US Dream Team Loses to Italy: Canada Hoping for Medal

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the performance of the United States basketball team, often referred to as the "Dream Team," following their loss to Italy and the implications for Canada's chances at winning a medal in the Olympics. Participants explore themes of team composition, historical comparisons, and national pride in sports.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express disappointment in the current U.S. team, contrasting it with the original "Dream Team" that included legendary players like Jordan and Magic.
  • There are claims that the current roster lacks the same caliber of talent and teamwork as previous teams, with references to specific players and hypothetical lineups that could have performed better.
  • Participants discuss the impact of player egos and the dynamics of professional athletes on team performance, suggesting that individualism may hinder collective success.
  • Some express skepticism about whether the current U.S. team deserves the "Dream Team" label, questioning if it has become a generic term for any U.S. basketball team.
  • There are humorous remarks about the situation, including puns related to player names and light-hearted jabs at national pride in sports.
  • One participant notes the contrasting attitudes of athletes from other countries, suggesting that Australian athletes prioritize national representation over professional contracts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the quality and identity of the current U.S. basketball team, with multiple competing views on what constitutes a "Dream Team." The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of player selection and team dynamics.

Contextual Notes

Some statements reflect personal opinions and humor, while others reference historical performances and player dynamics without reaching a consensus on the effectiveness of the current team.

Dagenais
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The United States Dream Team, just finished getting pounded by Italy!

Good job guys! Keep the embarassments coming and maybe Canada will have a chance at a medal!

http://tsn.ca/nba/news_story.asp?id=93498
 
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maybe Canada will have a chance at a medal!

We were talking about dream teams; not miracles from the almighty! :biggrin:
 
Wait a minute...this ain't no Dream Team.

THE Dream Team : Jordan, Magic, Larry, Barkley, Drexler, Robinson, Ewing, Mailman, Scottie, Mullin, and Laettner

This team : Iverson, Duncan, Boozer, Stoudamire, LeBron, Carmelo, Marbury, Wade, Jefferson, Odom and Okafor.

See the difference ?
 
More like a bad dream.
 
Dream team? Wasn't Nick Collison on the US team before he got injured? Give me a starting lineup of Baron Davis, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Shaq. Hypothetical final score: USA 126 Italy 73.
 
Gokul43201 is right : there has been only ONE dream team.
"Baron Davis, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Shaq" are fine. But they are just improved humans. Not living gods of BB.
 
http://www.tsn.ca/olympics/news_story.asp?ID=94987&hubName=

http://www.tsn.ca/olympics/news_story.asp?ID=95020&hubName=

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - This loss went beyond ugly, beyond history.



Try humiliating, humbling, an Olympic-sized ego-bruiser.



Puerto Rico's no-name, no-rep team put the biggest hurt on a U.S. men's basketball team since the sport came into the Summer Games in 1936 - a 92-73 wallop Sunday night that rattled the gold chains and diamonds of the cocky NBA stars who thought they could stroll on the court and win.



The Americans shot as if they were tossing around a beachball, passed as if they were aiming at fans in the crowd, played defence as if they had never heard of the concept.

HA HA!

You're team of millionaire Americans that call themselves, "The Dream Team" got destroyed by Puerto Rico.

Just a tinge overconfident eh? :rolleyes:

They desperately needed an outside shooter like Mike Bibby, who stayed home because he was too worried about the threat of terrorism.



They could have used Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady or Jermaine O'Neal, who also were once on Team USA but decided not to come. Or Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O'Neal, who declined even the invitations. If you're watching, guys, Uncle Sam needed you.
 
Last edited:
Blame Michael Jordan.

Before Jordan, no team in the modern era won the NBA Championship with the league's leading scorer (not even with Jabbar, not even with Chamberlain). Great teams win championships, not great players.

Except, the fact that one human actually could affect the game the way Jordan did proved it's humanly possible and everyone imitates a winner ...

... except all the other teams imitating the Bulls only had Michael Jordan imitations - not the real thing. It only looks smart if all the other teams make the same dumb mistakes you do.

Unfortunately, the other countries in the Olympics are playing 80's style basketball. The result is no more surprising than Larry Brown's Pistons dismantling of Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal-Karl Malone-Eddie Payton. (come to think of it - shouldn't Brown have seen this coming?)
 
Hey! Cool it Dagenais, or we'll just have to bring up the last time Canada won the gold in Hockey!

...What?

oh, never mind.
 
  • #10
Blame Michael Jordan.

Before Jordan, no team in the modern era won the NBA Championship with the league's leading scorer (not even with Jabbar, not even with Chamberlain). Great teams win championships, not great players.

What are you talking about?! :surprise:

The Bulls were a dynasty, they had great players!

Michael Jordan was surrounded by good to great players like Scottie Pippen, Tony Kukoc, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, and Steve Kerr.

That is an awesome team that played together extremely well and filled their roles perfectly.

Unfortunately, the other countries in the Olympics are playing 80's style basketball. The result is no more surprising than Larry Brown's Pistons dismantling of Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal-Karl Malone-Eddie Payton. (come to think of it - shouldn't Brown have seen this coming?)

Brown did know it was coming.

It should be in the articles I linked to.
 
  • #11
Gokul43201 said:
Wait a minute...this ain't no Dream Team.

THE Dream Team : Jordan, Magic, Larry, Barkley, Drexler, Robinson, Ewing, Mailman, Scottie, Mullin, and Laettner

This team : Iverson, Duncan, Boozer, Stoudamire, LeBron, Carmelo, Marbury, Wade, Jefferson, Odom and Okafor.

See the difference ?


Is anyone noticing the fatal flaw in the dream team? :smile: :smile:
 
  • #12
jimmy p said:
Is anyone noticing the fatal flaw in the dream team? :smile: :smile:
Do you mean drunken vanity, Jimmy
 
  • #13
Robert Zaleski said:
Do you mean drunken vanity, Jimmy


I'm not sure, I don't think that much about what I type :-p I was just playing on the fact that one of them was called Boozer. Now the joke is ruined! :frown:
 
  • #14
I really don't follow basketball, but owing to being alive and occasionally breathing, I recognize the names of Iverson and Okafor only. I do NOT recall any "Dream Team" hype the way there was in the previous games. Was this considered, by anyone's standards, a "Dream Team"? Or has that epithet merely become synonymous with "USA Basketball Team" no matter what the roster is?
 
  • #15
When you put together professional athletes with lucrative contracts in one team you're bound to have egos clashing. Each man for himself, rather than for the team. I miss the good old days with Jordan, Fun times..
 
  • #16
PR!PR!PR! ;)
 
  • #17
haha, I'm sorry but as an Aussie, I do nothing but cheer for Australia and anyone against America ;)

It's unbelievable that with a basketball league the class of the NBA and a country as mad about basketball as America (it's pretty small cookies here) that the US team could perform like this. If we had players that had not the patriotism to go out and play for their country, (I'm assuming that's the case with your big stars) there'd be a national outcry. Luckily most Australian sportsmen and women put the country ahead of any professional contract which could explain why we perform rather decently at the Olympics for a puny country of 19 million odd- talking about the games in general of course, not the basketball.

It was upsetting losing the 4x200 free to the US by .13 of a second.. but hey we can't win them all.
 
  • #18
Spanked By Puerto Rico

Embarrassing


Quote:
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - This loss went beyond ugly, beyond history.



Try humiliating, humbling, an Olympic-sized ego-bruiser.


Glad to see you enjoying this Dagenais. And where exactly is the Canadian basketball team ranked (if they even made it to the olympics. :rolleyes: )
 

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