USA/Lithuania
- Thread starter SPIDER
- Start date
believe it or not i played usa -2.5 and spain at same line ... the USA finally moved the ball fairly well and eliminated many of their stupid passes ... maybe LB is figuring out his rotation but neither game is any big play ... USA was shooting 16% treys going into aussie game, they seem to be able to cut to hole at will at times and dump for chippies ... the USA has biggest learning curve of all teams and this line going into games would've been a gift ... spain i just think is better than serbia ...
gl, gregg
gl, gregg
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thanks gregg, i want to take the U.S, they just worry me. they play so much better with lebron or wade on the floor. either one of them can take it to the hole.
good luck with your plays
spider
good luck with your plays
spider
USA -2, well who knows if they will show up today but this is basically a pick-em and these guys now realize they have to win. this will be a tough test but i think we play a bit more physical inside and if we can hit some outsider shots we will be ok
spider
spider
this one will come rite down to the end, they are finally hitting some key outside shots.
3 minutes left up by 3
3 minutes left up by 3
well, up 12 at one point then LITh goes 10/10 from FT line in 4q and usa typically shoots 67% for game ... still not a bad bet, broke even ... USA is slowly improving, dont count them out yet for Gold
gl, gregg :grouphug:
Lithuania 94, United States 90
By CHRIS SHERIDAN, AP Basketball Writer
August 21, 2004
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Redemption came from the perfect spot for
The Lithuanian guard, whose off-target 3-pointer kept his team from pulling off the biggest upset of the Sydney Olympics, didn't miss when it counted Saturday night in a thrilling 94-90 victory against the Americans.
He hit three in a row from behind the arc as the fourth quarter wound down, including a rare four-point play that put his team ahead to stay. He finished with 28 points.
The loss was the second of the Athens Games for the Americans, matching their total from the country's first 68 years of Olympic competition. But the U.S. team still can make it to the quarterfinals with a victory over Angola on Monday.
The Americans gave their best all-around performance of these Olympics and led for most of the game, but they missed 11 of 33 foul shots to allow Lithuania to stay close.
Lithuania went 10-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter before Jasikevicius was fouled on a 3-pointer with 2:47 left and hit the foul shot. After a miss by Allen Iverson, Jasikevicius made another to make it 88-84.
Richard Jefferson answered with a 3, but Jasikevicius wasn't done. He made another 3-pointer to restore a four-point edge. A turnover by Stephon Marbury was followed by a pair of foul shots by Jasikevicius to make it 93-87 with 57 seconds left.
Lithuania improved to 4-0, clinching the top spot in Group A and joining Spain as the only two unbeaten teams. Saulius Strombergas added 16 points and Ramunas Siskauskas had 14.
Jefferson returned to the starting lineup and led the U.S. team with 20 points. Tim Duncan added 16.
``We have to play four quarters of our best basketball, or it's going to be kind of ugly,'' U.S. coach Larry Brown had predicted.
The Americans were anything but ugly, finding ways to penetrate the zone defense, using their defense to create turnovers and generally looking as crisp for 40 minutes as they have since coming together for training camp late last month.
But it still wasn't good enough against an opponent with more experience playing together and more poise down the stretch.
gl, gregg :grouphug:
Lithuania 94, United States 90
By CHRIS SHERIDAN, AP Basketball Writer
August 21, 2004
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Redemption came from the perfect spot for
The Lithuanian guard, whose off-target 3-pointer kept his team from pulling off the biggest upset of the Sydney Olympics, didn't miss when it counted Saturday night in a thrilling 94-90 victory against the Americans.
He hit three in a row from behind the arc as the fourth quarter wound down, including a rare four-point play that put his team ahead to stay. He finished with 28 points.
The loss was the second of the Athens Games for the Americans, matching their total from the country's first 68 years of Olympic competition. But the U.S. team still can make it to the quarterfinals with a victory over Angola on Monday.
The Americans gave their best all-around performance of these Olympics and led for most of the game, but they missed 11 of 33 foul shots to allow Lithuania to stay close.
