Yesterday afternoon, Team USA had an opportunity to make a statement. They were playing the first game on the first day of Olympic basketball competition, and they were matched up against Puerto Rico, a team they had handled easily by twenty-five points only days earlier. It seemed perfect. After their pre-Olympic tour had left the rest of the world wondering if this team would be as dominant as previous editions, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, and the rest of the junior varsity would have a chance to set everyone straight. All it would take would be a single, dominant effort. After all, even our JV players are infinitely more talented than anything the rest of the world can offer up, right?
Well, yes and no. The talent is clearly there, but that's about it. Mighty Puerto Rico hammered the Americans on Sunday, 92-73. I picked up the action midway through the third period, and I never really saw anything good happen for the Americans. The domination was so thorough, the outcome so certain by that point, that the crowd had even started cheering for Team USA, which had suddenly taken on the role of underdogs and fan favorites.
(One thing, though. Was I the only one who noticed that when Puerto Rico's Eddie Casiano scored towards the end of the third while being fouled by Dwayne Wade he was given credit for a three-pointer, even though both feet were clearly inside the arc, not even touching the line? Turned out, it didn't make a difference.)
Suddenly desperate, the Americans made a run in the fourth period, relying on their superior speed, quickness, and athleticism, but it wasn't enough. Ironically, it is their advantages in those areas that will probably doom Team USA. They will never set foot on the court in Athens against a more talented team, and that works against them. After the game, Jim Gray asked Allen Iverson about how this loss would affect the team's confidence, and Iverson replied, "It won't." And that's the problem.
This collection of talented JV players has nothing but confidence. What they could use is a little humility and a willingness to work together towards a common goal. What was that goal again? Oh, yeah, the gold medal. National pride. That's all.
This demise was predicted here (and just about everywhere else) last week, and a mysterious reader known only as "LudPud" provided an interesting link describing a solution to the problem. The key is in selecting the correct squad, a group that actually resembles a basketball team.
Here's another idea, one that I can't claim credit for. Why not send the reigning NBA championship team? Is there any doubt that Larry Brown's Detroit Pistons would thoroughly dominate these Olympics? Obviously, it would be difficult to get an entire team to commit, but we could try. At this point, we have to try something.
But none of that will help this team, a group of stars who no doubt woke up this morning hoping that yesterday was all just a bad dream. And that's exactly what it was.
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