USA Faces Test Against Banged Up Brazil

[Amarelooms]

lol at both these teams...horrible

:elephant

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

i never knew barbosa is a big time choker

[AnthonyM]

lol Barbosa

[hater]

Splitter getting triple teamed

[ace3g]

ESPN keeps showing the chick in the tight jeans and grey shirt

[Amarelooms]

lol at Splitter...slow white guy out of gas...pathetic

:elephant

[slick'81]

good game nice to see splitter in action

[Spurologist]

1:04 to go

[hater]

lol at both these teams...horrible

:elephant

lol Chandler can't even break in the rotation

[ElNono]

This is where Manu would shine in a Magnano team... Brazil has no closer...

[Juanobili]

lol odom... but lol @ barbosa

[rayray2k8]

Yeah, Spiltter has got to finish strong at the rim.

[Texas_Ranger]

Barbosa will hit a 3 for the win!

[Nathan Explosion]

So what's up with the clock?

[Spurologist]

That's what I'm afraid about Splitter... he's going to get a lot of his shit blocked in the NBA

he's faster than Oberto, no?

[Amarelooms]

Chandler: 2 minutes

most important 2 mins dummy...when USA took the lead.

God bless

:elephant

[slick'81]

splitter got owned

[Hooks]

Oh shit, Iggy just got broke by Barbosa!

[ace3g]

nice layup by Billups over Splitter, than Barbossa answers back

[Spurologist]

:wow

Barbosa breaking ankles

[blkroadrunners]

Garbosa finally does something right.

[hater]

damn barbosa broke Rose's ankles

[ace3g]

dang if that went!!!

[ElNono]

:wow

[Nathan Explosion]

Mr. Big Shot coming up clutch. Wait, what?

[DrSteffo]

Omg

[slick'81]

damn almost got an and 1

[hater]

Omg Marcelinho got balls

[Zelophehad]

Give the ball to Durant. Goddamn Billups.

[Amarelooms]

lol at Billups owning slow white dude...aka Splitter

:elephant

[ace3g]

is this guy a decent FT shooter

[ElNono]

3.5 sec to go

[AnthonyM]

I might be more attentive to the game if I knew that shot was taken with like 5 seconds to go in the game

[ace3g]

OMG, wow

[ElNono]

that's the game...

[slick'81]

choke

[Amarelooms]

stupid coaching...not using the bench right

lol at can't make FT

:elephant

[ace3g]

wow, what a game!!!

[ElNono]

wow.. great game

[slick'81]

lol usa should of lost that one

[Juanobili]

Barbosa!!!!! wtf!

[blkroadrunners]

Wow, 3 tough breaks for Brazil.

[Nathan89]

n000000000000000000000000

[rayray2k8]

Great game Barbosa. :tu

[Nathan Explosion]

Game would have been more dramatic if I knew how much time was left.

[Juanobili]

but yeah great game lol

[DrSteffo]

yeah great game

[velik_m]

Some bad luck for Brazil at the end. Good game :tu

[SpursTillTheEnd]

splitter plays almost all game everygame for brazil, but barbosa is a dumbass splitter was wide open

[ElNono]

Barbosa choked like 8 times in a row in this game...

[Hooks]

#9 from Brazil freaken sucks!


Called it.

[Udokafan05]

Barbosa cost Brazil the game

[Nathan89]

wow, what a game!!!
^

[Texas_Ranger]

wow... Great job Brazil.

Hey Manny I can see that your individual players are really superb.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Splitter gets ignored on offense, yet Barbosa gets to chuck 40 bricks a game

[ace3g]

it seems like Splitter gets all of his touches through PnR on the Brazil team, they don't run much post up plays for him; he will get more looks with the Spurs in the post

[hater]

both teams were choking hard.

[AlleyOopNazi]

great game, splitter did great in spite of his foul predicament. Rebounding, defending, and posting up all exceptional.

[Amarelooms]

So why did Tiago not get passed the ball at all? Like I think he got 5 touches the whole game.

Son Chandler came in and shut his ass down...got him off his weak game. In the NBA Chandler would not get those cheap foul calls....he's going to muscle this weak white dude up no doubt

:elephant

[slick'81]

pass the ball barbosa

[Juanobili]

wow, just saw the replay... Tiago was just standing there

[SpursTillTheEnd]

chandler is garbage nigga cant even catch the damn ball....

