FIBA WORLD CUP 2019 | SPAIN are new WORLD CHAMPIONS

[Catchall]

Rudy Gobert also had more rebounds than USA's entire starting lineup. USA got outrebounded 44-28, so that's pretty glaring. USA's lack of defense and rebounding was why they lost.

[Plossum]

Team USA should have kept Kuzma. They needed some more size and a dynamic scoring option.

They didnt get rid of him he was injured.

Oh I thought that was made up to save face.

Not sure Kuzma belongs in your original sentence.

[cloudXXI]

The best thing about FIBA games. This game was 95 minutes long.

NBA games are toooooooo long

[Dr Aki]

woooo!!!

spain we coming for you

[kosmonauts]

This tournament was another great example that the world has caught up (to some extent) with US. It can be argued that rules are different, but, let's be honest, starter level + 6-8th guys are not good enough to win and/or get a medal at Fiba. That is great for news for sport of basketball and I have to say, I enjoyed the balance between how balanced offense/defense is called. This rough type of Fiba basketball is exciting to watch.

Also, NBA bench guys (6-8) are better than top Euro guys, but the real difference is becoming marginal, especially in the short tournament format. About 9-12th guy on NBA roster - often it is the question of context, fit with the team, potential/age and other factors than only the skill.

Fiba just had to get their **** together - this stupid qualification system did not allow to see some truly good European teams.

[GotDaSauce]

Just want to remind everyone:

Kemba Walker 4 years $140 million

Lets see if you hype up all that salary you are paying to Kyrie and Deandre when the nets are in the 9th seed looking up at the playoffs.

[MrSparkle]

The best thing about FIBA games. This game was 95 minutes long.

NBA games are toooooooo long

Way too long. The commercial timeouts and extended referee rituals at the end of games make me want to puke. As does the in-game entertainment during all the breaks.

[Danny1616]

This tournament was another great example that the world has caught up (to some extent) with US. It can be argued that rules are different, but, let's be honest, starter level + 6-8th guys are not good enough to win and/or get a medal at Fiba. That is great for news for sport of basketball and I have to say, I enjoyed the balance between how balanced offense/defense is called. This rough type of Fiba basketball is exciting to watch.

Also, NBA bench guys (6-8) are better than top Euro guys, but the real difference is becoming marginal, especially in the short tournament format. About 9-12th guy on NBA roster - often it is the question of context, fit with the team, potential/age and other factors than only the skill.

Fiba just had to get their **** together - this stupid qualification system did not allow to see some truly good European teams.

Of course the world has caught up.

We saw USA barely scrape out wins in 2008 and 2012 against Spain in the final game despite having a team of all-stars and superstars.

A quarter of the NBA consists of players from Europe and there are many high-level players and all-stars from European countries.

I mean look at France's starting line-up:

Gobert was the best defensive player on the court, Fournier is a legit 18-20ppg scorer in the NBA, Batum is a solid level NBA level player, Ntilikina is an NBA caliber player and Nando De Colo is one of the best Euro league players out there who could play in the NBA. That team is almost as talented as the American starting line-up this year.

It's an upset, but I'm not shocked at all.

[Jadoogar]

LOLOLOLOL the Celtics lineup just lost to Frank Ntilikina

[o0dong]

Revenge game for Australia against Spain. Hopefully they can bring it, but this Spain team is deep and has a lot of fire power.

Praying for a super motivated team to overcome the Spanish.

[ProspectPark]

Just want to remind everyone:

Kemba Walker 4 years $140 million

Lets see if you hype up all that salary you are paying to Kyrie and Deandre when the nets are in the 9th seed looking up at the playoffs.

Wow bro you got me! Good one!

[a-French-Fan]

The best thing about FIBA games. This game was 95 minutes long.

NBA games are toooooooo long

Way too long. The commercial timeouts and extended referee rituals at the end of games make me want to puke. As does the in-game entertainment during all the breaks.

So, do like me, watch euroleague
Of course best players are in NBA, but the basketball I love is euroleague, and some euroleague players are better than the average NBA player (ok, Nando de Colo, no one is able to know why he failed in NBA)

[GotDaSauce]

Just want to remind everyone:

Kemba Walker 4 years $140 million

Lets see if you hype up all that salary you are paying to Kyrie and Deandre when the nets are in the 9th seed looking up at the playoffs.

Wow bro you got me! Good one!

Better than your trash take since there will be some truth to it!

[Else_where]

Serbia-USA tomorrow is the early final

[Else_where]

France should pay half of Kemba's salary

[kosmonauts]

This tournament was another great example that the world has caught up (to some extent) with US. It can be argued that rules are different, but, let's be honest, starter level + 6-8th guys are not good enough to win and/or get a medal at Fiba. That is great for news for sport of basketball and I have to say, I enjoyed the balance between how balanced offense/defense is called. This rough type of Fiba basketball is exciting to watch.

Also, NBA bench guys (6-8) are better than top Euro guys, but the real difference is becoming marginal, especially in the short tournament format. About 9-12th guy on NBA roster - often it is the question of context, fit with the team, potential/age and other factors than only the skill.

