Monday, August 16, 2004

Olympic basketball

Anyone who has really been following basketball cannot be surprised that the American team was taken apart yesterday. I'm sure some would say I am unpatriotic, but I didn't really care that they lost. I watched the last quarter (all that was shown here) and really enjoyed watching an underdog that wanted it badly get the win.

This loss was made by the NBA. The NBA doesn't want great basketball, they want showy basketball. And, when a team of less than top-flight talent takes the floor against an organized T-E-A-M this NBA assortment that is representing the US will find the going very tough.

If you watch Europeans play the game you can see that they pass it well and they make free throws. These are skills that the NBA doesn't cherish, probably because they don't suit a modern t.v. audience. (Ever wonder why they have a Slam Dunk competition, but not a free-throw shooting competition?)

Of course, the US has so much talent that the best America has to offer can still handle a well-organized European team. But, this Olympic squad is far from the best the US has to offer.