If Fran Fraschilla said it once, he said it a thousand times: Team USA wasn’t playing against Iran yesterday, they were playing against themselves. (Only without the Jay-Z after-party.) So if that was the case, would we call the 37-point “victory” over the guys in the other uniforms a win or a loss? … Hamed Haddadi and Co. weren’t as terrible as you may have been led to believe, but they still weren’t on Team USA’s level. And yet if you wanted the U.S. to improve during this game, you had to be disappointed. Read More »

Even more than the Lakers, Celtics, Duke, and Bob Hurley Sr.‘s kids at St. Anthony’s High School in Jersey; we can’t think of a team that is more heavily scruitinized than USA Basketball’s senior national group. Only during a Team USA summer do you hear “unimpressive” and “22-point win” put next to each other, which was the case from a lot of critics following yesterday’s 99-77 win over Slovenia at the World Championship … Sure, there was stuff to gripe about: Derrick Rose guided an offense that committed 17 turnovers, and Slovenia shot 33 free throws, and Coach K had some questionable subbing patterns, yanking Kevin Durant at times when it seemed he was about to single-handedly blow the game wide open. Read More »

What a difference Kobe and LeBron make. It’s not like Team USA needed any Redeem Team reinforcements on the court during its World Championship opener against Croatia — they blasted ‘em 106-78, light work — but the lack of “star power” was noticeable in other ways. For starters, there was NOBODY in the stands; it looked like a mid-February Minnesota Timberwolves game. Second, well, here’s how Dime’s Austin Burton put it: “I called the nearest sports bar in Washington Heights (a legit place) to ask if they were showing the game. They had no idea what I was talking about. When I got there the bartender let me find ESPN Classic (on the smallest TV they had), and no one seemed interested but me. The re-run of yesterday’s Yankees game got more attention. One waiter said what I think a lot of people feel: ‘When all the big guys dropped out, I didn’t care anymore.’” … Read More »

Why the U.S. won: Talent. It sounds like over-simplifying, but the fact of the matter is that Team USA’s worst player was better than Croatia’s best player. More specifically, the U.S. was hitting their shots (55% FG, 40% 3PA), protecting the ball (7 turnovers), and taking advantage of their depth. Reserve Eric Gordon led the U.S. in scoring with 16 points, and backup Kevin Love had a team-high 10 rebounds. Read More »

Derek Fisher was the fill-in host on Jim Rome’s ESPN talk show yesterday. (This is why guys want to play in places like L.A. and New York. Sure, the network could’ve flown in a personality like Mo Williams or Aaron Brooks, but Fisher is right down the street.) Among the studio guests for 1-on-1 interviews with Fish were Brandon Jennings and Kobe Bryant. While Jennings used the spot as ad space for his new Under Armour kicks, Kobe talked about championships and legacies … Kind of funny to see Fisher all suited and booted while Kobe was rocking shorts and a track jacket. Read More »