2024 Paris Summer Olympics - Death Squad

[ztejas 43475]

15 minutes ago, ztejas said:

"Kerr trusts Tatum to not fuck this game up."

Apparently that was wishful thinking.

I've seen enough. Put Durant in.

[Braff Zacklin 13618]

Big O from the crowd for Durant's entry!

[Pam Cummings 9645]

We love you KD.

[ztejas 43475]

Are we in the bonus? How is DWhite getting throws.

[Braff Zacklin 13618]

Surprise, surprise, Durant has had an immediate impact on both ends of the floor.

[shakahorn 1645]

Am I the only one here who didn't know Royal Ivey was the HC for South Sudan?

[Pam Cummings 9645]

2 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Surprise, surprise, Durant has had an immediate impact on both ends of the floor.

Always underrated as a defender. When he was on the Warriors his defense was noticeably awesome.

[Braff Zacklin 13618]

1 minute ago, shakahorn said:

Am I the only one here who didn't know Royal Ivey was the HC for South Sudan?

Edited July 31 by Braff Zacklin

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

This should be 50 pt minimum win

[ztejas 43475]

Tatum has been making Tatum look bad.

But - more than that - Durant has been making Tatum look bad. 

[Derka 6229]

4 minutes ago, shakahorn said:

Am I the only one here who didn't know Royal Ivey was the HC for South Sudan?

yes.

[Derka 6229]

4 minutes ago, Pam Cummings said:

Always underrated as a defender. When he was on the Warriors his defense was noticeably awesome.

always funny when people try to diminish his legacy by pointing to him joining gsw. it’s like yeah, he joined a loaded team, was their best player, their second best defender, and a two-time finals mvp (would have been three) on that stacked team. great job diminishing his legacy. 👌🏻 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Embiid benched lmao.

[ztejas 43475]

There's just no fucking way anyone beats this team. Up 19 - Durant gets a breather - LeBron and Curry check in.

[D3zii 3706]

If Terry Can't get his shit together, 

Ivey really should be a strong candidate, if he already wasn't. 

U.S.A is just better but S. Sudan doesn't look bad at all, and I'm sure he knows how to recruit. 

[Fud 9552]

S Sudan's athleticism is going to give Serbia problems

[ztejas 43475]

1. Tatum has been good on D. His goofy-ass offense will keep him on the bench in bigger games, though.

2. LeBron is dicking around too much. Pass the ball.

3. I hope Curry is saving his 3s for the medal rounds. Fuck me he can't buy one.

4. The team D is just ferocious. Total buy in and personnel mismatches all over the place. The 1 on 2 steal Ant had on the inbound was disgusting. 

5. D White is awesome. Perfect FIBA player.

3 minutes ago, Fud said:

S Sudan's athleticism is going to give Serbia problems

It might. Jokic is likely going to be a problem for them, though. Bam is chewing them up inside. 

[Fud 9552]

There's a lot of slipping on the court right now 

[Derka 6229]

AD is special defensively. i mean he always has been, but i still marvel at his defensive play making ability.

[ztejas 43475]

LeBron and Curry have been absolute dick.

Get it out of your systems, I guess.

[Newdoc 3448]

6 minutes ago, ztejas said:

LeBron and Curry have been absolute dick.

Get it out of your systems, I guess.

South Sudan scouted them well. Some of these NBA players need to figure out they’re not playing in the NBA right now.

[ztejas 43475]

Ant and KD feel like the heart of this team. 

3 minutes ago, Newdoc said:

South Sudan scouted them well. Some of these NBA players need to figure out they’re not playing in the NBA right now.

Yeah I'm not giving LeBron and Curry the "they got scouted" excuse. C'mon. One of them is hot dogging around the other one is bricking everything. 

[Braff Zacklin 13618]

4 minutes ago, Newdoc said:

South Sudan scouted them well. Some of these NBA players need to figure out they’re not playing in the NBA right now.

Sir, I think you meant to say that the Royal with Cheese scouted them well. Our man's been putting in that work!

