Diagnosing Team USA?

[midnightpulp]

It's easy to excuse their subpar performances by saying they don't have Lebron, Curry, Westbrook, Paul and Kawhi, who all lead the NBA in RPM last season, but our B-Team should be good enough to blow out any team in the world except maybe Spain, who is on a decline themselves. They shouldn't be getting tested by the likes of Australia and Serbia.

I'm sticking with my theory that Wardellball has infected US basketball at all levels and players today would rather chuck 3s than drive and post. You're not going to out shoot international teams from the FIBA 3 point line, so our guys need to dominate the shit out of the paint through driving and the low post to counter.

[Killakobe81]

B team giving b team results
A lot of talent on US but not a lot of proven winners
Outside of the State and cavs players ...

[midnightpulp]

B team giving b team results
A lot of talent on US but not a lot of proven winners
Outside of the State and cavs players ...

Raymond is also incompatible with FIBA's style of play.

[RsxPiimp]

I haven't seen a game tbh lol, not even sure who's on the roster but I know a few, cousins, Derozan, melo and the other guy from the raptors? It's a pretty weak cast and the international competition level has improved so I'm not surprised they're struggling, if that's the case..

[spursistan]

A team with Durbeta as the top dog is fodder and beatable no matter...looking back at it from a Spurs perspective: the sky didn't fall when he snubbed us and went to GS..

he is a generational talent, but not as transcendent within a group as was thought to be..the lack of leadership and other intangibles are palpable..

[LkrFan]

It's easy to excuse their subpar performances by saying they don't have Lebron, Curry, Westbrook, Paul and Kawhi, who all lead the NBA in RPM last season, but our B-Team should be good enough to blow out any team in the world except maybe Spain, who is on a decline themselves. They shouldn't be getting tested by the likes of Australia and Serbia.

I'm sticking with my theory that Wardellball has infected US basketball at all levels and players today would rather chuck 3s than drive and post. You're not going to out shoot international teams from the FIBA 3 point line, so our guys need to dominate the shit out of the paint through driving and the low post to counter.

They don't have Kiwi because they have Dr. Dray.

;)

[LkrFan]

A team with Durbeta as the top dog is fodder and beatable no matter...looking back at it from a Spurs perspective: the sky didn't fall when he snubbed us and went to GS..

he is a generational talent, but not as transcendent within a group as was thought to be..the lack of leadership and other intangibles are palpable..

DurAlpha is about to Medal, unlike Jim

;)

[LkrFan]

Raymond is also incompatible with FIBA's style of play.

Raymond is about to Medal, unlike Jim and Kiwi

;)

[Killakobe81]

I haven't seen a game tbh lol, not even sure who's on the roster but I know a few, cousins, Derozan, melo and the other guy from the raptors? It's a pretty weak cast and the international competition level has improved so I'm not surprised they're struggling, if that's the case..

The competition has not improved ...in fact espn crunched the numbers its the weakest intermational field in years.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

B team giving b team results
A lot of talent on US but not a lot of proven winners
Outside of the State and cavs players ...

:lol Thompson is a fukin loser and so is Gaymond. The whole team is a bunch of non clutch clowns. BARNES :lol Fatmelo is our leader :lol This is such a piece of shit team

[LkrFan]

This thread proves mid cares about the Olympics, yet he won't admit that Jim's Bronze Medal is a wet shitstain on his legacy. :lol

[DMC]

Wait, so this shit team should win but the 2004 team was undermanned?

[K...]

This thread proves mid cares about the Olympics, yet he won't admit that Jim's Bronze Medal is a wet shitstain on his legacy. :lol

yeah, he'd be what 4rth all time with a gold. We are fine with the loss b/c it just went to Gino. Like when Kirby gave Detroit the shiny ring. You kept a ring from Malonne and thats something too.

[midnightpulp]

This thread proves mid cares about the Olympics, yet he won't admit that Jim's Bronze Medal is a wet shitstain on his legacy. :lol

One man can't beat 5. Your boy Iverson shot 35% against Third Worlders compared to Duncan's 60%. But yeah, all Duncan's fault.

