Dream Team? I don’t think so. There’s nothing dreamy about this Olympic Men’s Basketball squad – even if you’re only interested in their looks. When your floor general has a broken thumb, the best player in the world is not getting the ball in the post and is fouling out on mystery calls, and the team is shooting barely 40% from the field, you know you’re in trouble.
Here are my observations from the first two games.
Coaching Breakdown
Larry Brown may be a great coach in the NBA, but he’s clearly failing the US in at least two important ways.
First, he’s not getting the guys to play team defense. Right now you have a lot of frantic efforts to trap and steal. In the closing minutes of the Greece game, steals were not important. The US had the lead. What was important was shutdown defense. Instead, the US left perimeter shooters open which enabled Greece to knock down wide open 3-pointers and make it a tight game. This was no surprise. This is exactly what happened against Puerto Rico. At some point, Brown and Team USA must realize that open shooters make shots. It’s more important to get a hand in the face, secure the rebounds (which should be easy enough with Odom, Boozer, and Duncan), and then run the offense on the other end. Fast breaks may be the easiest way to score, but defense leads to victories.
Second, Brown is playing Richard Jefferson way too much. I know that coaches like to go with veterans, but in this case, it doesn’t make much sense to give Jefferson floor time. He’s been abysmal shooting the ball, he isn’t making much noise on defense, and he’s been a net liability to the team. When you have Carmelo Anthony waiting on the bench and your starter is bringing the entire nation shame with every minute, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Bench RJ and bring in ‘Melo.
Poor Play
The US team simply isn’t playing very well and it’s time to point fingers:
Allen Iverson – Iverson may have a broken thumb, but that’s no excuse for missing layups. In last night’s squeaker, AI missed two late layups that were rebounded by Greece. Two critical possessions where the US should have scored to put the game away and instead got nothing. If your thumb is going to stop you from performing, then you need to pass the ball or ride the pine. Because as the game wore on, AI wasn’t getting the job done.
Iverson, Stephon Marbury, et. al. – Tim Duncan was in foul trouble last night, so he didn’t get the touches he richly deserved. Since I am located in the UK and they only showed the 4th quarter, I can’t speak for the whole game. But one thing I noticed right away when Duncan came into the game with four fouls was that the point guards didn’t get the ball into the post even once. Now, if you have the best player in the world, the top post player, wouldn’t you get him the ball? Even if the double team comes, Duncan is an excellent passer and would find the open man (as he did on several occasions against Puerto Rico). You would think that after Duncan scored 13 points in the 3rd quarter that the guards would go to him right away when he returned in the fourth quarter. But, on several occasions just before Duncan fouled out, he was open deep in the post and Marbury passed the ball around the perimeter for a low percentage shot. And he calls himself a point guard.
Shawn Marion – Some may say that Marion doesn’t belong on this list, but I beg to differ. Marion should just not be shooting 3-pointers. On one series late in the game, he had a clear lane to the basket and instead opted for a three. Shockingly, he bricked it. When the whole team is in a dismal shooting slump, take the easy basket. Marion has made some nice plays on defense, but they seem to go hand in hand with boneheaded plays at the other end. Right now he’s very inconsistent and it’s hurting our chances.
Richard Jefferson – See above.
Everyone – The entire team has to be scolded for its woeful shooting. Bricking 17 of 21 3-pointers is shameful, especially when you consider that the 3-point line is closer to the basket in international competition. As Larry Brown said, “Believe it or not, I think we’ll make an outside shot someday.” Sadly, this is what is has come too. Let’s hope the shots start falling sooner rather than later.
It hasn’t been all bad for Team USA, however. Some players have done very well.
Good Play
Lamar Odom – How ironic is it that a guy who, on his next drug violation, would be suspended from the NBA for an entire year is becoming the savior of American hoops? Talk about redemption. Without Odom Team USA would be winless in the Olympics. He made several incredible blocks last night as well as couple of nice putbacks on the offensive end. If he continues to play this well, the US has a shot at the medal round (and the Lakers have a shot at the playoffs in ’05).
Tim Duncan – When he’s on the floor and getting the ball, good things are happening. Unfortunately, the rest of Team USA doesn’t realize how much easier Duncan makes the game for them. Memo to Team USA: You have the most dominant post player in the world. Give him the damn ball!
LeBron James – Simply, when ‘Bron went off in the third quarter, Team USA surged to a 12 point lead. He led the break twice and had a nice mid-range jumper go down during that stretch run. Then, Brown pulled him for AI. I know that AI is your guy, but when ‘Bron is playing well, and the rest of the team isn’t, keep him in the game. He doesn’t just sell tickets because he’s hype. He keeps fans in (or jumping out of) their seats because he is an incredible passer and could really boost Team USA at the point guard position. There’s no one in the tournament that can guard ‘Bron at the point.
Poor Officiating
Obviously, the era of giving NBA players some leeway because they’re mega-stars is over. Duncan, especially, was called for some ticky-tacky fouls. His fifth foul was a joke. They called it for “boxing out”, which in the NBA would be termed “pushing off”. But, as the replay showed, he didn’t push off. He didn’t need too. The guy who was boxing Duncan out misjudged the ball and didn’t back up. Duncan grabbed the rebound by lunging back to near the foul line, not by surging forward into someone’s back. If anything, the guy behind Duncan should have been called for over the back.
That wasn’t all for Duncan either. He was called for a foul on a cleanly blocked shot in the third quarter as well. That type of officiating might be ok for the school yard, but it’s laughable for the Olympics. They can do better.
I think the problem is that the international game uses two referees instead of the NBA’s three. The three ref system allows each ref to have a specific zone of responsibility, essentially making it easier for each ref to make the correct call because they are looking at a specific area the entire time. The international system of using two refs means that a referee may be farther from the spot of the “foul” and have less of a direct view. Good players are great actors, so not having direct line of sight can lead to ticky-tacky, mythic fouls.
Poor Team Composition
A lot has already been said about this, but I think if you add Michael Redd to this team then USA is rolling. Redd is the best pure shooter in the NBA, he has a lightning quick release, and would single-handedly keep the US from shooting 4-21 from 3-point land. The truly odd thing is that Redd wasn’t even invited. Perhaps this year’s embarrassment will spur the Olympic selection committee to reconsider the strategy of only picking big stars in the future. This team needs shooters, not athletes.
Poor Announcing
I saw the Puerto Rico game in the States, so you must imagine my surprise when last night’s game caused me to yearn for Doug Collins’ and his commentary. Simply, the Brits don’t know diddly about hoops. At one point, one of the commentators stated that Coach Brown’s only strategy was to get Duncan the ball and that he should have come more prepared than that. Obviously missing the point that the key to inside-out offense is to have a dominant big man that can score and pass, the comment really demonstrated that the UK is far behind in its basketball IQ.
In fact, the announcers repeatedly explained that a 7-point lead was one 3-pointer and two 2-pointers. I can only surmise that market research led the BBC to conclude that the public over here doesn’t really understand the game and needs constant reminders. I can say with authority, however, that the Spaniards, Brit, and Chinese fellows I was watching the game with all laughed at the commentary. Even though there are language barriers between us, the international language of hoop is strong.
All I can say is, thank God for summer hoops.
Stephen Heidt is an avid sports fan who is also the Editor-in-Chief and a regular contributor to SportsFiends.com. Based in Washington, DC, he frequently engages in animated 'discussions' about all things sports. He encourages readers to submit questions and comments to sheidt@sportsfiends.com.
