2006 FIBA World Championship

[tsupermario]

the us was doomed by their bad shooting. maybe they made a mistake in letting arenas go

[theveed]

NBA = No zones, no jump shooting (ala NBA Live, puros 3 at drives), Poor FT (maka 85% ka lang sa season considered one the the better ones ka na geez).

But I think they'll be dominant very soon. This is now a commited roster with a great college coach... It'll be up to the players to "unlearn" their NBA ways come int'l games.

They should put more Ray Allen type of shooters in.

[architect]

Ooops. Double post. See below na lang. Formatted the table for easier viewing.

[architect]

Not that I bet, but the US was a 1-3 favorite going into the FIBA championships. Greece was 10-1.

from http://sports.drf.com/nba/story.cfm/story/515484

USA Favored at FIBA

USA favored to bring back gold at FIBA World Championship

Sportsbook.com favors NBA all-star line-up despite recent international performances

London, UK (July 24, 2006) – With thoughts of USA’s stunning sixth place finish at the 2002 World Championships and disappointing bronze medal finish at the 2004 Athens Olympics still fresh in everyone’s minds, odds makers at Sportsbook.com, the largest online sportsbook and casino in the world, feel the Americans are ready for a resurgence. The USA heads to the World Basketball Championships in Japan as the 1-3 favorite.

The USA is followed by reigning Olympic champion Argentina at 11-2. Also at 11-2 are European powerhouses Spain and Serbia and Montenegro, who won the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championships as team Yugoslavia. With many teams now boasting several NBA all-stars, the competition is getting tougher and tougher. Argentina, gold medalist in Athens and runner-up in the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championships recently placed no better than third in South America. Italy, the runner-up in Athens is just a 30-1 long shot this time around, but clearly has the pedigree to perform well.

Famed NCAA Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski will lead a new crop of NBA all stars like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in an effort to bring respectability back to a team that was once considered unbeatable on the global stage.

“This is a complete departure from Larry Brown’s veteran team in 2004,” said Alex Czajkowski, Sportsbook.com. “The expectation is that Coach K will add new energy to the American squad – and with a roster like that he’s certainly got all the best young talent available to make it happen. Everybody bets and at sportsbook.com we’ll be ready when the basketball stage is set for the world.”



FIBA World Championship Odds, September 3, 2006



USA
1-3

Argentina
11-2

Spain
11-2

Serbia & Montenegro
11-2

Lithuania
7-1

Greece
10-1

France
14-1

Brazil
16-1

Field (others not listed)
20-1

Italy
30-1

Germany
30-1

Australia
80-1

Puerto Rico
80-1

Venezuela
100-1

New Zealand
150-1

Japan
150-1

China
250-1

Senegal
300-1

[tsupermario]

events after the loss could be interesting.. see how much they are committed at preparing for the olympics

[Jun aka Pekto]

I don't think it's one of the biggest upsets, USA wasn't exactly the favorites here.

They're not expected to roll over the other semi-finalists by anyone.

USA will continue to struggle as long as the NBA players don't practice shooting FT and jumpshots more often...

Drives don't work against zones hehe.

You'd think Team USA planned playing against a zone defense. At least I thought they did. Boy, was I wrong.

Well, giving credit where credit is due...... the Greeks played one heck of a game. With this loss and a pattern starting to emerge, it's time to rethink the way NBA stresses playing man to man rather than zone or they're going to isolate themselves into a corner while the rest of the world plays zone.

Oh well. I don't think this upset was as bad as the one with baseball. Someone mentioned humble pie. It's good to eat some every now and then.

Edit: Thank goodness the tourney is in Japan (with its polite audience). I can only imagine the catcalls come game time for 3rd place if this took place in Europe.

[ssaloon]

once again the americans showed no class by not congratulating the winning team at center court. only a handfull went and shook hands with the greeks.

pikon talaga mga kano tsk tsk...

[RedHorse]

kobe must be grinning

2008 beijing.... it's gonna be me.. not lebron, not wade...

[ILuvDetailing]

2008 beijing.... it's gonna be me.. not lebron, not wade...

Kobe was selected but didn't play because he had knee surgery, so lets not make this a big issue here...

NBA style basketball doesn't work in International Basketball where zones are allowed, must be a tough pill to swallow for the players and coaching staff... but the reality is Team USA isn't feared anymore.

hehe san pa tayo team usa lahat potential threat!!

Tama ka kapatid, they are extremely talented, but they are not a cohesive unit, Carmelo is forcing too much plays, Chris Paul should get more playing time, I wonder why Gilbert Arenas isn't on this team.

I wasn't able to watch the USA - Greece game, but I saw the France - Greece game, and boy they are hardnosed and confident and they have a lot of shooters. They are after all the European champs so I don't think this is a big upset.

Final Note, Quinito Henson likes to call Team USA the "Dream Team" or "Dream Team 7" to be specific... my friend a so-called "Dream Team" isn't suppose to loose, atleast not this early. The real "Dream Team" played in Barcelona more than a decade ago.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Dream Team? Hmmm. Must be a nightmare right now. If they played their heart out and still lost, it would've been ok to me. The fact that they didn't want to shake hands still showed they still have some ego issues to work out.