Flava Clowns "Served" by 'Ricans

[watermock]

A team of "Leon's" can't do it all. Probably all on the Chronic with Iverson there.


Lamar Odom, left, and Stephon Marbury watch as the clock ticks away the final seconds of the U.S. team's loss to Puerto Rico.
Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY


ATHENS (AP) — In an upset as historic as it was inevitable, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and the rest of the U.S. basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico on Sunday, only the third Olympic defeat ever for the Americans.

It was also the most lopsided loss in the games for the U.S. team, alarming not only for its significance but also for its decisiveness.

The Puerto Ricans, which had lost to the Americans five times in the past 13 months, led for more than 33 minutes of the 40-minute game. They were ahead by 22 at halftime and gamely held off a fourth-quarter comeback for one of the biggest sports achievements in the island territory's history.

The loss was a blow to the Americans' confidence, but it did little to hurt their gold medal chances. They need only to finish in the top four of their six-team group to reach the quarterfinals.

Still, the defeat will go a long way toward giving the competition the bold idea that it's someone else's turn to move to the top of a sport that's been dominated by one country for nearly three-quarters of a century.

As Carlos Arroyo left the court with just over a minute left, he defiantly pulled at the words "Puerto Rico" on his jersey. He led his team with 24 points.

Anyone in America who didn't see this coming hadn't been paying attention to the way international basketball has been changing. The U.S. team nearly lost in the semifinals at Sydney on a last-second miss by Lithuania, then dropped three games on its home turf at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis — the first losses ever by a U.S. team of NBA professionals.

This year's team, weakened by the defections and rejections of 12 top players, opened its pre-Olympic tour of Europe with a 17-point loss to Italy and a last-second victory over Germany — a pair of games in which their vulnerability to a tight zone defense was clearly exposed.

Puerto Rico used that defensive strategy, too, and the Americans could do next to nothing against it.

After Lamar Odom made their first 3-pointer, the Americans missed 16 straight. They tried to get the ball inside, but Puerto Rico collapsed several defenders into the paint and took the U.S. team's best player, Duncan, out of the offensive equation.

American teams had been 24-0 since the professional Olympic era began with the 1992 Dream Team, but now there is a blemish on their record to go with their two losses to the Soviet Union in the 1972 gold medal game and the 1988 semifinals.

They handled the loss to Puerto Rico with grace, congratulating their opponents and joining them in a huddle at center court before both teams exited to a standing ovation.

The U.S Olympic team's record now stands at 109-3.

After Odom's 3, the first U.S. basket, Puerto Rico backed off and dared the Americans to hit from long range. They didn't, missing eight 3s over the rest of the quarter to trail 21-20.

When Duncan and Iverson sat down in the second quarter, Puerto Rico simply outclassed the Americans' young reserves.

A 3-pointer by Eddie Casiano was followed by an airball from the corner by Dwyane Wade. A layup by Jose Ortiz off a nifty no-look pass from Carlos Arroyo was followed by a jumper from Carmelo Anthony that wedged itself between the backboard and rim.

Arroyo drove past two defenders for a layup that made it 35-22, and the Americans were suddenly on their heels.

The Americans kept launching 3s, still to no avail, and Puerto Rico kept pushing the ball to the basket and pulling away.

A free throw by Arroyo made it a 20-point game, 47-27, and Iverson followed by missing a 3. Roberto Hatten scored on a drive to make it 49-27, and the Americans threw the ball away with a chance to hold for the last shot of the half.

Whistles and jeers greeted the Americans as they emerged from the locker room after halftime, but the crowd gave them some support when they tried to get back in the game in the third quarter. But for each small step the U.S. team took toward coming back, Puerto Rico had an answer. And compounding their troubles, the Americans kept making mistakes.

Iverson threw an alley-oop pass into the third row of the stands, and Arroyo hit a jumper to restore a 20-point lead. Duncan lost control of the ball and watched it squirt beneath his legs, and Puerto Rico turned it into a 4-on-1 break for a 62-41 lead.

A foul shot by Duncan with 6:11 left finally got the deficit under double digits, 69-61, but a missed jump hook by Richard Jefferson led to a layup by Arroyo and a three-point play for a 78-66 lead.

The Americans never threatened again, and a pair of breakaway layups by Rolando Hourroutiner off the U.S. team's misses sealed it.

[yavoon]

yah we can solve this problem easily, just take puerto rico as a state and absorb all their mad basketball skills.