 

In all seriousness, this South Sudan team is easy to root for. Hope they can at least earn a berth in the knockout stages as one of the better third-place finishers. And Royal deserves some serious pay and a prime coaching position after leading South Sudan for free.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

The the other 4 starters outside of lebron have 10 total points combined

[Braff Zacklin 13618]

Holy shit, Shayok almost got knocked back to Ames on that blocking call.

(That was for you, @Al_4_ISU!)

 

EDIT: And that looked like a shot to the liver from A.D. on Omot.

Edited July 31 by Braff Zacklin

[ztejas 43475]

That's a horrible offensive foul call.

Also Curry making up for not making anything by playing shitty defense. I'd take Haliburton back in. 

Edited July 31 by ztejas

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

2 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Holy shit, Shayok almost got knocked back to Ames on that blocking call.

(That was for you, @Al_4_ISU!)

It's awesome to see him succeed with this underdog group.  He was the only reason that the 2018-2019 team didn't fully implode (albeit it got close).

I think my incessant rage posting about the team he was on grinded the board's collective gears worse than anything that happened in the summer of '21.

Edited July 31 by Al_4_ISU

[Fud 9552]

KD, always there to bail the national team out when they need it 

[ztejas 43475]

Curry is getting abused by this guy. Kerr needs to sack up and sit his ass.

[Fud 9552]

1 minute ago, ztejas said:

Curry is getting abused by this guy. Kerr needs to sack up and sit his ass.

Curry needs to be excellent on offense to justify being on the court due to his defense. He's the opposite of that today

[Braff Zacklin 13618]

What a fucking give-and-go between KD and AD. That was nice.

[Fud 9552]

Bam is an underrated difference maker for this team

[Braff Zacklin 13618]

Get the fuck off the court, Steph.

[ztejas 43475]

Just now, Braff Zacklin said:

Get the fuck off the court, Steph.

Seriously. This shit isn't going to fly in the QF. Dude needs to check his pride at the door next game. Kerr could also take some fucking accountability and bench him.

[Braff Zacklin 13618]

Got dam, LeBron moves well for 39. Dude is a freak of nature.

[Fud 9552]

Haliburton really has no shot at guarding quick guards. He's bbq chicken 

[ztejas 43475]

Overall not a bad game. Curry needs to get his shit together. LeBron was sloppy in the 1H but I'm not worried about him. Still waiting for Tatum to do fucking anything positive with the ball in his hands. I thought Booker was really good.

I want to see more Ant minutes. Kid is the future. Also not sure how well the LeBron/KD/Curry lineup works. Feels like too many cooks. 

[d2o 1602]

1 hour ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Embiid benched lmao.

While I would love for that to be permanent, its clear that every gm someone will sit which is actually a good approach.   Probably should be 2 a gm like in the first one.   In a 40 min gm, trying to make sure 12 guys get decent mins is pretty much impossible.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Overall not a bad game. Curry needs to get his shit together. LeBron was sloppy in the 1H but I'm not worried about him. Still waiting for Tatum to do fucking anything positive with the ball in his hands. I thought Booker was really good.
I want to see more Ant minutes. Kid is the future. Also not sure how well the LeBron/KD/Curry lineup works. Feels like too many cooks. 

Kinda cool seeing ant at 22 getting as much shots as legends KD, curry and lebron.

I think so far the best closing line up will be

White or Holiday
Ant
KD
Lebron
Bam

Bam and Brow can be interchangeable. Southern Sudan wasn’t tall so bam had a field day

By far the US bench has outperformed their starters.

[ztejas 43475]

46 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

I think so far the best closing line up will be

White or Holiday
Ant
KD
Lebron
Bam

Bam and Brow can be interchangeable. Southern Sudan wasn’t tall so bam had a field day

I agree. But I don't think Kerr is going to bench his Golden Boy. 

We may need Curry down the road - just doesn't feel like this team actually will need him so far. Hopefully he turns it around. 

[Fud 9552]

Curry will go nuclear in one of these games, although you don’t really need that on this team and would prefer for him to be consistently solid 

[Braff Zacklin 13618]

15 hours ago, Fud said:

Curry will go nuclear in one of these games, although you don’t really need that on this team and would prefer for him to be consistently solid 

Agreed on both counts.

