Other Sports ***2023 FIBA World Cup of Basketball - Page 2

**alpha_omega** · 08-24-2023, 11:47 AM

Starts tomorrow and we need a thread for this!

🚨 #FIBAWC POWER RANKINGS ALERT 🚨

Volume 3 is 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 🔥
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 23, 2023

**alpha_omega** · 08-28-2023, 10:12 AM

Couldn't watch because...730 am on a Monday morning. Recap...

USA basketball score: Americans cruise past Greece, clinch group at 2023 FIBA World Cup
The Americans were in complete control against a Giannis-less Greece side on Monday

Another game, another emphatic victory for Team USA to open the 2023 FIBA World Cup. After decimating New Zealand on Saturday in their opener, the Americans continued their dominant start to the tournament with an even more convincing 109-81 victory over Greece on Monday. In the process, they clinched Group C and have advanced to the second group phase of the tournament.

Unlike Saturday's win over New Zealand in which Paolo Banchero scored 25 points, no single player dominated this one for the Americans. Austin Reaves led the way with 15 points, but all 12 players on the roster scored at least four. The win was ultimately the result of strong team play and a great shooting day from both 3-point range (9-of-22) and, more importantly, the foul line (30-of-34).Throw in a 40-25 domination on the glass and Team USA controlled just about every aspect of this game.

Greece was severely undermanned for this one, with just one NBA player, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, on its roster. His more famous brother, Giannis Antetokounmpo, may have played in this tournament if not for knee surgery. Instead, he sat out, and Greece posed no major threat to Team USA.

The Americans will now close group play on Wednesday against Jordan. Greece, meanwhile, will play New Zealand on Wednesday, and after they snuck out an overtime win over Jordan on Monday, that game will determine second place in Group C. As the top two teams advance to the second group phase, that game will be meaningful as the rest of the tournament shakes out.

The top two teams in Group C will join the top two teams from Group D (Lithuania and Montenegro) in the second group phase, with the top two teams out of those four advancing to the knockout stage. If Team USA keeps playing like this, the group should have no trouble making it that far. Here are the biggest takeaways from Team USA's victory

The bench continues to thrive
Team USA led by only four points when the starters exited the game in the first quarter. The lead was well into double digits when they returned. This has been a persistent theme for Team USA in both the exhibition season and the tournament itself. The starters are still struggling to figure things out. The bench, however, has dominated from the start.

Reaves alone led Team USA in points (15), assists (6) and tied for the lead in steals with Jaren Jackson Jr. (2). The leader in rebounds was also a reserve, as Josh Hart pulled in 11 of them. Five American players had double-digit plus-minus marks, and they were the first five Americans off the bench: Reaves (plus-19), Tyrese Haliburton (plus-19), Cam Johnson (plus-19), Banchero (plus-14) and Hart (plus-13).

There are plenty of possible explanations for this, and the obvious one is that high-level NBA players are typically going to have an enormous talent advantage over foreign reserves, but by the eye test, the obvious answer is that this group just fits together remarkably well. Haliburton and Reaves are great playmakers. Everyone in that group can shoot. Banchero has exceeded expectations on defense as a switching, small-ball five. With the starters struggling, Team USA's path to gold likely goes through the bench. It hasn't disappointed thus far.

Another quiet game for Brandon Ingram
Speaking of those struggling starters, no one has had a harder time adjusting to the FIBA game than Brandon Ingram. He expressed his frustration to The Athletic on Sunday, saying "The team is winning right now, so I can't be selfish thinking about myself. But it's a little frustrating right now for me, and I'm just trying to figure out ways I can be effective."

Well, those frustrations persisted on Monday. Ingram scored five points on four shots in 17 minutes and was largely an afterthought in Team USA's victory. Team USA likely hoped that he could play the old Carmelo Anthony role as a catch-and-shoot threat that offered a bit on defense and as a rebounder. It hasn't played out that way. Ingram's best skill is individual shot-creation, but with Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards thriving as the first-unit ball-handlers, he just hasn't had a place on this team. Kerr could bench him, but doing so would disrupt that excellent bench lineup. There's no easy answer here. If there were, Ingram and Kerr would've found it by now.

A clever adjustment from Steve Kerr
Kerr did have one particularly interesting adjustment in Monday's game. Greek center Georgios Papagiannis, a former Sacramento King, dominated Team USA in the first half because of its drop-coverage. The middle of the floor was totally open for Greece, and Papagiannis, a shooter and crafty post worker, took advantage with jumpers and hooks. When that drew Jackson out of the paint, the Greek pick-and-roll thrived.

So Kerr flipped the matchups. He allowed Edwards, just 6-foot-4, to defend Papagiannis, who is 7-foot-3. Why? So he could put Jackson, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, on the comparatively non-threatening Antetokounmpo, The Milwaukee forward is not a strong shooter, so Jackson could sag off of him and take away the rim. This disarmed Papagiannis and with him, most of the Greek offense.

