USA Olympic team vs Puerto Rico 2004

[tpols]

92-73.

:biggums:

How did that happen?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdeuZPE3uCA

lmao @ Carlos Arroyo flexing on Wade at 4:11.

and the dagger shot at 4:22.

wtf....

[LAmbruh]

first prime Kobe getting his shit pushed in by Chauncey


then prime Timmy getting his shit pushed in by Arroyo


2004, summer of Colossal Chokes

[tpols]

^ bro... 92-73.

Biggest blowout ever. By Puerto Rico... not Spain or some Eastern European nation... Puerto Rico.

That's an indictment on NBA's style of basketball at the time.

[Lebron23]

Larrry Brown and gregg popovich were terrible international coaches.

[Docs Orders]

first prime Kobe getting his shit pushed in by Chauncey


then prime Timmy getting his shit pushed in by Arroyo


2004, summer of Colossal Chokes

"We knew there was no way we could stop Shaq straight-up"

"But what’s going to happen is Mr. Bryant is going to get a little discouraged with getting no touches and now the second half comes around…now he’s pressing. He’s going to start coming down and just breaking the offense." - Chauncey Billups

Kobe took 29 more shots than Shaq in the series despite Shaq averaging 27 PPG on 62 TS%. Kobe shot 38% in the series.



Damn, 2004 was some shit



https://i.postimg.cc/yYzHmn4p/dfjrfjjrfj.png (https://postimages.org/)



https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/125e64e85144b5f52d5056d90c24de9292e6ef58/c=0-80-3219-1899/local/-/media/2017/05/31/DetroitFreeP/DetroitFreePress/636318449938785783-pistons-061504-dpg-16-1-.jpg?width=3200&height=1680&fit=crop

[Shooter]

"We knew there was no way we could stop Shaq straight-up"

"But what’s going to happen is Mr. Bryant is going to get a little discouraged with getting no touches and now the second half comes around…now he’s pressing. He’s going to start coming down and just breaking the offense." - Chauncey Billups

Kobe took 29 more shots than Shaq in the series despite Shaq averaging 27 PPG on 62 TS%. Kobe shot 38% in the series.



Damn, 2004 was some shit



https://i.postimg.cc/yYzHmn4p/dfjrfjjrfj.png (https://postimages.org/)



https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/125e64e85144b5f52d5056d90c24de9292e6ef58/c=0-80-3219-1899/local/-/media/2017/05/31/DetroitFreeP/DetroitFreePress/636318449938785783-pistons-061504-dpg-16-1-.jpg?width=3200&height=1680&fit=crop

Goodness gracious

[Turbo Slayer]

I'm no Kobe lover but Kobe/Shaq and the Lakers lost to one of the greatest defensive teams of all-time. All defensive metrics point to it. No shame in that.

That being said, Kobe was... rather not his usual Mamba self in that series.

[Turbo Slayer]

Horace Grant was getting old and retired after the Finals series. The Lakers had weak depth to work with.

Yes the Lakers got Malone and Gary Payton, but you have to account for other external factors like aging, injuries, et cetera.

If Lakers got Prime Payton and Prime Malone than the Lakers would have most certainly won the title, but that isn't the case here. Payton was 35 years old and Malone was 40 years old. Both averaged a combined 4.6 PPG in that series. Pretty bad.

[tpols]

can we please stay on topic fellas...

what happened in this game?

[Turbo Slayer]

USA got way too content, I think. Maybe too overconfident?

Anyways, USA wasn't taking international competition seriously back then.

[RRR3]

I heard Larry Brown didn’t want to play LeBron Wade and Melo much because they were coming off their rookie seasons. Might have helped if they played more.

[Genaro]

A lot of the top players didn't go to the Olympics (Shaq, Kobe, Garnett, Vince, Kidd, etc), the team didn't know how to play FIBA ball and Larry Brown didn't make a good job coaching. Let's remember that USA lost 3 international competitions in a row until the Redeem Team.

[kawhileonard2]

Wow lost to Puerto Rico how that happen with all time greats on the team?