Lithuania went 10-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter before Jasikevicius was fouled on a 3-pointer with 2:47 left and hit the foul shot. After a miss by Allen Iverson, Jasikevicius made another to make it 88-84.
Richard Jefferson answered with a 3, but Jasikevicius wasn't done. He made another 3-pointer to restore a four-point edge. A turnover by Stephon Marbury was followed by a pair of foul shots by Jasikevicius to make it 93-87 with 57 seconds left.
Lithuania improved to 4-0, clinching the top spot in Group A and joining Spain as the only two unbeaten teams. Saulius Strombergas added 16 points and Ramunas Siskauskas had 14.
Jefferson returned to the starting lineup and led the U.S. team with 20 points. Tim Duncan added 16.
``We have to play four quarters of our best basketball, or it's going to be kind of ugly,'' U.S. coach Larry Brown had predicted.
The Americans were anything but ugly, finding ways to penetrate the zone defense, using their defense to create turnovers and generally looking as crisp for 40 minutes as they have since coming together for training camp late last month.
But it still wasn't good enough against an opponent with more experience playing together and more poise down the stretch.
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sorry pt1gard, but i am pretty sure this loss puts us out of any medal contention at all.
i sure wish we would have picked up fred hoiberg or jj reddick or anyone who can hit the long ball.
oh well
i sure wish we would have picked up fred hoiberg or jj reddick or anyone who can hit the long ball.
oh well
Lithufrickinwho???
Lithufrickinwho???
What a bunch of mooks.....I love it!! :chairshot Good to see a nobody country kick ass.....
Lithufrickinwho???
What a bunch of mooks.....I love it!! :chairshot Good to see a nobody country kick ass.....
no usa will make it to final 8, then argentina, spain, lithuania and USA will be co-faves IMHO to win it in loser out play ...
remember, usa led nearly whole game today--Im not a flag waver and certainly know their strengths and weaknesses but they definitely have a good chance for Gold
take care
gregg
remember, usa led nearly whole game today--Im not a flag waver and certainly know their strengths and weaknesses but they definitely have a good chance for Gold
take care
gregg
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I'm figuring usa will need to beat Argentina then Lithuania then Spain, hypothetically, to get Gold ... I watched game over on tape this morning, stopped it like I would dissecting a scouting tape ... USA cant defend pick and roll esp. Marbury and Duncan ... Marbury goes under the screen all the time instead of over the top and TD doesnt hedge worth a crap--shame on Coach POP ... also Ivy, LJ and all too many "hug" their man on weakside like they are guarding Tyra Banks which led to many easy cuts and fouls
Tall order for USA, but they are improving and I for one will not be shocked if they pull it off ... they #1 prob IMO is disinterest in challenging shots, something Brown NEVER had trouble getting his teams to do thru the years ...
take care
gregg
Tall order for USA, but they are improving and I for one will not be shocked if they pull it off ... they #1 prob IMO is disinterest in challenging shots, something Brown NEVER had trouble getting his teams to do thru the years ...
take care
gregg
at Olympic
101 USA +150
102 Argentina +500
103 Lithuania +185
104 Serbia & Montenegro +1800
105 Spain +500
106 Greece +2500
107 Italy +4000
109 China +80000
110 Puerto Rico +5000
111 New Zealand +35000
101 USA +150
102 Argentina +500
103 Lithuania +185
104 Serbia & Montenegro +1800
105 Spain +500
106 Greece +2500
107 Italy +4000
109 China +80000
110 Puerto Rico +5000
111 New Zealand +35000
Here's some info off LIth game, comments by Brown
Brown Talks About Tough Loss
Brown's opening statement:
Brown: "I'm disappointed to say the least. But I think we're gettting better, though we had a meltdown in the fourth quarter. We were jumping up in the air and trying to make great plays, when we had open shots all night just by making easy plays. Like [Richard Jefferson] said, we should've realized that late in the game we can't let a couple of calls affect the outcome of the game. We've got to play through that. But they made shots, and we didn't. They took care of the ball in the second half a lot better than they did in the first half. And we missed 11 free throws, including a lot of big ones in the fourth quarter. The end result is we gave up over 90 points in a 40-minute game. You can't have a game like that defensively and expect to win against a quality team."
