Running FIBA World Championships thread

Maybe I'm looking at the wrong final, but the box I see says 22 fouls for the US (one, Billups, had more than three) to 18 for Turkey. That's supposed to be egregious?

http://turkey2010.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/p/gid/A/grid/80/rid/6948/game.html

I watched the game from start to finish. There were odd calls at both ends -- exactly the kind of inconsistency shown by FIBA refs throughout the tournament. If anything, it was the US choosing to jack up 3-pointers (11 for 33 vs. 8 for 17) rather than attack Turkey's zone through passing or going off the dribble that led to the disparity in free throws.

You've said the US should utilize "shock troops" and press teams into submission. That sounds great on a message board, but 1) do you really think that's a sustainable strategy for players in the midst of an offseason facing nine games in two weeks? and 2) you might not have noticed, but 1992 was a while ago. Other teams have professional players who know how to dribble a basketball and handle a press.

I don't know whether it's paranoia or bravado fueling this stance of yours, but it's a bit much.

 

This is one of my pet peeves. Where is it written that in a properly, honestly officiated basketball game that each team should have an equal or nearly equal number of fouls called against it?
If one team had a disproportionate number of fouls called against it, maybe it's because it committed a disproportionate number of fouls.

 

I'm happy for this team, lot of guys I like and have been following for years. Everyone had a role, everyone accepted that role and everyone knew Durant was the guy and easily the best player during the world championships.

Turkey is also a deserving second, they have been fortunate to beat Serbia, but otherwise have been very strong and consistent throughout the tournament.

 

Yep, and as he demonstrates in every single international basketball thread, Starman is oblivious to this fact. The international basketball landscape has changed incredibly over the last two decades, it is second only to soccer as the world's most popular sport, everybody knows how to play now, and the days of being able to easily roll over the world by 50 pts in every game 92-style are long gone.

Someone needs to explain this to Starman.

 

Bill Simmons running diary of this Tourney and his praise of Durant actually makes me excited for the NBA season.

 

I thought that we played a very interesting style on defense -- switching on nearly everything, having Odom and Durant guard the bigs and try to use their superior athleticism. Sort of like the way that Lousiville used to play back in the day.

On offense it seemed like we basically let the best matchup try to break down their defender one on one and then kick it once the help came. Not my favorite way of playing, but it worked.

 

Nice to be able to us "we" and have it be OK.

This Durant kid really turning into something special. Oh, how is Greg Oden doing?

 

Very easy for you to say at this point and time, but the Blazers made the right selection at the time of the Draft. Players like Durant are more common then centers like Oden.

 

Not in the journalism business, so I'm comfortable with my use of the word.