hospital after horror fall in 3,000m steeplechase

Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma regained consciousness and was talking after he was taken to hospital after his accident in the 3,000m steeplechase

www.theguardian.com

 

[maple]

Don't know if anyone watched the men's steeplechase yesterday. The USA men roaring back and finishing in the top three is a nice pattern.
I don't think I remember the last time the USA won a medal in that event. I can't find out what happened to the player that fell. Anyone have info on that?

I just watched the replay. Incredible race for the USA and a huge accomplishment to take silver.

I hope the Ethiopian runner can recover quickly. I didn't realize how bad the fall was until I watched the replay a second time. Scary stuff.

 

[EricLA]

FWIW back to basketball - if it was in the WNBA, 7 seconds left, down double digits, the losing team would just dribble it out.

This is the Olympics. Play your hearts out to the very end. I thought Nigeria played incredibly well. Copper's display was unfortunate and I hope she was pulled aside and told under no uncertain terms that it was inappropriate. I thought literally everyone on team USA played well save for Copper, Loyd and Ionescu. The last 4 minutes were terrible as USA jacked up one bad shot after another, and couldn't stop Nigeria on the other end.

Dee had 3 points but should have had 6 assists if teammates had made bunny layups. I thought Gray had a ragged 1st half, but looked much better in half 2. Stewie, Wilson, and Young shone brightest, but Brit did Brit things, and Plum, Collier and Thomas stood out as well.

I was surprised that only 1 African team is "allowed" to participate? That doesn't seem right - but i looked it up and found:

Based on final results, two teams from the Americas, two teams from Europe, one team from Africa, one team from Asia, and one team from Oceania earned direct spots to Paris. The final four countries were determined at a series of four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments held in July.

So I'm guessing that because Japan and China qualified, one was the "1 team from Asia", and the other qualified a different way? At first I was surprised when I read earlier that the African coach had said about "only 1 team from Africa" qualifying, but other teams can make it, I guess they just need to get better... I hope the Nigerian results spur other teams to invest and improve. Almost the entire Nigerian team was made up of players who played at US colleges.

 

[cancontent]

Celebrity Patrons Fill Cracks in U.S. Olympics Funding

Celebrity Olympics patrons like Flavor Flav, Alexis Ohanian and Michele Kang are backing Team USA, which gets no government funds. Is it sustainable?

www.sportico.com

Came across this article talking about the trend of celebrity support and the gaps in funding Olympic athletes. Found it insightful and some of the historical context was helpful to me.

 

[cancontent]

USA vs Serbia men's quarter-final. Regardless of the ending.

 

[Bigboote]

Am I the only one who wants to see Sydney McLaughlin-Lavrone run in the 400 sprint too? I’d be surprised if she couldn’t set that world record too.

 

[baggerbob]

Am I the only one who wants to see Sydney McLaughlin-Lavrone run in the 400 sprint too? I’d be surprised if she couldn’t set that world record too.

Hopefully next year she sets out to break that record that was set during the drug and steroid era.

 

[GCKSFN4L]

Am I the only one who wants to see Sydney McLaughlin-Lavrone run in the 400 sprint too? I’d be surprised if she couldn’t set that world record too.

Her 50.37 in the hurdles would have had her finish 7th in the Tokyo for the regular 400m. She would have also been 9th overall in this year's 400 based on the semis. What she's doing with hurdles is unimaginable.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Syd thinks that 50.00 is breakable. She's cross-training with the 400 flat and sprints. She's in a class of one.

 

[12au]

Am I the only one who wants to see Sydney McLaughlin-Lavrone run in the 400 sprint too? I’d be surprised if she couldn’t set that world record too.

I'm hoping we see her in the 4x400 relay final (if we don't blow the heat) in a couple days. She said she's open to running it after winning today...I recall she ran it in Tokyo.

