For more than 20 years they don’t seem to understand it. Or, really, they don’t care that much.
Maybe since that shot by Jasikevicius that did not enter Sydney 2000. Or, rather, since that September 4, 2002, when our beloved Golden Generation gave him a real dance and got him undefeated for 10 years and 58 games since The NBA played. A feat that became greater when our heroes repeated it in Athens 2004.
Sooner or later, he never lost gold again, when it was with his best players. And, when we talk about best, we talk about his megastars. This is how they covered deficiencies. His arrogance. Winning. But they needed all the best. They took it to the Olympic Games, from Kobe to LeBron.
And they had Mike Krzyzewski, the only one who understood what it was like. And where he was from. Coach K took over in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup and there, in Japan, he saw first-hand what basketball was like. He ate the first post, that tough defeat against Greece in the semifinals, but he realized where he had to go. A broad, long-term program, understanding that in the world, be it the Olympic and World Games, something else was being played, even with other rules, and it was the United States that had to change. Or, at least, adapt. He also, of course, did the work off the field, managing, convincing the best, making them have the humility of the greats, letting them down and leading by example.
https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/vUZYnQXA-buQgiLVC
This is how they won the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, as well as the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. They were ten years in which the United States returned to the sources. And to reign. They had a record of 88-1, only losing that game against Greece in 2006. But they had a guy who dedicated himself to understanding the context, not just navel-gazing. Argentina was his inspiration. Coach K admitted that he drew on the Argentine spirit for the formation of the program, seeking to develop a feeling that marks who you are playing for, not just putting on a jersey.
“I remember that in Beijing we had to face Argentina in the semifinal. We were about to enter the field, in the tunnel, where the public doesn’t see you, and a few meters behind were the Argentinians, dancing with each other’s arms, jumping, shouting, encouraging each other. I was with Mike D’Antoni, one of my assistants, and when I saw that I told him ‘Mike, forget about the scouting we did, this is what we have to beat. The commitment that those boys had towards their country and towards their partner, their brotherhood, is what happens when you have continuity, commitment and talent.’ And that is what I sought to replicate with our team,” he acknowledged.
And he did it, for a decade. But Coach K, now retired, left and no one has been able to fill his shoes. Not even Gregg Popovich, another maestro, who achieved what he could (in figures) for the previous World Cup and the United States was seventh. A true disgrace for the number 1 power in world basketball. Steve Kerr didn’t get it now either. Because, even though the superstars are not there, those who made up this team are figures in their teams and in the NBA, especially Jalen Brunson (of the Knicks), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota) and Brandon Ingram (New Orleans).
But the problem remains the same: they do not fully understand how to play in FIBA and they have little interest in knowing how. He wants to win like they play, in an arrogant way, playing 1 vs 1, making use of his talent, his physical ability, his multiple resources… But, with other rules, other strategies, other ways of charging the judges, they do not have the spaces, freedoms and facilities that they enjoy in their NBA. Thus, generally, their teams play worse than their combined talent indicates.
https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/fYy0M1SH-buQgiLVC
And, furthermore, they fail in preparation… They supposedly have the best coaches and it seems that they do not prepare the games. Not only do they not change their offense, to better attack what their rivals propose, but it gives the impression that they do not study their rivals well. Germany, today, scored 113 points on them, with 58% from the field. It was a mess. And that, in addition to Kerr, the coaching staff includes Eric Spoelstra, Top 3 in the NBA today, a guy who knows a lot about defense and strategy, and Tyronn Lue, an important assistant on the Clippers.
https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/bb9Bu6H4-buQgiLVC
In this semi, on top of that, Germany beat them (113-111) playing their game. In the past, to beat him, it was a decisive key to play something else, slowing down the pace, the possessions, in a low-scoring game. Today the Germans, the only undefeated team in the tournament, beat them on their home field, playing as equals, stick by stick, and this Sunday, starting at 9:30, they will play the final against Serbia, who beat Canada (95-86). European grand final.
For now, the USA took another lesson home. Will they learn it again or will they continue to rise to the arrogance that says that the NBA champion is the world champion?
2023-09-08 19:40:05
#basketball #empire #knees #Dream #Team #fell #semifinals #Germany #play #final #Serbia #Sunday