[Nathan Explosion]

So why did Tiago not get passed the ball at all? Like I think he got 5 touches the whole game.

Yeah, towards the end there was a pick and roll and Splitter popped wide open, and instead the passed was forced (and nearly stolen) back to the 3 point line. Was wondering why you don't hit the guy rolling to the rim.

[nbaman99]

If babosa played a team and not been selfish Brazil would of won this one.

[Obstructed_View]

I didn't see Chandler and Splitter on the court at the same time. And I saw almost all of the second half.

Chandler played for about four minutes in the third quarter. Splitter drew two fouls on the US and they put Odom back in as soon as he got his breath back.

[blkroadrunners]

I didn't see Chandler and Splitter on the court at the same time. And I saw almost all of the second half.

Chandler and Splitter were both on the court for like a minute or so. Chandler immediately picked up a foul, got posted on by Tiago, and got boxed out by Splitter for a rebound.

That pretty much summed up Tyson's day.

[rjv]

chandler was hardly even on splitter. odom had him most of the time.

[Leonard Curse]

If babosa played a team and not been selfish Brazil would of won this one.


totally agree man barbosa screwed over BRA bad!!

[Bruno]

Great game and Tiago was damn good.

Spurs have a lot of depth in the paint. Pop should be able to give tons of rest to Duncan during the regular season to have him fresh for the playoffs.

[hater]

Chandler and Splitter were both on the court for like a minute or so. Chandler immediately picked up a foul, got posted on by Tiago, and got boxed out by Splitter for a rebound.

That pretty much summed up Tyson's day.

:lol

[austN Spur]

that was a good game. durant's js was really stroking there for a while. also that play where billups got by his defender and dropped it to Durant for the dunk was sweet.

also how did yall not know how much time was left. there is a clock above the backboard that was pretty easy to see on my tv.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

What were the final stats from the box score for Splitter in this game?

[hater]

was that tall chick they kept showing Splitter's brand new wife??

she's hot

[austN Spur]

yeah tiago had several good finishes and played pretty good with those heavy minutes. set a lot of pick n rolls for his teammates

[SA210]

Will someone post a "Game thoughts" on Tiago vs USA? I missed this damn game.

[DrSteffo]

Splitter's pick and roll play with the Spurs will be yummy

[ace3g]

yeah he did, like 34 pts I believe for Scola; him and Delfino are the only guys keeping that team a live

[ace3g]

http://espn.go.com/extra/fiba/boxscore?gameId=300832917

[Leonard Curse]

lol at Billups owning slow white dude...aka Splitter

:elephant
this coming from a team who depends on the most unathletic ugly german in the world, of course he shoots bad ass, how in the hell is he supposed to play in the paint w/ those bowed legs.

oh and good luck with our garbage ian mahinmi

[SpursTillTheEnd]

lol @ splitter a trending topic on twitter, damn nigga blair,manu,splitter pnr is gonna be nice

[Goran Dragic]

both teams were choking hard.
Fortunately when there's a choking contest, you'll always prevail if you have Barbosa on your team.

[Jobbs]

Splitter is awesome

just wish he came over 2 years ago

[kjhip1]

Splitter on the pick n roll will be good for the offense of the Spurs. He did a decent job of guarding Odom but Odom did miss some gimmies. Splitter looked a little slower against Odom. I woudn't call Splitter's inside game today exceptional. He got bailed out against Chandler in the paint although he looked as though he had a nice pass had the foul had not have been called. I was more impressed with how he was able to stay focused on the pick n roll. Brazil did a poor job of hitting thier cutters towards the end of the game. I think as Splitter gets more acustomed to the speed of the NBA, he will do alot better. I do think his potential is alot better then Anderson Varajao. Clearly he was the best big man on the floor for Brazil.

[Goran Dragic]

Barbosa choked like 8 times in a row in this game...
Barbosa just choking the game he's supposed to choke, no surprises here.

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

Wow I can't find a boxscore anywhere...

[8FOR!3]

Splitter rocks, Barbosa sucks, that guy they had running point was good too, but he couldn't make a runner for the life of him.

