FIBA World Championship

[Opera Prima]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Mechi[/i]
<br>Hey, got a funny anecdote related to Ginobili. One day, I was sleeping when I hera my cell phone ring and it's my feind Brenda saying "Mechi, get dressed.. we are going to follow Ginobili so I can meet him" (my friend has a huge crush on him). I ended up an entire day following his steps as if I was a groupie. Finally, my friend got a pic with him and an autograph... also got one with Nocioni. But I'll never forget the fact that I spent a day follwoing a Basketball player and not a musician and the amount of blocks that I walked that day.
[/quote]

Well, at least she got what she wanted, though you had to walk the whole city from side to side [xx(]
Is it true that Nocioni is called "el chavo" or something like that because someone said he looks like that character??
Ah no, now I know, he's called "el chapu".

[dcs84]

The thing with Basketball, and it took me a long time to realise this, is that it is not all about athleticism and speed, although those attributes are important. The bottom line is that you have to pass the ball through the hoop more times than your opponent (not always the case if you are hitting three pointers). And this can be achieved in a great many ways. American Basketball, by definition at this level the professional game, is extraordinarily athletic yet they can struggle against team defence as witnessed by games against Brazil and Italy. Different countries have different styles reflecting their levels of size and athleticism. Angola for example could almost rival America for three point shooting and athleticism but lacks structure and defensive coordination. Australia are a structually and fundamentally sound team, with mid range athleticism but lacks size and speed. And so it goes.

I don't think that Americans have a monopoly on talent, they certainly don't when it comes to fundamentals, and I truly question, on a level playing field whether based on talent alone an NBA team could trounce all international comers. I agree that professionalism, in all its forms would carry the day, and by that I mean if the Argentinian National team were to play together for extended periods as a 5 month proposition they would be a formidable team.

Personally I find the modern NBA a little boring, it tends to be all six foot five, to six foot seven wingmen who can dunk, and dominate in isolation plays. I like the good old days where you had six foot earthbound point gaurds and Aircraft Carrier centres and swingmen, and bulky power forwards who couldn't shoot worth a damn, basically the game where all body shapes, sizes and types had a place. And don't get me started on the And1 Mixed Tape phenomonon, it's the Harlem Globetrotters on acid and a serious threat to the conventional future of the game of Basketball.

[Mechi]

No idea why they call him "el chavo". I'm not a sports database precisely.

http://spaces.msn.com/members/mechigc

[phillyidol]

Unfortunatly, our country does not take the olympics as seriously as we do pro sports. Some people may use the olympics as a platform to a future career but thats about it. A person would rather go pro.
As far as international sports, soccer is not huge here. Baseball, football, basketball and hocky.And the hocky is questionable. Baseball and football are an sickness here. Everyone follows. I'll tell you the truth, I know very little about other countries sports teams.

[Opera Prima]

Wow, the USA has just been beaten by Greece. What a game!!

The Greeks have shown that basketball is a team game, though individually they're not as brilliant as USA players, they all have worked hard and played as team, helping each others all the time.
Having lots of great players who usually do everything by their own is not the way to win, and if you add the bad planning by the USA coach, you have this result... defeat.

I agree with dcs84, and I certainly prefer European or FIBA basketball which is more tactical and more team played than that in the NBA, though the the latter is way more spectacular with so many dunks.

Well, I'm sorry for you (Philly, etc)... the USA sucks again [:0]

[egg-roger]

Opera Prima! Great game!

Now, Can Spain beat Greece????????




Mechi - condolences.

[Opera Prima]

Yeeehaaaaaaa!!! Spain has beaten Argentina!! I almost have a cardiac arrest in the last minutes of the game... it's been really interesting!
The bad news is Pau Gasol has got a serious injury or so it seems and won't be able to play the final [:(]

Mechi, lo siento por Argentina, porque los 2 equipos merecían estar en la final. Espero que la medalla de bronce sea para vosotros.

[Opera Prima]

[quote][i]Originally posted by egg-roger[/i]
<br>Opera Prima! Great game!

Now, Can Spain beat Greece????????
[/quote]
Thanks egg-roger, it's been really incredible!

Well, in normal conditions I think Spain would beat the Greeks, but without Pau Gasol, I'm not so sure...

[Mechi]

OP, you played well and deserve it.
Condolences??? Hahaha... my mum was watching the match early at the morning and shouting so I woke up and say: "For the love of God, I stayed until late studying chemistry, let me sleep!!". [:p]

http://spaces.msn.com/members/mechigc

[phillyidol]

Opera, is it your goal to just come to this site and knock our country? It really reads that way. Maybe the humor is being just lost with the translation.You feel sorry for me? That a team that nobody cares about lost to a team that nobody ever heard of? Thats pretty funny. When was the last time the world was moved by anything out of Spain? I would say its been a few hundred years, after England sank your fleet. The teams you talk about and play so well together could win non stop for a century and could not come close to the worst team in America. Fiba? Try NBA, NFL, NHL.....and so on, you know, the famous teams everyone knows.

