78 Comments

With all those medals, you could say she’s high-Ledecky-rated.

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You could, but you really, really shouldn't.

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Too late. I did.

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Hey, USA MBB drew Brazil in the quarterfinals! Bonus Gui Santos!

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Ay caramba! Samba Mamba!

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Aug 3·edited Aug 3

I wish I could get more into team USA. There is something about a team cobbled together that feels more like an exercise of managing egos that just feels meaningless to me.

It's great if USA can win but it just doesn't do much for me compared to other sports.

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Yeah, I’m not feeling it either. I’m not excited and vested watching their games so far, especially with Steph being mediocre.

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It's not a contest between the USA team and any other team. It's between them and the legendary 92 Dream Team, and to my mind the matter is not at all settled. The suitability of guys like Steph KD Booker LeBron to the modern 3 point game means that they might just be as lethal in their own way at this time as the original boys in their time.

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Aug 4·edited Aug 4

My general take... Modern schemes and teams would wreck older teams. Athletes just keep on getting better and better. As the sport gets older and sports science keeps improving maybe will hit a wall, but I haven't seen it yet.

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The games are now ... comparisons to bygone eras are irrelevant except in retrospect.

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Aug 4·edited Aug 4

Can the USA beat Canada? Or Germany? Or France? Or Brazil?

Maybe yes and maybe no... we do get to watch August basketball to see and find out.

Isn't that what is most interesting ?

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Plus, they’re in that unenviable position of being expected to win to the point where anything but a gold is failure. When the Warriors got to that point, it lost some of the magic.

Yeah, I much prefer watching sports that only capture my attention every four years.

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I just like watching Steph and Bron finally play together in games they care about winning (i.e. not an All Star Game)

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Turns out they don't work all that well together.

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That plus KD is the one thing I look for in the highlights. Bring KD back (for a fair price)!

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Wade explain why Steph is shooting poorly. He doesn’t have the ball in his hands like he usually does and, therefore, never really gets in rhythm. He kinda looks bored sometimes.

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Steph was one make instead of a miss away from shooting 50% from three today, for the record. Small sample sizes.

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Aug 3·edited Aug 4

If you look at Team USA and the greatest centers, within the FIBA style of play I'd rather have Olajuwon than Embiid.

I mean right now.

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I still don’t like Embid and his style of play.

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Anyone else think that a Suns-Wolves trade makes too much sense for both squads? Mainly a trade centering around KD for KAT? The Wolves would potentially have to throw in some more assets so I don’t know how feasible that is but i think itd bring a better balance to both teams

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Why would Phoenix do this?

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Aug 3·edited Aug 3

I'd love KD on the Wolves, but how does KAT fit the Suns? Wouldn't Gobert be better given their team's lead guards?

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Aug 3·edited Aug 3

The US is good at basketball, but in the 3x3 we are not. For one thing, we don't send our absolute best by any means. Plus there are rules that get in the way.

BUT HYPOTHETICALLY: whom would you send if you could take any US player? It's half court three on three, fast paced, some rules differences. Everyone should be able to score, play one on one, switch on D.

I am thinking maybe Durant, because he's Durant, you know who he is, he's Kevin Durant, at big man, plus Kyrie because one on one he's a menace (but his D is suspect). I know: Ant. You don't need a lot of 5 on 5 BBIQ, which for him isn't quite there yet, you just need to be the most badass guy in the half court. Mean first step. I'd take Tatum but apparently he can't shoot. Anthony Davis?

OK: You get four guys, three play at any given time. I'll take that my AD KD Ant Kyrie, who do you have?

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This is a fun thought experiment. Instead of in season tournament or all star game, we should just have the players do a HORSE tournament and a 3x3 tournament. Players can team up themselves however they want. Maybe East/West each fields 3 teams. Best of 3 wins. You’d get 60 minutes of basketball, still. But maybe the street/pick-up format gets the players psyched up more.

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I'd want players that can rebound well after misses or makes, pass it out quickly for resets, can create dribble advantages at the rim and from 3, and defend well against both speed and size. All except 1 would need to be able to move quickly and keep running for 20 minutes (which imo, means only 1 of Durant, Curry, Lebron, AD, etc. on the team).