[Molotov]

:lol Thompson is a fukin loser and so is Gaymond. The whole team is a bunch of non clutch clowns. BARNES :lol Fatmelo is our leader :lol This is such a piece of shit team


:lol Today's NBA.

[LkrFan]

One man can't beat 5. Your boy Iverson shot 35% against Third Worlders compared to Duncan's 60%. But yeah, all Duncan's fault.

He was the Alpha. He was the best player on the team. If he wins Gold, he gets the spoils that comes with it...but he didn't even lead 4 first ballots to even a Silver Medal. So don't try to :downspin: this shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit on AI son :lol. That loss was on LeHype, D-Whistle, Melo, AI and Jim (mostly Jim though) :)

At least Melo, D-Whistle, and LeHype atoned for that loss in 2008 (with Kobe holding their hand, of course :toast). Melo, went Gold again in 2012 and is well on his way to a 3rd. Jim? He quitPERI:lolD

He even turned down a chance to watch us win Gold in Rio with the POTUS:


The recently retired San Antonio Spurs icon Tim Duncan apparently must have much better things to do because he passed on an invitation from President Obama to attend the Rio Games with him.

In an article from SI.com, his former teammate, Bruce Bowen, said Duncan rejected Obama's invitation to attend the 2016 Olympics with him.

LINK: http://news4sanantonio.com/sports/spurs-zone/tim-duncan-rejects-potus-invitation-to-rio-olympics

LkrFan thinks he's worried that some classhole reporter will bring up his 2004 Olympic shitstain and he didn't want to Neal with it. :rollin :lmao :rollin

Jim won Bronze in his Prime BAAAAAHAHAHA! :flag: :lmao :flag:

[LkrFan]

Wait, so this shit team should win but the 2004 team was undermanned?

Undermanned my ass! You know damn well any team with not 1, not 3, but 5 first ballots should have won Gold. Them bums came up with a Bronze Medal though. Jim was in his Prime too! BAAAAAHAHAHA! :lmao

[midnightpulp]

He was the Alpha. He was the best player on the team. If he wins Gold, he gets the spoils that comes with it...but he didn't even lead 4 first ballots to even a Silver Medal. So don't try to :downspin: this shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit on AI son :lol. That loss was on LeHype, D-Whistle, Melo, AI and Jim (mostly Jim though) :)

At least Melo, D-Whistle, and LeHype atoned for that loss in 2008 (with Kobe holding their hand, of course :toast). Melo, went Gold again in 2012 and is well on his way to a 3rd. Jim? He quitPERI:lolD

He even turned down a chance to watch us win Gold in Rio with the POTUS:



LINK: http://news4sanantonio.com/sports/spurs-zone/tim-duncan-rejects-potus-invitation-to-rio-olympics

LkrFan thinks he's worried that some classhole reporter will bring up his 2004 Olympic shitstain and he didn't want to Neal with it. :rollin :lmao :rollin

Jim won Bronze in his Prime BAAAAAHAHAHA! :flag: :lmao :flag:

Basketball is a team sport.

1 man can't beat 5.

[Koolaid_Man]

It's easy to excuse their subpar performances by saying they don't have Lebron, Curry, Westbrook, Paul and Kawhi, who all lead the NBA in RPM last season, but our B-Team should be good enough to blow out any team in the world except maybe Spain, who is on a decline themselves. They shouldn't be getting tested by the likes of Australia and Serbia.

I'm sticking with my theory that Wardellball has infected US basketball at all levels and players today would rather chuck 3s than drive and post. You're not going to out shoot international teams from the FIBA 3 point line, so our guys need to dominate the shit out of the paint through driving and the low post to counter.


That faggot ass Nigga you cheer for brought home bronze and quit on his fucking Country...so you shut your gotdam ass the Fuck up...you have no voice no credibility...your words mean nothing to us....

