Basketball

[ftballfan]

As expected

It was definitely not a forgone conclusion. France had a few good 3 point shooters running high screen roll with 7' 1" Rudy Goubert, which is very hard to defend. It took a strong effort from the US to win.

Also Team USA lost to France in pool play, but that was only hours after Holliday, Middleton, and Booker arrived in Tokyo from playing in the NBA Finals.

[Roadgeekteen]

Sweet, a victory I take literally no satisfaction from nor glean the slightest bit of national pride.

I'm happy for Jayson Tatum but I'm not super excited.

[Max Rockatansky]

Sweet, a victory I take literally no satisfaction from nor glean the slightest bit of national pride.

I'm happy for Jayson Tatum but I'm not super excited.

I guarantee you that he much rather have an NBA Championship and would trade that Olympic gold medal in a second for it.

[Roadgeekteen]

Sweet, a victory I take literally no satisfaction from nor glean the slightest bit of national pride.

I'm happy for Jayson Tatum but I'm not super excited.

I guarantee you that he much rather have an NBA Championship and would trade that Olympic gold medal in a second for it.

Most team America players feel the same way. The goal medal is way more special for an international team.

[Max Rockatansky]

Sweet, a victory I take literally no satisfaction from nor glean the slightest bit of national pride.

I'm happy for Jayson Tatum but I'm not super excited.

I guarantee you that he much rather have an NBA Championship and would trade that Olympic gold medal in a second for it.

Most team America players feel the same way. The goal medal is way more special for an international team.

But is that the case with basketball where all the best players in the world are also part of the NBA?  Basketball unlike soccer doesn't have a fragmented professional field of play consisting of multiple top tier leagues.  The NBA is unquestionably the premier league for basketball.

[Roadgeekteen]

Sweet, a victory I take literally no satisfaction from nor glean the slightest bit of national pride.

I'm happy for Jayson Tatum but I'm not super excited.

I guarantee you that he much rather have an NBA Championship and would trade that Olympic gold medal in a second for it.

Most team America players feel the same way. The goal medal is way more special for an international team.

But is that the case with basketball where all the best players in the world are also part of the NBA?  Basketball unlike soccer doesn't have a fragmented professional field of play consisting of multiple top tier leagues.  The NBA is unquestionably the premier league for basketball.

I would consider Manu Ginobili leading Argentina to the gold as more impressive than his 4 rings with the Spurs.

[Max Rockatansky]

Sweet, a victory I take literally no satisfaction from nor glean the slightest bit of national pride.

I'm happy for Jayson Tatum but I'm not super excited.

I guarantee you that he much rather have an NBA Championship and would trade that Olympic gold medal in a second for it.

Most team America players feel the same way. The goal medal is way more special for an international team.

But is that the case with basketball where all the best players in the world are also part of the NBA?  Basketball unlike soccer doesn't have a fragmented professional field of play consisting of multiple top tier leagues.  The NBA is unquestionably the premier league for basketball.

I would consider Manu Ginobili leading Argentina to the gold as more impressive than his 4 rings with the Spurs.

How so?  An NBA Championship includes an 82 game season and at least 16 playoff games.  It was for the time a hell of an upset but definitely not a greater accomplishment than being part of even one of those NBA titles.

[NWI_Irish96]

The US is expected to win gold in basketball and does so almost every time, so it's just not quite as special when it happens. An NBA/WNBA championship is much harder to achieve if you're American.

For a foreign player, an Olympic title would be much more special.

[Roadgeekteen]

Sweet, a victory I take literally no satisfaction from nor glean the slightest bit of national pride.

I'm happy for Jayson Tatum but I'm not super excited.

I guarantee you that he much rather have an NBA Championship and would trade that Olympic gold medal in a second for it.

Most team America players feel the same way. The goal medal is way more special for an international team.

But is that the case with basketball where all the best players in the world are also part of the NBA?  Basketball unlike soccer doesn't have a fragmented professional field of play consisting of multiple top tier leagues.  The NBA is unquestionably the premier league for basketball.

I would consider Manu Ginobili leading Argentina to the gold as more impressive than his 4 rings with the Spurs.

How so?  An NBA Championship includes an 82 game season and at least 16 playoff games.  It was for the time a hell of an upset but definitely not a greater accomplishment than being part of even one of those NBA titles.

Two points:

Manu was the clear cut player on Argentina, he was the 3rd or 4th best player on those Spurs teams

The NBA finals is won every year, and all the teams are full of NBA players, Argentina in 2004 is the only time since NBA players were allowed that a non-USA team won gold, and most of Manu's teammates were not NBA players.

[Max Rockatansky]

Sweet, a victory I take literally no satisfaction from nor glean the slightest bit of national pride.

I'm happy for Jayson Tatum but I'm not super excited.

I guarantee you that he much rather have an NBA Championship and would trade that Olympic gold medal in a second for it.

Most team America players feel the same way. The goal medal is way more special for an international team.

But is that the case with basketball where all the best players in the world are also part of the NBA?  Basketball unlike soccer doesn't have a fragmented professional field of play consisting of multiple top tier leagues.  The NBA is unquestionably the premier league for basketball.

I would consider Manu Ginobili leading Argentina to the gold as more impressive than his 4 rings with the Spurs.

How so?  An NBA Championship includes an 82 game season and at least 16 playoff games.  It was for the time a hell of an upset but definitely not a greater accomplishment than being part of even one of those NBA titles.

