FIBA WORLD CUP 2019 | SPAIN are new WORLD CHAMPIONS

[G R E Y]

Rebounding is a problem for Argentina.

[stoo]

My thinking: Argentina and Spain are two best national teams at the moment. And they will stay that for the next 4 years, with one of them being the best after today finals. FIBA World Cup is the only official world national team's competition, and countries are sending their official team to be represented there. Fact that WC is held every 4 years and is played in one elimination game after 8F, is just that, the fact. And that fact applies to everybody participating.
So when NBA team wins a championship, as has Toronto last season, we say Toronto was the best team that year. And we pretty much don't question that. Next year that will probably be some other team. If PO in NBA were played in 9 games series, or winner is decided after regular season standings, Toronto might have lost last season, but it is not 9 games and there is a PO, and we don't question if Toronto was the best team. The reason why we don't question that is that they actually won by the only rules to win presented.
So logic says that that should apply to other competitions as well.
Toronto was the best team because they won in the finals. Not because they had Kawhi or anybody else, but because they actually won. Imagine Kawhi was hurt and he couldn't have played. Toronto loses. Toronto is not the best team that season And we don't come and say: Well, Kawhi was hurt, we would have won if he played. We are the best team.
Your team is who plays.
Now USA:
So when we are speaking strictly national teams, not national talent, USA as of now and for the next 4 years, is 7th best NT in the world. Everybody had their fair chances. Saying we don't care about FIBA doesn't change the fact that that is official world basketball competition, where u've sent your official team, who finished 7th. That is the team your country managed to assemble. Team is it's players, not any citizen of that country. Saying we have AD who didn't play, is very similar to Phoenix hypothetically saying: We didn't have AD, we would have won more. They didn't have him, for reasons, same as USA didn't have him, for some other reasons. Reasons for not playing don't matter. If u played, u r part of the team, if u didn't played, u r part of that team just as much as me.
Which leads to actual USA NT which was 7th. Sorry guys. Hope u get better team next time. I also hope Memphis is going to have better team in the future, but it will depend on who wants to play there

[G R E Y]

Thibs low-key giving great insights into what the teams are running, explaining what they're doing well, not so well, what they ought to do, player strengths, team adjustments.

[Gooner]

Scola is shut down. Spain knows how to play thse games.

[perik777]

Oscar Smitchd looks a look like a mix between George Karl And Trinity

[minami]

I'm done with basketball after Portland gave up 3 30point leads in a row in the WCF and Australia just gave up a golden opportunity (France didn't even play well we just crumpled) for bronze after an amazing all round tournament.

All sports does is build you up to bring you down

France was just another vastly overrated team here. Not even close to the one with Parker, Diaw, Gelabale, Hervelle, Batum, etc, which still wasn´t able to overcome Spain back in the day.

And well, off to the tv!

Hervelle is from Belgium.

Ups I stand corrected. Maybe his years in Madrid/Bilbao made me slip, somehow...(I did know, in fact).

[G R E Y]

Spoiler:

My thinking: Argentina and Spain are two best national teams at the moment. And they will stay that for the next 4 years, with one of them being the best after today finals. FIBA World Cup is the only official world national team's competition, and countries are sending their official team to be represented there. Fact that WC is held every 4 years and is played in one elimination game after 8F, is just that, the fact. And that fact applies to everybody participating.
So when NBA team wins a championship, as has Toronto last season, we say Toronto was the best team that year. And we pretty much don't question that. Next year that will probably be some other team. If PO in NBA were played in 9 games series, or winner is decided after regular season standings, Toronto might have lost last season, but it is not 9 games and there is a PO, and we don't question if Toronto was the best team. The reason why we don't question that is that they actually won by the only rules to win presented.
So logic says that that should apply to other competitions as well.
Toronto was the best team because they won in the finals. Not because they had Kawhi or anybody else, but because they actually won. Imagine Kawhi was hurt and he couldn't have played. Toronto loses. Toronto is not the best team that season And we don't come and say: Well, Kawhi was hurt, we would have won if he played. We are the best team.
Your team is who plays.
Now USA:
So when we are speaking strictly national teams, not national talent, USA as of now and for the next 4 years, is 7th best NT in the world. Everybody had their fair chances. Saying we don't care about FIBA doesn't change the fact that that is official world basketball competition, where u've sent your official team, who finished 7th. That is the team your country managed to assemble. Team is it's players, not any citizen of that country. Saying we have AD who didn't play, is very similar to Phoenix hypothetically saying: We didn't have AD, we would have won more. They didn't have him, for reasons, same as USA didn't have him, for some other reasons. Reasons for not playing don't matter. If u played, u r part of the team, if u didn't played, u r part of that team just as much as me.
Which leads to actual USA NT which was 7th. Sorry guys. Hope u get better team next time. I also hope Memphis is going to have better team in the future, but it will depend on who wants to play there

Isn't there an official points system that determines national team rankings, though? Team USA was first with most points, Spain second, etc. Argentina should move up. I don't know how the points system is weighted or counted.

[maradro]

Argentina choked hard in the first half- bad repetitive turnovers, shortarming free throws, scola scoreless. Considering that, the score isn't that bad, but they need to find something else quickly or this will be over soon

[Pachinko_]

Scola finally looking his age

[Gooner]

Spain is just too smart, tough and experienced. They are like San Antonio Spurs of national teams.