[Koolaid_Man]

This thread proves mid cares about the Olympics, yet he won't admit that Jim's Bronze Medal is a wet shitstain on his legacy. :lol

Bingo...he's mad that faggot quit on his country

[Koolaid_Man]

Undermanned my ass! You know damn well any team with not 1, not 3, but 5 first ballots should have won Gold. Them bums came up with a Bronze Medal though. Jim was in his Prime too! BAAAAAHAHAHA! :lmao


Nigga was laying between two trash cans crying like a bitch

[Koolaid_Man]

He was the Alpha. He was the best player on the team. If he wins Gold, he gets the spoils that comes with it...but he didn't even lead 4 first ballots to even a Silver Medal. So don't try to :downspin: this shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit on AI son :lol. That loss was on LeHype, D-Whistle, Melo, AI and Jim (mostly Jim though) :)

At least Melo, D-Whistle, and LeHype atoned for that loss in 2008 (with Kobe holding their hand, of course :toast). Melo, went Gold again in 2012 and is well on his way to a 3rd. Jim? He quitPERI:lolD

He even turned down a chance to watch us win Gold in Rio with the POTUS:



LINK: http://news4sanantonio.com/sports/spurs-zone/tim-duncan-rejects-potus-invitation-to-rio-olympics

LkrFan thinks he's worried that some classhole reporter will bring up his 2004 Olympic shitstain and he didn't want to Neal with it. :rollin :lmao :rollin

Jim won Bronze in his Prime BAAAAAHAHAHA! :flag: :lmao :flag:


Obama shouldn't have invited his faggot ass any way...he went out like a straight bitch...looked horrible...was getting his shit blocked all over the court...was always on his ass on the floor....then he got his dumb ass stretched and waived...what a fucking loser

[LkrFan]

Basketball is a team sport.

1 man can't beat 5.

Yet you roast Kobe for not ousting a loaded Suns team with the likes of Kwame Brown, Smush Parker, Chris Mihm, and Luke Walton by his side? Then you give Jim a pass when he was flanked by LeHype, D-Whistle, AI, Melo, and a championship coach on the sideline? He won Bronze with THAT supporting cast? Is that about right? -2,004 points son! BAAAAAHAHAHA! :rollin :lmao :rollin

[LkrFan]

Obama shouldn't have invited his faggot ass any way...he went out like a straight bitch...looked horrible...was getting his shit blocked all over the court...was always on his ass on the floor....then he got his dumb ass stretched and waived...what a fucking loser

:lmao

[LkrFan]

Nigga was laying between two trash cans crying like a bitch

:lmao

[Clipper Nation]

Durbeta is a choke artist. Always has been, always will be. He can't handle the pressure of the Olympics without LeBron there to hold his hand.

[LkrFan]

Durbeta is a choke artist. Always has been, always will be. He can't handle the pressure of the Olympics without LeBron there to hold his hand.

LeBronze is the appropriate way to spell her name in Olympic context. :lol

[Clipper Nation]

LeBronze is the appropriate way to spell her name in Olympic context. :lol
That's funny, Jorge. I seem to recall "LeBronze" dragging the US to gold in 2008 while Kobe was busy shooting 4-13 against a bunch of starving Angolans. :downspin:

[ambchang]

Yet you roast Kobe for not ousting a loaded Suns team with the likes of Kwame Brown, Smush Parker, Chris Mihm, and Luke Walton by his side? Then you give Jim a pass when he was flanked by LeHype, D-Whistle, AI, Melo, and a championship coach on the sideline? He won Bronze with THAT supporting cast? Is that about right? -2,004 points son! BAAAAAHAHAHA! :rollin :lmao :rollin

You seem to have problems understanding:

1) Finishing first and finishing top 8 out of 15 teams
2) Playing together for a week, then playing against competition that has been together all their lives vs. playing on a team and against team that have equal practice times
3) Playing under a totally different set of rules vs. playing under the same set of rules that you are accustomed to
4) Lamar Odom and Caron Butler existing vs. them not existing
5) LeBron, D-Wade and Melo not getting minutes as rookies vs. them getting minutes

[spursistan]

Durbeta is a choke artist. Always has been, always will be. He can't handle the pressure of the Olympics without LeBron there to hold his hand.
when this bitch faggot finds himself in a position to lead :lmao..This Team USA should still be blowing the fuckout of this sorry Intl competition, but they look discombobulated as hell themselves without an anchor and a court general/leader..

