by Stop Mike Lupica on August 31 at 10:38AM
...but expect a rematch this weekend if all goes according to plan.
The US beat Argentina 91-76 yesterday. I stayed up way too late watching the game, which tipped-off at midnight. Here are some thoughts:
-Argentina's national jersey this year is a tie-dye. I'm worried about Bill Walton - if he stares too long at one of these, he might have an acid flashback to UCLA.
I'm also embarrassed that Argentina's national jerseys are freaking tie-dye. I like the 2004 ones - I have a couple at home, from Bueños Aires - the Manu Ginobili and Pepe Sanchez ones. They're very nice, even with the corporate Visa logo across the front. I'm really hoping they wear those jerseys in Beijing in 2008, and not this tie-dye version.
-The GF wakes up to watch the first quarter with me. "Wow, that guy (Luis Scola) has greasy-hair. And so does that guy (pointing to another Argentine). And that guy, and that guy, too...."
-Argentina is the only country to beat the Dream Team twice, including the first time they lost, in 2002. Are you not impressed?
-The starting lineup for the Argentines features only two NBAers - Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino. They are missing six former or active NBAers who are on the roster, and eligible for the Olympics in 2008: Manu Ginobili (the best international player not named Kobe), Walter Herrmann, Fabricio Oberto, Andres Nocioni, Pepe Sanchez, and Ruben Wykowyski. Filling in for Pepe Sanchez as the "only Argentine starter with a Spanish name" is Roman Gonzalez, the center.
-The starting point is Pablo Prigioni, who I keep mistakenly calling "Pierogi". He has good ball-handling ability, decent handle, and just threw a wicked entry pass to Luis Scola for an easy layup. He's not great, but I would certainly consider him an upgrade for the Heat or Lakers.
-Luis Scola is nice. Mark my words - Rockets in 2007-2008. He's got nice moves under the basket, although he is a little unathletic. I'm not sure he can dunk, quite frankly. But he has tremendous footwork, and uses fakes well. The footwork is actually the most impressive thing, actually. Scola is definitely the focus of this team's offense. He finished with 20 points and 5 rebounds.
-Over at The Blowtorch, someone wrote that Manu is a Euro (or half-Euro) who can play defense. First off, Argentines aren't Euros. And they do play defense. This team is doing a good job of holding the hot-shooting American team down; they came into the game shooting over 60% on FG, including LeBron, who was shooting like 80% FG. Argentines can play defense, okay? Not as good as Americans, but better than Euros.
-Kobe is sick. He's just lighting up the Argentina team, and making all that defense talk look bad. He is a one-man army. Kobe finishes with 15 points in the first quarter, and America is up 28-13.
-This Argentine dude - #15 - is rocking a Mr. Kotter-throwback mustache. Combined with his tie-dye jersey, he sort of looks like this picture I saw of my dad in his 1970's hippie days:
Well, I take that back. It's a distinct improvement over his EuroLeague photo:
Dude looks like the Unabomber/indie rocker. Maybe they recruited him off the Argentina Homeless Basketball Cup team?
-Argentina needs a three-point shooter. They aren't hitting from deep. As Mexico showed, that's really the weakness of the American team. Maybe when Ginobili is back on the team, or maybe they are better at this then they have shown so far tonight.
-Bill Walton is entertaining with his international trivia again. He just announced that "Argentina" is Latin for "silver", and that "though the Spaniards were looking for gold, they settled for silver". Is that suppose to be some sort of vague metaphor for Argentina's Olympic hopes?
-Uh-oh... Bill Walton just sub-referenced Missing, "a fine 1982 movie starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek about the Dirty War". This was in response to a joke about "a possible Argentine assistant coach missing from the bench in the second half" because of Luis Scola's early foul troubles?!?
Um, that's kinda like referencing Schindler's List while Dirk Nowitzki is "lighting up the Israel team".
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The US beat Argentina 91-76 yesterday. I stayed up way too late watching the game, which tipped-off at midnight. Here are some thoughts:
-Argentina's national jersey this year is a tie-dye. I'm worried about Bill Walton - if he stares too long at one of these, he might have an acid flashback to UCLA.
I'm also embarrassed that Argentina's national jerseys are freaking tie-dye. I like the 2004 ones - I have a couple at home, from Bueños Aires - the Manu Ginobili and Pepe Sanchez ones. They're very nice, even with the corporate Visa logo across the front. I'm really hoping they wear those jerseys in Beijing in 2008, and not this tie-dye version.-The GF wakes up to watch the first quarter with me. "Wow, that guy (Luis Scola) has greasy-hair. And so does that guy (pointing to another Argentine). And that guy, and that guy, too...."
-Argentina is the only country to beat the Dream Team twice, including the first time they lost, in 2002. Are you not impressed?