Two points:

Manu was the clear cut player on Argentina, he was the 3rd or 4th best player on those Spurs teams

The NBA finals is won every year, and all the teams are full of NBA players, Argentina in 2004 is the only time since NBA players were allowed that a non-USA team won gold, and most of Manu's teammates were not NBA players.

Yes, and to me the NBA Championship is a far more grander accomplishment than an Olympic Medal.  Olympic basketball always felt to me like All-Star games in professional sports.  You aren't usually getting the full deck of talent across the board and a lot dudes even if they don't say it clear don't want to be there.

[bing101]

As expected

Not really some of the players who were in the 2021 Team USA Basketball team were initially not prepared to go Olympics basketball given that they got out of the NBA finals. Booker, Jrue Holiday and Middleton were the ones that just got out of the NBA finals and we're less prepared to deal with Olympics opponents in the first Basketball round.

[Stephane Dumas]

Yes, and to me the NBA Championship is a far more grander accomplishment than an Olympic Medal.  Olympic basketball always felt to me like All-Star games in professional sports.  You aren't usually getting the full deck of talent across the board and a lot dudes even if they don't say it clear don't want to be there.

Or something more rarer, a member of the Triple Gold Club who have won an Olympic gold medal, a FIBA World Championship gold medal, and a NBA championship.
https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/185376/basketballs-triple-gold-club   Homever, the term "Triple Gold Club" is more popular in hockey than basketball.

Edit: My mistake, it's Triple Crown club, not Triple Gold club as mentionned earlier althougth this other link had a different definition of the Triple Crown Club. http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/list/201207/basketball-triple-crown-ncaa-nba-championships-olympic-gold-medal

[Roadgeekteen]

As expected

Not really some of the players who were in the 2021 Team USA Basketball team were initially not prepared to go Olympics basketball given that they got out of the NBA finals. Booker, Jrue Holiday and Middleton were the ones that just got out of the NBA finals and we're less prepared to deal with Olympics opponents in the first Basketball round.

True, but as soon as USA got into a rhythm there was no beating them.

[WillWeaverRVA]

VCU's Bones Hyland had a pretty impressive performance despite the Nuggets getting crushed by the Celtics in the Summer League. Bones was out on health and safety protocols, had not practiced with the team, had just been cleared to play about three hours before the game, took a quick flight from Denver to Vegas arriving about an hour before the game, had very little warm-up time, and put up 16 points and 7 assists including a couple of beautiful dishes to Bol Bol.

[gr8daynegb]

And I see yesterday Valpo made it official they are now the Beacons

[Roadgeekteen]

Celtics sign Dennis Schröder to a 5.9 million dollar contract, and absolute steal for them.

[Roadgeekteen]

As a Nets hater I am glad that Kyrie might not be able to play home games.

[gr8daynegb]

As a Nets hater I am glad that Kyrie might not be able to play home games.

I think many Nets fans might like that as well.

[Roadgeekteen]

As a Nets hater I am glad that Kyrie might not be able to play home games.

I think many Nets fans might like that as well.

Why? Kyrie is a very good player.

[Alps]

As a Nets hater I am glad that Kyrie might not be able to play home games.

I think many Nets fans might like that as well.

Why? Kyrie is a very good player.

Pro-vax Nets fans would like it.

[Roadgeekteen]

As a Nets hater I am glad that Kyrie might not be able to play home games.

I think many Nets fans might like that as well.

Why? Kyrie is a very good player.

Pro-vax Nets fans would like it.

Well it hurts their team, they would hope that he will get it.

[gr8daynegb]

As a Nets hater I am glad that Kyrie might not be able to play home games.

I think many Nets fans might like that as well.

Why? Kyrie is a very good player.

Guy is good player.......but seems to do more to hurt his team than help it.  Look at the series vs the Bucks this postseason when Harden and Irving weren't playing vs when either/or or both were playing with KD.  Whether it's a misgiven label or not Irving, like Harden, has gain a rep for being a player that will eventually keep you from winning a title that losing it(the LeBron title you notice very little ever said about Irving),

[Stephane Dumas]

Some ex-NBA players had been charged for fraud. It's like the modern day "Black Sox scandal".
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/07/18-former-nba-players-charged-in-alleged-4-million-health-insurance-fraud.html

Eighteen former NBA players, including former Celtics and Clippers player Ronald Glen "Big Baby"  Davis, have been arrested and charged with defrauding the NBA's Health and Welfare Benefit Plan out of nearly $4 million.

The ex-players are accused of submitting false reimbursement claims from around 2017 to 2020 for medical and dental services that were not actually purchased, according to an indictment filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, or SDNY.

Those false claims totaled about $3.9 million, according to the indictment. Players received about $2.5 million in total fraudulent proceeds, with each receiving as little as $65,000 to as much as $420,000.

"The benefit plans provided by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association to our players are critically important to support their health and well-being throughout their playing careers and over the course of their lives, which makes these allegations particularly disheartening,"  The NBA said in a statement Thursday. The league noted that it will cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's Office in this matter.

The NBA Players Association also said in a statement late Thursday it was aware of the indictment and will continue to monitor the situation.

[triplemultiplex]

In what way is defrauding a health care plan at all analogous to allegations of fixing the World Series?

[Stephane Dumas]

In what way is defrauding a health care plan at all analogous to allegations of fixing the World Series?

One thing in common is the money at the end of the rainbow.