[HarlemHeat37]

They would be unstoppable if they built the team in a conventional fashion, with stars complimented by role players, tbh..

I haven't watched a second of this shit(rarely watch FIBA ball, it's absolute trash, although not as bad as NCAA ball), but you'll have a difficult time dominating when you have players like Demar Derozan on the team..

[poeticism707]

That's funny, Jorge. I seem to recall "LeBronze" dragging the US to gold in 2008 while Kobe was busy shooting 4-13 against a bunch of starving Angolans. :downspin:

:rollin :rollin :rollin

[midnightpulp]

Another tester. Against a French team way past their prime. Sigh.

[apalisoc_9]

They're not winning gold. They are making things so much easier for the opposing teams by playing stagnant offense. The fact that Melo and kyrie get so much isolations possesions with about 5-10 better players than this is laughable. Mike Dickfacezwaski is not even coaching...

Their sucess is largely thanks to convicing superstarts to play.

Watch out for a possible upset in the knockout stage when everything gets tight

[Thread]

They're not winning gold. They are making things so much easier for the opposing teams by playing stagnant offense. The fact that Melo and kyrie get so much isolations possesions with about 5-10 better players than this is laughable. Mike Dickfacezwaski is not even coaching...

Their sucess is largely thanks to convicing superstarts to play.

Watch out for a possible upset in the knockout stage when everything gets tight

I'd be tickled pink.

[apalisoc_9]

Still loling at this team giving Carmelo the free reign to do whatever the hell he wants...He's almost always killing the sets. The players around him are so beta to tell him what to do in sets.

[DMC]

when this bitch faggot finds himself in a position to lead :lmao..This Team USA should still be blowing the fuckout of this sorry Intl competition, but they look discombobulated as hell themselves without an anchor and a court general/leader..
I don't think they should be blowing them. Blowing them out maybe.

[mavsfan1000]

Jordan should start. They need more defense in that starting lineup.

[D-Wade]

No Wade, No Lebron, No Kobe... No surprise tbh. They'll win in the end because teams like Spain have fallen off, but when Melo's your best leader you're fucked. Also, this team isn't dominating defensively like in 08 and 12. Coach K should start Deandre. Boogie's a bad fit for the event.

[Clipper Nation]

Why is Durbeta just letting Melo play heroball? Oh wait, it's because he's a pussy who's scared of the moment.

[ElNono]

They've got the easiest matchup in the quarterfinals... an easy win there should get them back on track...

[Darth_Pelican]

:lol Argentina following Messi's lead

[Killakobe81]

Tell me the olympics dont matter watching Gino get love from his team-mates ...
and in freaking tears ...
Spur fan is full of shit ...this DOES matter.

[LkrFan]

It's easy to excuse their subpar performances by saying they don't have Lebron, Curry, Westbrook, Paul and Kawhi, who all lead the NBA in RPM last season, but our B-Team should be good enough to blow out any team in the world except maybe Spain, who is on a decline themselves. They shouldn't be getting tested by the likes of Australia and Serbia.

I'm sticking with my theory that Wardellball has infected US basketball at all levels and players today would rather chuck 3s than drive and post. You're not going to out shoot international teams from the FIBA 3 point line, so our guys need to dominate the shit out of the paint through driving and the low post to counter.

KD taking a wet shot on your thread:


766046400333381632

:lol

[Killakobe81]

Outside of Tim Manu is my favorite spur.
Dude may make some boneheaded mistakes ...
but the dude is nails with balls sometimes bigger than his brains ...
but he is fearless.

