International teams play a better brand of basketball than USA

[QUOTE=plowking]Whatever man.

It's exactly people like you that keep these racial boundaries going far into the future by spreading such talk to younger generations.

If it's not a race issue, don't mention race. You were the first to do so, and you constantly do this in damn near every thread. "It's not racist, but it's a fact" bullshit that you pull is tired and played out. Get the notion out of your head.
Some people honestly couldn't give a rats ass about a persons color where as you seem to always find reason to investigate.[/QUOTE]
You are so close minded it's sort of pitiful.

My point actually expressed that you can not like brazen, gifted, and spoiled black athletes and not be racist.

Why your feelings are all hurt over my font is a different story.

I point out something that's my truth, my opinion without being hurtful or malicious and it's an issue with you.

Tell me how, specifically, I turned things racial or made comment that is false and I will sincerely apologize.


If not, wipe your vulva and man up.

My opinion doesn't have to hurt your feelings all the time.

[QUOTE=Yung D-Will]He's Al Sharpton version2.[/QUOTE]
Weak.

Plus I go to more Jazz games than you and know your idol.

D. Rose> D. Will in 2010, 2011

Now burn.

[QUOTE=Go Getter]No I do not.

I'm sick of all this USA bashing.

The US won the game and all everyone can do is point to the US's faults....what about Lithuania's faults? Why haven't they been mentioned?

The only players on Team USA with extensive FIBA experience are who? Billups and Odom?

The rest of the players are adjusting to a new form of ball after being told to do things a certain way for their short careers....it takes some adjusting to.

Americans have skills, we know how to pass and set screens and move without the ball, and we are the best basketball nation in the world.

The thing is in my mind is that some people don't like watching young, talented, and brazen young black men play ball.

Cool.

But don't act like team USA is more athletic because of natural ability and we have no skill.

Other teams would be more athletic if they spent more time in the weight room....some of these guys are dedicated and hard working...they weren't born ripped.

We run and play good defense so we don't have to implement as much offense because we probably have to worst cohesiveness in the tournament....again, not the player's fault.[/QUOTE]

Not everything is about race, chill out. Have you even seen any of the international games? Their better fundamentals are undeniable, ESPN/ABC/TNT/NBATV coverage pretty much agrees on the same thing.

[QUOTE=Go Getter]

My point actually expressed that you can not like brazen, gifted, and spoiled black athletes and not be racist.

[/QUOTE]

Once again, what has it got to do with black or white in the first place? The fact that you brought up race at all is my point. You love looking at everything in black and white.

Your opinions don't hurt my feelings, its just the fact you make everything about race (it doesn't have to be racist) and you look stupid because of it.

[QUOTE=Go Getter]Weak.

Plus I go to more Jazz games than you and know your idol.

D. Rose> D. Will in 2010, 2011

Now burn.[/QUOTE]

And exactly what does that have to do with you being a closed minded racist?

And lol at D-Rose being better then D-Will. Maybe once D-Rose gets better then Rondo we can talk

[QUOTE=Go Getter]You are so close minded it's sort of pitiful.

My point actually expressed that you can not like brazen, gifted, and spoiled black athletes and not be racist.

Why your feelings are all hurt over my font is a different story.

I point out something that's my truth, my opinion without being hurtful or malicious and it's an issue with you.

Tell me how, specifically, I turned things racial or made comment that is false and I will sincerely apologize.


If not, wipe your vulva and man up.

My opinion doesn't have to hurt your feelings all the time.[/QUOTE]

lol it's obvious your the one that's butthurt. His argument was based on fact and passive. Your post seems to be a lot more aggressive and reeks of lol u mad.

[QUOTE=olddangerfield]Not everything is about race, chill out. Have you even seen any of the international games? Their better fundamentals are undeniable, ESPN/ABC/TNT/NBATV coverage pretty much agrees on the same thing.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. So if someone likes fundamental ball better than the way the brothers play ball that's their right which was my original point.

[QUOTE=Yung D-Will]And exactly what does that have to do with you being a closed minded racist?

And lol at D-Rose being better then D-Will. Maybe once D-Rose gets better then Rondo we can talk[/QUOTE]

A racist would have to take part in racist actions or speech and you have yet to point that occurance out.

I treat everyone I meet with respect, I work for a Mormon owned business.

I have no problem pointing out differences between races and the facts as I see them.