Coach, is it fair to say that the best point guard in the world right now does not play in the NBA, and will never play in the NBA, and his name is Sarunas Jasikevicius?
Brown: "No, he's not. He's a great player, I'm not saying anything to take that away. But there are a lot of great players. I think he's a great international player. There's a lot of things he can do internationally that he'd never get done in our league ... with the way they set screens, and the fact that you can hide a guy in the zone. But in international ball, he's as good as they get. He finds open people and makes big shots. I'm a fan of international ball, but there are a lot of guys who do well with their teams in this kind of environment that would struggle in our league. And this might not be a bad thing for them. So much of our game is isolation -- one-on-one and two-on-two, so unless you have great quickness and athletic ability, it's a struggle for you. But that takes nothing away from the ability [Jasikevicius] has shown in the last 3-4 years. He was great in 2000. The fact that he wouldn't be the best point guard in the NBA is not a negative."
There's a good chance you will face Lithuania again. What will you do differently to defend the high pick-and-roll if you do meet them again?
Brown: "I hope we face them again. We've got Angola next. That's all I'm thinking about. We've had trouble all tournament keeping people in front of us. It's been a huge problem. I think we've got to be a lot more aggressive; we've got to start fighting to get over screens a lot better, and communicate a lot better ... They made some big shots and big plays, and that's a big part of their offense ... But we're getting better. I think we have improved."
Do you feel you brought enough shooters ... ?
Brown: (Cuts off question.) "I'm not going to get on that. This is what we have. This is the team we have. I can't wish and hope for something we don't have. We had so many open shots, we have just got to hope that these guys make them; they've shown the ability to make them in the NBA. These guys are just pressing. One of the best scorers in the league almost stuck it in the rim with about two minutes to go. Then we had an open three that almost broke the backboard. I like that, because I know guys care and are trying. We're getting great shots. I don't think it has anything to do with shots, I think it's the lack of defense and trying to make great plays instead of easy plays. When you give up 94 points in a 40-minute game, I think you're going to have a real problem in this tournament."
Do you think you could have benefitted by having a foreign assistant coach to help with international play?
Brown: "I'm amazed by those comments, because I don't think it has anything to do with the international style of play. It's a beautiful thing to watch, but it has to do with players being together and being exposed to this kind of competition night in and night out, and our guys play it like it's a different sport. And nobody's going to come in in 10 days and change the mentality of kids that are 20 and 21 years old. The way I look at it is, if you can defend, you can defend. And if we're having trouble with dribble penetration, no international coach is going to come in here and teach them how to defend dribble penetration in 10 days."
Random observations from U.S.-Lithuania
- Hats off to Richard Jefferson for such a great performance (20 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range) after struggling so much in the team's first three games. After the game, Jefferson talked about playing through a slump on such a high-quality team ... "Coach [Brown] has had a lot of confidence in me, staying with me and talking me through it. I was taking great shots before; open shots that I should have hit. But as a basketball player, you're going to have those stretches, and on such a talented team, if my open shots aren't falling, then I need to pass it off to Steph or A.I. This is not a team where I can jack it up to get in my rhythm."
- The Lithuanian fans at the arena were far louder than the U.S. fans. They're certainly a passionate bunch. They were honking horns, blowing whistles, and chanting "Go home, USA!" throughout the game. Every time the U.S. had the ball, they were booed heartily. The whistles even made Stephon Marbury stop his dribble up-court and turn around once. He then gestured at the whistles to the refs. Of course, then he just got booed even louder.
- Lithuania's defensive gameplan? Pack it in on Duncan. They were double-teaming him off the ball all night, which is something the U.S. should probably get used to. "Our first goal [on offense] is to try to get it in to Timmy's hands," Coach Brown said after the game. "And I think everybody that we're playing against understands that's our best option."
- Even though he finished with just five points tonight, Carmelo Anthony had a solid performance. He looked energized on defense and hit a few big shots.