[Obstructed_View]

Barbosa just choking the game he's supposed to choke, no surprises here.

After some of the plays he made against the Spurs, I really thought his dumbass, ball-hogging, bad shot, crumbling days might be behind him.

[Banzai]

70(U.S.)-68 ..Splitter with 13 pts, Durant 27 pts, Billups with 15 I believe.

[Goran Dragic]

I know Barbosa was 5-18

[mexpurs21]

Wow I can't find a boxscore anywhere...
http://espn.go.com/extra/fiba/boxscore?gameId=300832917

[Goran Dragic]

After some of the plays he made against the Spurs, I really thought his dumbass, ball-hogging, bad shot, crumbling days might be behind him.
You did? Aside from the 4th quarter of game 3, his play was an abortion against the Spurs this year.

[nkdlunch]

awesome! to see Splitter vs. solid NBAers

today will be a very good metric to see how he will do this season. My guess? today the legend of Splitter starts

I told you'all so

the Splitter hype will grow 10x after today

[TDMVPDPOY]

man BNT should do something about that wanker barboza, not going to win anything with him around

[spectator]

http://espn.go.com/extra/fiba/boxscore?gameId=300832917


fiba gives splitter one more rebound - take that espn - double double :toast
http://turkey2010.fiba.com//pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/p/eid/4728/gid/9/grid/B/rid/6944/sid/4728/game.html

[nkdlunch]

was that tall chick they kept showing Splitter's brand new wife??

she's hot

pics?

[nkdlunch]

oh and to the idiot who said Varejao wouldn't have made a difference :rollin

[spectator]

splitter averaging:
14 pts 6 reb 25 min / game (3)

i can see similar production in the nba, while playing 32-36 min/game

[8FOR!3]

Barbosa was 3-13 from three. :D

The Marcus Vinicius dude seemed like a decent player. Effective scorer.

[Goran Dragic]

Barbosa was 3-13 from three. :D
And 0-1 on making an easy play that woulda sent the game to OT :lol

[cd98]

oh and to the idiot who said Varejao wouldn't have made a difference :rollin

Yeah, but Varegjao only makes a difference if you don't consider that Team USA lost the Lopez Brothers to injuries and couldn't get an insurance policy to cover Amare. You add that size and skill and it would cancel out anything the Brazilian triple would have contributed.

[Solid D]

USA got to the line so much more than Brazil. That was a big difference-maker in a close game. lol Brazil 4-8 on FTs for the entire game.

[cd98]

The difference was that Team USA had the best player (Durant) and he played an incredible game. Without Durant, team USA loses by 10 or more points.

[Goran Dragic]

IMO the difference maker was Barbosa. All he needed to do was make open shots and play off the pick and roll. He couldn't even do that.

[Solid D]

The difference was that Team USA had the best player (Durant) and he played an incredible game. Without Durant, team USA loses by 10 or more points.

I would agree with that last sentence, without hesitation. 100%. This is also something that cannot be ignored, to USA's credit: USA FTs 18-23, Brazil FTs 4-8. The more agressive team offensively won the game. Taking so many 3-point shots (27) tends to limit your opportunities to draw a foul.

[Booharv]

IMO the difference maker was Barbosa. All he needed to do was make open shots and play off the pick and roll. He couldn't even do that.

He definitely sucked real bad. No doubt about that.

[nkdlunch]

IMO the difference maker was Barbosa. All he needed to do was make open shots and play off the pick and roll. He couldn't even do that.

to be fair, Barbosa was making crazy shots in the 1st half. IMO he played a decent game.

But he is nothing more than a good role player. He will never lead his team to victory. He lacks the killer instinct and cold blood.

Brazil should avoid trying to ride on Barbosa's back, because the only destination they will reach is failure. IMO they need to feed Splitter the ball and pray Varejao gets healthy.

[Booharv]

Actually Barbosa has all star level talent, he's just retarded.

[nbaman99]

Kevin Durant scored 27 points and Chauncey Billups added 15 for the Americans (3-0), who essentially clinched Group B with the victory. But this was further proof that a world title won't come easily for this young U.S. team — if it comes at all.

