They probably "Played The Wrong Way" again

[Starman]

U.S. 119, China 73. :D

http://www.usabasketball.com/

 

[alleyallen]

U.S. 119, China 73.  :D

http://www.usabasketball.com/

Well, the link didn't have this score, but hey, it's a solid win.

Who, though, has been saying they played the wrong way? My attitude is if you try to destroy and dominate your opponent every single quarter of every single game, you're trying to ensure there's no chance you'll lose. No problem with that attitude.

 

[bigpern23]

He was referencing Larry Brown's philosphy of "Playing the right way," which crashed and burned for the previous incarnation of the U.S. squad.

 

[alleyallen]

He was referencing Larry Brown's philosphy of "Playing the right way," which crashed and burned for the previous incarnation of the U.S. squad.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[beefncheddar]

Considering the stage, and what he had to work with, was Brown's Olympic experience the worst job of coaching in sports history?

 

[Chi City 81]

Considering the stage, and what he had to work with, was Brown's Olympic experience the worst job of coaching in sports history?

No. See Floyd, Tim and Thomas, Isiah.

 

[Bruhman]

Considering the stage, and what he had to work with, was Brown's Olympic experience the worst job of coaching in sports history?

No. His New York Knicks' experience was the worst job of coaching in sports history.

 

[Twoback]

Next time, how about a spoiler alert????
Is that too much to ask??

 

[Starman]

Next time, how about a spoiler alert????
Is that too much to ask??

Yes, it is too much to ask. I don't live my life according to the programming whims of ESPN2.

God knows, they could have pre-empted "Mike and Mike in the Morning," or better yet, ****ing "Cold Pizza," and showed it live.

Considering the stage, and what he had to work with, was Brown's Olympic experience the worst job of coaching in sports history?

It cannot be reiterated nearly enough what a horrible job Brown did in 2004 -- the worst coaching job in the history of basketball.

More than that, the delusion a lot of people have (fueled by Brown's bag-lickers in the media) that Brown is some wizard genius with some special knowledge of, uhmm, "the right way to play" needs to be dumped upon at every opportunity.

Larry Brown doesn't know "the right way to play" any more than you, me, Joe Schmoe, or 50,000 basketball coaches in the US (or around the world). He knows "A" right way to play, that if you have good players and you execute properly, using his methods you can win. (Just like you can win if you have good-enough players executing the Loyola Marymount system well enough).

Worse than that, Brown's "right way to play" is a boring, passive, gutless way to play which is predicated completely on his own players' fear: fear that you might take a bad shot, fear the other team might get a rebound, fear that you might make a turnover, fear the other team might score if they get the ball back, fear you didn't use up enough of the shot clock, fear your starters will get tired if you don't hold down the pace of the game, fear the ditzy-old-lady coach will be up off his seat like a poodle dog yapping at you every ******* time down the court because you took a bad shot, made a turnover, whatever. It is a pain in the ass to watch, as a fan, and a pain in the ass to play, as a player. Even when you win, there's no joy in it -- just a completely wrung-out feeling that somehow you managed to survive, despite all the horrible things you did wrong.

The way this team playing is completely different: "The hell with being afraid. Let the other teams be afraid."

 

[Twoback]

We have spoiler alerts for TV shows and movies, but not for a basketball game.
Hope your hellfire burns your morning toast.

 

[Bruhman]

Next time, how about a spoiler alert????
Is that too much to ask??

Yes, it is too much to ask. I don't live my life according to the programming whims of ESPN2.

God knows, they could have pre-empted "Mike and Mike in the Morning," or better yet, ****ing "Cold Pizza," and showed it live.

It shouldn't be too much to ask.

No one's asking that you live your life according to ESPN2's programming. Just asking for a little consideration for your fellow man.

Is that too much to ask?

 

[PopeDirkBenedict]

The 2004 Olympic team was destined to crash and burn as long as Larry Brown was the coach. Brown is a very good basketball coach. But as Starman has causticly pointed out, Brown coaches The Larry Brown Method of Playing Basketball (also known as Playing The Right Way). Larry Brown does not adjust to the talent that he has, playing up-tempo with an athletic roster and slowing down with a methodical team. Brown only slows down and despises playing younger players because younger players make mistakes (this is a big reason Brown so spectacularly crashed and burned with the Knicks, a team whose bet for long-term success was to rely on the team's promising rookies and athleticism). The 2004 Olympic team was just a more talented version of this year's Knicks.

