duncan228
08-21-2008, 02:58 PM
http://www.nj.com/olympics/index.ssf/2008/08/redeem_team_restoring_pride_do.html
Redeem Team restoring pride, dominance of competing in Games
by Steve Politi
BEIJING -- Forget the 30-point blowouts. Forget how the gold medal has become an inevitability. The most amazing thing about the Redeem Team?
These guys actually smile a lot.
Imagine that. They want to be here. This shouldn't be such a surprise, since wearing the letters "USA" across the front of a jersey is supposed to be the most important honor possible for an athlete.
Still, you think back to the bitter faces and the awful body language in Athens four years ago. You remember how playing for the U.S. team had become a chore for so many players.
The Olympics were three weeks away from their beach houses and yachts. Who needed the headache? Not some of the multimillionaires who headed to Greece, and they made that perfectly clear each day.
"Sure we think about it," forward Carmelo Anthony said. "We think about it all the time. The guys who went through that, it was a growing experience and all that, but it was terrible -- 2004 was a miserable experience.
"We were all miserable."
He said this with a smile this time, because no one is miserable playing for Team USA any more. The winning helps, of course: The 116-85 drubbing of Australia in the quarterfinals actually lowered the Americans margin of victory in their six games in Beijing.
This has gotten so silly, some of the players had to answer questions about this game being their first "real test" because the score was tied at 21. A test? Unless Kobe had to solve calculus equations on the bus ride to the arena, this was just another blowout, another message to the world.
Now they get Argentina in the semifinals, the team that beat them in this spot four years ago. That U.S. team was outplayed in virtually every way in that 89-81 loss, then barely beat Lithuania for third place.
One image from Athens stands out: Tim Duncan had just won a bronze medal less than an hour earlier, but he was leaning against a wall in the interview area promising never to suit up for international play again.
"I'm gonna say it nicely -- it has not been fun," Duncan said. Asked if the team's poor performance in Athens would keep other NBA players from signing up to play in four years, Duncan answered, "I hope not. I'll try not to share my experiences with anybody."
After these two weeks, what players could possibly pass on the chance? With two more victories, this team have proven that the benefits far outweigh the negatives of playing for the Olympic team.
Kobe Bryant has proven he is an international star. LeBron James has shown he is not just the best player in the world, but one of the best leaders, too. Dwyane Wade has put to rest all concerns about his injury problems, and Carmelo Anthony has demonstrated his value as an all-around player.
Overall, the players are bringing respect back to U.S. basketball. They genuinely have put the success of this team ahead of their own egos and agendas, something that seemed impossible given the attitudes four years ago.
"When 2012 rolls around, I feel like everyone in the NBA, if they had open trials, would want to be part of this team," Chris Paul said. "This is so much bigger than the NBA, representing your country."
Four years ago, other teams around the world were convinced they had caught and surpassed the United States in this international sport. This year is proving that was utter nonsense.
It's amazing what our best basketball players can accomplish when they actually care, isn't it?
"We got to the semifinals in '04 but we didn't play well," James said. "We didn't have a leader. We didn't have a plan defensively. We weren't a team. It's a totally different deal this time."
The original Dream Team set the bar in 1992, bringing a rock-star following to Barcelona as it obliterated all comers. This team has done something more significant -- restoring the air of invincibility -- and, along the way, has proven that signing up to play in the Olympics is no chore.
It is a privilege, which is why the smiles you see on these players faces mean as much as the victories.
Redeem Team restoring pride, dominance of competing in Games
by Steve Politi
BEIJING -- Forget the 30-point blowouts. Forget how the gold medal has become an inevitability. The most amazing thing about the Redeem Team?
These guys actually smile a lot.
Imagine that. They want to be here. This shouldn't be such a surprise, since wearing the letters "USA" across the front of a jersey is supposed to be the most important honor possible for an athlete.
Still, you think back to the bitter faces and the awful body language in Athens four years ago. You remember how playing for the U.S. team had become a chore for so many players.
The Olympics were three weeks away from their beach houses and yachts. Who needed the headache? Not some of the multimillionaires who headed to Greece, and they made that perfectly clear each day.
"Sure we think about it," forward Carmelo Anthony said. "We think about it all the time. The guys who went through that, it was a growing experience and all that, but it was terrible -- 2004 was a miserable experience.
"We were all miserable."
He said this with a smile this time, because no one is miserable playing for Team USA any more. The winning helps, of course: The 116-85 drubbing of Australia in the quarterfinals actually lowered the Americans margin of victory in their six games in Beijing.
This has gotten so silly, some of the players had to answer questions about this game being their first "real test" because the score was tied at 21. A test? Unless Kobe had to solve calculus equations on the bus ride to the arena, this was just another blowout, another message to the world.
Now they get Argentina in the semifinals, the team that beat them in this spot four years ago. That U.S. team was outplayed in virtually every way in that 89-81 loss, then barely beat Lithuania for third place.
One image from Athens stands out: Tim Duncan had just won a bronze medal less than an hour earlier, but he was leaning against a wall in the interview area promising never to suit up for international play again.
"I'm gonna say it nicely -- it has not been fun," Duncan said. Asked if the team's poor performance in Athens would keep other NBA players from signing up to play in four years, Duncan answered, "I hope not. I'll try not to share my experiences with anybody."
After these two weeks, what players could possibly pass on the chance? With two more victories, this team have proven that the benefits far outweigh the negatives of playing for the Olympic team.
Kobe Bryant has proven he is an international star. LeBron James has shown he is not just the best player in the world, but one of the best leaders, too. Dwyane Wade has put to rest all concerns about his injury problems, and Carmelo Anthony has demonstrated his value as an all-around player.
Overall, the players are bringing respect back to U.S. basketball. They genuinely have put the success of this team ahead of their own egos and agendas, something that seemed impossible given the attitudes four years ago.
"When 2012 rolls around, I feel like everyone in the NBA, if they had open trials, would want to be part of this team," Chris Paul said. "This is so much bigger than the NBA, representing your country."
Four years ago, other teams around the world were convinced they had caught and surpassed the United States in this international sport. This year is proving that was utter nonsense.
It's amazing what our best basketball players can accomplish when they actually care, isn't it?
"We got to the semifinals in '04 but we didn't play well," James said. "We didn't have a leader. We didn't have a plan defensively. We weren't a team. It's a totally different deal this time."
The original Dream Team set the bar in 1992, bringing a rock-star following to Barcelona as it obliterated all comers. This team has done something more significant -- restoring the air of invincibility -- and, along the way, has proven that signing up to play in the Olympics is no chore.
It is a privilege, which is why the smiles you see on these players faces mean as much as the victories.