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The Olympics are over, and some events went according to plan for USA gold medal aspirations. The unbeatable womens softball team won a third straight gold, breaking 18 Olympic records in the process. The US took home some surprise gold, including womens gymnastics.

And then there's men's basketball.

Including the exhibition games, the guys' U.S. Olympic basketball team lost four times on their way to a bronze medal. A highly publicized disaster, the blame had to be placed somewhere. Some belongs on the shoulders of Larry Brown and the coaching staff.

There is no question in anyone's mind, including the opponents of the US team, that we had the most talent. The squad had more game than EA Sports. Here's what happened: no defense, especially behind the 3-point arc, and no pure shooters to combat the zone D. And this despite the fact that the three-point line was much closer and we had strong defensive players like Richard Jefferson and Tim Duncan?

For starters, coach Brown focused way too much on getting production from Duncan. The Spurs big man was neutralized by tough zone D and phantom foul calls. There were way too many times when you saw Brown, after a foul was called on Duncan, looking like his best soldier died. I dont think I'm the only one who remembers seeing Brown with his hands over his head, like he's bracing for the impact of losing Duncan. Hey, Larry, you have 11 other players who are either all-stars or going to be soon. It was argued Duncan was the only true center, though, and therefore Brown emphasized his importance. Well, this is not the NBA, and true centers are not as crucial. Of the 12 teams in the competition, only Lithuania and China had a traditional back-to-the-basket center like the US.

What the US needed was an athletic team to respond to the high screen and roll - the play that every team ran against the United States easier than Sunday morning. It seemed the American players kept falling back into NBA-style defense of giving up the long 3 as opposed to a lay-up. The problem is that the international teams run the high screen and roll to get the open three. The logical conclusion is that Brown did not emphasize getting out on those shooters instead of stopping the screeners break to the hoop. Why did we never see a lineup like Amare Stoudemire, Lamar Odom, Shawn Marion, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, with the size to get rebounds and the athleticism to jump out on the screen and cover the shooter and create turnovers? Then, running the break, the US gets nasty. When LeBron got to the open floor he moved faster than Justin Gatlin in the 100 meters. Unfortunately, Brown kept him off-track and on the bench. the US enough opportunities to use their superior skills.

The offense had its problems too, often blamed on the lack of shooting. But this team can shoot from 20 feet 5 inches, more than 3 feet closer than the 23 feet 9 inches NBA distance. So, what was the problem? Confidence. Brown tried to play an inside-out game, getting the ball into the post and Duncan on the wing. They should have been attacking the middle of the zone, where a 6'11" player like Odom could shine with 14 foot jumpers. Then, the collapse of the D would open up jumpers for player like Iverson, Marbury, and Anthony, who can shoot wide open shots inside 20 feet when confident.

Instead, we saw Duncan getting crushed in the paint like a protester at the Republican National Convention, and shooters with no confidence and guys like Jefferson trying to drive right up into the zone. That's like trying to fend off a shark by swimming into its mouth. It doesn't work.

So, when it was all over the US finished with the bronze, the dark meat on the Olympic turkey.

Blame the coach just as much as the actual players.