[G R E Y]

Looks like Argentina are trying to guide their long shots it. Sort of over thinking the mechanics at this point.

[Slipkorn84]

Spain is shuting down scola and Campazzo. Best defense of the tournament probably.

[packforfreedom]

Argentinia is dead

[a-French-Fan]

I'm done with basketball after Portland gave up 3 30point leads in a row in the WCF and Australia just gave up a golden opportunity (France didn't even play well we just crumpled) for bronze after an amazing all round tournament.

All sports does is build you up to bring you down

France was just another vastly overrated team here. Not even close to the one with Parker, Diaw, Gelabale, Hervelle, Batum, etc, which still wasn´t able to overcome Spain back in the day.

And well, off to the tv!

Not so overrated, full of talents but Collet as coach. And with this win against USA he will stay. For Argentina semi we really miss a good PF able to face Scola, like Lauvergne. And we don't really know why he didn't come, it was a question of use.
If you take our team this year, we had two very good defensive point guards, a great SG with Nando, a great SF with Fournier, the very good and usefull Nicolas Batum who had to play as a PF, and Gobert as a center. For bench, we were short, but had good role players. By the past, during late 00s Parker had not such a good team. The centers were Ronny Turiaf, Ali Traoré or even Fred Weis. The PFs were Diaw and F Pietrus, but he should had let his Seat to Moerman after 2014 WC.
The great roster was 2015, for the tragic issue that we know. 2016: Collet still selected Gelabale and Pietrus, instead of Moerman and Fournier. And staff did tourism, so once a player had to wait for heeling ...
2017 was a good roster, but no hierarchy for offense, and France was like a no defense team.
This year, a very good roster, 2 serious injuries for 2 starters (Heurtel and Moerman), and some other absents (Lauvergne, but also SGs like Causeur or Edwin Jackson). A hierarchy for offense and a good defense. But they were unable to face high agressivity. Win on the USA was not the most difficult, we had players who really know NBA play.

For Olympics WE may Hope good things in Tokyo and better things for Paris 2024.
Tokyo: our injuried players will be back, and maybe Lauvergne and Collet will talk. WE may hope Ntilikina has a chance with Knicks or will be trade. Maybe it's gonna be Maledon's year or Antoine Diot will be ok with his body.
Paris 2024: Malédon, Ntilikina, Hayes, Hoard, Doumbouya ... Gobert and Fournier still in prime ... And maybe a prospect of 2003-2004 generation.

BTW, Djordjevic is free for coaching France

[seorang]

Argies have given up

[Slipkorn84]

This is starting to look like an easy win for Spain. Marc Gasol is taking over on defense and mastering with assists on ofense.

[UcanUwill]

No Navarro, no Pau, still golds, damn.

[ensiferum]

Wtf how is not that foul on Rubio.

[Slipkorn84]

Thats two fouls on rubio. Wow

[minami]

I'm done with basketball after Portland gave up 3 30point leads in a row in the WCF and Australia just gave up a golden opportunity (France didn't even play well we just crumpled) for bronze after an amazing all round tournament.

All sports does is build you up to bring you down

France was just another vastly overrated team here. Not even close to the one with Parker, Diaw, Gelabale, Hervelle, Batum, etc, which still wasn´t able to overcome Spain back in the day.

And well, off to the tv!

Not so overrated, full of talents but Collet as coach. And with this win against USA he will stay. For Argentina semi we really miss a good PF able to face Scola, like Lauvergne. And we don't really know why he didn't come, it was a question of use.
If you take our team this year, we had two very good defensive point guards, a great SG with Nando, a great SF with Fournier, the very good and usefull Nicolas Batum who had to play as a PF, and Gobert as a center. For bench, we were short, but had good role players. By the past, during late 00s Parker had not such a good team. The centers were Ronny Turiaf, Ali Traoré or even Fred Weis. The PFs were Diaw and F Pietrus, but he should had let his Seat to Moerman after 2014 WC.
The great roster was 2015, for the tragic issue that we know. 2016: Collet still selected Gelabale and Pietrus, instead of Moerman and Fournier. And staff did tourism, so once a player had to wait for heeling ...
2017 was a good roster, but no hierarchy for offense, and France was like a no defense team.
This year, a very good roster, 2 serious injuries for 2 starters (Heurtel and Moerman), and some other absents (Lauvergne, but also SGs like Causeur or Edwin Jackson). A hierarchy for offense and a good defense. But they were unable to face high agressivity. Win on the USA was not the most difficult, we had players who really know NBA play.


For Olympics WE may Hope good things in Tokyo and better things for Paris 2024.
Tokyo: our injuried players will be back, and maybe Lauvergne and Collet will talk. WE may hope Ntilikina has a chance with Knicks or will be trade. Maybe it's gonna be Maledon's year or Antoine Diot will be ok with his body.
Paris 2024: Malédon, Ntilikina, Hayes, Hoard, Doumbouya ... Gobert and Fournier still in prime ... And maybe a prospect of 2003-2004 generation.

BTW, Djordjevic is free for coaching France

Fair points, I concede. Still prefer those teams though. I forgot about Pietrus also, not very talented but valuable athletic player.