 

[GoUconn7961]

OK - It's Friday and I'm still drained from that US v. Serbia game. Let's hope the women don't give me heart palpitations.
I have a funny feeling it's going to be USA v. France for gold in both men and women. If so, the crowds are going to be so loud, and so French, you'll barely hear anything if you're a player on the court.

 

[Dillon77]

As I understand it, one of the only reasons Syd ("no longer a kid") didn't try the 400 is that they overlapped. Plus, perhaps Bol's performances over the years caught her attention, thinking "hey, I've got be at my best." It's hard running a bunch of races, particularly the 400, which is one heck of a leg strainer.

Given the U.S. women's performance in the 400 thus far, I've got to think putting her in the 4x400 is a no brainer.

As for LA, when she'll be 28/29, you've got to hope the U.S. Olympic organization will have some influence/sway/power to make sure she can run both the 400 and 400 IM. If Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt can get reasonable schedules, I think Syd should, too.

How cool to see her possibly run:

• 4 x 400 mixed relay
• 400 IM
• 400
• 4 x 400 relay

For now, let's hope to see her on the tail end of the relay -- running away from whomever is next (Bol again?)

 

[cancontent]

OK - It's Friday and I'm still drained from that US v. Serbia game. Let's hope the women don't give me heart palpitations.
I have a funny feeling it's going to be USA v. France for gold in both men and women. If so, the crowds are going to be so loud, and so French, you'll barely hear anything if you're a player on the court.

Yeah, I'm still buzzing about it too but that's the part of the fun I think. We don't see crowds like this in the US just yet and the players are rising to the occasion.

France vs Belgium could be 50/50 today with respect to crowd noise because Belgian fans don't have far to travel. That will be an interesting game this afternoon.

 

[Bigboote]

As I understand it, one of the only reasons Syd ("no longer a kid") didn't try the 400 is that they overlapped. Plus, perhaps Bol's performances over the years caught her attention, thinking "hey, I've got be at my best." It's hard running a bunch of races, particularly the 400, which is one heck of a leg strainer.

Given the U.S. women's performance in the 400 thus far, I've got to think putting her in the 4x400 is a no brainer.

As for LA, when she'll be 28/29, you've got to hope the U.S. Olympic organization will have some influence/sway/power to make sure she can run both the 400 and 400 IM. If Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt can get reasonable schedules, I think Syd should, too.

How cool to see her possibly run:

• 4 x 400 mixed relay
• 400 IM
• 400
• 4 x 400 relay

For now, let's hope to see her on the tail end of the relay -- running away from whomever is next (Bol again?)

I seem to remember her all-but saying no to the double after her anchor leg in Tokyo. I was still keeping hope alive (heck, I still am), but unless something changes, I think if she does do the flat it will be instead of the hurdles.

Adding three more 400 races to her docket would certainly be challenging.* But did you see her after the finals? She was certainly breathing hard, but she looked like a breath of fresh air compared to the other racers.

*I did heats in the 100, 220, and 440 in addition to the 4x100 in a one-day meet in high school. The 220 was last, and in my heat I was so spent, I started out as though it was a quarter. I realized my mistake about 50 yards in, and in my haste to catch up, caught my spikes in the track and had a spectacular wipe out. I decided to just go to the locker room from there, as I didn't want people to see me covered in blood crossing the finish line, 5-10 seconds after the field. I was shuddering watching the 800 heats the other night, when I think a total of at least 10 runners went down.

 

[JellyBean]

Could you kindly elaborate? Did she do something similar to a team or allowed a last second lay up during a game? Or the fact she took exception at all?

The fact that she took exception at all.

 

[Vowelguy]

US 2nd team especially Plum have been awful today

 

[WBBTakeover]

Jackie Young's emergence (well, Cheryl's realization that she actually needs to play her) really makes this team unbeatable--or at least seem that way!

 

[bbsamjj]

US 2nd team especially Plum have been awful today

Plum was not good in her minutes; but second team after a ragged end to first quarter started second quarter on 10-0 run. Overall, they outscored Australia 25-11 in second quarter. Wilson is a defensive beast inside.