One fact being that some people don't like the brothers style of
play and and some don't equate any measure of black men's athleticism to hard work and training.

Also, ball handling and finishing at the rim are skills.

If you want me to turn this racial I can spin it that way but your panties might twist.

The whole USA isn't skilled, we play an inferior brand of ball, "ooooh look how they suck" is vulturistic bullshit.

international teams do NOT play better brand of ball. they play like this bc when they play team usa its the only way they can stay close by slowing the game down and running 26 screens and pick an rolls per possession. france and lithuania have not had a guard who can handle the ball and team usa has taken advantage of tht and made them pay. the US team has not peaked yet in the tourny they will be ok. idk maybe its just me but i have yet to be "worried" bout any of these teams. but they will have to play better tonight when they play spain bc they hav much more firepower.

international teams do NOT play better brand of ball. they play like this bc when they play team usa its the only way they can stay close by slowing the game down and running 26 screens and pick an rolls per possession. france and lithuania have not had a guard who can handle the ball and team usa has taken advantage of tht and made them pay. the US team has not peaked yet in the tourny they will be ok. idk maybe its just me but i have yet to be "worried" bout any of these teams. but they will have to play better tonight when they play spain bc they hav much more firepower.

[QUOTE=Go Getter]Exactly.

People underestimate the difficulty of adjusting to FIBA and a new group of teammates.

Notice how the Liths crisp passing and cutting got them beat by a team that is not near our best.[/QUOTE]

you think this is a traditionally good Lithuanian team?

My god, the level of iliteracy , political-correctness and stupidity in this forum is off the charts. How can you possibly deny the genetical difference between races??? COME ON GUYS! are you dumb or what?? so basically white american players dont like basketball and thats why they are mostly black , right? so basically blacks dont like swimming and thats why ALL the swimmers are white, right ? so blacks dont like ciclying and thats why all the cyclists are white.... GENS is the difference-maker. each race has different characteristics and the strength , size and athleticism is something natural in blacks. Arguing this is beyond stupid. its like saying the earth is squared.


what is just funny is that when it comes to discuss obvious and blatant facts related to races and genders some people freak out and dont even think about whats been discussed. the point of Zenmaster is more than appropriate and the idea has been clearly laid out. so based on this, "gens equality" that some of you preach, asians and norther europeans are the same height and strength, right? ofcourse, there are always exceptions (like Yao) but the general rule is objectively undeniable

Then why do white football players have no problems getting big? Or MMA fighters? or WWE wrestlers? professional bodybuilders? Seems like the whole "genetics" argument is easy to overcome if you wanted to with obvious exception of height which was stupid of you to even include for that reason.

How could you be comparing height though to body composition and athleticism? There's generally not much you can do about your height, but you can easily change your physique and athleticism.

as for the core matter of the thread, europeans have better fumdamentals, yes. its a question of culture, too. in USA the individualism is hailed to madness and that sinks in the players too. its the media , fans and everybody else discussing who is better than who, whos has the better career, who has the better legacy..etc... all that has an impact in the players and the sport culture, too.

In europe those arguments dont exist. its all about teams. and that idea is reflected in coaches and teams just the same. the player who becomes a ball hog is sitted on the bench and the media will hang him to dry.

Also, its the fact that when you are an athletic freak you may become lazy and not willing to learn fundamentals. Example: dwight. hes a huge monster and all his play is based on his athleticism. he is successful by being like that so theres no need for further effort. As europeans are not half as strong as black americans are they have to base their game in other aspects in order to survive. its that simple

The inferior fundamentally Team USA also shot better from the field, and from 3, and had more assists. Hell, Lithuania couldn't even get the ball upcourt against token full court pressure. Isn't dribbling a fundamental? How about breaking a press, which just breaks down to spacing and passing?

It's all subjective. You could say they pass a lot to score every time so that means they're better fundamentals, someone else could say they do that because they lack the ball handling, speed, and individual create their own offense.

They've sent send over all countless 6'10+ dudes who can shoot long jumpshots all the way out to the 3 even, but can't figure out how to score on somebody 6 inches shorter than them in the post, nor make a play defensively in the paint area so is that really better fundamentally?

And then at the same time, they're losing at "their own" game anyways, so somehow the USA has the best balance of whatever it takes to win basketball games.