It was a bit of a throwback change for Kerr, who pioneered the concept of size mismatches to exploit non-shooters in his early days as coach of the Golden State Warriors, when he famously used center Andrew Bogut to defend shooting guard Tony Allen. His strategy against Greece was the reverse of that move, but to the same effect. Kerr is among the NBA's more creative coaches, and it showed on Monday.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/u...orld-cup/live/

BWillie · 08-29-2023, 08:56 AM

SGA is dicing up Latvia. So smooth. Better than Luka. I'm telling you, he is.

Team Canada has a guy literally named SCRUB lool

**alpha_omega** · 08-30-2023, 08:28 AM

Team USA crushes Jordan to sweep through World Cup group

MANILA, Philippines -- Team USA's Anthony Edwards and Jordan's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added some spice to what otherwise would have been a low-drama game, staging an American playground-style duel that isn't normally seen at the FIBA World Cup.

The two shooting guards went back-and-forth racking up points and giving the crowd at Mall of Asia Arena something to pay attention to besides the score as Team USA won 110-62 on Wednesday to finish pool play 3-0.

The U.S. moves on to the World Cup's second round and will play Montenegro (2-1) on Friday and Lithuania (3-0) on Sunday.

Edwards delighted in the meeting with Hollis-Jefferson, who was one of his mentors in training camp with the Minnesota Timberwolves his rookie year in 2020. Hollis-Jefferson, a six-year NBA veteran, came in as the event's second-leading scorer and one of the happy stories of the first week.

"We haven't seen each other since then, so it was fun," Edwards said. "And yeah, we was talking with smack out there for sure."

Edwards threw in several dunks, three 3-pointers and even a behind-the-back pass. He finished with 22 points in 19 minutes and also had eight rebounds and four assists.

Edwards also fouled Hollis-Jefferson twice, which is something Hollis-Jefferson has become an expert at while playing overseas the past two seasons. After drawing 15 fouls in a 39-point showing against New Zealand on Monday, Hollis-Jefferson drove, twisted and baited the U.S. into fouling him eight times.

Hollis-Jefferson finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds, though he was slowed after spraining his left ankle on a drive to the basket in the first half.

In a moment that sort of summed up the show, Edwards scored on back-to-back breakaways during the third quarter. On the first, Jordan's Amin Abu Hawwas tried to get in Edwards' way and forced him to abandon a highlight dunk attempt and settle for a layup. Edwards gave him a sideways look for ruining the chance.

Seconds later, after a Jordan turnover, Edwards had the ball on a break again. This time Abu Hawwas slowed down behind Edwards as he threw down a windmill dunk to the delight of the crowd.

Team USA coach Steve Kerr had seen enough late in the third, calling timeout to take out his starters. Edwards said farewell by tossing in a 35-footer that didn't count.

Edwards was in one of his typical good moods after the contest and, with an average margin of victory of 34 points through three games, was feeling confident about Team USA's chances of winning the World Cup for the first time since 2014 -- especially after being asked about Sunday's second-round game with Lithuania, which is also undefeated.

"I think we gonna win," Edwards said with a smile. "We're undefeated also. I think we have a great chance to win. We got great coaching staff. We got great players. And our confidence is at all times we not really worried about those guys."

The most important thing that happened for the Americans in the game was a starting lineup change, Kerr's first of the past month. He put in Josh Hart, who played strongly in the win over Greece on Monday, for Brandon Ingram.

The move was made for Ingram's benefit, as he was struggling mostly as a spot-up shooter. With the second unit, he was able to play with the ball more in his hands, as he's used to with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Ingram immediately looked more comfortable as a playmaker and had his best game in Manila, racking up five assists with seven points in 15 minutes.

"We just felt like it was important to take a look at Josh with the starting group and Brandon with the next group to see if the combinations fit," Kerr said. "I liked what I saw. The game wasn't competitive, but there was good flow with both groups."

Jaren Jackson Jr. also had a strong game, with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Serbia, Georgia and Brazil also advanced to the second round with victories Wednesday.

https://www.espn.co.uk/olympics/stor...orld-cup-group

**alpha_omega** · 09-01-2023, 08:21 AM

Didn't watch...couldn't have anyway cuz, eff ESPN and Spectrum both.

Anyway, recap.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Team USA again relies on key reserves to survive against Montenegro

MANILA, Philippines — It goes against the typical philosophy of Montenegro head coach Boško Radović, but his national team faced an atypical opponent in Friday’s second-round matchup at the FIBA World Cup, drawing Team USA’s loaded roster that features a dozen NBA players. So with two days to prepare for the undefeated Americans, Radović concocted various defensive looks and other devices to thwart Team USA’s zippy scoring attack that hung 110 points against Jordan on Wednesday.

His strategy worked to near perfection in Team USA's hard-fought 85-73 victory. The Montenegrins ground their underdog matchup to a halt, limiting possessions and eliminating most of the Americans’ preferred fast-break opportunities, even taking an unexpected 38-37 advantage over Team USA into the halftime locker room.

“We tried to prepare something, to change a little bit the offense of the American team,” Radović said. “I think with this zone, 2-3, a couple times tonight, we changed the game.”

“Even, like, substitutions after free throws,” said Team USA guard Austin Reaves said. “Not being able to let us get out and go.”