- The U.S. players weren't keeping quiet with the refs tonight. From Marbury telling one of them to "watch the tape" to Duncan and Boozer not giving him the ball after a U.S. basket, they weren't exactly going out of their way to smooth things over with them. Although their protests paled in comparison to Saulius Stombergas' jawing with one of the refs after a disputed call.
- Kudos to Marbury for getting a firm "grasp" on international play. While defending a high pick-and-roll, Marbury did a great job of grabbing on and holding seven-footer Eurelijus Zukauskas in place, thereby breaking up the play. Granted, it was illegal. But it was highly effective.
- Dwyane Wade's out-of-nowhere block from behind on Robertas Javtokas really shook the Lithuanian big man's confidence for the rest of the night. He didn't take another shot in the game without pump-faking or looking over his shoulder first.
- As much as people want to kill the U.S. for their supposed lack of shooting, they're really burning people in the open floor. When Iverson had space to operate tonight, there was no one on Lithuania that could stay within three paces of him. It was really exciting to see, and something that no other team in the tourney has.
- Duncan really got into it at one point with sharpshooter Arvydas Macijauskas. He pretty much clotheslined him from the side, and then got the call against him, meaning the physical play was probably warranted. The amount of passion and intensity Duncan has brought to the team says volumes about his abilities as a leader. He's the heart and soul of this team on the floor.
- A few things about Sarunas Jasikevicius and his big night ... He went 7-of-12 from 3-point range for 28 points. And he's a point guard ... He's one of those rare shooters who's just as comfortable shooting a three off the dribble as he is when set up ... He stared down Lamar Odom after getting fouled for his crucial four-point play ... In 2003, he won the Euroleague championship with Barcelona, then won the European Championships with Lithuania. Then in 2004, he won the Euroleague championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv ... But he's still got his stateside connections; he played his college ball at the University of Maryland.
Brown Talks About Tough Loss
Brown's opening statement:
Brown: "I'm disappointed to say the least. But I think we're gettting better, though we had a meltdown in the fourth quarter. We were jumping up in the air and trying to make great plays, when we had open shots all night just by making easy plays. Like [Richard Jefferson] said, we should've realized that late in the game we can't let a couple of calls affect the outcome of the game. We've got to play through that. But they made shots, and we didn't. They took care of the ball in the second half a lot better than they did in the first half. And we missed 11 free throws, including a lot of big ones in the fourth quarter. The end result is we gave up over 90 points in a 40-minute game. You can't have a game like that defensively and expect to win against a quality team."
Coach, is it fair to say that the best point guard in the world right now does not play in the NBA, and will never play in the NBA, and his name is Sarunas Jasikevicius?
Brown: "No, he's not. He's a great player, I'm not saying anything to take that away. But there are a lot of great players. I think he's a great international player. There's a lot of things he can do internationally that he'd never get done in our league ... with the way they set screens, and the fact that you can hide a guy in the zone. But in international ball, he's as good as they get. He finds open people and makes big shots. I'm a fan of international ball, but there are a lot of guys who do well with their teams in this kind of environment that would struggle in our league. And this might not be a bad thing for them. So much of our game is isolation -- one-on-one and two-on-two, so unless you have great quickness and athletic ability, it's a struggle for you. But that takes nothing away from the ability [Jasikevicius] has shown in the last 3-4 years. He was great in 2000. The fact that he wouldn't be the best point guard in the NBA is not a negative."
There's a good chance you will face Lithuania again. What will you do differently to defend the high pick-and-roll if you do meet them again?
Brown: "I hope we face them again. We've got Angola next. That's all I'm thinking about. We've had trouble all tournament keeping people in front of us. It's been a huge problem. I think we've got to be a lot more aggressive; we've got to start fighting to get over screens a lot better, and communicate a lot better ... They made some big shots and big plays, and that's a big part of their offense ... But we're getting better. I think we have improved."
Do you feel you brought enough shooters ... ?