FIBA ball is just better team basketball. Obviously NBA players are superior to the foreign ones. But the FIBA guys have talent and mix it together perfectly with their fundamentals, attitudes, and they just know what their specific role is and never try to step outside the lines. It's hard-nosed, physical, and more entertaining. I mean how could you not love watching all their savvy passes, guts, and teamwork that the NBA hasn't seen in a few years?

Personally I couldn't care less about what medal it is, as long as I see some good games, and the USA team plays their hardest.

[QUOTE=50inchvertical]The inferior fundamentally Team USA also shot better from the field, and from 3, and had more assists. Hell, Lithuania couldn't even get the ball upcourt against token full court pressure. Isn't dribbling a fundamental? How about breaking a press, which just breaks down to spacing and passing?

It's all subjective. You could say they pass a lot to score every time so that means they're better fundamentals, someone else could say they do that because they lack the ball handling, speed, and individual create their own offense.

They've sent send over all countless 6'10+ dudes who can shoot long jumpshots all the way out to the 3 even, but can't figure out how to score on somebody 6 inches shorter than them in the post, nor make a play defensively in the paint area so is that really better fundamentally?

And then at the same time, they're losing at "their own" game anyways, so somehow the USA has the best balance of whatever it takes to win basketball games.[/QUOTE]


Its quite a simple answer.Lithuania back-up PG is super bad thats is why we made so much mistakes during full court press and thats why he got kicked out of the team.The second thing you probobly didnt noticed that when LTU was wining they sudenlly changed almost whole players on the court - thats will not happen during real matches in WC.

BTW congratz on 1000 comment.

[QUOTE=50inchvertical]Then why do white football players have no problems getting big? Or MMA fighters? or WWE wrestlers? professional bodybuilders? Seems like the whole "genetics" argument is easy to overcome if you wanted to with obvious exception of height which was stupid of you to even include for that reason.

How could you be comparing height though to body composition and athleticism? There's generally not much you can do about your height, but you can easily change your physique and athleticism.[/QUOTE]

It's not only about getting big, it's about getting big while remaining mobile, explosive, fast and athletic.

Look it's not rocket science to figure out. The evidence is right in front of you.

Why are most of the players in the NBA black?
Why are the most explosive players in the NBA predominantly black?
Why are most of the NFL wide receivers and running backs black?
Why are the good combi quarterbacks who can both pass and run black, while the regular quarterbacks who are best only throwing the ball white?
Why are the fastest guys in baseball mostly black?
Why is there only 1 white guy in the world right now who can run 100meters in less than 10 seconds, while there's a handful of black guys who can do it?

In the last few years there has been one guy who's very athletic that have gone from Europe to the NBA, Serge Ibaka, where does he originally come from? Africa...

Last year my team faced a select team form the southern region of England, they where all pretty athletic, strong and fast. But who was the biggest and most athletic of them all, their 1 black guy...

If both races where equal in athletic ability you'd basically have a majority of white US players because there's a majority of white people in the US, so the talent pool of white players good enough for the NBA would be way bigger.

But that's not the way it is, no the way it is is that the best white players in the NBA comes from Europe, and that's because we have a better system to develop players in so the white guys can become skilled enough to compete with the more athletic dominant black players.

[QUOTE=PurpleChuck]I feel the same way too. Although I seen on some occasion the Lithuanian [B]tries too hard to force a pass and lead to a turnover.[/B]

Anyway, the NBA has evolved into a league which puts more emphasis and spotlight on individual capabilities and performance. That's why our players aren't trained or rather, can't be trained to play like other international teams.

Team > Player[/QUOTE]

It's called Eitutavicius or Lukauskis, both got kicked out of team after game vs USA, they've been tested much in the game and failed.

Nobody said both races were equal, hell no 2 people are genetically equal; it's just not this outright thing that if you're black you're athletic automatically and if you aren't, then you aren't and nothing can be done about it.

If you can't jump high but want to, get in the weight room as well as on some plyos and you will jump high.

And yes black people do overwhelmingly pick up basketball and football more than other sports, especially the other ones you listed. Basketball is pretty much the sport of choice. Like you mention cycling and how I guess you think white people are genetically predisposed to being better at it, how many schools have a cycling program compared to schools with a basketball team?

Ask Chase Buddinger. He was born with the, what you consider to be a handicap in sports, of being white yet he wanted to be a great volleyball/basketball player and turned himself into just that. Ditto Joe Alexander.