It wasn’t until Reaves’ step-back triple with 2:44 remaining in the contest that the Americans found legitimate breathing room against their scrappy challenger. The Lakers’ playmaker froze his defender before rising behind the 3-point line to give Team USA a 75-68 lead.

The crucial bucket marked his only field goal of the afternoon, the other nine of Reaves’ 12 points all coming from the charity stripe. Anthony Edwards was held scoreless in the first half. Jalen Brunson’s collection of off-kilter drives generated little production.

Only reserve ball-handler Tyrese Haliburton entered the game to instant offensive success, drilling a pull-up 3-pointer on the right wing as his Montenegrin man afforded him too much space. Then Haliburton ripped a steal at halfcourt soon after, cruising for a runaway two-hand flush that gave the Americans their first lead, 19-18, at the end of the first quarter since opening with a 2-0 edge.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game,” said Haliburton, who finished with 10 points and a team-high six assists. “But what FIBA games really are?”

“Anytime someone kinda keeps you from what you wanna do, it’s frustrating,” Reaves said. “Everybody knows that we want to get out and run.”

Last outing, Kerr’s biggest adjustment came in the starting lineup, where he swapped all-hustle swingman Josh Hart into Team USA’s first group in place of Brandon Ingram. This time around, Kerr’s key change came at the end of the contest, keeping Haliburton and Reaves on the floor for the entire final frame to finish the grueling battle alongside Edwards, Mikal Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr.

With Brunson and Hart watching from the sideline, Kerr relied on the same five-man unit Team USA utilized down the stretch of the Americans’ tightly contested exhibition against Germany before the World Cup began.

“It’s a lineup that we trust and we like,” Kerr said, “and they were playing well and in a good rhythm and they got the job done.”

“It just feels different,” Edwards said of playing with Haliburton and Reaves. “They’re a great, great, great group to play with. They’re a great one-two punch.”

Edwards erupted after halftime to score all of his team-high 17 points following an 0-for-5 performance in the first half, tallying eight of Team USA’s first 13 points of the third quarter. He got things started with a pull-up jumper just inside the arc, then pirouetted through three defenders and Euro-stepped around Montenegro's All-Star center Nikola Vučević for a nifty layup.

Edwards’ ultimate moment came on defense. When Vučević corralled a rebound with just over five minutes to play, Montenegro had an opportunity to march back down the floor and force this slugfest into another one-possession game. But Edwards was lurking in the shadows of the basket and managed to poke the ball free and sneak his way into an easy finish that punctured their opponent’s building momentum.

“We just gotta be more physical,” Edwards said. “A little more stronger.”

That has been Team USA’ clear weakness throughout this tournament, where Vučević and Montenegro's larger lineup outrebounded the Americans, 49-31, and bested Team USA 22-3 in second-chance points.

Jackson Jr.’s early foul trouble, two quick whistles that rendered him to Kerr’s bench for the final 15 minutes of the first half, didn’t help matters. But the overall lack of size up front reared its ugly head against Montenegro and will be another key element to the Americans’ Sunday matchup against Lithuania, which features bruising Pelicans big man Jonas Valančiūnas and a host of other frontcourt players with NBA experience.

“We gotta get stops and get rebounds,” Edwards said. “We can’t go against a set defense every time, because if they set they defense, they gonna pack the paint and load up.”

https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-fiba-w...125846961.html

KC_Connection · 09-03-2023, 10:01 AM

SGA so clutch pic.twitter.com/RI6vBdsJHI
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) September 3, 2023

**alpha_omega** · 09-05-2023, 10:54 AM

Once again...**** you very much Disney and Spectrum.

USA basketball score, takeaways: Team USA crushes Italy to advance to semifinals at 2023 FIBA World Cup

Team USA basketball is heading to the semifinals at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The Americans crushed Italy, 100-63, in Manila on Tuesday to clinch a spot in the tournament's final four. Team USA will face either Germany or Latvia in the semifinals on Friday.

Team USA jumped out to a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter against Italy and never looked back. Mikal Bridges led all scorers with 24 points and went 8 for 11 from the floor. Tyrese Haliburton added 18 points and hit six 3-pointers off the bench in a blowout that Team USA led by 30 or more points for most of the second half.

It was the kind of bounce back Team USA was looking for after the squad dropped its final game of the second round to Lithuania on Sunday. Team USA has already secured a better finish at the World Cup than 2019 when the team finished seventh.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's win.

1. Team USA doesn't need a go-to guy
Many American fans heralded Anthony Edwards as Team USA's ideal lead scorer ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. While the Minnesota Timberwolves star did erupt for 35 points in the loss to Lithuania, his offense has been up and down in the tournament. Edwards tallied a mere three points on 1-for-6 shooting with three assists on Tuesday. He'll likely have a better showing before it's all said and done, but there's no need to make him a focal point with so many capable players on the roster.

Bridges has matched or improved upon the scoring output from his previous outing with each appearance this tournament and was clearly the engine that powered Team USA through the quarterfinals. The Brooklyn Nets forward was an efficient 8-for-11 from the field and contributed a pair of steals alongside a block on the defensive end.

