Redeem team perfect so far in Bejing

[Comment Below]

By Brad Esta

What was once called the “Dream Team” is now being called the “Redeem Team.” The USA Men’s Basketball team, which had been so dominant for years before taking Bronze in the 2004 Olympic Games, feels it has to redeem itself and bring home the gold. Team USA seems to be doing just that as they have outscored their opponents 409-297 with the difference of 112 points in four games, for about 28 points per game. The next closest is Lithuania who has outscored their opponents by 56, only half that of Team USA.

Through four games the Men’s basketball team has shown little weakness in Group B of play. There are two groups, with six teams in each group to make a total of 12 teams. Group A consists of Lithuania, Argentina, Australia, Croatia, Russia and Iran. The other half in Group B includes the United States of America, Spain, Greece, Germany and Angola.

If you have had the chance of watching the Olympic team on its quest for gold, you may have noticed a few things that were different. A few differences include the different-looking ball, the shorter three-point line and that quarters are only 10 minutes instead of 12. Although the game is shorter, team USA has been able to average just over 102 points per game, while holding their opponents to just under 75 per game.

Team USA opened up against the host city China, and after a slow start, they would begin to pull away in the second quarter to win 101-70. In game two, the US would face Angola; this time, they would get off to a fast start and cruise to the win 97-76.

Game three was made out to be the toughest test for team USA to date – they would be facing Greece. Team USA would use a big second quarter, outscoring Greece 31-16, to cruise to yet another decisive win 92-69. In the fourth game, the USA’s outside shot would finally come alive. Through the first few games, the outside shooting had been horrendous, but against Spain, they would go 12/25 and cruise to yet another big win 119-82.

The top four scorers of the Olympics are from the NBA. Manu Ginobili, who won the sixth man of the year award and plays for the San Antonio Spurs, leads the way in scoring with 21.5 points for Argentina. Yao Ming, who is the center of the Houston Rockets, is in second with 19.8 points for China. Yao Ming started off his Olympics hitting a three-pointer against team USA. Dwayne Wade, star of the Miami Heat, is third on the list with 17.8 points for team USA. Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, also has 17.8 points for Germany. Pau Gasol from the Los Angeles Lakers, is in seventh with 16.5 points for Spain. The medal games will be held on August 24.

In NBA news, although stars from team USA such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have said they would not be against going across seas to play for about $50 million per year, other players are still making the move. This trend all started when Josh Childress from the Atlanta Hawks made a three-year deal worth $20 million to play with Greek power Olympiakos.

Now Jannero Pargo, former Hornet back up for Chris Paul, is making the move. Pargo has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth $3.8 million to play with the Moscow Dynamo. That is more than three times what he would have earned had he stayed with the Hornets; Pargo, who was testing the open market, is getting double what the San Antonio Spurs would have offered him, which would have been a $1.9 million contract.

Although as of yet no huge star has made the transition, one must ask, is it just a matter of time? And could the NBA possibly have some competition for players for the first time in decades since the ABA merged with the NBA?

Originally Published: Issue 701 - August 19, 2008

Share on Facebook

Back to the top