[BurningHammer]

Wow lost to Puerto Rico how that happen with all time greats on the team?

As a team, it was not that great.

At least, they were much better than 2019 Team USA.

[WhiteKyrie]

If we sent the 2003 FIBA team that dominated or especially our A team. It wouldn’t have even been remotely close.

Shaq / Duncan
KG / Brand
McGrady / Artest / V. Carter
Kobe / Ray Allen
Kidd / Iverson / Bibby

That team literally molly whops everyone

[msbutthurt]

If we sent the 2003 FIBA team that dominated or especially our A team. It wouldn’t have even been remotely close.

Shaq / Duncan
KG / Brand
McGrady / Artest / V. Carter
Kobe / Ray Allen
Kidd / Iverson / Bibby

That team literally molly whops everyone



Did you do that correctly?


Duncan
Brand
Mcgrady
Allen
Iverson

would beat

Shaq
KG
Artest or Carter
Kobe
Kidd or Bibby

[3ball]

i faced Carlos everyday... but not just in practice

he came out to the playground on campus and played with me and my buddies

playground ball was my turf and I was completely locking him up.. he couldn't score and couldn't get by me...... until he decided to start pulling up from 30 feet - he hit 30-foot pull-ups 3 times in a row to break the game open.

I remember Jay Edwards did the same thing to me back in Marion.. I was locking up the LEGEND (a true legend).... until he started pulling up from 30 again... :banghead:... :oldlol:... he hit like 2 or 3 in a row and relieved everyone's fear that I would get the better of the local God.

but I know how Carlos and Jay felt because I've done it to lesser guys than me .. sometimes you just know you're the better player... EASILY.... and even if the defender has your moves timed pretty well, they're likely giving it everything they got, and aren't prepared to pick you up a few feet further out.... it's certainly annoying to have it done to you... only pros have ever owned me on the court though.. never a fellow nobody...

seeing Carlos destroy Team USA changed how I looked at competition because up until that point, I always wanted the US to win.. But I found myself cheering HARD for Carlos.. I remember my roommate in college (the current Mayor of Miami) talking shit about Carlos in our dorm room, jealous as hell that he was so gifted - saying he must be juicing to have hops like that (C-lo had crazy hops)..

So it was fun seeing Carlos dominate and show the world what everyone on the FIU campus already knew - he was a baaaad man . what I always remember about Carlos and Raj is their confidence - they were 10 years ahead of most everyone confidence-wise, trolling everyone before it was a word and carrying themselves with an air of superiority.. So when they both made the league and did well, i always remembered the confidence they had before they made it.. fake it till you make it is real shit

of course, after seeing Wade get done up the same way I did, I don't feel nearly as bad about letting that one game get away against Carlos those many years ago
.

[Shooter]

i faced Carlos everyday... but not just in practice

he came out to the playground on campus and played with me and my buddies

playground ball was my turf and I was completely locking him up.. he couldn't score and couldn't get by me....... until he decided to start pulling up from 30 feet - he hit 30-foot pull-ups 3 times in a row to break the game open.

I remember Jay Edwards did the same thing to me back in Marion.. I was locking up the LEGEND (a true legend).... until he started pulling up from 30 again... :banghead:... :oldlol:... he hit like 2 or 3 in a row and relieved everyone's fear that I would get the better of the local God.

but I know how Carlos and Jay felt because I've done it to lesser guys than me .. sometimes you just know you're the better player... EASILY.... and even if the defender has your moves timed pretty well, they're likely giving it everything they got, and aren't prepared to pick you up a few feet further out.... it's certainly annoying to have it done to you... only pros have ever owned me on the court though.. never a fellow nobody...

seeing Carlos destroy Team USA changed how I looked at competition because up until that point, I always wanted the US to win.. But I found myself cheering HARD for Carlos.. I remember my roommate in college (the current Mayor of Miami) talking shit about Carlos in our dorm room, jealous as hell that he was so gifted - saying he must be juicing to have hops like that (C-lo had crazy hops)..

