While Brazil wasn’t able to pull out a win against Argentina yesterday, Leandro Barbosa dropped 23 points and Andres Nocioni. I always give Nocioni credit because the man always plays D, but right here there’s no way around it. He got dropped. Maybe now someone will actually sign Barbosa. Read More »

So Team USA has found their groove. It goes something like this: mess around for a few quarters, and then get one of their guys – preferably Carmelo, Durant or Kobe – hot and watch them drop bombs video game-style from the perimeter. It worked against their last few opponents, and they did it again yesterday in their 119-86 shellacking of Australia in the first medal round game. Team USA took an 11-0 Aussie run to the chin to start the second half, and we actually had a somewhat competitive game through three quarters. Then, the Yanks went on a 45-20 run to end the game, and it started with Kobe Bryant … Read More »

If you missed out on the Russia and Brazil heart-pounder earlier this afternoon, you missed out on the best basketball game of the Olympics thus far. Russia pulled it out after a run of potential game-winning shots was finally ended by Vitaly Fridzon. Fridzon banged a triple from the corner as his defender nearly took out his legs, allowing Russia to escape, 75-74.

Leandro Barbosa, who’s a free agent being linked to both the Cavs and Lakers, had one final shot at it. But all he could muster was an off-balance triple attempt off one foot. Read More »

I always perceived Olympic basketball as little more than some self-aggrandizing cake walk for the United States. USA basketball is markedly better than that of the rest of the world, yet we have this incessant need to constantly humiliate other countries under the purported guise of competition and worldwide cooperation. Where this peculiar insecurity comes from, well that’s a good question. Maybe it’s some perverted notion of patriotism, that athletic dominance is somehow an illustration of something more, even when it’s not. Basketball is basketball, and that’s seemingly hard to swallow. Read More »

You know, just your typical friendly between China and Brazil. From the BBC: “Players from both benches joined in the melee of players throwing kicks and punches at each other.”

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As part of the festivities surrounding the World Basketball Festival, 21 Mercer is dropping an early release of the Nike Air Force 1 Country Pack today until 7:00 pm. All the shoes (with models for Brazil, France, China, Puerto Rico and the U.S.) come with a special box and tissue paper available exclusively at 21 Mercer. Also, there will be WBF ticket giveaways to the first four purchasers of each country along with limited edition laser customization available throughout the day. Check out the kicks for each country after the jump. Read More »