The roster:
PG: Stephon Marbury, Dwyane Wade
SG: Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony
SF: Richard Jefferson, LeBron James
PF: Lamar Odom, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire
C: Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer, Emeka Okafor

The only guy on that roster who could truly succeed under Brown was Duncan. Anthony, James, Stoudamire and Wade were criminally under utilized because Brown hates playing younger guys. Who in their right mind would start Richard Jefferson over LeBron? Yet, Jefferson started all eight games. If you are going to assemble high-wattage talent, the point guard should be the most unselfish player you can find. Even a guy like Magic Johnson would be willing to play second-fiddle and worry about distributing the ball and only shooting when criminally wide-open (and Chris Paul/Kirk Heinrich are perfect for this role). Marbury is pretty much the complete opposite of what you are looking for -- a selfish, slashing PG who looks to create for himself first. I have 1/100th of Larry Brown's basketball knowledge, but it seems pretty obvious that with the 2004 roster, you force Wade to play PG, start AI, LeBron, Stoudemire and Duncan and run an up-tempo game. But Larry Brown is incapable of not coaching The Larry Brown Method of Playing Basketball.

 

[Cameron Frye]

Next time, how about a spoiler alert????
Is that too much to ask??

Were you expecting an upset?

 

[Starman]

The 2004 Olympic team was destined to crash and burn as long as Larry Brown was the coach. Brown is a very good basketball coach. But as Starman has causticly pointed out, Brown coaches The Larry Brown Method of Playing Basketball (also known as Playing The Right Way). Larry Brown does not adjust to the talent that he has, playing up-tempo with an athletic roster and slowing down with a methodical team. Brown only slows down and despises playing younger players because younger players make mistakes (this is a big reason Brown so spectacularly crashed and burned with the Knicks, a team whose bet for long-term success was to rely on the team's promising rookies and athleticism). The 2004 Olympic team was just a more talented version of this year's Knicks.

The roster:
PG: Stephon Marbury, Dwyane Wade
SG: Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony
SF: Richard Jefferson, LeBron James
PF: Lamar Odom, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire
C: Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer, Emeka Okafor

The only guy on that roster who could truly succeed under Brown was Duncan. Anthony, James, Stoudamire and Wade were criminally under utilized because Brown hates playing younger guys. Who in their right mind would start Richard Jefferson over LeBron? Yet, Jefferson started all eight games. If you are going to assemble high-wattage talent, the point guard should be the most unselfish player you can find. Even a guy like Magic Johnson would be willing to play second-fiddle and worry about distributing the ball and only shooting when criminally wide-open (and Chris Paul/Kirk Heinrich are perfect for this role). Marbury is pretty much the complete opposite of what you are looking for -- a selfish, slashing PG who looks to create for himself first. I have 1/100th of Larry Brown's basketball knowledge, but it seems pretty obvious that with the 2004 roster, you force Wade to play PG, start AI, LeBron, Stoudemire and Duncan and run an up-tempo game. But Larry Brown is incapable of not coaching The Larry Brown Method of Playing Basketball.

Exactly. The job of the U.S. Olympic Basketball coach is not to mold a cohesive unit who will serve as an extension of his own personal vision of the way the game of basketball can and must be played on the court; the job of the U.S. Olympic Basketball coach is to take the talent he gets, and figure out how to Win.

 

[Chuck~Taylor]

Carmelo get's 18 again. Damn, were is this aggressiveness coming from?

 

[Pastor]

Pope, the only thing I would adjust in what you said is that Richard Jefferson could fit in Larry Brown's system based on his defensive play. Additionally, I don't think it is a big stretch to start Jefferson over LeBron at the time it occurred. Jefferson's track record had already been established while LeBron was still in high school.

The team was somewhat poorly constructed, however the coach really flubbed it in 2004. It shouldn't matter what the team was, you are supposed to play to their strengths, as mentioned. Somewhere along the way Larry Brown's ego got the better of him and it became all about the players adapting to him as opposed to him adapting to the players.

 

[beefncheddar]

Spoiler,


so nobody stumbles on this thread and gets pissy when they see a final score. Even though there's no final score in the subject title.

Your US-Brazil final score:

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U.S. 90, Brazil 86.

Edit: ESPN.com just posted a story. Carmelo hyperextended his left knee. Brazil opened second half on 16-0 run. Brazil had late chance to tie.

 

[Armchair_QB]

No need for a spoiler. This isn't going to be on ESPN tonight.

Not sure about NBA TV though.

 

[beefncheddar]

And, besides, COCKDIAN just posted the result in a thread title anyway. That's what I get for trying, I suppose.

 

[Starman]

Don't look, Ethel!!! :o :o

Contrary to the report on ESPN, which had the final score against Lithuania as 104-90, SI.com has it as 111-88.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/more/08/13/us.lithuania.ap/