Pulled the numbers and it looks like through seven games (five warm-ups and two pool play matches), Steph is 26-of-66 (39.4%) from the floor and 17-of-50 (34.0%) from deep. Dunno if it's merely a mini-funk or if the closer arc is fucking with him.

Regardless, he needs to not be a turnstile on defense. His nickname after the South Sudan game should be Eggs cuz he got cooked time and time again.

Steph hasn't contributed to international ball since 2014, and, at the age of 36, this is his first-ever participation in the Olympics, so hopefully he's here with serious, professional intent and not just medal chasing.

[Fud 9552]

Just now, Braff Zacklin said:

Agreed on both counts.

Pulled the numbers and it looks like through seven games (five warm-ups and two pool play matches), Steph is 26-of-66 (39.4%) from the floor and 17-of-50 (34.0%) from deep. Dunno if it's merely a mini-funk or if the closer arc is fucking with him.

Regardless, he needs to not be a turnstile on defense. His nickname after the South Sudan game should be Eggs cuz he got cooked time and time again.

Steph hasn't contributed to international ball since 2014, and, at the age of 36, this is his first-ever participation in the Olympics, so hopefully he's here with serious, professional intent and not just medal chasing.

I think he's probably just pressing and hasn't find his groove yet 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Good point on the arc. What are lay ups for KD and Melo turns out to be a little bit of a menace to the greatest shooter to ever play

[ztejas 43475]

34 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Good point on the arc. What are lay ups for KD and Melo turns out to be a little bit of a menace to the greatest shooter to ever play

Durant is the greatest three-level scorer to ever play the game and it's him, a drop off of a thousand foot cliff, then whoever is 2nd. There isn't any spot on the floor that he isn't elite as a scorer within the context of NBA history. There isn't any format of basketball anywhere with any court, any basket, any ruleset, any players past or present that Durant doesn't instantly fit in as one of the greatest players of all time. He's as pure of a hooper as we've ever seen. I'm not sure anyone in NBA history remotely as good as him loves or loved basketball as much as he does. It's why he's so good in FIBA.

Curry is much more of a Harden-type 3s and layups and floaters scorer. He's an NBA system min/maxed shooting and handling phenomenon that has won about as much as anyone since MJ. It's entirely possible he doesn't have the 22 footer in his bag because he's never needed it and has always been a ruthlessly efficient player. 

It's also possible he's in his head and/or pressing or nervous playing next to his two greatest contemporaries who so far appear to be displaying that they are superior all-around talents (despite Durant obviously not having as fortunate of an NBA career).

It's why I made the comment that I don't love the lineups with KD, Bron and Curry all out there. I feel like it turns into a subconscious dick-measuring contest and with Curry - his dick doesn't measure very well unless he's hitting 3s. 

Fortunately, I think we're still just too fucking talented and experienced to beat. But - if we lose - it will be because we get tight and let the egos out of the bag. I'm not totally discounting that. We saw a mini version of it against South Sudan.

[HookEm 2467]

Regarding the 2028 team, we are going to have to see a complete changing of the guard.  Only two players on the current team will be under 30 when the next Olympics roll around. 

Durant will be LeBron's current age in the next Olympics. Would be great to see him still out there, but I'm not counting on it.  Here is my guess, but who knows what will happen over four years.