After the Americans trailed most of the first 2½ quarters, Lamar Odom's dunk with 7:14 left put them ahead 64-62. But they couldn't build on the lead during a tense final few minutes, and Brazil had two chances to send the game to overtime.

Following a miss by Billups, Brazil got the ball and Marcelo Huertas was fouled on a drive to the basket with 3.5 seconds remaining. He missed the first free throw and then the second intentionally, tracking it down in the corner and firing it underneath to Barbosa, who put up a shot over Kevin Love, only to have it bounce off the back and front of the rim.

Barbosa finished with 14 points after a strong start for Brazil (2-1). Marcus Vinicius scored 16, and Tiago Splitter had 13 while battling foul trouble in the second half.

With NBA big men Nene, Anderson Varejao and Splitter, Brazil was considered one of the teams with enough size to topple the undersized Americans. Nene had to pull out with an injury and Varejao sat out again while continuing to rest a sprained right ankle, so the Brazilians turned to a speed game to lead for much of the game.

They just couldn't finish the upset, leaving the Americans needing only a victory over Iran or Tunisia, the bottom two teams in Group B, or another Brazil loss to earn the top seed from the group and three full days off before meeting the No. 4 seed from Group A on Sept. 6.

The Americans have plenty to work on before worrying about that, after needing a huge night from Durant and 31 minutes from Billups, the old man of the team at 33, to pull this one out.

The U.S. team has none of its 2008 Olympic gold medalists, and nowhere was it more apparent than in the matchup with Barbosa. When the teams last met, in their 2007 Olympic qualifier, Barbosa entered as the tournament's leading scorer before Kobe Bryant led a defensive effort that held him to four points on 1-of-7 shooting in an easy U.S. win.

There's no defenders like Bryant here, and Barbosa took advantage in the first quarter by making two 3-pointers and scoring eight points. Brazil made 12 of its first 16 shots in the period and its first four 3-pointers, streaks that were snapped when Barbosa was just short on a halfcourt heave at the buzzer, leaving them with a 28-22 lead.

Brazil extended its lead to eight early in the second quarter and was still up seven midway through the period, but with Splitter on the bench with two fouls, and Barbosa and Alex Garcia joining him, the Americans cut it to one a couple of times.

Splitter's dunk sent the Brazilians to the half with a 46-43 advantage.

The Americans finally grabbed the lead midway through the third, extending it to 61-55 after consecutive baskets by Durant. Barbosa scored the final four points of the period, though, and pulled Brazil within two heading to the fourth.

The crowd grew solidly behind the underdogs, cheering loudly for Brazil baskets and booing loudly when a small "U-S-A!" chant broke out in the fourth.

Brazil is coached by Ruben Magnano, who guided Argentina to victories over the U.S. in the 2002 worlds and 2004 Olympics, when the Argentines won gold. He nearly authored another upset.

U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski used his reserves liberally in the first two games, but gave much longer runs to the starters Monday after the backups were ineffective during their first stints.

Durant flourished with the extra workload, making four 3-pointers.

The Americans had been pushed at times in their victories over Croatia and Slovenia, but hadn't had to work after halftime. But this tournament isn't expected to be easy for a young U.S. team that lacks the big-game experience of its Olympic predecessors.

And Monday's game proved it won't be.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/us-survives-test-holds-602779.html

[nkdlunch]

Actually Barbosa has all star level talent, he's just retarded.

the same can be said about Lamar Odom.

[DynastySpurs210]

Is Brazil like the new Spain?

[MaNu4Tres]

to be fair, Barbosa was making crazy shots in the 1st half. IMO he played a decent game.
.

5-18 is not a decent game, not when scoring is the only thing you can do to help your team.

[quentin_compson]

I liked what I saw from Splitter. Intelligent, quick Big with good hands and nice court vision. We'll have to see how well he will be able to defend NBA bigs, though.

[spectator]

fyi, splitter is a top 10 center (in this tournament) for points, rebounds, assists, steals, FG%, FT% (not counting yi jianlian as a center - please, the guy is a SF)

[quentin_compson]

5-18 is not a decent game, not when scoring is the only thing you can do to help your team.

Yeah, Barbosa will always be a stupid player.

[nkdlunch]

Splitter really reminds me of that Robin Lopez guy. Actually he might be a better Robin Lopez already.

