2012 Basketball Summer Olympics Thread

[BallSoHard]

Those aren't necessarily mutual exclusive. Especially since there's two of them.

Also, I really don't think LeBron is guarding anyone ine the post. Not before Love or Melo. Not unless there's some kinda switch or zone.



I think that part has more to do with him playing in non-game critical situations. He only sees the court in blowouts. I see him doing a lot of letting smaller guys slip right by rather than go for a block. But not fighting for boards? That I haven't seen. He hasn't gone way out of his area much, no. But there's no need to. When the ball is near the basket and he's able to tap to keep the rock alive, he fights enough.



Not telling us anything we don't already know.

Still though...

eman I hope you're right about the he's not playing like he would if it counted. I've seen plenty of times where he's just watching the smaller guys on team USA grab the rebounds and I wish I haven't.

[MeSoHornets504]

I'm pretty convinced with all the love Davis has been getting from the veteran players, his passiveness on the court is just their doing. They are telling him to go for the highlight... If you watch his play that's really all he is doing. Looking for a putback dunk, a block, or an alley-oop.

I think that was his role on this team. The 'Hey, our 12th man is better than your 3rd' role. I don't seem him doing much and I just think it's the stars wanting him to go more for highlights late in a game, than really sit in the post. Just my 2 cents.

[Basketball Nate]

Don't know if he's gonna play today but Team USA is really gonna need Westbrook this game for his on-ball perimeter defense. He and Chris are two of the best on the team at pressuring the ball-handler at mid-court.

[FlyGirl]

So Russia beat Argentina for the Bronze heh? I don't know if I would've expected it to end that way.

LONDON -- The Russians celebrated wildly. The Argentines went wild.

The bronze-medal game ended with an ugly confrontation.

Alexei Shved scored 25 points -- 13 in the fourth quarter -- and Russia won its first Olympic medal in men's basketball with an 81-77 win on Sunday over Argentina, whose players angrily questioned the referees after the final horn following a wild scramble in the closing seconds.

Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points, Vitaliy Fridzon 19 for Russia, which finished ninth at the Beijing Games four years ago.

"Feels like gold for us," Kirilenko said.

Manu Ginobili scored 21 and Andres Nocioni 16 for Argentina, which was looking to add another bronze to its Olympic collection after winning one in China and gold eight years ago in Athens. But this tournament ended with Argentina's players without a medal and looking for an explanation.

"This is one of the most painful defeats of my life," Ginobili said.

Fridzon's layup with 5.2 seconds left sealed it for Russia, which came away with the ball after it changed hands several times near midcourt.

When the game ended, several Argentine players surrounded referees Bill Kennedy, Jose Carrion and Juan Arteaga in protest and guard Pablo Prigioni kicked an electronic clock off the scorer's table in disgust. A water bottle was thrown on the court that appeared to come from the stands.

Argentina had taken the lead after rallying from an 11-point deficit in the second half.

Ginobili's layup gave Argentina a 77-76 lead with 43 seconds left, but then Shved countered with a 3-pointer to put Russia back in front.

Nocioni missed a jumper from the corner, but it appeared Argentina might get another chance when Prigioni came up with the ball close to the sideline at halfcourt. But it was tipped away with bodies flying all over the floor and wound up bouncing to Shved, who alertly passed it up the floor for Fridzon, who drove in for his uncontested layup.

As the final seconds ticked off, Russia's players piled on each other near one foul line while Argentina's swarmed Kennedy and the other officials, screaming and demanding answers.

http://scores.espn.go.com/olympics/s...ap?gameId=1171

[FlyGirl]

Here we go.

[FlyGirl]

Did Kobe really foul Navarro on a 3?

[Basketball Nate]

The NBCOlympics stream is not working

[FlyGirl]

Really USA? Put a clamp on Navarro. Grab some rebounds. Pau just got like 3 offensive rebounds just now!

[FlyGirl]

The game is on regular NBC right now.

[Pelicans78]

I imagine this will be Chandler's last game in the Olympics. Hasn't done much in this tournament.

[FlyGirl]

Melo is on fire early!

[Pelicans78]

Time to blow out this fluky Spain team.

[FlyGirl]

I agree. Kobe was giving Navarro too much space and as soon as Chris guards him close they're blowing the whistle.

[FlyGirl]

Durant said oh no you don't!

[Kibner]

Offense is playing well (minus Durant 30ft 3s), but defense is a bit lacking.

[FlyGirl]

USA needs some length out there.

[FlyGirl]

Dang! Gasol STILL made that over Chandler.

[FlyGirl]

Double technicals. I thought it would be Rudy Fernandez to be the one to get into it with a USA player. Game not over yet though.

[Nola3]

Hahahaha over/under 12 seconds it takes for the U.S. to win a fight?

[FlyGirl]

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA
Bad idea for the Americans to let Sergio Rodriguez irritate them. That's kind of the plan. Spain 39, USA 39.

[FlyGirl]

Marc Gasol ALL OVER THE BACK and pushing off and he wants to argue the call.

[BallSoHard]

Wow, Lebron is playing Gasol downlow, can't imagine who called that

[FlyGirl]

Navarro hits a 3 because USA can't get a rebound. No bigs in the game. SMH.

[FlyGirl]

Yes it's on you Juan Carlos.

[Nola3]

I strongly dislike European basketball