With that in mind, I think I'd take Durant, Ant, Jrue & Bam. Everyone can defend in space and at the rim against anyone to varying degrees with a couple more elite vs guards or bigs, everyone can move and pass quickly, everyone can shoot 3s, and everyone can create advantages off the drive in some capacity.

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Hmmm...kyrie might be the better pick 3 in 3 just cause of his play style. Steph has spent a career leveraging his gravity for 5 on 5. Haha, it's kinda of a knock on kyrie.

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hmm? I didn't list Kyrie or Steph

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I definitely and getting Bam Fever in the half court game lately myself. You stole my KD and Ant so how could I not approve? Well played

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D White Brown AD Booker

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My team challenges yours except AD plays for both. He’s really been impressive lately

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Aug 3·edited Aug 3

Whoops, I thought you had AD as a ? I don’t want to play anymore.Not fair. 😊

Ok never mind. I am dumping AD and adding Embid.

So D White, Brown Embid and Booker.

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Lol. We win by 50. Embiid looks so sad right now. My AD or KD would demoralize him in three minutes.

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Wait…..Embid collided with White during practice and both are out.

Lebron and Steph are replacing them but Lebron will only play if he gets to bring his own refs and if Steph gets 3 points for his 3’s since he is the smallest guy. The network has agreed to Lebron’s rules because he is the oldest guy and they trust him. Rumor has it the refs are Bronny James and Ayesha Curry.

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Aug 3Liked by Eric Apricot

Cbs sports has an article on the 3x3 rules. Makes it impossible to send anyone making a living playing basketball to participate

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Yes, I am aware of those rules. My post is a hypothetical, an invitation to get creative with it.

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Aug 3·edited Aug 3

3X3 has some pretty unfortunate rules on who can participate in tournaments. They can't use drop in NBA talent.

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Yes, I am aware of those rules. My post is a hypothetical, an invitation to get creative with it.

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Spain-Canada was a good game. Spoilers in thread.

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Canada needs a real big man, but the combination of SGA, Murray and Dillon Dort and RJ Barrett is pretty strong. Defensive monsters. And SGA is just a bucket as we know. But Spain gave them their money's worth and with a reduction in errors could have won it and made the next round. Alas.

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Aug 3·edited Aug 3

30 assists for team USA. Hard to complain about tha, plus the W.

Is the shorter 3 point line bothering Steph?

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The shorter basketball life span is starting to bother Steph, in my dreaded opinion.

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Aug 3·edited Aug 3

I can believe it.

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Aug 3·edited Aug 3

I tried watching the Brazil-Japan game last night after work and found that it isn't on any NBC networks, and I'd have to fork over $8 for a month of Peacock. Big Gui fan, but I decided it wasn't worth paying over a dollar per point he scored to watch him in that game.

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Yeah, well, I've actually got peacock and I couldn't watch USA vs Puerto Rico on my computer anyway as xfinity doesn't "support" chrome on Linux.

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$8 a month? Pay $8, cancel when the Olympics are over. Done

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That Peacock deal is the best spent money of my life, but I love the Olympics. I've watched maybe 30 hours of events so far, plus share it across households. For a 14 dollar trial that's a hell of a deal.

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Free trial

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Bring on Gui Santos… are we going against Brazil?

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Curry and Booker getting too much close for comfort. I’m afraid they might team up with KD someday.

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author

KD’s passing has been quietly nice this Olympics. Wondering if USA will let Edwards go for the US Olympic scoring record

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I have been impressed with his overall play... defense, rebounding, awarness of international rules regarding rim interference, etc. His experience on several Olympic teams is evident.

I had not followed him so closely lately on Phoenix, but he has looked good in these Olympics.

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Aug 3·edited Aug 3Author

USA well on their way to a big win and the overall #1 seed. PUR is a gutsy team and they’ve made some nice plays. But that injury to Alvarado killed any real chance they had. Their offense is mainly force switches to get their speedy guards iso’ing AD (no chance) and their bigs posting up smalls/wings to force help and kick out to threes (mixed success). Once the 3 ball wasn’t on fire, it was just a matter of time.

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Don’t remember ever seeing Curry shoot to as soon as he releases the ball i know its going to miss. He is missing that bad.

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Curry bringing shame to my family with every missed three

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he's gotta take some easy ones from 2-3 feet back from the line to get going first

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3 point line is shorter in FIBA. He probably should be taking them from further back

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