Google Alex Maroko. He makes his millions training people who never think they can be athletic, to be athletic. Kelly Baggett is another guy to look at. Both are white as well.

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_csSUFF_4U[/url]

I got a video of Alex hitting his head on the rim somewhere, I think it's in my email. I'll find it. He's 5'10 btw

Getting over the mental handicap is the first hurdle.

If you can't do something, you just aren't and haven't been working hard enough at it.

edit: and find videos of Javtokas before the car accident. He was every bit as athletic as Ibaka.

[QUOTE=50inchvertical]Nobody said both races were equal, hell no 2 people are genetically equal; it's just not this outright thing that if you're black you're athletic automatically and if you aren't, then you aren't and nothing can be done about it.

If you can't jump high but want to, get in the weight room as well as on some plyos and you will jump high.

And yes black people do overwhelmingly pick up basketball and football more than other sports, especially the other ones you listed. Basketball is pretty much the sport of choice. Like you mention cycling and how I guess you think white people are genetically predisposed to being better at it, how many schools have a cycling program compared to schools with a basketball team?

Ask Chase Buddinger. He was born with the, what you consider to be a handicap in sports, of being white yet he wanted to be a great volleyball/basketball player and turned himself into just that. Ditto Joe Alexander.

Google Alex Maroko. He makes his millions training people who never think they can be athletic, to be athletic. Kelly Baggett is another guy to look at. Both are white as well.

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_csSUFF_4U[/url]

I got a video of Alex hitting his head on the rim somewhere, I think it's in my email. I'll find it. He's 5'10 btw

Getting over the mental handicap is the first hurdle.

If you can't do something, you just aren't and haven't been working hard enough at it.

edit: and find videos of Javtokas before the car accident. He was every bit as athletic as Ibaka.[/QUOTE]

Well, i partially agree. But still most black people are more athletic than white while part of whites are more athletic than blacks with same amount of workout. It's genitical, whites can be more athletic than balcks, but it's more often opposite. For example could u say that some random skiny dude could get more athletical than LeBron if he did atleast bit more workout than Lebron did ? I'd say no.

I don't need videos of Javtokas, i've seen him Live so many times including record 12ft Dunk :banana:

[QUOTE=50inchvertical]Nobody said both races were equal, hell no 2 people are genetically equal; it's just not this outright thing that if you're black you're athletic automatically and if you aren't, then you aren't and nothing can be done about it.

If you can't jump high but want to, get in the weight room as well as on some plyos and you will jump high.

And yes black people do overwhelmingly pick up basketball and football more than other sports, especially the other ones you listed. Basketball is pretty much the sport of choice. Like you mention cycling and how I guess you think white people are genetically predisposed to being better at it, how many schools have a cycling program compared to schools with a basketball team?

Ask Chase Buddinger. He was born with the, what you consider to be a handicap in sports, of being white yet he wanted to be a great volleyball/basketball player and turned himself into just that. Ditto Joe Alexander.

Google Alex Maroko. He makes his millions training people who never think they can be athletic, to be athletic. Kelly Baggett is another guy to look at. Both are white as well.

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_csSUFF_4U[/url]

I got a video of Alex hitting his head on the rim somewhere, I think it's in my email. I'll find it. He's 5'10 btw

Getting over the mental handicap is the first hurdle.

If you can't do something, you just aren't and haven't been working hard enough at it.

edit: and find videos of Javtokas before the car accident. He was every bit as athletic as Ibaka.[/QUOTE]


Your arguments are bad because you only mention specific players. Like Chase Buddinger.

Of course there are always exceptions. But this argument is in the dominant figures of the numbers. Like the NBA and the NFL has to be around like 85% black.

You could also find a stiff black guy and it still wouldn't fit your argument because there will always be exceptions and I'm still talking about the majority.

Majority of the NBA is black, majority of the NFL is black and these are sports where explosiveness is dominant. Same thing with short distance running, the majority of winners in these runs are also black.

And I'm not saying that you can't train yourself up to be a better athlete and become more athletic. Of course you can, but I couldn't have trained myself up to having NBA level athleticism, I promise you no matter how hard I would have trained it wouldn't have been possible.

Also it's not just about the choice of sports, in the NCAA there are plenty of white players on D1 level, yet most of these guys don't get drafted even though they've still had all the same possibilities of their black counterparts.
Again you'll probably go and mention the exception, but fact is the majority of successful D1 players are black, just like in the NBA.

