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Can't wait for Ricky Rubio to show us how he is a step ahead of every other player mentally, because he sure didn't look like it.

He didn't do anything to me think that he wasn't either. He easily held his own today against some of the worlds best players. Straight away, he drew fouls and got to the line multiple times because of the team foul penalty.

Throughout this tournament, he has definately looked a step ahead mentally. You can see the kid reading every pass and anticipating an opportunities to steal the ball. Clearly, he reads the game as well as anyone.

He's not going to look all that great when his team is getting whooped by 30 odd points.

That was my first chance to watch Rubio play live, and I thought he acquitted himself rather well. I'm not sure what people were expecting. Dude's 17, going up against three or four of the best guards in the world; of course he's going to make mistakes. But you can clearly tell he's a unique player with a ton of potential. A true point guard with a Ginobili-like knack for getting his hands on the ball defensively -- there isn't a team in the world that couldn't use a player like that. Don't know if he'll ever be a superstar, but I'll be shocked if he isn't a very, very good player for a long time. I hope he takes the NBA challenge.

How's this for defense:

Through four games, we've forced almost as many turnovers (96) as we've allowed field goals (102).

Sedale Threatt wrote:How's this for defense:

Through four games, we've forced almost as many turnovers (96) as we've allowed field goals (102).

Unreal.

TrueRain wrote:

Sedale Threatt wrote:How's this for defense:

Through four games, we've forced almost as many turnovers (96) as we've allowed field goals (102).

Unreal.

Intl teams cannot match the U.S.' freak athleticism. If they turn the ball over, it's a basket on the other end.

photek wrote:

Bernman wrote:

sofoklis wrote:Well i predicted greek win 2 years ago.

Greece beats U.S.A.: Sep. 1, 2006
Joined: Sep. 11 2006

oh man that have to hurt, I'm not even american but I'm enjoying you getting owned. I hope Usa meets Greece again. I also hope you don't get banned so we can see your reaction if USA wins gold. Unfortunately seeing how hard you are falling I don't think that will be the case.

By the way I live in Spain and I must give props to you guys, you beat us fair and square and showed that you have better players. I hope Ricky Rubio stock don't fall too low after this performance, I don't think he showed what he can really do.

Oh it won't, anyone can see he is extremely talented, but he's still young, and he has a ways to go.

ForeveRaptorFan wrote:

sofoklis wrote:Sorry but i am going to explode. I just cannot watch your players have this irritating behavior. Your players are arrognat freaks. They trash talk,they elbow ,they spit etc. The refs are fools. They allow the hard USA game and they don't see the travvelings your players keep doing all the time.

Do you know why we hate your players? Because they are arrogant, Why we don't hate Phelps? Because he is noble.

BUT BE WARNED. Your players(full of steroid freaks) will get their as@@@ whooped on the semifinals. Trust me,Greek players are mad with your players behavior. When we meet again we will also elbow,we will also trash talk and we will also fight. We took our lesson. Time for payback.

You are HONESTLY complaining about US posters/players trash talking? Do you EVER read your own posts?

The funny thing is, you eat crow everytime. You WARNED us about the 'wrath of Greece' last time, and they were totally crippled when facing USA. I can't wait to see you eat crow again. You seem to like to talk so big, but have nothing to back it up.

And good, I hope the Greek players are mad, because they seemed extremely intimidated from the last meeting. I was afraid that they wouldn't even come on the court after that humiliating defeat.

He never eats crow. It wouldn't be so bad if he did. All he does is come on here and continue to talk about how the US team cheats and the refs don't call them for traveling and playing dirty. If he actually just said, you're right we lost it would be more palatable.

Well, if he can't eat crow. One needs to shove it down one's throat. Ricky Rubio was arguably your BEST guard today. He has the ability to create shots for others and I think that's the first time the U.S has ever seen a guard that could play the passing lanes AT ALL, let alone as well as Rubio does. Oh and for all the "travel" calls and what not, do you know what a travel is? Lemme remind you. It's taking more then 2 steps without the ball. You can perfectly take two steps, jump and dunk. Which is mostly what our wing players do. And a travel is one of the hardest calls in the game, you don't know whether it's 2 or 3 steps they're taking. We had more travels called against us when playing you guys then in the entire tournament. As a matter of fact, I don't even think we traveled once before the game. Now in regards to your team. It is an Average offensive basketball team, which will NEVER EVER penertrate the wing defense the USA Team has.Kobe/LeBron/Wade/Prince/Paul/Williams/Kidd. The 1-3-1 defense is GARBAGE unless the court is small like HS/College/Olympic courts are. And even today, we faced a good deal of zone and we attacked it nicely.

