Thu. 7/31 - USA vs. Turkey - Predictions/Comments

LDR · by **LDR** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:44 am

Just for you JSM. Howard with the easy jamm.

LDR · by **LDR** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:45 am

Howard nice dish to Booz. Booz dunks the ball! I guess he got the message.

JSM · by **JSM** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:45 am

Mission accomplished. Dwight to Boozer for his first jam of the day.

LDR · by **LDR** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:46 am

And the supposed deservingly #20 pick, Arslan, with the foul on Howard.

LDR · by **LDR** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:47 am

Boozer, with another missed chippie. -_-

JSM · by **JSM** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:51 am

CP3 has been sloppy this quarter.

JSM · by **JSM** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:51 am

114-82. That's all she wrote.

LDR · by **LDR** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:52 am

Someone give Redd the memo that he needs to stop trying to create and just shoot the ball when hes open.

Game ends at 114-82. Brons the top scorer with 20, Kobe with finished with 9 and 7. Thats it for me fellas, I need some sleep.

Battle Tested20 · by **Battle Tested20** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:53 am

good night fellas

JSM · by **JSM** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:54 am

Stats

Bron-20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Melo-17 points
Dwight-14 points, 8 rebounds
Wade-13 points, 3 assists
Bosh-13 points
CP3-12, 3, 3
Kobe-9 points, 7 assists
Boozer-5 points, 3 rebounds
Deron and Redd-4 points apiece
Kidd-3 points
Prince-goose egg

Box Score:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/basketball/men/boxscore?gameId=726

puffyusaf#2 · by **puffyusaf#2** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:31 am

Is it me or is the ESPN crew really trying to deep throat D Wade?

JSM · by **JSM** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:41 am

puffyusaf#2 wrote:Is it me or is the ESPN crew really trying to deep throat D Wade?

Of course they are. He's healthy again, playing well, and there's a slight grumble about their team that they might be on their way back to the playoffs now that the Bease is in town.

Many of them made a career off of jocking him during their championship season.

KB24 · by **KB24** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:27 pm

One has to wonder why Kobe is always off while playing for team USA...there is no reason for the best scorer in the game to go 1-5 in any game, against any player under any circumstances...

I know I wouldn't be happy no matter how meaningless the game is. Kobe is the only solid shooter in the starting lineup but he lays more bricks than your average construction worker whenever he is on team USA....

Vincey · by **Vincey** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:39 pm

KB24@CL wrote:One has to wonder why Kobe is always off while playing for team USA...there is no reason for the best scorer in the game to go 1-5 in any game, against any player under any circumstances...

I know I wouldn't be happy no matter how meaningless the game is. Kobe is the only solid shooter in the starting lineup but he lays more bricks than your average construction worker whenever he is on team USA....

I believe it has to do with his mentality while playing for the Lakers. It's such a vast difference in philosophy.. it's all mental with him.. I know he doesn't want to "hog" the ball on team USA, so that probably effects everything else with his decision making and shot selection.. I think he'll get the hang of it very soon.

JSM · by **JSM** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:43 pm

NBA.com: "I think the first quarter was an adjustment period for us," Kobe Bryant said after the game, "to get used to what they were in and what their sets are. The second quarter, we did a much better job locking in and taking those away."

"We kind of settled down and we understood what we had to do," Jason Kidd added. "We got steals, we got stops and we scored on the other end."

One might think that the U.S. should have been better prepared for what they were going to see from Turkey, but Bryant explained that they didn't have the opportunity to get familiar with this particular Turkish squad.

"It was about reading what they were doing," he explained. "We didn't get a chance to watch too much film, because they're a pretty new team in terms of their personnel."

"So," Bryant continued, "it was an opportunity for us in the first quarter to get a read of what they were doing, and in the second quarter, try to take away what they were trying to execute. And I felt like we did a much better job."

But others admitted that they were a little too anxious in the first period, looking to win the game in the first few minutes.

"That first quarter we felt we were going to knock 'em out," Kidd said, "but we have to understand we have to stay solid."

"We came out in the first quarter and pressed too much," Dwyane Wade added. "We were excited to play because we haven't played in a while. We were going for too many steals and that enabled them to get a 30-point first quarter."

James and Bryant each had five steals apiece for the U.S., cutting across passing lanes and zipping across the lane to intercept an entry pass into the post.