You try to mention cycling as an example that it's because of the choice of sports.
Well cycling in the US is simply not big, that has a lot to do with the culture, just like with soccer.
Yet in athletics the majority of the best contestants are black, and I'm pretty sure almost every HS and college in mid-west has an athletic program where most of the guys are white.

Once again, the evidence is literally right there in front of you.

I'd like someone from the guys who's neg repped me to come up with a decent explanation to why blacks dominate sports where explosiveness is key.

I can't believe people are this blind to the reality of the difference in body genetics between blacks and whites.

It's not a bad thing, whites are dominant in other sports. But just because we're on a basketball board talking basketball doesn't mean that talking body genetics is racist.

I just want to know why there isn't even a single dominant(all star) white player in the NBA [B]who's dominance mainly comes from his athleticism[/B]?

USA played much better team ball today against Spain. Was good to see.

A lot of people are saying "sure the US players are taking contested jumpers off one on one moves.. but they're still hitting those shots and still winning, so it's okay."

However, my whole point was that if they were matched against competition with similar athleticism, they'd lose.

Like, I could play my 10 year old cousin in basketball and win by taking bad shots all day. But if I try the same against someone my age/my size I'll lose. Just because I win doesn't mean I'm playing a good style.

And as someone pointed out, it really does break down to the emphasis on individualism in our culture. Great point.

Anyone else noticing how short the commercials have been? There's like 3 commercials per time-out and that's it. No TV timeouts. Man, I like watching FIBA 10x more than watching the NBA.

Less commercials...
No superstar calls..
More physical defense..
Traveling is actually enforced..

Can't wait for Wednesdays game against Greece!

Most real basketball fans only watch FIBA, NCAA and Euroleague. Hardly any serious basketball fans even care about the NBA anymore.
Myself, I've gotten to the point where I can almost only watch the Finals, because everything else in the NBA is such crap.

Even then sometimes the Finals are mediocre basketball. But the last one was great though.

[QUOTE=Go Getter]If you look at a lot of international players it doesn't look as if they put much work in their physiques. Even when they get to the league they aren't as strong as they need to be.

My point was that all of it [physicality] isn't due to your race/color it's due to hard work.

My belief is that more foreigners would be able to play "NBA brand ball" if they hit the weights more.[/QUOTE]

In case you didn't know.........training methods in Europe are far more advanced than the ones in the NBA, including diets. Soccer clubs have invested insane money on this and they have the most advanced training and diets in pro clubs in Europe.

You can brag all you want to about the NBA and its training methods, but most NBA players break down and become useless past age 30. Or maybe that never occurred to you?

[QUOTE=DuMa]USA may not play together like a complete team like some FIBA contenders like Spain or Argentina but they are for sure contenders. USA doesnt have team chemistry like those teams but they will make up for it by effort, speed and defense.

USA has been a completely different brand of basketball for several years now apart from the contenders of FIBA/Olympic tournaments. And a new team for USA is just not going to magically form into a FIBA team after a month of playing together. Why do we still criticize them using this old ass 4-5 year old logic? i do not know. It may be an inferior 'brand' but its still an effective 'brand'. Who cares how good a team looks by crisp passing and chemistry, if you can get fcuking shit done. Outside of 04 and 06 when they didnt get gold and got bronze instead, USA has been successful everytime in FIBA play. USA is just going to try to win everytime playing their style. its the only style they know how to play.[/QUOTE]

They lost in 2002 also.

[QUOTE=ZenMaster]It's ignorant not to believe it has a great deal to do with body genetics. There's plenty of weightlifting done on European basketball teams.

What about all the great white players from the US, where are they?
Doesn't white Americans lift weights as much as the black ones? Don't they put as much overall work in as the black guys?
Are the white players in the US not as good as the black ones? Why is that?
Is it because of the great inner city basketball programs that the US consists mostly of black players?
Why are the best white players in the NBA from Europe?
Where are your white American 7-footers who's got skill like Nowitzki and Pau? Surely there must be some big white players who have talent and have the time to hit the weight rooms as much as the black American players? Or doesn't the American youth development system work for white players? If so, why not?[/QUOTE]

Because you moron...........in the US every white kid is told "you cannot play basketball, it is only a black man's game".

Every black kid in the US is told, "you can play basketball, it's your game, and all white guys suck at basketball".