Then there's Haliburton, who's proved to be a valuable bench spark alongside Austin Reaves over the last five weeks. Both reserve guards joined Bridges to give Team USA a trio of double-digit scorers. The Americans can pull off convincing wins like this despite strong volume scorers like Brandon Ingram being in hibernation so far. All-around effort and intensity from the jump will produce results for this squad.

2. The Americans need more consistency at center
Lack of post presence had a lot to do with Team USA's loss to Lithuania and it's still a glaring weakness for the Americans. Jaren Jackson Jr., Paolo Banchero, and Bobby Portis are the staples of the rotation at power forward and center, but bigger teams could take advantage of this group. Jackson is the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year but got in foul trouble early after picking up a pair less than three minutes into the first quarter. He logged less than 11 minutes in the game and floated by with two points and three rebounds. Banchero and Portis were far more effective. This trend can't continue if Team USA wants to avoid a serious challenge en route to the gold medal game.

It's unlikely that Walker Kessler, a premier rim protector, will play meaningful minutes soon. But they could need his verticality in a critical moment later on. More skilled bigs from Germany and Canada will be able to pose more of a threat to America than Italy's did. Italy lost the overall rebounding battle but did win the offensive rebounding battle 9-8. Giving up too many second-chance opportunities can only come back to bite Team USA.

3. Perimeter shooting makes a huge difference
Team USA posted its second-largest margin of victory this tournament against Italy and the long ball helped fuel their success. They didn't sink more triples than Montenegro or Lithuania in the back half of the group stage but did convert 17 of their 36 tries on Tuesday. Their success put pressure on Italy, which only sank seven of its 38 attempts from beyond the arc in a blowout loss. Three Americans made multiple threes against Italy and all three of them converted those shots at a 66.7% clip or better.

It's probably not sustainable to shoot at such a high level the rest of the way, but the performance should give Team USA's snipers confidence. Latvia has made more threes per contest (13.2) than any team in the tournament so far. Germany, on the other hand, is converting 2.6 more triples than Team USA per game while shooting an almost identical percentage. If things get tight moving forward the Americans will need some reliable shooting.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/u...orld-cup/live/

BWillie · 09-05-2023, 11:31 AM

Why is Lithuania so good? They have like one NBA guy on the squad

POND_OF_RED · 09-06-2023, 07:51 AM

Watching this Slovenia v Canada game has made me realize that it’s not Doncic fault. I think they’re all bitches in Slovenia. It looks like it’s just how they’re taught to play. Run down and try to bump into someone, then when you don’t get a whistle throw your hands up like you are just assaulted. It’s what the entire team does. Makes you wonder if they learned from Doncic or if it’s just the way they are raised to play basketball over there.

BWillie · 09-06-2023, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

Watching this Slovenia v Canada game has made me realize that it’s not Doncic fault. I think they’re all bitches in Slovenia. It looks like it’s just how they’re taught to play. Run down and try to bump into someone, then when you don’t get a whistle throw your hands up like you are just assaulted. It’s what the entire team does. Makes you wonder if they learned from Doncic or if it’s just the way they are raised to play basketball over there.

100%. I had that same thought watching their shit. It's getting exhausting.

I do kind of like that these FIBA refs don't seem to allow as much whining. Dillion Brooks just ejected for being a bitch. Now Doncic ejected for being a bitch. Rest of team Canada seems to be pretty stoic though.

Monticore · 09-06-2023, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

Watching this Slovenia v Canada game has made me realize that it’s not Doncic fault. I think they’re all bitches in Slovenia. It looks like it’s just how they’re taught to play. Run down and try to bump into someone, then when you don’t get a whistle throw your hands up like you are just assaulted. It’s what the entire team does. Makes you wonder if they learned from Doncic or if it’s just the way they are raised to play basketball over there.

The euro guys are what ruined basketball for me especially manu ginobli, most likely comes from the soccer world I assume .

KC_Connection · 09-06-2023, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monticore

The euro guys are what ruined basketball for me especially manu ginobli, most likely comes from the soccer world I assume .

Ginobili is from Argentina. Tremendous player too with one of the highest basketball IQs ever.

BWillie · 09-06-2023, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Ginobili is from Argentina. Tremendous player too with one of the highest basketball IQs ever.

Yeah but the comment has truth to it. Soccer culture has infiltrated to the NBA. Soccer is the most popular sport in Argentina like most European countries.

Monticore · 09-06-2023, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Ginobili is from Argentina. Tremendous player too with one of the highest basketball IQs ever.

Most annoying flopped I have ever watched/stopped watching , being a Lebron fan I am not surprised that you a a fan of flopping

POND_OF_RED · 09-10-2023, 07:50 AM

Of course Dillon Brooks sets a medal game points record against us today. Why wouldn’t he? **** you Dillon. That stat line was pretty insane though.

39 points
4 rebounds
5 assists
12-18 FG
7-8 3P

Crazy stuff. That Bridges effort to get it to OT was something special too. The OT was not.