Now, this whole steroid bull is annoying. Name 1 case in the last 20, that's TWENTY years an NBA player has taken steroids. As a matter of fact, it hasn't happened period. And the NBA has one of the best drug test regulations in sports. Testing once every quarter of a season. You won't be able to get away with taking steroids even if you tried. Your team is an average basketball team. The United States put the best PG'S, Wings and Forwards in the NBA league. There is a high level dfference. So high, that the refs tried to give this game to you early in the quarter and we were still up by double digits!

sofoklis wrote:Sorry but i am going to explode. I just cannot watch your players have this irritating behavior. Your players are arrognat freaks. They trash talk,they elbow ,they spit etc. The refs are fools. They allow the hard USA game and they don't see the travvelings your players keep doing all the time.

Do you know why we hate your players? Because they are arrogant, Why we don't hate Phelps? Because he is noble.

BUT BE WARNED. Your players(full of steroid freaks) will get their as@@@ whooped on the semifinals. Trust me,Greek players are mad with your players behavior. When we meet again we will also elbow,we will also trash talk and we will also fight. We took our lesson. Time for payback.

LOL. Your name is Sofoklis and you're accusing the American team of being on roids? Please. Sofo looks to be on roids way more than the US players.

Why are people taking this sofoklis guy seriously?

I vote we give him his own thread and sticky it to the top of the board. The comedic potential is staggering. (see below)

Damn, that stiff looks like he could be the world's strongest man.

What's with all the Rubio hate? Nobody claimed he was ready to join the NBA today and be an All-Star right off the bat. Nobody even said he was going to have a good game against the USA. People are excited about him because of his potential, not the player he is currently.

Big Sofo is definitely not on steroids. He wouldn't be fat, he would be built. He just needs to stay away from the gyros, spanakopitas, and other tasty treats in Greece. Can't blame the man for loving good food, just for not knowing when to put it down.

I can see where the "Baby Shaq" comparisons came from, the man's a **** giant. It's not just that he's fat.

CoolD wrote:

sofoklis wrote:Sorry but i am going to explode. I just cannot watch your players have this irritating behavior. Your players are arrognat freaks. They trash talk,they elbow ,they spit etc. The refs are fools. They allow the hard USA game and they don't see the travvelings your players keep doing all the time.

Do you know why we hate your players? Because they are arrogant, Why we don't hate Phelps? Because he is noble.

BUT BE WARNED. Your players(full of steroid freaks) will get their as@@@ whooped on the semifinals. Trust me,Greek players are mad with your players behavior. When we meet again we will also elbow,we will also trash talk and we will also fight. We took our lesson. Time for payback.

LOL. I could care less that you think USA is arrogant, but if you think Greece has a shot at the US. That is just plain laughable. I wouldn't be suprised if one those Greece guys does try to get into a fight, like the sour losers they are.

That's uncalled for. Get mad at sofoklis but don't spew nonsense.

He did look like a poor man's Shaq a few years ago. Now he looks like this:

Posted by Kno on the Clippers baord. Shaq has never been this out of shape on his worst day.

You don't want to see Sofo when he was 60 pounds heavier a year ago, ugh.

Cybulski37 wrote:

sofoklis wrote:Sorry but i am going to explode. I just cannot watch your players have this irritating behavior. Your players are arrognat freaks. They trash talk,they elbow ,they spit etc. The refs are fools. They allow the hard USA game and they don't see the travvelings your players keep doing all the time.

Do you know why we hate your players? Because they are arrogant, Why we don't hate Phelps? Because he is noble.

BUT BE WARNED. Your players(full of steroid freaks) will get their as@@@ whooped on the semifinals. Trust me,Greek players are mad with your players behavior. When we meet again we will also elbow,we will also trash talk and we will also fight. We took our lesson. Time for payback.

LOL. Your name is Sofoklis and you're accusing the American team of being on roids? Please. Sofo looks to be on roids way more than the US players.

He looks more like he's on chicken McNuggets.

now that the brackets look like it will be this (greece and china would switch should china pull off the upset tomorrow)..

(usa vs. australia) vs. (argentina vs. greece)
vs.
(lithuania vs. china) vs. (spain vs. croatia)

the semi finals will probably be usa vs. argentina/greece and lithuania vs. spain