He needs to work on his toughness tough

[Goran Dragic]

Splitter really reminds me of that Robin Lopez guy. Actually he might be a better Robin Lopez already.

He needs to work on his toughness tough
Splitter's fundamentals and basketball IQ is way higher, Lopez's physical talents are way better. If Splitter has Lopez's athleticism he'd be a sure thing all star. In the end though they're around the same quality player.

[phxspurfan]

Splitter really reminds me of that Robin Lopez guy. Actually he might be a better Robin Lopez already.

He needs to work on his toughness tough

He doesn't have the size to block shots like Lopez. I think he will be a bit more mobile, too, like a white Francisco Elson (lol)

[Spurs Brazil]

Very nice game. Tiago will help the Spurs a lot.

Knowing our battles against Phoenix I knew Leandro would choke in the end. No surprise

[nkdlunch]

Splitter's fundamentals and basketball IQ is way higher, Lopez's physical talents are way better. If Splitter has Lopez's athleticism he'd be a sure thing all star. In the end though they're around the same quality player.

good point. that is what I meant he needs to work on his athleticism and toughness.

He is way better passer than Robin already though

[Goran Dragic]

He is way better passer than Robin already though
Well yeah, and his touch around the rim is way better. Lopez has this goofy ass line drive hook shot that's surprisingly effective but it's not a fundamentally good shot at all.

[phxspurfan]

http://espn.go.com/extra/fiba/boxscore?gameId=300832917

Rofl @ Max Player Rudy Gay getting 1 point.

[cd98]

Rofl @ Max Player Rudy Gay getting 1 point.

What about Tyson Chandler and his rebound. Impressive that the Mavs were able to use Dampier's huge expiring contract to land such a supremely talented rebounder.

[Solid D]

good point. that is what I meant he needs to work on his athleticism and toughness.

He is way better passer than Robin already though

Those are two areas that are difficult to improve. Toughness, maybe but athleticism, not so much.

[nkdlunch]

Those are two areas that are difficult to improve. Toughness, maybe but athleticism, not so much.

true. But he needs to get tough like Scola. He seemed a little weak in the paint.

[Galileo]

Is Brazil like the new Spain?

Brazil was settled by the Portuguese, not Spain.

[Goran Dragic]

Brazil was settled by the Portuguese, not Spain.
Oh look it's the posterboy for contraception.

[DynastySpurs210]

Brazil was settled by the Portuguese, not Spain.

Basketball wise silly goose :p:

[Solid D]

true. But he needs to get tough like Scola. He seemed a little weak in the paint.

I don't think that will happen but, yes, that would be desired. Scola is a different kind of player. He's more of a scorer and hustle player. There is a reason Scola was an MVP player and better scorer when he and Tiago both played for Tau, even though Luis frequently came off the bench.

Splitter has an entirely different game. He's a center and he doesn't really score from out on the floor that much, but he's a better defender than Luis.

[dbestpro]

What impressed me with Splitter is that he really outplayed Odom, Love, and Chandler and was really the only big Brazil had. You may not see it in the stats, but his off the ball play setup most of what was effective for Brazil. He is going to be highly effective with Manu and Tony on the pick and roll. I also feel he will really play well with Blair. He is not going to be a star, but he looks like the perfect team player ands will have his nights were he is a big headache for the opposing team.

[cd98]

Unfortunately, Tiago will probably have to go up against Bynum or Gasol. Much better post defenders than Lamar Odom.

I image Tiago would match up well against Bosh, though.

[dbestpro]

Unfortunately, Tiago will probably have to go up against Bynum or Gasol. Much better post defenders than Lamar Odom.

I image Tiago would match up well against Bosh, though.

Most likely Bynum will find himself on the injured reserve. He is just one of those guys who will never have a career due to injury. Timmy will take Gasol and that pits Tiago on Odom who really did not match up well against Splitter. Tiago is not the second coming and you will not see it in the stats, but he is one of those guys that make the players around him better.

[Solid D]

I see a lot of Flex and high pick and roll offense with the "Twin Ts" (Timmy and Tiago) in there at the same time.

