U.S.A. Basketball & The Duality of Kobe

The team on the left is perhaps the greatest basketball team that ever walked (and maybe will ever walk) the earth. I know what your question is, what the hell is Christian Laettner doing there? That's really besides the point. This team was the pinnacle of American basketball. A collection of the best players in the NBA at the greatest possible time. You will be hard pressed to ever find a better group of players in their primes at the same time.

The team was crafted masterfully. You had two of the best distributing point guards in the history of game, Magic Johnson and John Stockton. Four dominant bruisers underneath, the graceful David Robinson combined with the brute strength of Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing. A dominant pure shooter in Chris Mullin combined with the versatile Scottie Pippen and Clyde "The Glide" Drexler made this team solid from top to bottom. Even the addition of a hustle guy (Laettner) showed that this team was engineered to excel in every aspect of the game. Of course this team was topped off with arguably the two best clutch players (and resident killers) in NBA history in the incomparable Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. I give you the Dream Team.

Prior to the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, only amateur athletes were allowed to represent their countries in basketball in the Olympic Games. A ruling by FIBA in 1989 changed all that. The Dream Team steamrolled their opponents by an average margin of 43.8 points without ever calling a timeout. This team could have coached itself. The U.S. followed this up with Olympic wins in 1996 and 2000. It was apparent that the talent level in other countries was increasing and basketball fans saw the margin of victory slowly decrease. The culmination came in the 2000 semifinals against Lithuania when the U.S. narrowly escaped by 2 when Lithuania missed a last second three to take the win.

Team U.S.A.'s slide began in 2002 when a cocky American team finished sixth at the World Championships. The 2004 Olympics in Athens saw the U.S. team lose their first game playing with professionals against an upstart squad from Puerto Rico. They went on to lose twice more en route to a 3rd place showing. A bronze medal showing would be great (and sometimes even heroic) for a lot of countries but it was disastrous to U.S.A. basketball whose aura of dominance was no longer intact. It wasn't just their on-court performance. Off the court, the men's basketball team was seen by many in the U.S. delegation as being full of prima donnas, the players exhibiting a sense of entitlement and a standoffish attitude towards other Olympic athletes.

The international game is different and teams were exposing their weaknesses. They would collapse on players in the paint and force the U.S. to kick it out, exposing their Achilles heal... shooting. Their defense was not ready to guard teams with 4 and sometimes 5 dominant 3-point threats. Teams carved them up by kicking the ball around until they got an open shot, keeping them honest defensively.

Enter the Redeem Team. Team U.S.A. learned its lesson. No longer would they be able to get by on athletic ability alone. They would have to play as a team. Carmelo Anthony, one of the NBA's most polarizing young stars announced that his goal was to break the record for rebounds per game, a far cry from his reputation as a ball hog and cry baby. They added solid role players such as low post player Carlos Boozer, pure shooter Michael Redd, and hustle player Tayshaun Prince. Kobe Bryant, the MVP of the NBA this year took on a role as the defensive stopper which hurt his offensive capabilities but greatly improved the team's chances of winning. Team U.S.A. set itself atop the world once again with a finals victory against Spain. Dominant most of the time, gritty all the time. They made it a point to repair their selfish image, showing up to other Olympic events (swimming, volleyball, etc...) and actively showing support for their fellow Americans.

I'm not going to lie, I did not watch the finals game. I fully intended to stay awake but fell asleep immediately after the 3/4 game ended. I woke up to the sight of Kobe and Dwayne Wade celebrating together while being interviewed by Craig Sager (minus the flamboyant attire). I'm going to preface the following by saying that I've never been a fan of Kobe. In fact, he may be my least favorite athlete (save A-Rod). But for the first time, I think we may have seen the real Kobe. Kobe is the type of person who tries his hardest to make people think he's somebody he's not, trying to hide what he really is, selfish player, poor teammate, incredible athlete, crunch time killer... What I saw was a jubilant person, somebody who was truly proud of his team and what his teammates had accomplished.

After the interview, him and Wade locked in a giant embrace that could not have been fabricated. Everybody who has ever reached the pinnacle of their sport knows what it feels like. The feeling of having run the gamut of emotions with somebody (or a group of people) in order to achieve a singular goal. In this case, an Olympic medal. Maybe it's just the medal that does this to people. Maybe it's the weight of an entire nation being released from your collective shoulders. In either case, watching Kobe celebrate like a human really touched me. It takes a lot for me to say this but I hope that this was a turning point for Kobe because he works too hard to be the player he is, to be reviled by so many for his machine-like approach towards people. Teammates, opponents, fans, coaches, media... A player of his caliber affects them all whether he chooses to accept it or not.