Fiba just had to get their **** together - this stupid qualification system did not allow to see some truly good European teams.

Of course the world has caught up.

We saw USA barely scrape out wins in 2008 and 2012 against Spain in the final game despite having a team of all-stars and superstars.

A quarter of the NBA consists of players from Europe and there are many high-level players and all-stars from European countries.

That is the point - Spain, Argentina, Lithuania giving US superstars run for their money in 2004 - 2012 - why the hell anyone is surprised if these same programmes can play against the non-superstar roster.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Well the signs were all there. I think at the top of the list, you have to admit that a LOT of talent more suitable for the FIBA game backed out. Plan A guys were already out, but the Plan B cancellations really hurt from a “skills needed” pov: shooters and playmakers (Harden, Lillard, Gordon and McCollum).

Besides a more talented high IQ distributor (Curry, Lillard, Kyrie), I think they needed another bail-out shooter. Kemba was kind of that guy, but he crumbled today and it was over.

Middleton, Lopez, are the types who brick when the going gets tough. Mitchell is a crafty scorer but not a consistent sharp-shooter.

Tight spacing and zone defense, you really need confident marksmen. The big men were mediocre, but you need your guards to open up the game, especially against tight and aggressive zone defense.

Also didn’t help that this wasn’t the tightest group of guys in the same age range. Bit of a mish mash beyond the Celtics core (which hasn’t played an NBA game with Kemba yet).

The centers and lack of any real power forward were the biggest issues, I think the guards & wings were fine but the frontcourt was just bad and full of flaws. If you play Turner or Lopez you run the risk of getting killed on the glass, if you play Plumlee he kills your spacing.

Going small against a team with Gobert on it was just stupid, I don't like the shift in USA basketballs obsession with going small even when they don't have the personnel to do it, there were times Joe Harris was on Gobert. You need a very specific type of player to pull off going small like that (Tucker, Draymond etc) and they didn't have it yet still tried anyway despite the fact Gobert was killing them.

I guarantee that if you flip Kemba and Mitchell for Lillard and Harden, this same team (otherwise) coasts to the finals.

Swap Drummond, KAT or even Davis in the for the scrub centers, and I’m not sure the result is any different. Dray would be a big upgrade over Barnes, but still... The top big men in the NBA are mostly foreign NT (Jokic, Embiid, Horford, Gasol, etc.). And frankly, I still think they’d clank shots and suffer defending.

The reason the 06-16 teams dominated was because they ran and shot teams out the gym.

I can't agree with that, obviously putting better guards in would have helped but the US got killed on the interior today and going small against Gobert was a losing proposition. Having Lillard and Harden wouldn't have stopped France from playing a matchup zone or Gobert looking like he was playing against grade school kids, there were close games even when the US had it's best perimeter players.

Like you said, the best big men in the world now are international players, which means you can't bring the frontcourt the US had today to tournaments, they had no actual PF on the roster. The most dominant team the US had in the last 10 years was the 2014 world cup squad that had shooting, playmaking and elite interior play with Cousins & Davis (Faried, Drummond as well).

You replace Barnes & Turner with Davis and Draymond and they win IMO, maybe not in dominant fashion but having guys that can at least physically prevent someone from playing on a nerf hoop is important.

[MagicFrenchie]

How can it be possible to be high without smoking and drinking?

A France victory over USA. Still can't believe it.
This is for the ages.

[a-French-Fan]

This tournament was another great example that the world has caught up (to some extent) with US. It can be argued that rules are different, but, let's be honest, starter level + 6-8th guys are not good enough to win and/or get a medal at Fiba. That is great for news for sport of basketball and I have to say, I enjoyed the balance between how balanced offense/defense is called. This rough type of Fiba basketball is exciting to watch.

Also, NBA bench guys (6-8) are better than top Euro guys, but the real difference is becoming marginal, especially in the short tournament format. About 9-12th guy on NBA roster - often it is the question of context, fit with the team, potential/age and other factors than only the skill.

Fiba just had to get their **** together - this stupid qualification system did not allow to see some truly good European teams.

Of course the world has caught up.

We saw USA barely scrape out wins in 2008 and 2012 against Spain in the final game despite having a team of all-stars and superstars.

A quarter of the NBA consists of players from Europe and there are many high-level players and all-stars from European countries.

I mean look at France's starting line-up:

Gobert was the best defensive player on the court, Fournier is a legit 18-20ppg scorer in the NBA, Batum is a solid level NBA level player, Ntilikina is an NBA caliber player and Nando De Colo is one of the best Euro league players out there who could play in the NBA. That team is almost as talented as the American starting line-up this year.

It's an upset, but I'm not shocked at all.

And all french players with a role in a NBA roster have a common quality; they are Real TEAM players. The greatest sample was Boris Diaw (so usefull for 2014 spurs' ring), and now it is Batum, Gobert and Ntilikina also, unfortunately he is a Knick...).

[Bergmaniac]

Congrats to the French team and fans, great win by them. Gobert was so dominant. I am really happy for Fournier.