[cd98]

Most likely Bynum will find himself on the injured reserve. He is just one of those guys who will never have a career due to injury. Timmy will take Gasol and that pits Tiago on Odom who really did not match up well against Splitter. Tiago is not the second coming and you will not see it in the stats, but he is one of those guys that make the players around him better.

Bynum was on the floor when the Lakers won the title last year. And his size was a big factor throughout the playoffs.

As much as I hate the Lakers and hope Splitter can make a difference, he'll have to get a lot better between now and the playoffs.

[DAF86]

Give them all three and Team USA still beats them by 20+.

lol ignorance

[kobyz]

i'm exciting about the Splitter arrival to our team! i think he will be able to play the 4 and play next to Duncan, he has good mobility for his size, very good passer and pick and roll player(defense and offense).
he is a perfect Spurs: Intelligent, competitive and high character guy, someone we could be proud being a Spur!

[mountainballer]

Brazil was settled by the Portuguese, not Spain.

Brazil wasn't exactly the moon when the Portuguese arrived. the Tupi and other ethnic groups had settled Brazil about 10 thousand years before. Portuguese colonialised Brazil. what about some more scientific accuracy Mr. Galilei.

[DesignatedT]

Barbosa played extremely well in the 1st but ended up losing the game for Brazil. Dude sucks ass and just launches everything up, thank god he was never a spur.

Very impressed by Splitter. He played good defense and his p&r offense and defense is just outstanding and that will transfer to the NBA nicely. His shot in the post isn't the prettiest thing but it happens to go in and he has a very soft touch.

[Nathan89]

On offense Splitter seems to be very good at the picknroll and that is going to work great with manu ginobili. It doesn't seem like Splitter has much of a post-up game but he does have nice touch on that baby hook shot. Those two things alone make him the best big alongside duncan in a while.

I think that splitter will also be able to hold his own on the defensive end in the nba as well. He is 6'11 with a good amount of energy and athletic ability. With pop pushing tiago he will be all over the boards and the offensive man. I really like his block in today's game. I also liked the charge that he got on odom by sliding in front of him.

This is looking great for the spurs.
I didn't get a new keyboard, I am just at the library doing some stuff for college.

[Anonymous Cowherd]

Splitter looked excellent, more than holding his own against some good NBA starters

and we're paying him $3.4m. Not bad.

[Obstructed_View]

You did? Aside from the 4th quarter of game 3, his play was an abortion against the Spurs this year.

That was a gigantic step forward for him, but to be honest? No, I didn't actually think that. I did want to give him a bit of credit for the one time he wasn't The Anticlutch.

[Brazil]

Brazill is overrated. Everyone in our group is scared of them. And I really don't know why???

USA by 30.

good call

[Nathan89]

good call

If they would have won by 30, he would have been saying "see I told you this was going to happen". What a terrible prediction.:lol

[Nathan89]

good call

I guess he forgot Brazil had Splitter.

[ace3g]

5. Smile, Spurs fans. Tiago Splitter, the Spurs' top pick in 2007, is the real deal. Against the U.S. Splitter scored 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in 30 foul-filled minutes. The 7-foot, 235-pound Splitter is an excellent post player with a nose for the ball on the offensive glass. More impressive was that Splitter got the job done without Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers' hyperactive forward who sat out the game with an ankle injury.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/chris_mannix/08/30/usa.brazil.5things/index.html?eref=twitter_feed#ixzz0y8tRVol9

[5in10]

Brazilian players forgot Tiago was on their team. Seriously, Splitter was WIDE OPEN under the rim a few times in the 4th that could have lead to several more points.

This! It was incredible some of the shots they settled for while ignoring splitter. Had they gone to him more in the 4th they probably could have won. The only one that could get him the ball was the point guard. At least with the spurs we won't have to worry about people finding a wide open center .