[QUOTE=plowking]Once again, what has it got to do with black or white in the first place? The fact that you brought up race at all is my point. You love looking at everything in black and white.

Your opinions don't hurt my feelings, its just the fact you make everything about race (it doesn't have to be racist) and you look stupid because of it.[/QUOTE]

Props. This discussion is so stupid and circular. There are a few people on this board who automatically jump on race anytime they can, and i applaud someone calling them out because of it. And those of you who do, and get called on it, have you ever thought that possibly you might be in the wrong for doing it, and that's why you are being called out? Or is that sort of thinking beyond everyone?

[QUOTE=Go Getter]I'm not here to argue the topic you seem to want to discuss.

My point is that Euro players don't lift as much as American ones....if they do I don't see the results on the court.[/QUOTE]

Euroleague teams lift weights. What they don't do is take steroids. I think you are confusing the too.

[QUOTE=Lakas Fan Yo]Most real basketball fans only watch FIBA, NCAA and Euroleague.[B] Hardly any serious basketball fans even care about the NBA anymore.[/B]
Myself, I've gotten to the point where I can almost only watch the Finals, because everything else in the NBA is such crap.

Even then sometimes the Finals are mediocre basketball. But the last one was great though.[/QUOTE]

I guess the players you look up to in the euroleauge count as non serious basketball fans.

[QUOTE=Go Getter]They do [from my knowledge].

Athleticism is more than just running and jumping though.

Most euro players that come over here are weak by NBA standards and that can be simply solved with a good weight training program.

I'm not saying the players in question will run like Wall and jump like prime VC but the gap in athleticism would shrink.[/QUOTE]

Seriously...........WTF is wrong with you?

[QUOTE=ZenMaster]If they do, where are all the great white US players? In the US they're going through the same training as black US players, so why are the best players in the US black? Why is there a gap in the overall athleticism between white and black US players when they are in the same system with the same training and en equal opportunity to lift weights?[/QUOTE]

Your racism is a bit much.....even for this forum.

[QUOTE=Lakas Fan Yo]Because you moron...........in the US every white kid is told "you cannot play basketball, it is only a black man's game".

Every black kid in the US is told, "you can play basketball, it's your game, and all white guys suck at basketball".[/QUOTE]

lol what? "Every kid gets told", how do you even come up with this stuff...?

[QUOTE=brantonli]But how about the European players who come to the NBA? Granted there's Manu who surprises everybody with a jam now and then, but then guys like Nowitzki, Nash (if he can be counted), Scola, Peja. I have never noticed those guys developing athletically.[/QUOTE]

Are you actually saying that those are athletic players by Euroleague standards? Other than Manu, every guy you mention is well below average athletic level in the Euroleague.

[QUOTE=Yung D-Will]The new rules were the worst thing to happen to the Nba[/QUOTE]

I will say this.

Stern was the worst thing to ever happen to the NBA. Stern's new rules were the second worst thing to ever happen to it.

[QUOTE=plowking]Do you seriously make everything a black and white thing?[/QUOTE]

The board is full of racists, unfortunately.

[QUOTE=niko]The difference between us and the other teams in the tournament is two
1) The international game is different, and emphasizes shooting and spreading the floor. It's been a long time since american basketball emphasized shooting. That hurts. We don't play that style. If we were having an NBA rules tournament we'd cruise.
[b]2) We throw together our team on a whim. These European teams have guys who have come up playing together on national teams for years upon years. if you don't think that's a big deal you clearly never played any ball that was even remotely semi-competitive.[/b]

That's all.[/QUOTE]

This is pretty much a myth and yet you keep stating it over and over. Nice job.

[QUOTE=Go Getter]Exactly. So if someone likes fundamental ball better than the way the brothers play ball that's their right which was my original point.[/QUOTE]


You are a freaking moron.

[QUOTE=mayo'sgrizz]international teams do NOT play better brand of ball. they play like this bc when they play team usa its the only way they can stay close by slowing the game down and running 26 screens and pick an rolls per possession. france and lithuania have not had a guard who can handle the ball and team usa has taken advantage of tht and made them pay. the US team has not peaked yet in the tourny they will be ok. idk maybe its just me but i have yet to be "worried" bout any of these teams. but they will have to play better tonight when they play spain bc they hav much more firepower.[/QUOTE]

Hey genius.....France and Lithuania played the games without a point guard. Do you understand that? No point guards on either team.