BWillie · 09-10-2023, 01:10 PM

Team Kanada gets the Bronze.

Team Chucker...I mean USA...can't even medal.

Sad.

Not to worry. Reaves actually was quite efficient in this tournament but Team USA has Chet and Jalen Williams waiting in the wings

Maybe we can convince Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young or Booker to play for us in the Olympics. Americans seem to care about that much more than FIBA. Julius Randle would really help with physical style of play in FIBA as well.

08-24-2023, 11:47 AM
alpha_omega Supporter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Liberty Casino cash: $1341251	***2023 FIBA World Cup of Basketball Starts tomorrow and we need a thread for this! 🚨 #FIBAWC POWER RANKINGS ALERT 🚨 Volume 3 is 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 🔥 — FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 23, 2023
Posts: 16,783

08-28-2023, 10:12 AM	#16
alpha_omega Supporter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Liberty Casino cash: $1341251	Couldn't watch because...730 am on a Monday morning. Recap... USA basketball score: Americans cruise past Greece, clinch group at 2023 FIBA World Cup The Americans were in complete control against a Giannis-less Greece side on Monday Another game, another emphatic victory for Team USA to open the 2023 FIBA World Cup. After decimating New Zealand on Saturday in their opener, the Americans continued their dominant start to the tournament with an even more convincing 109-81 victory over Greece on Monday. In the process, they clinched Group C and have advanced to the second group phase of the tournament. Unlike Saturday's win over New Zealand in which Paolo Banchero scored 25 points, no single player dominated this one for the Americans. Austin Reaves led the way with 15 points, but all 12 players on the roster scored at least four. The win was ultimately the result of strong team play and a great shooting day from both 3-point range (9-of-22) and, more importantly, the foul line (30-of-34).Throw in a 40-25 domination on the glass and Team USA controlled just about every aspect of this game. Greece was severely undermanned for this one, with just one NBA player, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, on its roster. His more famous brother, Giannis Antetokounmpo, may have played in this tournament if not for knee surgery. Instead, he sat out, and Greece posed no major threat to Team USA. The Americans will now close group play on Wednesday against Jordan. Greece, meanwhile, will play New Zealand on Wednesday, and after they snuck out an overtime win over Jordan on Monday, that game will determine second place in Group C. As the top two teams advance to the second group phase, that game will be meaningful as the rest of the tournament shakes out. The top two teams in Group C will join the top two teams from Group D (Lithuania and Montenegro) in the second group phase, with the top two teams out of those four advancing to the knockout stage. If Team USA keeps playing like this, the group should have no trouble making it that far. Here are the biggest takeaways from Team USA's victory The bench continues to thrive Team USA led by only four points when the starters exited the game in the first quarter. The lead was well into double digits when they returned. This has been a persistent theme for Team USA in both the exhibition season and the tournament itself. The starters are still struggling to figure things out. The bench, however, has dominated from the start. Reaves alone led Team USA in points (15), assists (6) and tied for the lead in steals with Jaren Jackson Jr. (2). The leader in rebounds was also a reserve, as Josh Hart pulled in 11 of them. Five American players had double-digit plus-minus marks, and they were the first five Americans off the bench: Reaves (plus-19), Tyrese Haliburton (plus-19), Cam Johnson (plus-19), Banchero (plus-14) and Hart (plus-13). There are plenty of possible explanations for this, and the obvious one is that high-level NBA players are typically going to have an enormous talent advantage over foreign reserves, but by the eye test, the obvious answer is that this group just fits together remarkably well. Haliburton and Reaves are great playmakers. Everyone in that group can shoot. Banchero has exceeded expectations on defense as a switching, small-ball five. With the starters struggling, Team USA's path to gold likely goes through the bench. It hasn't disappointed thus far. Another quiet game for Brandon Ingram Speaking of those struggling starters, no one has had a harder time adjusting to the FIBA game than Brandon Ingram. He expressed his frustration to The Athletic on Sunday, saying "The team is winning right now, so I can't be selfish thinking about myself. But it's a little frustrating right now for me, and I'm just trying to figure out ways I can be effective." Well, those frustrations persisted on Monday. Ingram scored five points on four shots in 17 minutes and was largely an afterthought in Team USA's victory. Team USA likely hoped that he could play the old Carmelo Anthony role as a catch-and-shoot threat that offered a bit on defense and as a rebounder. It hasn't played out that way. Ingram's best skill is individual shot-creation, but with Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards thriving as the first-unit ball-handlers, he just hasn't had a place on this team. Kerr could bench him, but doing so would disrupt that excellent bench lineup. There's no easy answer here. If there were, Ingram and Kerr would've found it by now. A clever adjustment from Steve Kerr Kerr did have one particularly interesting adjustment in Monday's game. Greek center Georgios Papagiannis, a former Sacramento King, dominated Team USA in the first half because of its drop-coverage. The middle of the floor was totally open for Greece, and Papagiannis, a shooter and crafty post worker, took advantage with jumpers and hooks. When that drew Jackson out of the paint, the Greek pick-and-roll thrived. So Kerr flipped the matchups. He allowed Edwards, just 6-foot-4, to defend Papagiannis, who is 7-foot-3. Why? So he could put Jackson, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, on the comparatively non-threatening Antetokounmpo, The Milwaukee forward is not a strong shooter, so Jackson could sag off of him and take away the rim. This disarmed Papagiannis and with him, most of the Greek offense. It was a bit of a throwback change for Kerr, who pioneered the concept of size mismatches to exploit non-shooters in his early days as coach of the Golden State Warriors, when he famously used center Andrew Bogut to defend shooting guard Tony Allen. His strategy against Greece was the reverse of that move, but to the same effect. Kerr is among the NBA's more creative coaches, and it showed on Monday. https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/u...orld-cup/live/
Posts: 16,783