So it was fun seeing Carlos dominate and show the world what everyone on the FIU campus already knew - he was a baaaad man . what I always remember about Carlos and Raj is their confidence - they were 10 years ahead of most everyone confidence-wise, trolling everyone before it was a word and carrying themselves with an air of superiority.. So when they both made the league and did well, i always remembered the confidence they had before they made it.. fake it till you make it is real shit

Sorry, basketball is only about scoring points and Arroyo is a 6.6 ppg career scorer. Yikes.

#NotMyCarlos

[3ball]

Sorry, basketball is only about scoring points and Arroyo is a 6.6 ppg career scorer. Yikes.

#NotMyCarlos

pretty good for an undrafted Puerto Rican (which are very rare in the NBA)

would've had a championship in 2011 if a certain somebody didn't screw it up for everyone

was a great backup to Stockton and I believe started for a while and then started again alongside your goat

not too shabby

and did you hear his album?.. wow .... I encourage you to check it out on YouTube

[ArbitraryWater]

they didnt have Dirk that year


the top players in the NBA didn't play in the 2004 olympics. i think USA got bored of winning, and cocky... our B team can beat you.

Kidd, Kobe, Garnet, Dirk, and Shaq all out. Only Duncan.

But after getting shit on in 2004 and 2006, the true stars had to lace them up and take back the throne.

[Uncle Drew]

i faced Carlos everyday... but not just in practice

he came out to the playground on campus and played with me and my buddies

playground ball was my turf and I was completely locking him up.. he couldn't score and couldn't get by me...... until he decided to start pulling up from 30 feet - he hit 30-foot pull-ups 3 times in a row to break the game open.

I remember Jay Edwards did the same thing to me back in Marion.. I was locking up the LEGEND (a true legend).... until he started pulling up from 30 again... :banghead:... :oldlol:... he hit like 2 or 3 in a row and relieved everyone's fear that I would get the better of the local God.

but I know how Carlos and Jay felt because I've done it to lesser guys than me .. sometimes you just know you're the better player... EASILY.... and even if the defender has your moves timed pretty well, they're likely giving it everything they got, and aren't prepared to pick you up a few feet further out.... it's certainly annoying to have it done to you... only pros have ever owned me on the court though.. never a fellow nobody...

seeing Carlos destroy Team USA changed how I looked at competition because up until that point, I always wanted the US to win.. But I found myself cheering HARD for Carlos.. I remember my roommate in college (the current Mayor of Miami) talking shit about Carlos in our dorm room, jealous as hell that he was so gifted - saying he must be juicing to have hops like that (C-lo had crazy hops)..

So it was fun seeing Carlos dominate and show the world what everyone on the FIU campus already knew - he was a baaaad man . what I always remember about Carlos and Raj is their confidence - they were 10 years ahead of most everyone confidence-wise, trolling everyone before it was a word and carrying themselves with an air of superiority.. So when they both made the league and did well, i always remembered the confidence they had before they made it.. fake it till you make it is real shit

of course, after seeing Wade get done up the same way I did, I don't feel nearly as bad about letting that one game get away against Carlos those many years ago
.

Another made up story, that's nice.

[Kblaze8855]

This is one of the things I’ve often pointed to when people made a big deal of Manu beating team USA. So did Carlos. And Spanoulis. And Saranus Jasikivicbdnkdhdkbdbkabdius or whatever the Lithuanian guy who the pacers later picked up was named. Hell he only lost to team USA in 2000 by a single jumper. The 04 team also lost to Italy. In 02 they lost to Argentina, Spain, and the remnants of Yugoslavia. They came in 6th.


USA lost like 6-7 times from 02-06. All kinds of problems and bad lineups. Brown not wanting to play the young guys. People being suspended. Iverson, Lebron, and Amare all got suspended for a game for being late to a meeting. Just a bullshit era USA didn’t take seriously. The 03 team probably wins every tournament from 02-06 just off having Kidd, Tmac, and Vince who were all trying to kill people at the time and taking it seriously.