Dream Team Nightmare

[BuffaloRules]

http://foxsports.news.com.au/olympics/story/0,9744,10594361-34055,00.html

THE US men's basketball team were beaten by Argentina and booed off the court this morning as they were denied an Olympic gold medal for the first time since 1992 when NBA players started competing.

Argentina shocked the three-times defending champions 89-81 in their semi-final, in what has been a nightmare tournament for the so-called "Dream Team", and leaving them with only a bronze medal hope.

Since 1992 the US has won three straight golds and captivated the world with their play.

But this year's edition of the team, put together just two weeks before the Games started, was in trouble early, losing preliminary round games to both Puerto Rico and favourites Lithuania.

"They did a great job, you can't take anything away. We fought as hard as we could but we just couldn't get it done for whatever reason," said US guard Allen Iverson.

"We're not playing for the gold, but we still have to fight hard and go out there and represent out country. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and play to make the people back home proud of us," he added referring to the bronze medal game.

Once the darlings of the Olympic basketball tournament, even teams pummelled into submission would take their beatings with a smile, players asking for autographs and happily posing for pictures with the NBA stars they admired while growing up.

But there were few smiles to pass around the entire tournament as hostile crowds greeted the team at every turn.

This morning, there appeared to be few American fans in the crowd, and when the buzzer sounded, the booing only stopped when the team left the court.

It then became a raucous celebration saluting a team that was the first to beat an NBA-laden squad in a major tournament when Argentina emerged victorious in a clash at the world championship in 2002.

"It's our first time in the final of the Olympics and I'm proud to be a member of this team. We proved to the world we are a very tough team and we made it against an NBA team," said San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who racked up 29 points.

Argentina took a 43-38 lead into the locker room and never surrendered their advantage the rest of the way as the Americans tried desperately to get back into the game.

Ginobili made his Spurs teammate Tim Duncan and the rest of the Americans pay for an off shooting night, hitting nine of his 13 shots.

Duncan looked despondent as he fouled out with four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, ending a quiet night with just 10 points and six rebounds.

Stephon Marbury led the US with 18 points, but the team shot only 27 per cent from the three-point line as it once again struggled to find the mark.

"Every game there were different kinds of calls. The only pattern I saw is that he never got to play," coach Larry Brown said. "I've been watching basketball for years and I have never seen Tim foul out in 19 minutes (of playing time)."

But Brown also acknowledged his team failed to execute as well as their opponents, and missed too many open shots.

"They executed well and made shots. We didn't shoot well. he said in a comment that could have been uttered in all but one of the Americans' previous six games as well.

"They (Argentina) played as a team, a lot of people made tremendous contributions. (Manu) Ginobili was sensational."

Argentina will play the winner of the second semi-final between Lithuania and Italy. The US plays the loser in the bronze medal game. Both of those games will be played tomorrow.

Reuters

A real shame.. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hopefully their women follow suit tonight....

Also the yank men play Lithuania for the bronze so may miss a medal for the first time...

 

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

LOL

I was just reading about that BR.

The ego train will be leaving Athens sans gold.

:lol:

 

[raiders_lover_18]

who beat lithuania

 

[MysteryGirl]

Heck -
Even I was glad to see them lose!

THEY are losers!

 

[Twizzle]

300 million dollar duds

 

[BuffaloRules]

Do you think it will make the US more determined next time to do better, or will they dummy spit completely and not even bother trying in the future ( ie Baseball)...

 

[Anonymous]

Funniest thing to come out of the games!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[supersoniceagle]

who beat lithuania

Italy upset Lithuania. It was a good game though!

 

[CycloneSteve]

Lithuania have already beaten the USA once this tournament......lets see em do it again and leave the Yanks without a medal

 

[felix]

the 2 things i wanted to see these olympics:
1. the boomers to beat the americans or
2. the americans to miss out on a medal

one of my hopes are still alive :mrgreen:

 

[CanadianSteve]

The US won the bronze, and I give them a lot of credit for coming out with a good effort after losing in the semi.

There are a lot of reasons why the US lost

- a number of the best NBA players declined to come
-poor selection of players for this team, not enough outside shooters
- lack of familiarity with the international game, which is quite different from ther NBA game
- the rest of the world catching up and having better fundamental skills, while the US skills have slipped, as they focus too much on athleticism and dunking, and not enough on shooting and defense
- the other countries play together as a national team more, so their teamwork is better - while the US team is always thrown together for a few weeks of training just before the Olympics, or the WC's

Having said all that, I have to say I was outraged watching the semifinal. The standard of officiating was horrible, and really worked against the Americans. Tim Duncan fouled out, and at least his 3rd and 5th fouls were ridiculous, phantom calls. I don't think it was good that a Spaniard was one of the refs, the day after the US defeated Spain in the quarters and the Spanish coach put on a display of poor sportsmanship at the end of the game. But overall I think the refereeing problem was more of incompetence than bias.

Even with all their problems, (and Argentina did play great), the US could have won that game with fairer refereeing.

*edit* from SI.com

It is impossible to understate the relentless incompetence of the FIBA refs who limited Duncan's minutes in every game

(I think the writer meant 'overstate')

 

[CanadianSteve]

More:

When the U.S. starts counting up the things it must do to turn around a tattered international image, put "develop big men" right up there with "develop good shooters."

All that, incidentally, does not speak to the atrocious calls on Duncan throughout the tournament. FIBA executives dismissed media questions about the incompetence of the referees, as bureaucrats will do. But the refereeing in international ball is awful and was most egregiously awful on Duncan, who was in foul trouble in every game and fouled out Friday night with five minutes left.

That's not why the U.S. struggled throughout the tournament, but it was a factor. A smart player who's an excellent defender, as Duncan is, does not suddenly start committing stupid fouls.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/2004/writers/08/28/mccallum.hoops/index.html

 

[Trollhammaren]

The US won the bronze, and I give them a lot of credit for coming out with a good effort after losing in the semi.

There are a lot of reasons why the US lost

- a number of the best NBA players declined to come
-poor selection of players for this team, not enough outside shooters
- lack of familiarity with the international game, which is quite different from ther NBA game
- the rest of the world catching up and having better fundamental skills, while the US skills have slipped, as they focus too much on athleticism and dunking, and not enough on shooting and defense
- the other countries play together as a national team more, so their teamwork is better - while the US team is always thrown together for a few weeks of training just before the Olympics, or the WC's

Having said all that, I have to say I was outraged watching the semifinal. The standard of officiating was horrible, and really worked against the Americans. Tim Duncan fouled out, and at least his 3rd and 5th fouls were ridiculous, phantom calls. I don't think it was good that a Spaniard was one of the refs, the day after the US defeated Spain in the quarters and the Spanish coach put on a display of poor sportsmanship at the end of the game. But overall I think the refereeing problem was more of incompetence than bias.

Even with all their problems, (and Argentina did play great), the US could have won that game with fairer refereeing.

*edit* from SI.com

It is impossible to understate the relentless incompetence of the FIBA refs who limited Duncan's minutes in every game

(I think the writer meant 'overstate')

Can't really disagree with that. But the refereeing standard has been very sub-par in most games I got to see. Some really mind-boggling calls, and they were particularly soft on a lot of offensive fouls.

But USA were pretty hopeless from the perimeter from what I saw. A whole lot of athletism, but you can't dunk it every time you have possession.