Wanted: A Brain, A Heart, And Some Tact

Swimming, track and field, and gymnastics are the Olympic events that NBC has been showing the most during prime time. This is not surprising since these are the events that draw the largest audience. While the announcers have been excellent, the sideline reporters have been nothing short of atrocious. While Andrea Kremer (swimming) and Bob Neumeier (track and field) have seemed disconnected from their respective events and the job they went to Beijing to do, the worst thing I have witnessed has been the hostility shown by Kremer, Neumeier, and Andrea Joyce (gymnastics) towards athletes who have just seen their hopes and dreams crumble.

Highlights include:

• Kremer repeatedly asking Natalie Coughlin why she can't seem to stop hugging the lane lines after Coughlin WON her semifinal heat. Coughlin was clearly not down with the questioning and instead of reading into that and moving on to another subject, Kremer asked her why she thinks she does it.


• Kremer's inability to engage the athlete in any way. There is no progression in her interviews. She asks a question, the person answers and hints at an insight into something crucial, Kremer asks the next question on her list. I haven't seen somebody mail it in this bad since Vince Carter.


• After the U.S. women were bested by the Aussies in the Women's 4x100 relay medley, Kremer asked them something along the lines of, "what went wrong" and promptly jammed the microphone directly in the face of Christine Magnuson, the woman who lost the most ground on her Australian opponent. To say she looked like a deer in the headlights would be an understatement.


• Joyce's verbal assault on distraught U.S. gymnast Alicia Sacramone after she almost singlehandedly lost the Women's Team Gold. All she needed was a hint of a tear and she was off. It was almost playful, like a cat batting around a mouse, just to see the terror in its eyes.


• Neumeier's interview with Wallace Spearmon following his disqualification in the 200m final. Spearmon found out midway through his "victory lap" (he originally took the bronze) that he was DQ'd for stepping on the inside lane. Spearmon hadn't had time to process what happened and Neumeier looked confused as to why Spearmon wasn't giving him long, drawn out answers. At one point, Spearmon said he would protest and Neumeier basically told him that he stepped out and asked him something like, "Really? You want to protest THAT?" Spearmon stood there, looking up at the big screen while Neumeier stumbled to find a pertinent question. Spearmon eventually walked away. It was awkward for everyone.

Olympic Hardware - The Nuts and Bolts

Usain freaking Bolt. Never has there been a more fitting name for a person. I rescind the statement I made in a previous post about wanting to see Tyson Gay dominate Usain Bolt. What I'm now interested in is seeing Bolt embarrass anybody who attempts to step on the track with him. The best thing that ever happened to Tyson Gay was not running in that final. He saved a little face. Tyson Gay can still say it wasn't him competing against Bolt. Frankly, Bolt made anybody who has ever ran a 100m race look foolish.

For those who missed it, Bolt ran a world record 9.69 in the 100m event on Sunday. Breaking the record was great but what made it brilliant was the fact that Bolt effectively shut it down 20m from the end of the race. He was up by so much that he was able to put his arms out and pound his chest before he crossed the line. That display could be looked at as a show of defiance to the detractors and critics who said he was too young to be able to overcome the rigors of preliminary races and still be able to outperform the best in the world on the big stage.

His competitors and some sports "authorities" may not like it but his brand of braggadocio is a refresher in why sports are so great. The villain is just as important as the hero. They are arguably the two most important components in what motivates people to win (or spectate), love for their teammates (or favorite team) and hate for their enemies (or opponents). It was clear on Sunday that Bolt's intentions were to collect both the Olympic hardware and the souls of his competitors. Oh yeah, and he still has the 200m, which is considered his best event. Hide the women and children.

Anything Is Possible

I have a problem. I can't stop watching the Olympics. No matter how ridiculous the event seems (synchronized diving??!!), I still watch and root with national pride for the U.S., very similar to the way I root for my fantasy baseball team (with personal pride at stake). During the Olympics, Phelps has become my Hammie, Lezak is my Doumit, May-Treanor and Walsh are my Braun and Clout. The U.S. Men's gymnasts became my Mark DeRosa, coming out of nowhere to win me over with their grit and versatility. I felt for Alicia Sacramone after she fell (twice) last night, the same way I felt for Tulo when he suffered an injury (his second of the year) when his bat broke and cut open his palm. Even the unheralded Men's Volleyball team has come out of nowhere to dominate, similar to Cliff Lee. The Olympics wouldn't be the Olympics without a scandal (Joey Cheek, the 14 year old Chinese gymnasts...), similar to the collusion allegations that plagued (and ultimately submarined) my Victorino/Tulo/Crede for Han-Ram/Larry trade.

