Big C said:
01Bear said:
Big C said:
I see the score was 101-100. How do we give up 100 points to a team like that... did anybody see the game? Maybe we just took them lightly? Or maybe our roster needs a little more time together? (There is something to that actually, to play good defense.) If they are just waiting for the last 2-3 games to "turn it on", they're gonna maybe be surprised to not even get that far.
Because Team USA is comprised of entitled superstars who play as individuals instead of an unified team hungry to win gold.
The main difference between the NBA game and international game play (a la the Olympics and World Cup) is that in the NBA, individual superstars are expected to (and do) take over the game in the clutch/championship rounds whereas in international competition, (the other countries') players play like cohesive teams. For the best countries in international play, it helps that their national teams have regularly played together or came up in the same system.
The US, OTOH, throws together individual superstars at the last minute and expects them to coalesce into a team. That worked with the Dream Team because all of the players had super high basketball IQ and were both humble enough and able to figure out how to play together. (It also definitely helped that Chuck Daly had the college team beat the Dream Team in a practice game.) Unfortunately, Team USA has not been made up of such iconic basketball greats since then. As a result, the teams default into playing individual superstar play. But unless you have dogs, like Kobe, who will literally run through his own (NBA) teammate and close friend in order to win, the superstars tend to play too soft because they expect their superior individual talent to be enough for a victory.
There is something to that, I'm sure. However, doesn't the coach (Steve Kerr, in this case, who is super smart) pretty much decide who is on the team? And isn't his main goal to win the gold? And aren't the two biggest stars on the team, LeBron and Steph, unselfish players who want to win above all else?
My hot take right this second is that LeBron, Steph and KD think they are good enough to defend these other teams' players, but they are not.
No knock on Steve Kerr, but I doubt he was allowed to pick who he wanted on the team. He may be the coach, but he's not likely the one making the calls as to team membership. Otherwise, he probably would've picked Nick's friend and former Cal teammate over Derrick White to replace Kawhi Leonard.
As for Lebron, no, his main goal isn't to win gold. His main goal is and has always been what's best for him and the Lebron brand. If winning happened to coincide with it, great. But he's not focused on winning at all costs. Otherwise, Bronny would not be on the Lakers.
That said, Lebron realizes he's also known as "Lebronze" for good reason. While he and his apologists will argue he's not responsible for the 2004 team having to settle for bronze, the fact of the matter remains he was on that bronze medal team. Neither Kobe nor Jordan ever won anything other than gold in the Olympics. Lebron knows he can not be considered the "GOAT" so long as he's Lebronze. To that end, he's going to do his darndest to win gold. However, he needs to be (perceived as) the best player on the team. He can't risk getting Tatumed by Jaylen Brown, whose intensity level and will to win is greater than his own.
As for Steph, he may want to win. But he's a limited player. It's not just that he's older and starting to slow down, but he's always been a liability on defense (dating back to the days when he shared a backcourt with Monta Ellis). Steph is basically just there to put up (and make) shots, especially those behind the arc. But unless he gets incredibly hot and dialed into the zone, he won't be able to take over a game and dominate.
More importantly, though, you're still looking at the game all wrong. You're thinking like Team USA. You're thinking that so long as the US has superstar players whose combined talent is greater than that of their opponents, they'll win. But five individuals pulling in separate directions is easier to overcome than five people pulling in the same direction. For all its star power, Team USA is still putting out five individuals pulling in five different directions instead of five teammates pulling in the same direction.
To date, Team USA has managed to squeak by their opponents in exhibition games. But whether it can continue to eke out wins when the games matter is unclear. Unless it can learn to play together, I have little confidence Team USA will win gold in these Olympic games.