[Spursfan092120]

Splitter looked excellent, more than holding his own against some good NBA starters

and we're paying him $3.4m. Not bad.
this

[SA210]

5. Smile, Spurs fans. Tiago Splitter, the Spurs' top pick in 2007, is the real deal. Against the U.S. Splitter scored 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in 30 foul-filled minutes. The 7-foot, 235-pound Splitter is an excellent post player with a nose for the ball on the offensive glass. More impressive was that Splitter got the job done without Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers' hyperactive forward who sat out the game with an ankle injury.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/chris_mannix/08/30/usa.brazil.5things/index.html?eref=twitter_feed#ixzz0y8tRVol9

I'm really liking this Tiago fella

:flag:

[ace3g]

if you missed the game the first time, ESPN2 will show it following the US Open coverage (Fed just won his match) so it should be on in a couple of minutes

[Dex]

Scola leading all NBA players in FIBA play with 28 ppg. :pctoss

[Solid D]

Scola leading all NBA players in FIBA play with 28 ppg. :pctoss

Thanks for the stat. This is sooooo not surprising.

[DesignatedT]

Replay of the game is on ESPN2 as we speak if anyone is interested....

[Sean Cagney]

If Varejao and Nene were healthy, they'd pretty much have the best frontcourt in the tournament. But with just Splitter holding it down, they're pretty vulnerable.

Yep, funny how players like Varejao can be bums in the NBA and so on but when it comes to worlds they gel as a team and get better for some reason :lol:lol. I swear Carlos Arroyo and others have done this as well, once worlds begin they turn into stars with their international teams. Nene is good though in the NBA, can't lie there.

[TimmehC]

Scola Thread!

[HarlemHeat37]

- Varejao is a very solid NBA player, far from a bum..

- As for the Lakers match up, Odom is a definitely a better post defender than Gasol, it wasn't close last year, from a statistical standpoint..he's about the same as Bynum, especially since Bynum is almost a guaranteed injury in the playoffs..

So the fact that he can outplay Odom is a very good sign for the Spurs, in regards to a potential matchup vs. LA..hopefully it translates to the NBA..

- Barbosa is a POS..sadly, my brother will have to watch him all season next year(lives in TO, Raps fan and we get season tickets)..

[DJ Mbenga]

if you missed the game the first time, ESPN2 will show it following the US Open coverage (Fed just won his match) so it should be on in a couple of minutes

i had to stream it online. i had the fiba announcers or these foreign guys. man were they excited! latin gus johnson's or something.

[velik_m]

LCdUZhSlFRA

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I wonder what the timvp thought about splitter in this one.


BTW I'm losing interest fast in these games when I'm watching and have no fucking clue how much time is left or what the shot clock is.

WTF worldwide leader in sports? My ass.

[jestersmash]

Tiago splitter is the second coming of luis scola.

[Obstructed_View]

Yep, funny how players like Varejao can be bums in the NBA and so on but when it comes to worlds they gel as a team and get better for some reason

Varejao is one of the best defenders at his position in the league. Only people that don't understand defense would call him a bum.

[ace3g]

tiagosplitter

great video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8WhHMtQyCc

from his twitter page

[hater]

Varejao is a bum???

what does that make matt bonner?

[Ice009]

I think he was trying to say that sometimes players like Varejao can seem average in the NBA, then when they are on their national teams they play like Superstars. Although Varejao is a solid player in the NBA. Carlos Arroyo would be a better example.

[Manufan909]

- Varejao is a very solid NBA player, far from a bum..

- As for the Lakers match up, Odom is a definitely a better post defender than Gasol, it wasn't close last year, from a statistical standpoint..he's about the same as Bynum, especially since Bynum is almost a guaranteed injury in the playoffs..

So the fact that he can outplay Odom is a very good sign for the Spurs, in regards to a potential matchup vs. LA..hopefully it translates to the NBA..

- Barbosa is a POS..sadly, my brother will have to watch him all season next year(lives in TO, Raps fan and we get season tickets)..

Wow, I had no idea Odom was better on post D than Odom. Not like I follow the Lakers at all.:downspin:

P.S. I wish that highlight reel had showed Tiago's post play, including the times he was blocked. Open dunks don't help me understand his offensive game very much.

[ace3g]

Chris Mannix ChrisMannixSI

In this week's SI: Can Tiago Splitter keep the Spurs championship window open?

[Obstructed_View]

It's still open? News to me. Yay.

[ace3g]

Spain on the verge of losing to Lithuania: game tied at 71 with 1:18 left in the game

[Obstructed_View]

Spain on the verge of losing to Lithuania: game tied at 71 with 1:18 left in the game

They're intentionally throwing the game so they can have an easier opponent in the next round. At this rate their opponent will be super easy.