Official FIBA World Championship Thread (and long preview)

[ahonui06]

Greece was simply disappointing.

Fully agree, the let's not show anything because we could play again strategy the Europeans are quick to adopt really can make for a boring game.

It's always a weak excuse. It's not like preseason football where the first units play one series and then scrubs are in the rest of the game. These guys are playing their main players for significant minutes. Greece is obviously not very good. Spain on the other hand will give the U.S. some difficulties.

[Benedict_Boozer]

Damn, the next game is going to be live on ESPN Classic? I don't have that channel Wonder if I'll be able to find a stream of it elsewhere.

Yeah I don't get why they put the US game on ESPN Classic and the other games on NBA TV....what is the point of paying for NBA TV if they aren't even going to cover games like this?

My DirecTV package also happens to not include ESPN Classic so I am in the same boat.

[brassviews]

Damn, the next game is going to be live on ESPN Classic? I don't have that channel Wonder if I'll be able to find a stream of it elsewhere.

Yeah I don't get why they put the US game on ESPN Classic and the other games on NBA TV....what is the point of paying for NBA TV if they aren't even going to cover games like this?

My DirecTV package also happens to not include ESPN Classic so I am in the same boat.

I would like to know what they're showing on ESPN that's so important than the USA-Croatia game. And ESPN Classic? I didn't know that station still existed. I thought it was ESPNU.

[ahonui06]

I am just happy that the Time Warner Cable subsidiary in Hawai'i, Oceanic Cable, provides NBATV and ESPN Classic as part of the regular cable package.

[Greek]

Greece was simply disappointing.

Fully agree, the let's not show anything because we could play again strategy the Europeans are quick to adopt really can make for a boring game.

It's always a weak excuse. It's not like preseason football where the first units play one series and then scrubs are in the rest of the game. These guys are playing their main players for significant minutes. Greece is obviously not very good. Spain on the other hand will give the U.S. some difficulties.

Yes playing without our best big men, after that fight we are not good. Chill boy. I saw several weakness from the US. If Tsartsaris can score 24 against you, i cant imagine what Sofo or Bourousis can do. Also, our ''rookie'' Calathes was able to penetrate at will. Not a good sign for US at all.

Do you really think that Greece will play again such a bad D again? or will make so many mistakes? ?Friendlies really mean nothing. If US has the better talent? Yes. If they have the better team? i highly doubt. Most of US players doesnt know what pressure actually is. As a legendary Greek coach (Yiannis Ioannides) said:''Few words are sugar. No words are honey''

[ahonui06]

^^ The U.S. B team pretty much just spanked the Greek team by 30. I doubt the Greek bigs would make up that difference.

It looks as if the FIBA WCs are between Spain and the U.S.

Btw, I am not even a supporter of the U.S. team, but to try and make excuses for a 30 point blowout is ridiculous.

[Greek]

^^ The U.S. B team pretty much just spanked the Greek team by 30. I doubt the Greek bigs would make up that difference.

It looks as if the FIBA WCs are between Spain and the U.S.

Btw, I am not even a supporter of the U.S. team, but to try and make excuses for a 30 point blowout is ridiculous.

Trying to believe that US is so strong while has so many glaring weakness is even more ridiculous.

I am not saying that we are better than them. What i am saying is that US is not that good and we are not that bad. Simple as that.

[ahonui06]

^^ The U.S. B team pretty much just spanked the Greek team by 30. I doubt the Greek bigs would make up that difference.

It looks as if the FIBA WCs are between Spain and the U.S.

Btw, I am not even a supporter of the U.S. team, but to try and make excuses for a 30 point blowout is ridiculous.

Trying to believe that US is so strong while has so many glaring weakness is even more ridiculous.

I am not saying that we are better than them. What i am saying is that US is not that good and we are not that bad. Simple as that.

I know that this US team isn't that good, but the Greek team is still pretty bad. They just lost by 30 to a watered down American team.

[dream_catcher_9]

I don't think USA is going to win, for the simple fact that most of our guys lack experience in those big games.

Spain is going to win, and Rubio is going to be the most important player on that team.

[Theo Papaloukas]

Italy d. Montenegro 72-71
ITA: Bargnani (34), Maestranzi (18)
MNT: Cook (18), Pekovic (18)

Great Britain d. Bosnia 94-85
GBR: Deng (38 and 13 reb), Mensah-Bonsu (32 and 21 reb)
BIH: Domercant (21), Varda (21)


HUGE games from Deng and Pops. Deng missed 8 FT...he also had 4 steals and Pops had 4 blocks.
Deng is averaging 23/9/3/2 st/1 blk and shooting 40% from 3.
Bargnani is averaging 24/7/2 blk and shooting 37% from 3.

[mr.ankle]

I don't think USA is going to win, for the simple fact that most of our guys lack experience in those big games.

Spain is going to win, and Rubio is going to be the most important player on that team.

We already proved we could beat them in their own country. Until somebody beats the US . They are the team to Beat

[mr.ankle]

^^ The U.S. B team pretty much just spanked the Greek team by 30. I doubt the Greek bigs would make up that difference.

It looks as if the FIBA WCs are between Spain and the U.S.

Btw, I am not even a supporter of the U.S. team, but to try and make excuses for a 30 point blowout is ridiculous.

Trying to believe that US is so strong while has so many glaring weakness is even more ridiculous.

I am not saying that we are better than them. What i am saying is that US is not that good and we are not that bad. Simple as that.

Lol you want to talk about the US weakness , Look at Greece . Looked how slow they look . We did not lose on our own home floor almost by 30

[flyingvee]

This is a tactic that many European coaches use when playing the US in warmup games leading to the real thing. Sure they lost by 30 but the effort was not there. Why put up a close game, that would only make the US adjust if they play them again in the knockout rounds. Just like in the NBA, what you did in the regular season dont mean squat. The US won a friendly by 30. They did not beat France or Lithuania by that much and any informed person knows Greece is aot better than those teams, they are ranked #4 in the world. The US is not 30 points better than Greece.