08-29-2023, 08:56 AM	#17
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08-30-2023, 08:28 AM	#18
alpha_omega Supporter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Liberty Casino cash: $1341251	Team USA crushes Jordan to sweep through World Cup group MANILA, Philippines -- Team USA's Anthony Edwards and Jordan's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added some spice to what otherwise would have been a low-drama game, staging an American playground-style duel that isn't normally seen at the FIBA World Cup. The two shooting guards went back-and-forth racking up points and giving the crowd at Mall of Asia Arena something to pay attention to besides the score as Team USA won 110-62 on Wednesday to finish pool play 3-0. The U.S. moves on to the World Cup's second round and will play Montenegro (2-1) on Friday and Lithuania (3-0) on Sunday. Edwards delighted in the meeting with Hollis-Jefferson, who was one of his mentors in training camp with the Minnesota Timberwolves his rookie year in 2020. Hollis-Jefferson, a six-year NBA veteran, came in as the event's second-leading scorer and one of the happy stories of the first week. "We haven't seen each other since then, so it was fun," Edwards said. "And yeah, we was talking with smack out there for sure." Edwards threw in several dunks, three 3-pointers and even a behind-the-back pass. He finished with 22 points in 19 minutes and also had eight rebounds and four assists. Edwards also fouled Hollis-Jefferson twice, which is something Hollis-Jefferson has become an expert at while playing overseas the past two seasons. After drawing 15 fouls in a 39-point showing against New Zealand on Monday, Hollis-Jefferson drove, twisted and baited the U.S. into fouling him eight times. Hollis-Jefferson finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds, though he was slowed after spraining his left ankle on a drive to the basket in the first half. In a moment that sort of summed up the show, Edwards scored on back-to-back breakaways during the third quarter. On the first, Jordan's Amin Abu Hawwas tried to get in Edwards' way and forced him to abandon a highlight dunk attempt and settle for a layup. Edwards gave him a sideways look for ruining the chance. Seconds later, after a Jordan turnover, Edwards had the ball on a break again. This time Abu Hawwas slowed down behind Edwards as he threw down a windmill dunk to the delight of the crowd. Team USA coach Steve Kerr had seen enough late in the third, calling timeout to take out his starters. Edwards said farewell by tossing in a 35-footer that didn't count. Edwards was in one of his typical good moods after the contest and, with an average margin of victory of 34 points through three games, was feeling confident about Team USA's chances of winning the World Cup for the first time since 2014 -- especially after being asked about Sunday's second-round game with Lithuania, which is also undefeated. "I think we gonna win," Edwards said with a smile. "We're undefeated also. I think we have a great chance to win. We got great coaching staff. We got great players. And our confidence is at all times we not really worried about those guys." The most important thing that happened for the Americans in the game was a starting lineup change, Kerr's first of the past month. He put in Josh Hart, who played strongly in the win over Greece on Monday, for Brandon Ingram. The move was made for Ingram's benefit, as he was struggling mostly as a spot-up shooter. With the second unit, he was able to play with the ball more in his hands, as he's used to with the New Orleans Pelicans. Ingram immediately looked more comfortable as a playmaker and had his best game in Manila, racking up five assists with seven points in 15 minutes. "We just felt like it was important to take a look at Josh with the starting group and Brandon with the next group to see if the combinations fit," Kerr said. "I liked what I saw. The game wasn't competitive, but there was good flow with both groups." Jaren Jackson Jr. also had a strong game, with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. Serbia, Georgia and Brazil also advanced to the second round with victories Wednesday. https://www.espn.co.uk/olympics/stor...orld-cup-group
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09-01-2023, 08:21 AM	#19
alpha_omega Supporter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Liberty Casino cash: $1341251	Didn't watch...couldn't have anyway cuz, eff ESPN and Spectrum both. Anyway, recap. 2023 FIBA World Cup: Team USA again relies on key reserves to survive against Montenegro MANILA, Philippines — It goes against the typical philosophy of Montenegro head coach Boško Radović, but his national team faced an atypical opponent in Friday’s second-round matchup at the FIBA World Cup, drawing Team USA’s loaded roster that features a dozen NBA players. So with two days to prepare for the undefeated Americans, Radović concocted various defensive looks and other devices to thwart Team USA’s zippy scoring attack that hung 110 points against Jordan on Wednesday. His strategy worked to near perfection in Team USA's hard-fought 85-73 victory. The Montenegrins ground their underdog matchup to a halt, limiting possessions and eliminating most of the Americans’ preferred fast-break opportunities, even taking an unexpected 38-37 advantage over Team USA into the halftime locker room. “We tried to prepare something, to change a little bit the offense of the American team,” Radović said. “I think with this zone, 2-3, a couple times tonight, we changed the game.” “Even, like, substitutions after free throws,” said Team USA guard Austin Reaves said. “Not being able to let us get out and go.” It wasn’t until Reaves’ step-back triple with 2:44 remaining in the contest that the