Team USA is still be the favorite to capture the gold medal in Tokyo, but there are plenty of questions after Saturday’s 90-87 loss to Nigeria in exhibition play, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Coached by Mike Brown and sporting seven current NBA players on its roster, Nigeria led throughout the fourth quarter and held off American rallies with a combination of physical defense and three-point shooting, hitting 20 of 42 from beyond the arc.
“That’s a talented group of players. It’s not a bunch of people off the street playing basketball,” U.S. coach Gregg Popovich said. “Every year, teams are better and better, and every year, one or two or three more NBA players are on their teams, so they’re a quality team. Mike’s done a great job with them, and they’re as athletic as anybody. They’re very physical, and they’ve been practicing for three weeks.”
Team USA is loaded with All-Stars, but just began practicing together this week in Las Vegas. A lack of continuity could be a concern, as it was with the last major international tournament, the 2019 FIBA World Cup, where the Americans lost to France and Serbia and wound up finishing seventh.
“None of us have ever played with each other, we’re just trying to figure it out,” Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said. “We don’t have three to four weeks. This is good for us, we’ll learn a lot from the film and we’ll regroup.”
There’s more Olympics-related news this morning:
- Brown recognizes the significance of Saturday’s win, which was the first ever for an African team against the United States, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The Nigerians, who are aiming for the first Olympic basketball medal in African history, lost to the Americans by 83 points in the 2012 Olympics and by 44 in a 2016 exhibition game. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t mean much in the standings as far as where we’re trying to get to,” Brown said. “But it’s a good win for us. I don’t think any African team has been able to beat USA Basketball in an exhibition game or a real game. … We’re trying to get a little bit of momentum for Nigeria and for the continent of Africa.”
- NBA interest has “spiked” in Nigeria’s Caleb Agada, who came off the bench to score 17 points in the upset, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Agada recently had a workout with the Jazz and will play for the Nuggets‘ team in next month’s Summer League.
- Former NBA forward Luis Scola scored 25 points for Argentina in a loss to Australia Saturday night. At age 41, Scola indicated he may keep playing once the Olympics are over. “I don’t even know if I’m going to retire after the tournament,” he said (Twitter link from Reynolds).
So even with a team of all stars without practice and team chemistry they are not great. Looking at the starting team there was no real point guard just a bunch of shooters and scorers. Isolation ball never works just ask harden about that.
It doesn’t work any better for Doncic than it does for Harden.
Popovich with some major stereotyping in that quote. Yikes — being a progressive myself, I see him and his outdated colloquialisms mirroring Biden…two aging white men who need to step aside for the BIPOC cause.
Looks like you’re doing some stereotyping yourself. Pop has always been like this—championing the international game—so it’s not like he’s just recently decided to step into this as one of those fake SJWs out there riding the wave. He has some level of credibility to speak, especially considering the type of relationships he has forged throughout the league over the years with players, big and small, all over the world.
And how is he wrong? There are a lot of folks in this country who actually believe in the myth of American superiority and who, consequently, look down on international competition despite it involving a style of play NBA players are no longer suited to. Just because you and I don’t doesn’t mean everyone realizes this.
Out with the old, and in with the new may seem like a radical idea, but it’s the future pal. Pop talking about Black men coming off the street to play ball is no different than Old Joe saying poor kids are just as bright as white kids. These two receiving cover for internalized whiteness is the height of privilege, and you hate to see it. But you better not excuse it.
Tough guy, No, those two things are not the same, and Nigeria is not America with the slave/jcrow tradition.
There was a rapid turnaround in BB outcomes and what was the change? More discipline and players specialized into roles could be why, IDK, now I’m over my head since I have not been following. But there should be an explanation, and American-based PC-type talk is useless to describe anything. Popovich has been way lefty and ShaeG mostly, so it sounds like a pissing contest.
“Off the street” is not just for blacks, whites use it that have not yet adjusted to saying “rando” or random.
Has “off the street” even made that racial transition where it’s a black phrase?— maybe somewhere where people try to look down on others? I come from the country and people used that even though there were roads but not many streets. The similar “not born yesterday” too, when does that go black and thus racist.
I will excuse it because it does not exist, as sure below me has well-articulated. Instead, you choose to apply a very vague and wide brush to everyone, even those who have done nothing to deserve the label you have ascribed to them and with no evidence their words convey what you claim they do.
As a fellow progressive, I see this as unfortunate. To not understand what Pop was referencing here reflects agenda before reality. Anyone who knows what Pop is about understand this was more about Americans looking down on non-NBA players than looking down on black people.
If you need proof, look up every single Pop quote over the years and tell me which one backs up your claim.
What?
Pop needs to retire. The Spurs need that and the American team needs a younger generation coach. He just can’t relate to today’s players.
Mike Brown was coaching this game, not Pop. Smh.
Pop was coachin’ for the “US team”… Brown for the Nigerian team, got it?
My bad, totally read that wrong lol. I was wondering why that sentence didn’t fully make sense to me. Now I know haha.
SheaGoodbye is a Pop stan, and for whatever reason why I just can’t figure. Rumor has it #SpursCulture has some dog-whistle connotations that fans from Texas struggle to acknowledge.
Pop stan who admitted he was wrong…uh huh. And you garnered I was a Pop stan from, what, two comments criticizing your view of his comments?
Some progressive you are who can’t handle a bit of criticism. Doesn’t sound very progressive to me.
Stan huh? Kids today and their strange expressions. People used to speak English.
How long before every proper name has its own meaning? Just like with Karen.
Tatum likes Popovich fine, there was an article on HR about that. Have you heard otherwise, or just projecting?
Now what does that mean, “relate to younger players”. Sounds like code.
Older coaches were better, when I was younger. Proven, not moody or not shaken out yet.
Wonder what the betting line was on that Olymypic exhibition game last night b/c I had Nigeria beating the US the whole way. Obviously, the US is still missing Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, which is a big deal. I just felt that Nigeria had a strong defensive lineup, and some size across the board, and if they could score enough, with their perceived lack of spacing, they should win, and that’s what happened. Cool to see all of the Miami Heat representation
Sure you did.
Everyone always says this lol, but I should have enough of a track record here by now…
NBA situation is ridiculous the international players are not enough good for play in the NBA but that players beat USA basketball team in FiBA competions.