Much respect to the greatest international player in Spurs history.
Only david is close.

[ElNono]

Outside of Tim Manu is my favorite spur.
Dude may make some boneheaded mistakes ...
but the dude is nails with balls sometimes bigger than his brains ...
but he is fearless.

Much respect to the greatest international player in Spurs history.
Only david is close.

:toast

[midnightpulp]

Tell me the olympics dont matter watching Gino get love from his team-mates ...
and in freaking tears ...
Spur fan is full of shit ...this DOES matter.

Relative to an NBA title, it doesn't. Lebron, Westbrook, Kawhi, Anthony Davis thought it mattered so much they didn't even show up.

I would not trade 5 Spur titles for 5 more Olympic golds.

[LkrFan]

Relative to an NBA title, it doesn't. Lebron, Westbrook, Kawhi, Anthony Davis thought it mattered so much they didn't even show up.

I would not trade 5 Spur titles for 5 more Olympic golds.

mid full of shit. It mattered to MJ, Magic, Pip, Bird, Barkley, etc. :downspin:

[Killakobe81]

Relative to an NBA title, it doesn't. Lebron, Westbrook, Kawhi, Anthony Davis thought it mattered so much they didn't even show up.

I would not trade 5 Spur titles for 5 more Olympic golds.

Sure Deandre is a fucking idiot. Of course an nba title is more significant to a legacy than an Olympic Gold ...
but what do you expect from a clipper? They have no clue about what titles mean.
But LeBron & Wesbrook already have gold medals LeBron in fact has two so why does he need another? Plus he avenged his bronze even if many excuse him because he did not play heavy minutes.
Davis has been injured so it made no sense for him to play this summer ...

But saying it means less than a LOB ... is far different than saying it does not matter.
When Kiwi medals in 2020 just like it did with manu tonight ...it will matter to spur fan.
When the GOAT PF fails to medal it does not matter though ...

[ambchang]

The thing about an Olympic Gold is that it matters to anyone but US basketball players because of the dominance that US had enjoyed through the years. Winning a gold is akin to a 73 win team winning a title, it is what you SHOULD do. You don't gain any extra brownie points for doing something you should do, but you certainly get points taken off for not winning it.

I agree the bronze is a stain on Duncan's legacy, because they were supposed to win at the outset of the program. But then when you actually look at the construction of the team and the total lack of practice time, and you know why they didn't win.

FIBA focuses much more on perimeter play and passing, and the typical 90s/00s type of ball the NBA plays is exactly opposite to that type of play. Think of the greatest FIBA players of all time, they all have superior perimeter/passing skills. Oscar Schmidt, Drazen, Sarunas, Manu, Sergei, Kukoc. Even their bigs, like Divac, Sabonis, Cosic have extremely advanced perimeter and passing skills. Divacs was basically the best passing big the NBA ever saw along with Walton, Sabonis was nailing threes and throwing these insane passes in traffic even after he was injured and lost both of his knees.

To expect Duncan carry such a flawed team with limited perimeter shooting, and horrible passing to a gold is just ignorance. It's a different game that is played, and these casual observers still couldn't get it 12 years down the line. Sure, Team USA should have been able to tell these issues since they are basketball experts and should have foreseen these things, but hindsight is 20/20 and they didn't have the benefit of hindsight back then. It also shows the level of arrogance of Team USA in general, which led to the lack of effort and care put in to construct the team.

The 2000 team was already experiencing some close calls, and instead of looking into team construction and making something out of it, Team USA decided to ignore the problem and let it turn into a disaster.

To put the blame of the bronze on Duncan says more about the lack of your basketball knowledge than it does about Duncan's legacy.

[Killakobe81]

The thing about an Olympic Gold is that it matters to anyone but US basketball players because of the dominance that US had enjoyed through the years. Winning a gold is akin to a 73 win team winning a title, it is what you SHOULD do. You don't gain any extra brownie points for doing something you should do, but you certainly get points taken off for not winning it.