[Breck Bronc]

Most of the Puerto Rican players played college basketball at US universities.

I don't think it's appropriate to bash the Team USA players over in Athens; at least they wanted to play for their country, unlike many of their more talented peers like Garnett, Kobe, and Shaq. And it's not their fault that management didn't select any pure shooters to be on the team. The Sports Guy has written extensively about how poorly selected this team was and how much better of a team he could have put together.

[orange 4 life]

its an embarrassment to the team, the coach, the United States, and the game of basketball.

anyone STILL want to tell me how the pistons were "one of the greatest defensive teams of all time?"
anyone BESIDES yavoon? (who just likes to read his often ludicrous arguments)
what a joke.
the pistons are a moderate to good defensive team that benefits from a COMPLETE lack of shooting ability around the league.
the lakers or celtics of the 80's would beat them by 50.
anyone have a hard time seeing that still?
point has been made in convincing form. class is out.

anyone who knows basketball the way its MEANT to be played, knows that our overpaid millionaire nba "superstars" are a mere shadow of the players of old.
fundamentals are GONE. attitudes and ego's have replaced hard work and dedication, and espn highlight reel dunks have replaced the art of the jumpshot.

im absolutely sickened today by the state of the game ive studied since i was a baby.

these players represented our country, and they did a piss poor job of it.
maybe if they'd worry a little less about their new commercial or rap cd, and worry a little MORE about how to beat a trap, then this WOULD NOT have happened.

from a purely athletic standpoint, our players are completely superior.

we're all finding out that when it comes to basketball, that doesnt mean much more than my daily turd.

they got schooled by a TEAM that actually PLAYS like a team.

they should be ashamed of themselves, and you should be ashamed of them.

...and for any of you young aspiring hoopsters out there, i have just one word for you:
fundamentals
look it up. it may be too late for our nba millionaires to learn the meaning, but its not too late for you.

jake

[yavoon]

Originally Posted by orange 4 life

its an embarrassment to the team, the coach, the United States, and the game of basketball.

anyone STILL want to tell me how the pistons were "one of the greatest defensive teams of all time?"
anyone BESIDES yavoon? (who just likes to read his often ludicrous arguments)
what a joke.
the pistons are a moderate to good defensive team that benefits from a COMPLETE lack of shooting ability around the league.
the lakers or celtics of the 80's would beat them by 50.
anyone have a hard time seeing that still?
point has been made in convincing form. class is out.

anyone who knows basketball the way its MEANT to be played, knows that our overpaid millionaire nba "superstars" are a mere shadow of the players of old.
fundamentals are GONE. attitudes and ego's have replaced hard work and dedication, and espn highlight reel dunks have replaced the art of the jumpshot.

im absolutely sickened today by the state of the game ive studied since i was a baby.

these players represented our country, and they did a piss poor job of it.
maybe if they'd worry a little less about their new commercial or rap cd, and worry a little MORE about how to beat a trap, then this WOULD NOT have happened.

from a purely athletic standpoint, our players are completely superior.

we're all finding out that when it comes to basketball, that doesnt mean much more than my daily turd.

they got schooled by a TEAM that actually PLAYS like a team.

they should be ashamed of themselves, and you should be ashamed of them.

...and for any of you young aspiring hoopsters out there, i have just one word for you:
fundamentals
look it up. it may be too late for our nba millionaires to learn the meaning, but its not too late for you.

jake

typical fanatical overreaction. there's no shooting on this team cuz it was assembled poorly w/ a bunch of young athletes instead of basketball players.

there are plenty of shooters in the nba, just none of them are on team USA.

but really continue being the old grumpy dude that whines about "back in the day." we all like to have a chuckle at ppl like u. I mean some of the funny crap u say like hard work and dedication isnt present, what a joke these guys play basketball nearly year round the season is uber long, the playoffs are uber long and NOW they are playing in the olympics. thats zero offseason.

its great to have a couple of players like the ppl on team USA on ur team, u just can't make an entire team like that. so do us all a favor and use ur hysteria a lil more wisely.

[Crushaholic]

Originally Posted by yavoon

there are plenty of shooters in the nba, just none of them are on team USA.

These days, players are taught to work on the more "spectacular" shots if they are to ever get a chance to be on an ESPN highlight reel. The fundamentals of basketball are gone and I don't see them coming back any time soon. Suddenly, losing to Greece (USA's next opponent)with a home-court advantage doesn't seem like such a far-fetched idea and it's sad.

