Live Look-In as Team USA takes on Turkey
LeBron looks greatEarly going in the Team USA/Turkey match-up, the game looked more like the Elite 24 than an international contest. For a serious clip, both teams were outletting the ball after made baskets, trying to fast break on everything.
Neither team was getting back in transition defense – the first quarter finished up 31-30 in favor of Team USA. Coach K can’t be happy about letting up 30 points in a quarter to the Turkish squad that doesn’t have Mehmet Okur or Hedo Turkoglu on the floor. (Hedo is in uniform on the bench but he’s just there for moral support).
But anytime the Americans wanted to get a bucket, or a number of buckets for that matter, they did so. Chris Bosh got a couple of transition hoops off of passes from Kobe and LeBron. After an 8-0 Turkish run, Dwyane Wade hit a Turkish guard with a mean cross on the wing, and came back on the next possession with his own rendition of Manu Ginobili‘s go-to transition move to open himself up for a lay-in.
With Wade, Melo, Dwight, LeBron and Kidd in the game to start the second quarter, Team USA had their best lineup of the game. And no, Kobe was not on the floor. It seems like when he gets the rock in the half-court offense, the ball stops moving in his hands and the flowing pick-and-roll offense becomes stagnant.
While Kobe’s had a tough half, LeBron has looked absolutely fantastic. He hit a jab-step, one-dribble pull-up a la ‘Melo that looked totally unguardable.
Add in the hardest dunk that these Turks have ever seen from Dwight Howard over four dudes and a sick Kobe-to-’Bron ‘oop, and Team USA went on a 19-3 run to take a 54-37 lead heading into the break.
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July 31st, 2008 at 8:59 am
JM says:
1at
July 31st, 2008 at 9:03 am
Jay G says:
Turkey’s guards are HORRIBLE! Hedo might have to run the point when he comes back…….
July 31st, 2008 at 9:03 am
Jay G says:
Turkey’s guards are HORRIBLE! Hedo might have to run the point when he comes back…….
July 31st, 2008 at 9:03 am
the kid says:
yo. who else is watching this game on espn360? these espn commercials are comedy though.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:22 am
shake&bake says:
I was considering going to work late to watch this but thank God for DVR. Seems like the U.S is having defensive struggles though. At least they can score when they want, but can they get a stop when they need one?
July 31st, 2008 at 9:41 am
Ashlov says:
Even old New York, was once New Amsterdam…
July 31st, 2008 at 9:49 am
girlybballluver says:
I can’t wait to watch this game tonight.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:18 am
hahns says:
does anyone know what ashlov means?
July 31st, 2008 at 10:27 am
AB_40 says:
I watched it. and um they still can’t guard pick and roll turkey would have had 16 points more if they just made they layups. Boozer will be the most blocked player in the olympics if he doesn’t strat to make dunks instead of layups. Turkey didn’t play zone so that will be fun to watch in the upcoming week. And I think america only practiced the inside pick&roll not the outside pick&roll that argentina plays a lot of… yeah I was watchin argentina in diamond ball play on the other channelhaha. They are the most fun team to watch with fast breaks. And kobe just can’t be a team player he doesn’t get it. In half court sets he just tries to go one on one like he’s with the lakers… we all saw how that turned out this summer.
Team usa needs to play hard for 40 minutes not just the middle 20 and at least try to guard the pick&roll situations well. So medal team? probably gold medal team? We’ll have to wait and see if they don’t I will not be suprised.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:37 am
AB_40 says:
oh and once more a terrible team had more offensive rebs then usa 14 to 7…
July 31st, 2008 at 10:38 am
McLovin says:
Kobe can’t be a team player, but he leads the team in assists with 7 for the game, only takes 6 shots, and is probably their best defender…ya your right he isn’t a team player!
July 31st, 2008 at 11:00 am
the kid says:
i have to agree with AB_40. every time kobe had the ball in the halfcourt set ball movement stopped and kobe just took it one on one. i only watched the 1st three quarters though
July 31st, 2008 at 11:12 am
alaskan_fire_dragon says:
@ AB_40
14 to 7 offensive boards,
but one team shot 45% and another 70%
tough to get offensive rebounds when you don’t miss
July 31st, 2008 at 11:20 am
quick wit it says:
good call alaskan_fire_dragon
i only saw the first half, but usa was boxing out, and the bricks were so hard they were being caught by the guards almost at the 3-line.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:21 am
Ashlov says:
@hahns
Those are lyrics from a song called Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants. Basically a song about Turkey, just being silly.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:28 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
I thought turkey was going to be a test?
July 31st, 2008 at 11:30 am
ERIC says:
The offense of team USA varies – and that is a good thing.
When lebron/paul/williams/kidd are in the game, its always ball-movement, swinging to the eventual open man.
When 1-on-1 players like Kobe/Wade/Melo are in, they break down the defense and create open shots off the double-team.
Both types of offense result in an open shot for a teammate – its just a different way of getting there.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:31 am
the mamba says:
Kobe for MVP!
July 31st, 2008 at 11:54 am
doc says:
Another ass whipping and people hating.Of course they got more o boards.Everybody will because we fucking shoot 70 percent.We cant guard pick and roll.Fellas you cant stop somebody EVERY possesion.They clamping teams up out here.Just enjoy the show.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Imperial-Mel says:
@McLovin…Kobe just it the person that slows up the offensive, and doesnt keep the motion flowing. That also doesnt mean tht he isnt a team player, its just not in his game to be the person to keep the ball moving. I cant stand the Black Mamba, but he does his thing
July 31st, 2008 at 12:21 pm
weezy f says:
“Wearing my American hat, it would be pretty cool to reclaim the gold medal”- DAVID STERN
i would think if i was the commissioner of the nba and the us team was made of nothing but nba players winning the gold medla would be important and more than “pretty cool”
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/basketball/2008-07-31-stern-team-usa-notes_N.htm
July 31st, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Hey Kobe "tell me how my Aish taste" says:
I enjoyed the Olympics better when they had amateur’s play….college players…
July 31st, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Borgs says:
I’m not sure that is the USA’s best five-man unit. The ball and the offense moves with most fluidity when CP3 and D-Will are in the backcourt together. Play those two with LeBron, Dwight and either Melo/Kobe/Wade and you’ve got your best lineup on the evidence so far.