Americans found legitimate breathing room against their scrappy challenger. The Lakers’ playmaker froze his defender before rising behind the 3-point line to give Team USA a 75-68 lead. The crucial bucket marked his only field goal of the afternoon, the other nine of Reaves’ 12 points all coming from the charity stripe. Anthony Edwards was held scoreless in the first half. Jalen Brunson’s collection of off-kilter drives generated little production. Only reserve ball-handler Tyrese Haliburton entered the game to instant offensive success, drilling a pull-up 3-pointer on the right wing as his Montenegrin man afforded him too much space. Then Haliburton ripped a steal at halfcourt soon after, cruising for a runaway two-hand flush that gave the Americans their first lead, 19-18, at the end of the first quarter since opening with a 2-0 edge. “It wasn’t the prettiest game,” said Haliburton, who finished with 10 points and a team-high six assists. “But what FIBA games really are?” “Anytime someone kinda keeps you from what you wanna do, it’s frustrating,” Reaves said. “Everybody knows that we want to get out and run.” Last outing, Kerr’s biggest adjustment came in the starting lineup, where he swapped all-hustle swingman Josh Hart into Team USA’s first group in place of Brandon Ingram. This time around, Kerr’s key change came at the end of the contest, keeping Haliburton and Reaves on the floor for the entire final frame to finish the grueling battle alongside Edwards, Mikal Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. With Brunson and Hart watching from the sideline, Kerr relied on the same five-man unit Team USA utilized down the stretch of the Americans’ tightly contested exhibition against Germany before the World Cup began. “It’s a lineup that we trust and we like,” Kerr said, “and they were playing well and in a good rhythm and they got the job done.” “It just feels different,” Edwards said of playing with Haliburton and Reaves. “They’re a great, great, great group to play with. They’re a great one-two punch.” Edwards erupted after halftime to score all of his team-high 17 points following an 0-for-5 performance in the first half, tallying eight of Team USA’s first 13 points of the third quarter. He got things started with a pull-up jumper just inside the arc, then pirouetted through three defenders and Euro-stepped around Montenegro's All-Star center Nikola Vučević for a nifty layup. Edwards’ ultimate moment came on defense. When Vučević corralled a rebound with just over five minutes to play, Montenegro had an opportunity to march back down the floor and force this slugfest into another one-possession game. But Edwards was lurking in the shadows of the basket and managed to poke the ball free and sneak his way into an easy finish that punctured their opponent’s building momentum. “We just gotta be more physical,” Edwards said. “A little more stronger.” That has been Team USA’ clear weakness throughout this tournament, where Vučević and Montenegro's larger lineup outrebounded the Americans, 49-31, and bested Team USA 22-3 in second-chance points. Jackson Jr.’s early foul trouble, two quick whistles that rendered him to Kerr’s bench for the final 15 minutes of the first half, didn’t help matters. But the overall lack of size up front reared its ugly head against Montenegro and will be another key element to the Americans’ Sunday matchup against Lithuania, which features bruising Pelicans big man Jonas Valančiūnas and a host of other frontcourt players with NBA experience. “We gotta get stops and get rebounds,” Edwards said. “We can’t go against a set defense every time, because if they set they defense, they gonna pack the paint and load up.” https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-fiba-w...125846961.html
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09-03-2023, 10:01 AM	#20
KC_Connection Perpetual Mediocrity Join Date: Jan 2006 Casino cash: $5072783	SGA so clutch pic.twitter.com/RI6vBdsJHI — Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) September 3, 2023
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09-05-2023, 10:54 AM	#21
alpha_omega Supporter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Liberty Casino cash: $1341251	Once again...** you very much Disney and Spectrum. USA basketball score, takeaways: Team USA crushes Italy to advance to semifinals at 2023 FIBA World Cup Team USA basketball is heading to the semifinals at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The Americans crushed Italy, 100-63, in Manila on Tuesday to clinch a spot in the tournament's final four. Team USA will face either Germany or Latvia in the semifinals on Friday. Team USA jumped out to a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter against Italy and never looked back. Mikal Bridges led all scorers with 24 points and went 8 for 11 from the floor. Tyrese Haliburton added 18 points and hit six 3-pointers off the bench in a blowout that Team USA led by 30 or more points for most of the second half. It was the kind of bounce back Team USA was looking for after the squad dropped its final game of the second round to Lithuania on Sunday. Team USA has already secured a better finish at the World Cup than 2019 when the team finished seventh. Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's win. 1. Team USA doesn't need a go-to guy Many American fans heralded Anthony Edwards as Team USA's ideal lead scorer ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. While the Minnesota Timberwolves star did erupt for 35 points in the loss to Lithuania, his offense has been up and down in the tournament. Edwards tallied a mere three points on 1-for-6 shooting with three assists on Tuesday. He'll likely have a better showing before it's all said and done, but there's no need to make him a focal point with so many capable players on the roster. Bridges has matched or improved upon the scoring output from his previous outing with each appearance this tournament and was clearly the engine that powered Team USA through the quarterfinals. The Brooklyn Nets forward was an efficient 8-for-11 from the field and contributed a pair of steals alongside a block on the defensive end. Then there's Haliburton, who's proved to be a valuable bench spark alongside Austin Reaves over the last five weeks. Both reserve guards joined Bridges to give Team USA a trio of double-digit scorers. The Americans can pull off convincing wins like this despite strong volume scorers like Brandon Ingram being in hibernation so far. All-around effort and intensity from the jump will produce results for this squad. 2. The Americans need more consistency at center Lack of post presence had a lot to do with Team USA's loss to Lithuania and it's still a glaring weakness for the Americans. Jaren Jackson Jr., Paolo Banchero, and Bobby Portis are the staples of the rotation at power forward and center, but bigger teams could take advantage of this group. Jackson is the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year but got in foul trouble early after picking up a pair less than three minutes into the first quarter. He logged less than 11 minutes in the game and floated by with two points and three rebounds. Banchero and Portis were far more effective. This trend can't continue if Team USA wants to avoid a serious challenge en route to the gold medal game. It's unlikely that Walker Kessler, a premier rim protector, will play meaningful minutes soon. But they could need his verticality in a critical moment later on. More skilled bigs from Germany and Canada will be able to pose more of a threat to America than Italy's did. Italy lost the overall rebounding battle but did win the offensive rebounding battle 9-8. Giving up too many second-chance opportunities can only come back to bite Team USA. 3. Perimeter shooting makes a huge difference** Team USA posted its second-largest margin of victory this tournament against Italy and the long ball helped fuel their success. They didn't sink more triples than Montenegro or Lithuania in the back half of the group stage but did convert 17 of their 36 tries on Tuesday. Their success put pressure on Italy, which only sank seven of its 38 attempts from beyond the arc in a blowout loss. Three Americans made multiple threes against Italy and all three of them converted those shots at a 66.7% clip or better. It's probably not sustainable to shoot at such a high level the rest of the way, but the performance should give Team USA's snipers confidence. Latvia has made more threes per contest (13.2) than any team in the tournament so far. Germany, on the other hand, is converting 2.6 more triples than Team USA per game while shooting an almost identical percentage. If things get tight moving forward the Americans will need some reliable shooting. https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/u...orld-cup/live/
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09-05-2023, 11:31 AM	#22
BWillie El Gato Gordo Loco Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Earth Casino cash: $2121241	Why is Lithuania so good? They have like one NBA guy on the squad __________________ Who wants free money? Use the link below to sign up at Bovada, BetOnline, Black Chip Poker and Ignition. Contact me for private deals, spot bonuses, possible rakeback or any questions! Bovada, Ignition, BetOnline, Black Chip Poker: baldeaglepoker.com Bovada Poker is back! Get up to $500 poker deposit bonus.
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09-06-2023, 07:51 AM	#23
POND_OF_RED The talking stonehead Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Blue Springs, MO Casino cash: $1533146	Watching this Slovenia v Canada game has made me realize that it’s not Doncic fault. I think they’re all bitches in Slovenia. It looks like it’s just how they’re taught to play. Run down and try to bump into someone, then when you don’t get a whistle throw your hands up like you are just assaulted. It’s what the entire team does. Makes you wonder if they learned from Doncic or if it’s just the way they are raised to play basketball over there.
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09-10-2023, 07:50 AM	#29
POND_OF_RED The talking stonehead Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Blue Springs, MO Casino cash: $1533146	Of course Dillon Brooks sets a medal game points record against us today. Why wouldn’t he? **** you Dillon. That stat line was pretty insane though. 39 points 4 rebounds 5 assists 12-18 FG 7-8 3P Crazy stuff. That Bridges effort to get it to OT was something special too. The OT was not.
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09-10-2023, 01:10 PM	#30
BWillie El Gato Gordo Loco Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Earth Casino cash: $2121241	Team Kanada gets the Bronze. Team Chucker...I mean USA...can't even medal. Sad. Not to worry. Reaves actually was quite efficient in this tournament but Team USA has Chet and Jalen Williams waiting in the wings Maybe we can convince Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young or Booker to play for us in the Olympics. Americans seem to care about that much more than FIBA. Julius Randle would really help with physical style of play in FIBA as well. __________________ Who wants free money? Use the link below to sign up at Bovada, BetOnline, Black Chip Poker and Ignition. Contact me for private deals, spot bonuses, possible rakeback or any questions! Bovada, Ignition, BetOnline, Black Chip Poker: baldeaglepoker.com Bovada Poker is back! Get up to $500 poker deposit bonus.
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