I look forward to a future where Michael Phelps has 8 gold medals and Hammie has 165 RBI. I savour the thought of Tyson Gay dominating Usain Bolt like Papelbon dominates in the 9th. Heck, maybe the disappointing Men's Basketball team will get their gold medal and restore order to the basketball world like I expect/hope Eric Bedard does when he comes off the DL. Just ask my boy KG, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!

This Is Why I Watch The Olympics

I woke up this morning thinking about what I was going to say about what I saw last night. I then come to work and notice Ryan has beaten me to it. That should pretty much tell you how ridiculously amazing the Men's 4x100 free relay was. No pictures are needed. Ryan posted the only one that really matters, Michael Phelps and Garrett Weber-Gale celebrating just feet away from the French. Biceps flexed, abs clenched, letting out a primal scream. That's the American way. The announcer was so amped, he threw out the "who's talking now?" blast.

People who know anything about swimming in the NBC studio all said that it was the most amazing relay of all time. I say it was one of the most exciting sports experiences I've witnessed. I couldn't care less about swimming or water polo or beach volleyball but the Olympics change all that. There's something about national pride that draws people in. Consider these:

• Ryan posted about the incredible splits swam by Phelps and Lezak. It should be noted that Phelps ran the first leg, which is traditionally slower because the swimmers have to wait to hear the horn rather than see their teammates touch the wall. Bernard of France ran a blistering first 50m leg and extended his lead to .82 off the wall. Essentially Lezak gained 9 tenths of a second (he won by .08) on the world record holder in 50m.
• The U.S. team crushed the world record set by their own team (swam by Cullen Jones, and 3 swimmers who did not swim the final) in the semis. They beat the record by 4 seconds.
• 5 of the 8 teams beat the previous world record. That means the Italian and Russian teams, who did not even medal both bested the previous fastest time ever recorded.

Here's a clip:

Bull In A China Shop

With the Olympics in Beijing quickly approaching, world-class athletes from all over are descending upon China and preparing to take their shot at the ultimate prize, an Olympic medal. Joey Cheek, the reigning Olympic 500m speed skating champion doesn't have to worry about attending. His visa which was originally approved, has been revoked by the Chinese government for unspecified reasons. News reached Cheek hours before he was set to leave for Beijing.

Perhaps it is only coincidence that Cheek is co-founder of Team Darfur, a human rights organization whose main purpose revolves around stopping the atrocities being committed in Sudan, a Chinese ally. One key initiative has been to persuade China to use its relationship with Sudan to have them lay down arms while the Olympic games are underway. Other members of the U.S. Olympic team and Team Darfur have received ominous statements of future harassment if they attempt to cause China embarrassment during the Games. This of course is in addition to the many other problems that have plagued China in their approach to hosting the Games.

China has well documented pollution problems. They spent boatloads of money to decrease the pollution levels but the problems seem to be worse than many think. There has been talk of the suspension of many endurance races (such as running and cycling events) as well as half-joking statements that some athletes were thinking of donning gas masks while participating. Don't be surprised if you see some sort of mask on some athletes who place personal health above Olympic glory.

Please take a second to look over the above picture. That is not a photo of a state-of-the-art pitch that will be used for field sports. That is the venue where the Beijing committee plans to host the Olympic sailing events. The algae you're seeing was in the waters of the Yellow Sea as recent as 6 weeks ago. An estimated 20,000 people have been "employed" to scoop this algae out of the water in order to have it ready by the time the Olympics begin.

As if the environmental problems weren't enough, reports of other "minor" problems such as rats eating ping-pong balls that have been in storage and questions of the structural soundness of Olympic podiums that have been built have also added to the capacity for failure of these Olympic games. I love the Olympic games and the ideals behind them so I will be watching and hoping nothing goes wrong and nobody get hurt but I can see the dark clouds and the imminent disaster they hold. It appears Joey Cheek may be the lucky one.

*(UPDATE) - Not 10 minutes after I finished writing this piece, I read a report that Lopez Lomong, a Sudanese born American citizen will carry the flag for the U.S. Olympians in the opening ceremony. This was voted on by the American team captains. This is a great gesture and will prove to be a great show of support for the people of Darfur. Bob Costas and Jim Nantz are feverishly preparing their puff pieces. Get your tear ducts ready.