Spain on the other hand did not use this tactic, they feel they can beat the US anytime they play. Wasn't it in the last Olympics that Spain got blown out in the group game and then played at lot better in the final? If I'm the Greek coach, I like the fact that the Us does feel they are good team and they come in cocky.

What would piss me off is Fotsis and Sofo got 2 game bans while Krstic got 3. Looked liek Sofo was breaking ti up when Krstic was punching Sofo on the back and head, and then he throws a chair to top it off and he gets just 3 games?

[Greek]

This is a tactic that many European coaches use when playing the US in warmup games leading to the real thing. Sure they lost by 30 but the effort was not there. Why put up a close game, that would only make the US adjust if they play them again in the knockout rounds. Just like in the NBA, what you did in the regular season dont mean squat. The US won a friendly by 30. They did not beat France or Lithuania by that much and any informed person knows Greece is aot better than those teams, they are ranked #4 in the world. The US is not 30 points better than Greece.

Spain on the other hand did not use this tactic, they feel they can beat the US anytime they play. Wasn't it in the last Olympics that Spain got blown out in the group game and then played at lot better in the final? If I'm the Greek coach, I like the fact that the Us does feel they are good team and they come in cocky.

What would piss me off is Fotsis and Sofo got 2 game bans while Krstic got 3. Looked liek Sofo was breaking ti up when Krstic was punching Sofo on the back and head, and then he throws a chair to top it off and he gets just 3 games?

Exactly my thoughts man...

[peja_the_legend]

This is a tactic that many European coaches use when playing the US in warmup games leading to the real thing. Sure they lost by 30 but the effort was not there. Why put up a close game, that would only make the US adjust if they play them again in the knockout rounds. Just like in the NBA, what you did in the regular season dont mean squat. The US won a friendly by 30. They did not beat France or Lithuania by that much and any informed person knows Greece is aot better than those teams, they are ranked #4 in the world. The US is not 30 points better than Greece.

Spain on the other hand did not use this tactic, they feel they can beat the US anytime they play. Wasn't it in the last Olympics that Spain got blown out in the group game and then played at lot better in the final? If I'm the Greek coach, I like the fact that the Us does feel they are good team and they come in cocky.

Well if international teams feel they can not beat a young Usa team twice so they have to tank in purpose, then that's just another proof of Usa basketball's superiority.Not to mention that it's a completely sissy tactic which by the way didn't help Spain much back in 2008.

[Vin20]

I don't think USA is going to win, for the simple fact that most of our guys lack experience in those big games.

Spain is going to win, and Rubio is going to be the most important player on that team.

We already proved we could beat them in their own country. Until somebody beats the US . They are the team to Beat

Spain played one of their worst first halfs of its life, and still, they only lost by 1 point. Plus, the USA was all the time playing with their best players (Durant, Rose, Odom...) while Spain rotated their players a lot (I remember Spain had Calderon-Llull-SanEmeterio-Garbajosa-Fran for a while ). Rubio didn't even play 20min I think, it will be pretty different in the Worlds.

[BelgianMagic]

And we are all believing this was the best USA could do?? Iggy played the worst game of his life and T-Chand got some very (even for fiba basket) cheap fouls ..

I am so amazed people keep underrating this USA team .. It's not because LeBron or Wade or Dwight don't play they can't win .. Durant, Rose .. Nuff said

[brassviews]

We'll see

[sdeezy]

I don't even see the point of arguing. Team USA is in a no win situation with international fans. If we lose a game, all hell breaks loose, if we win, there's always some kind of excuse.."oh its a friendly, we only lost by this much, this guy and that guy didn't play, teams are playing their cards too close" etc etc etc...i have faith in these young guys and i believe all the "B-team, inexperienced" talk is pissing them off royally right about now. They will win this tournament

[sdeezy]

This is a tactic that many European coaches use when playing the US in warmup games leading to the real thing. Sure they lost by 30 but the effort was not there. Why put up a close game, that would only make the US adjust if they play them again in the knockout rounds.

So Greece entered a game against on of the best teams in the world in front of their countrymen and decided to tank the game, get blown out and not give effort? Ok. That is awesome. Great sportsmanship and patriotism there.

Just like in the NBA, what you did in the regular season dont mean squat. The US won a friendly by 30. They did not beat France or Lithuania by that much and any informed person knows Greece is aot better than those teams, they are ranked #4 in the world. The US is not 30 points better than Greece.

Since the 2006 loss, the US has played greece twice with 2 completely different rosters and they've beaten them by 23 and 30 respectively. Sure they're not 30 pts better but recent evidence shows they're better by quite a bit.The France and Lithuania games were the 1st FIBA games many of our players have played, there was room for error as this team has only been together for a few weeks, and yet they won by good margins in those games as well.

Spain on the other hand did not use this tactic, they feel they can beat the US anytime they play. Wasn't it in the last Olympics that Spain got blown out in the group game and then played at lot better in the final?

Spain has beaten us once in the last 2 decades. once. against a 2002 team that didn't give a damn. You can bring up how close the score was etc, but the fact still remains that late in games, they haven't been able to stop our perimeter players. We've beaten them 3 straight times now.

If I'm the Greek coach, I like the fact that the Us does feel they are good team and they come in cocky.

I don't think there's a single cocky soul on this team. Durant, rose, Curry,Westbrook, Iguodala? These guys are young dudes that have been told for the last 2 weeks that they can't win, they're too young, Spain and greece are going to beat them etc etc. they're hungry and determined..not cocky.