[dcs84]

Philly,

You are right, there are many storied professional outfits doing the rounds in North America, but there are equally as many outside the continent as well...it truly is a big world. Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona in Soccer would put most American sporting franchises to shame for popularity and money. In India (the second most populace nation on the globe) cricket dominates, in Brazil people could care less for Baseball, and American Football where the only sport in town is Roundball. In South Africa, and New Zealand Rugby is the religion. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think that it is hard to know what the other 5.7 billion people on the planet really value in their sports.

[Opera Prima]

[quote][i]Originally posted by phillyidol[/i]
<br>Opera, is it your goal to just come to this site and knock our country? It really reads that way. Maybe the humor is being just lost with the translation.You feel sorry for me? That a team that nobody cares about lost to a team that nobody ever heard of? Thats pretty funny. The teams you talk about and play so well together could win non stop for a century and could not come close to the worst team in America. Fiba? Try NBA, NFL, NHL.....and so on, you know, the famous teams everyone knows.
[/quote]

No Philly, that was not my goal, and that I feel sorry for you was just a joke.

When I wrote that, I forgot that most of you just don't know anything of what goes on on other countries. NBA, NFL, NHL, etc? Yes, very interesting... in the USA. In the rest of the planet, as dcs84 said, people like other sports. The problem is that a lot of people in the USA just think what they have is the best and don't give a damn about foreing things. And when US teams are so superior to those in other countries, it's because those sports are played only locally or in a few countries, they're not world sports like soccer, tennis, formula 1, motoGP, etc. where you can find teams and sportsmen/women from all continents... and in these sports the USA usually don't win.
And if the NBA is so superior to FIBA basketball, why the USA team does't always win all international competitions?

If you think the Greek team is completely unknown it's because:
a) You don't know history at all... who has ever heard about Greece? What's that?
b) You don't know anything about basketball
c) Other... explain, please

[quote][i]Originally posted by phillyidol[/i]
When was the last time the world was moved by anything out of Spain? I would say its been a few hundred years, after England sank your fleet.
[/quote]
Probably little time ago, the same as many other countries that have done brilliant things in the last century/years(but of course, you're not interested in that, only what the USA does is important).
And Philly, it hasn't been always the British sinking our fleet, we sank theirs too (in Cartagena de Indias, for example)

[phillyidol]

Yes but they are still a world power.

I totally agree on all points here about other countries and sports. I totally admit and stated that most people in my country do not know and do not care about international sports as much as local. Very true.
And Aussie is right, those countries would dominate us in those sports. Australian rugby, those are some tough guys! English soccer or cricket, same thing. I can admit when our country is out matched. And I could totally buy a round for dcs84 and talk about anything. The reason I am so defensive with you? Its the smarmy answers to every post. Its the digs you make about my country and then cover them up. I really don't want to go back and past each one with my reason because this is getting tired. Trust me, your posts and threads are making you look like you are here to knock america. Like I said, maybe its in the translation, who knows. Maybe you don't mean to insult us, but it sure looks that way with your wording. And my posts here make me sound like your posts do and I don't like that so I will stop. My country is made up of people from every nation on earth. And we love them. I personally work with Africans, Russians (alot) Puerto Ricans and Haitians. Everybody is equal and I would fight for each one of them, and I do being their union rep. But when someone tells me how much we suck? I'm going to speak up. Dcs is telling me alot of the same points you are and I agree but I listen because they don't add the jabs you call jokes.

BTW, I know history all to well.
Do I know about Greece? Yes, its a country. I have been there, very nice, and nice people, my neighbors are from Greece.
So lets check our wording, shall we?

[Opera Prima]

The USA has won the bronze medal, congratulations to all of you from the USA interested in your national basketball team.

OK Philly, no more comments about the USA (I hope the lines above don't offend you)... maybe our senses of humor are so different that I don't know when you're joking and you don't know when I am, so I'll try not to write anything when a topic is related to your country, I wouldn't like you to take offense again.

[Opera Prima]

Mechi - lo siento de nuevo por Argentina, hoy casi no les ha salido nada... todos los triples casi imposibles que metió "Pepe" Sánchez ayer, hoy no han entrado, qué pena.
Al menos Delfino ha hecho otro partidazo, a ver si lo ficha algún club español, que tengo ganas de verlo jugar por aquí [:)]