[Moon§hiner]

A very sloppy game on team USA's part..Puerto Rico played a great game

[watermock]

Baloney. Puerto Rico? PUERTO RICO? Playoffs? What Playoffs?? We just need to win a game. What's next, losing to Grenada?

It's not even a country, It's a freaking SMALL ISLAND. This is like France surrendering to Lichtenstein.

I don't care if most of their players came from US colleges, it's a TERRITORY of the US. What is the fundamental argument? They played in College?

Since they still "try" to teach fundamentals in college, maybe we would of had better luck with a college squad. After all, we have 49 states bigger than the Kingdom of Puerto Rico. Give me a break.

[Rock Chalk]

This is a god damned embarrassment. We invented this damn game.

[Mr]

Originally Posted by AlecRaenos

This is a god damned embarrassment. We invented this damn game.

No Alec.... I dont think you did. But it IS pretty sad
http://inventors.about.com/library/i...basketball.htm

[Crushaholic]

Originally Posted by Mr

No Alec.... I dont think you did. But it IS pretty sad
http://inventors.about.com/library/i...basketball.htm

That's interesting. I never knew Naismith was Canadian.

[Jason in LA]

Originally Posted by Mr

No Alec.... I dont think you did. But it IS pretty sad
http://inventors.about.com/library/i...basketball.htm

According to that article it was invented here.

[Mr]

Originally Posted by Jason in LA

According to that article it was invented here.

Yes it was invented on American soil... theres no doubt about it

[orange 4 life]

yavoon,

you are so far off base, and so out of touch with reality, its difficult to comprehend.

you do NOTHING here except argue winless points, and you do it with such regularity that i felt the need to mention it BEFORE it even happened.

phukk you and the horse you rode in on as far as your "typical overreaction" and "old ppl" crap.
NOBODY here agrees with you, and NOBODY here seems to appreciate your CONSTANT combative style.

you are a turd, and it seems you are the only one who doesnt see that.

you are the ONLY poster on this board that seriously makes me contemplate using the ignore feature.

i have forgotten more about basketball that you'll ever know.
some things in life are subjective, this is not one of them.

please take your ball, your piss poor use of english, and your overwhelming desire to argue somewhere else.
seems you arent very popular here.

jake

[watermock]

Next 4 games, Lichtenstein, Monaco, The Vatican and Granada.

[Moon§hiner]

Actually I think our top college players would have put on a better showing today....these guys just didn't appear to adjust ot the zone and appear hungry...the dream team was fun for bragging rights, but I wish it was back to amateur only myself

[RhymesayersDU]

I'm pulling for Greece against the US.

That aside, here is what I think: Besides the lack of shooting, these guys aren't a team. All great players, but not a team. Funny that the Detroit squad got brought up in this, because I think if you take every player on that Detroit team and send them out here, they beat everybody easily. Why? Because they were a team.

[yavoon]

Originally Posted by RhymesayersDU

I'm pulling for Greece against the US.

That aside, here is what I think: Besides the lack of shooting, these guys aren't a team. All great players, but not a team. Funny that the Detroit squad got brought up in this, because I think if you take every player on that Detroit team and send them out here, they beat everybody easily. Why? Because they were a team.

yah detroit has better set offenses(the USA team has no real set offense), has much better defensive rotations and much better defensive players. the detroit team also starts 4 ppl who can shoot 3's. rasheed, billups, prince, hamilton.

[Moon§hiner]

U are the gr8test Jake....cudn't have saad it beddr myself...reps cuming yer way!!

[CBF1]

This is a perfect example of what is wrong with the NBA game/player of the 21st century. All show, no go. Atleast they can say they have better chronic! Overpaid whiners

[Tom H.]

We invented this damn game.

The modern version? Yes!

I haven't watched basketball as a fan since the Nuggets of the 80's. When Denver went to the extreme O and got trounced over and over I stopped watching.

I wonder what the marketing department for the US Olympic basketball team is thinking now? If the NBA was a stock on wallstreet it would be Enroning right about now.

[RaiderH8r]

These guys are a full fledged joke. Go do a TV commercial you overpaid yahoos. This is laughable. Not just beaten, but embarassed by a squad with inferior talent. These jerkys should refund the USOC for all their expenses, God knows they can afford it. A joke. HA HA HA.