Brown: (Cuts off question.) "I'm not going to get on that. This is what we have. This is the team we have. I can't wish and hope for something we don't have. We had so many open shots, we have just got to hope that these guys make them; they've shown the ability to make them in the NBA. These guys are just pressing. One of the best scorers in the league almost stuck it in the rim with about two minutes to go. Then we had an open three that almost broke the backboard. I like that, because I know guys care and are trying. We're getting great shots. I don't think it has anything to do with shots, I think it's the lack of defense and trying to make great plays instead of easy plays. When you give up 94 points in a 40-minute game, I think you're going to have a real problem in this tournament."
Do you think you could have benefitted by having a foreign assistant coach to help with international play?
Brown: "I'm amazed by those comments, because I don't think it has anything to do with the international style of play. It's a beautiful thing to watch, but it has to do with players being together and being exposed to this kind of competition night in and night out, and our guys play it like it's a different sport. And nobody's going to come in in 10 days and change the mentality of kids that are 20 and 21 years old. The way I look at it is, if you can defend, you can defend. And if we're having trouble with dribble penetration, no international coach is going to come in here and teach them how to defend dribble penetration in 10 days."
Random observations from U.S.-Lithuania
- Hats off to Richard Jefferson for such a great performance (20 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range) after struggling so much in the team's first three games. After the game, Jefferson talked about playing through a slump on such a high-quality team ... "Coach [Brown] has had a lot of confidence in me, staying with me and talking me through it. I was taking great shots before; open shots that I should have hit. But as a basketball player, you're going to have those stretches, and on such a talented team, if my open shots aren't falling, then I need to pass it off to Steph or A.I. This is not a team where I can jack it up to get in my rhythm."
- The Lithuanian fans at the arena were far louder than the U.S. fans. They're certainly a passionate bunch. They were honking horns, blowing whistles, and chanting "Go home, USA!" throughout the game. Every time the U.S. had the ball, they were booed heartily. The whistles even made Stephon Marbury stop his dribble up-court and turn around once. He then gestured at the whistles to the refs. Of course, then he just got booed even louder.
- Lithuania's defensive gameplan? Pack it in on Duncan. They were double-teaming him off the ball all night, which is something the U.S. should probably get used to. "Our first goal [on offense] is to try to get it in to Timmy's hands," Coach Brown said after the game. "And I think everybody that we're playing against understands that's our best option."
- Even though he finished with just five points tonight, Carmelo Anthony had a solid performance. He looked energized on defense and hit a few big shots.
- The U.S. players weren't keeping quiet with the refs tonight. From Marbury telling one of them to "watch the tape" to Duncan and Boozer not giving him the ball after a U.S. basket, they weren't exactly going out of their way to smooth things over with them. Although their protests paled in comparison to Saulius Stombergas' jawing with one of the refs after a disputed call.
- Kudos to Marbury for getting a firm "grasp" on international play. While defending a high pick-and-roll, Marbury did a great job of grabbing on and holding seven-footer Eurelijus Zukauskas in place, thereby breaking up the play. Granted, it was illegal. But it was highly effective.
- Dwyane Wade's out-of-nowhere block from behind on Robertas Javtokas really shook the Lithuanian big man's confidence for the rest of the night. He didn't take another shot in the game without pump-faking or looking over his shoulder first.
- As much as people want to kill the U.S. for their supposed lack of shooting, they're really burning people in the open floor. When Iverson had space to operate tonight, there was no one on Lithuania that could stay within three paces of him. It was really exciting to see, and something that no other team in the tourney has.
- Duncan really got into it at one point with sharpshooter Arvydas Macijauskas. He pretty much clotheslined him from the side, and then got the call against him, meaning the physical play was probably warranted. The amount of passion and intensity Duncan has brought to the team says volumes about his abilities as a leader. He's the heart and soul of this team on the floor.
- A few things about Sarunas Jasikevicius and his big night ... He went 7-of-12 from 3-point range for 28 points. And he's a point guard ... He's one of those rare shooters who's just as comfortable shooting a three off the dribble as he is when set up ... He stared down Lamar Odom after getting fouled for his crucial four-point play ... In 2003, he won the Euroleague championship with Barcelona, then won the European Championships with Lithuania. Then in 2004, he won the Euroleague championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv ... But he's still got his stateside connections; he played his college ball at the University of Maryland.