• Starters
  • PG - Jalen Brunson - 31 - He is a dawg and can score and distribute. Will be late prime.
  • SG - Anthony Edwards - 26 - Will be an absolute beast by then
  • SF - Jason Tatum - 30 - Meh, but probably the best bet.
  • PF - Paolo Banchero - 25 - I assume he will be all-NBA by then
  • C - Chet Holmgren - 25 - If he stays healthy he will likely be the starter
• Bench
  • PG - Haliburton - 28
  • SG - Devin Booker - 31
  • SF - Brandon Miller - 25 - I think he has the most upside of the young SF options
  • PF - Bam Adabayo - 31
  • C - Jarrett Allen - 30 - He is still improving. I would rather have him on the team than Embiid right now.
• Others
  • Ja Morant - 28 - He was 2nd Team All-NBA as a 22 yr old. If he gets his head on strait he could make the team
  • LaMello Ball - 26 - He is still very young and definitely has the talent to make the team four years from now
  • Zion Williamson - 27 - Dude is going to have to lose some weight and stay healthy. Could be a fun add if so.
  • Evan Mobley - 26 - Already all-defense at 22 and still improving
  • Tyrese Maxey - 27 - Already an all-star (6'2)
  • Scottie Barnes - 26
  • Jalen Williams - 27
  • Desmond Bane - 29
• Too Old
  • Derrick White - 34
  • Joel Embiid - 34
  • Anthony Davis - 35
  • Jrue Holiday - 39
  • Kevin Durant - 39
  • Steph Curry - 40
  • LeBron - 43

 

[ztejas 43475]

4 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Regarding the 2028 team, we are going to have to see a complete changing of the guard.  Only two players on the current team will be under 30 when the next Olympics roll around. 

Durant will be LeBron's current age in the next Olympics. Would be great to see him still out there, but I'm not counting on it.  Here is my guess, but who knows what will happen over four years.

• Starters
  • PG - Jalen Brunson - 31 - He is a dawg and can score and distribute. Will be late prime.
  • SG - Anthony Edwards - 26 - Will be an absolute beast by then
  • SF - Jason Tatum - 30 - Meh, but probably the best bet.
  • PF - Paolo Banchero - 25 - I assume he will be all-NBA by then
  • C - Chet Holmgren - 25 - If he stays healthy he will likely be the starter
• Bench
  • PG - Haliburton - 28
  • SG - Devin Booker - 31
  • SF - Brandon Miller - 25 - I think he has the most upside of the young SF options
  • PF - Bam Adabayo - 31
  • C - Jarrett Allen - 30 - He is still improving. I would rather have him on the team than Embiid right now.
• Others
  • Ja Morant - 28 - He was 2nd Team All-NBA as a 22 yr old. If he gets his head on strait he could make the team
  • LaMello Ball - 26 - He is still very young and definitely has the talent to make the team four years from now
  • Zion Williamson - 27 - Dude is going to have to lose some weight and stay healthy. Could be a fun add if so.
  • Evan Mobley - 26 - Already all-defense at 22 and still improving
  • Tyrese Maxey - 27 - Already an all-star (6'2)
  • Scottie Barnes - 26
  • Jalen Williams - 27
  • Desmond Bane - 29
• Too Old
  • Derrick White - 34
  • Joel Embiid - 34
  • Anthony Davis - 35
  • Jrue Holiday - 39
  • Kevin Durant - 39
  • Steph Curry - 40
  • LeBron - 43

 

I wouldn't put it past KD to go for 5 at 39. He already said recently he's going to do it until the wheels fall off.

Also there's this guy named Cooper Flagg.

[Wulaw Horn 19096]

KD is the greatest player in the history of Fiba/the Olympics right?  Like probably not particularly close?  
If hes still alive and upright he needs to play in 28 back on home soil. It would be an injustice to what he’s meant to team USA if he wasn’t on that squad. 

[HookEm 2467]

Agree. And Durant's game should continue to age like fine wine.   That lets me kick Tatum to the bench. And I'll add Cooper Flagg and jetison Jarrett Allen. 

I don't see anybody beating this team. 

Starters

• PG - Jalen Brunson - 31
• SG - Anthony Edwards - 26
• SF - Kevin Durant - 39 
• PF - Paolo Banchero - 25
• C - Chet Holmgren - 25

Bench

• PG - Haliburton - 28
• SG - Devin Booker - 31
• SF - Jason Tatum - 30 
• PF - Cooper Flagg - 21
• C - Bam Adabayo - 31

[ztejas 43475]

15 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

KD is the greatest player in the history of Fiba/the Olympics right?  Like probably not particularly close?  

If he wins a 4th skrait gold then yes, it won't be close. He already set the USAB scoring record. And through 2 games he's leading us in scoring again.