The most impressive steal may have been when the U.S. went small in the middle of the third quarter, with James and Carmelo Anthony playing the four and five against 7-0 Oguz Savas and 6-10 Kerem Gonlum. Savas tried to post James up, but LeBron ripped the ball right out of his hands, leading to a fast break where Bryant hit Anthony with a bounce pass alley-oop.

That wasn't the only highlight for the U.S. There were plenty. When they get out on the fast break, they're lethal. And the break begins with defensive activity and pressure.

"We love defense as a team," Dwyane Wade explained after the game, "because we have a lot of guys who can get at it defensively, cause some havoc and make a lot of plays. Our best offense is off our defense."

But as they learned tonight, being active and aggressive defensively is one thing. They were active and aggressive in the first quarter. But they gambled too much up top and got burned because of it. That was something that both Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Assistant Coach Nate McMillan had been clear of earlier in training camp.

"Pressure doesn't mean gamble," Krzyzewski said back in Las Vegas. "Pressure means they know they're being guarded. We have depth, whether it's half court, three quarter or full, we should be on people. They should feel our presence."

LDR · by **LDR** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:34 pm

KB24@CL wrote:One has to wonder why Kobe is always off while playing for team USA...there is no reason for the best scorer in the game to go 1-5 in any game, against any player under any circumstances...

I know I wouldn't be happy no matter how meaningless the game is. Kobe is the only solid shooter in the starting lineup but he lays more bricks than your average construction worker whenever he is on team USA....

Errr...Melo? I think its always an adjustment when you go from taking 20 shots a game to taking 5 shots a game. Also, they have only played 2 games together as a team. I think if we ever see a close game between team USA and maybe Spain or Argentina, he might really look to take a game over in the last 3 minutes or so.

Cody · by **Cody** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:59 pm

KB24@CL wrote:One has to wonder why Kobe is always off while playing for team USA...there is no reason for the best scorer in the game to go 1-5 in any game, against any player under any circumstances...

I know I wouldn't be happy no matter how meaningless the game is. Kobe is the only solid shooter in the starting lineup but he lays more bricks than your average construction worker whenever he is on team USA....

One doesn't have to wonder, because it's not true. He had a bad shooting game. Big deal. it happens to everyone.

quit exaggerating (spelling?)

Ras Algethi · by **Ras Algethi** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:00 pm

Game time baby!

Ras Algethi · by **Ras Algethi** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:02 pm

Cody wrote:
KB24@CL wrote:One has to wonder why Kobe is always off while playing for team USA...there is no reason for the best scorer in the game to go 1-5 in any game, against any player under any circumstances...

I know I wouldn't be happy no matter how meaningless the game is. Kobe is the only solid shooter in the starting lineup but he lays more bricks than your average construction worker whenever he is on team USA....

One doesn't have to wonder, because it's not true. He had a bad shooting game. Big deal. it happens to everyone.

quit exaggerating (spelling?)

What the hell? Where in the world did you get "Kobe is always off for Team USA" bs? He shot over 60% last summer in the qualifying tournament. He shot well the last game, he shot 1-5 this game. So what? He had 7 assists and 5 steals.

You'd think a moderator here would be a little more well informed.

http://www.2007lasvegas.fibaamericas.co ... yStat.html

Cody · by **Cody** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:04 pm

^ oh snap, at first it looked like you were talking to me :man10:

I agree one hundred percent. Kobe has been kicking [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] for team USA. not in scoring (he's doing really good there), but in everything else.

Ras Algethi · by **Ras Algethi** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:07 pm

^ Haha, no I wasn't. I was just shocked by his ill-informed statement.

Ras Algethi · by **Ras Algethi** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:08 pm

Haha, MVP chants for Kobe.

Cody · by **Cody** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:11 pm

two0one7 wrote:Haha, MVP chants for Kobe.

lol, are you serious? I'm a bit behind, still watching road to redemption

Ras Algethi · by **Ras Algethi** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:13 pm

Cody wrote:
two0one7 wrote:Haha, MVP chants for Kobe.

lol, are you serious? I'm a bit behind, still watching road to redemption

Yep, during his first 2 fts.

Cody · by **Cody** on Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:25 pm

where is everyone :man3:

Thu. 7/31 - USA vs. Turkey - Predictions/Comments

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