-The starting lineup for the Argentines features only two NBAers - Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino. They are missing six former or active NBAers who are on the roster, and eligible for the Olympics in 2008: Manu Ginobili (the best international player not named Kobe), Walter Herrmann, Fabricio Oberto, Andres Nocioni, Pepe Sanchez, and Ruben Wykowyski. Filling in for Pepe Sanchez as the "only Argentine starter with a Spanish name" is Roman Gonzalez, the center.
-The starting point is Pablo Prigioni, who I keep mistakenly calling "Pierogi". He has good ball-handling ability, decent handle, and just threw a wicked entry pass to Luis Scola for an easy layup. He's not great, but I would certainly consider him an upgrade for the Heat or Lakers.
-Luis Scola is nice. Mark my words - Rockets in 2007-2008. He's got nice moves under the basket, although he is a little unathletic. I'm not sure he can dunk, quite frankly. But he has tremendous footwork, and uses fakes well. The footwork is actually the most impressive thing, actually. Scola is definitely the focus of this team's offense. He finished with 20 points and 5 rebounds.
-Over at The Blowtorch, someone wrote that Manu is a Euro (or half-Euro) who can play defense. First off, Argentines aren't Euros. And they do play defense. This team is doing a good job of holding the hot-shooting American team down; they came into the game shooting over 60% on FG, including LeBron, who was shooting like 80% FG. Argentines can play defense, okay? Not as good as Americans, but better than Euros.
-Kobe is sick. He's just lighting up the Argentina team, and making all that defense talk look bad. He is a one-man army. Kobe finishes with 15 points in the first quarter, and America is up 28-13.
-This Argentine dude - #15 - is rocking a Mr. Kotter-throwback mustache. Combined with his tie-dye jersey, he sort of looks like this picture I saw of my dad in his 1970's hippie days:
Well, I take that back. It's a distinct improvement over his EuroLeague photo:Dude looks like the Unabomber/indie rocker. Maybe they recruited him off the Argentina Homeless Basketball Cup team?-Argentina needs a three-point shooter. They aren't hitting from deep. As Mexico showed, that's really the weakness of the American team. Maybe when Ginobili is back on the team, or maybe they are better at this then they have shown so far tonight.
-Bill Walton is entertaining with his international trivia again. He just announced that "Argentina" is Latin for "silver", and that "though the Spaniards were looking for gold, they settled for silver". Is that suppose to be some sort of vague metaphor for Argentina's Olympic hopes?
-Uh-oh... Bill Walton just sub-referenced Missing, "a fine 1982 movie starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek about the Dirty War". This was in response to a joke about "a possible Argentine assistant coach missing from the bench in the second half" because of Luis Scola's early foul troubles?!?
Um, that's kinda like referencing Schindler's List while Dirk Nowitzki is "lighting up the Israel team". -Ouch! #12 (Leonardo Gutierrez) of Argentina just leveled Carmelo Anthony with a vicious pick here in the second quarter. Wow, that was some gangsta picking right there.
-Guess who is pissed? Carmelo Anthony just dropped the most vicious dunk of the tournament yet in response on the other end. "A remarkable throw-down", according to the noted basketball historian Bill Walton. Indeed. Lesson: don't make Melo mad. With that in mind, I'm gonna go ahead and bet that he drops 50 on the Knicks this season.
-The Argentinean Joaquim Noah just banked in a free throw. It's 49-30 USA at the half, and I am falling asleep. We'll save our energy for the semi-final against Brazil (a must-win for Argentina - they make the Olympics with the victory), and hopefully the final against the USA.
-Guess who is pissed? Carmelo Anthony just dropped the most vicious dunk of the tournament yet in response on the other end. "A remarkable throw-down", according to the noted basketball historian Bill Walton. Indeed. Lesson: don't make Melo mad. With that in mind, I'm gonna go ahead and bet that he drops 50 on the Knicks this season.
-The Argentinean Joaquim Noah just banked in a free throw. It's 49-30 USA at the half, and I am falling asleep. We'll save our energy for the semi-final against Brazil (a must-win for Argentina - they make the Olympics with the victory), and hopefully the final against the USA.
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3 Comments
Comments
Wow... whoever leveled Melo better what it... a hit and run sucker punch has his name on it.
Only in the US. I mean, calling "euro" an argentinian...
Love youre lines about the jersey and abot the mosustache, LOL
for int'l bball lovers, Euro2007 (I mean EUROPEAN championship) started yesterday night in Spain
Today Italy-France at 1 PM your time (East coast)
I don't know if those jerseys qualify as tie-dye, but they're about as ugly as it gets.
Manu is a Euro. That term knows no continental boundaries.