I agree the bronze is a stain on Duncan's legacy, because they were supposed to win at the outset of the program. But then when you actually look at the construction of the team and the total lack of practice time, and you know why they didn't win.

FIBA focuses much more on perimeter play and passing, and the typical 90s/00s type of ball the NBA plays is exactly opposite to that type of play. Think of the greatest FIBA players of all time, they all have superior perimeter/passing skills. Oscar Schmidt, Drazen, Sarunas, Manu, Sergei, Kukoc. Even their bigs, like Divac, Sabonis, Cosic have extremely advanced perimeter and passing skills. Divacs was basically the best passing big the NBA ever saw along with Walton, Sabonis was nailing threes and throwing these insane passes in traffic even after he was injured and lost both of his knees.

To expect Duncan carry such a flawed team with limited perimeter shooting, and horrible passing to a gold is just ignorance. It's a different game that is played, and these casual observers still couldn't get it 12 years down the line. Sure, Team USA should have been able to tell these issues since they are basketball experts and should have foreseen these things, but hindsight is 20/20 and they didn't have the benefit of hindsight back then. It also shows the level of arrogance of Team USA in general, which led to the lack of effort and care put in to construct the team.

The 2000 team was already experiencing some close calls, and instead of looking into team construction and making something out of it, Team USA decided to ignore the problem and let it turn into a disaster.

To put the blame of the bronze on Duncan says more about the lack of your basketball knowledge than it does about Duncan's legacy.

I dont blame it all on Duncan ...its a team sport. In fact he didnt play terrible iirc, he just failed to dominate as expected.But the star gets the lion share of credit for wins and also for losses. Stars like Duncan, LeBron etc. Understand this even if its unfair.
For the record it doesnt stain Duncan's legacy for me.
But to ignore it or pretend it didnt happen is dishonest.
Every player even the great ones has a failure on their resume even Jordan. After worthy left unc and he was the alpha unc could not win another ncaa ...they failed to even reach the final 4 iirc. Is that more important than the ring he won as a frosh or the 6 rings in the pros? No. But it is a part of his total history just like the bronze for Tim is ...

[ambchang]

I dont blame it all on Duncan ...its a team sport. In fact he didnt play terrible iirc, he just failed to dominate as expected.But the star gets the lion share of credit for wins and also for losses. Stars like Duncan, LeBron etc. Understand this even if its unfair.
For the record it doesnt stain Duncan's legacy for me.
But to ignore it or pretend it didnt happen is dishonest.
Every player even the great ones has a failure on their resume even Jordan. After worthy left unc and he was the alpha unc could not win another ncaa ...they failed to even reach the final 4 iirc. Is that more important than the ring he won as a frosh or the 6 rings in the pros? No. But it is a part of his total history just like the bronze for Tim is ...

I think it's a stain in the sense that he won the bronze and not the gold as expected. It's a widely held view, as flawed as it is.

That said, I don't agree with the Jordan thing. Otherwise, any year a player doesn't win a championship or failed to win an MVP would be a failure.

Failure has to be measured against expectations. Me making $200K a year would be a successful year, a fund manager making $200K a year would be a failure. Splits making $200K a year would be an average year.

[Killakobe81]

I think it's a stain in the sense that he won the bronze and not the gold as expected. It's a widely held view, as flawed as it is.

That said, I don't agree with the Jordan thing. Otherwise, any year a player doesn't win a championship or failed to win an MVP would be a failure.

Failure has to be measured against expectations. Me making $200K a year would be a successful year, a fund manager making $200K a year would be a failure. Splits making $200K a year would be an average year.

I get what you mean by expectations ...
But doesnt change the fact Jordan was a two time cpoty on a stacked team with perkins still and later kenny smith and more and he failed to get back to a title game. For example len bias led a less heralded maryland squad to key wins over unc.
Look mj hit the game winner as a freshman so he had a skin on the wall he was one of the best college players ever despite the realitively low scoring numbers for him ...doesnt change the fact when he was the leader unc underachieved. Duncan for example carried little brother wake to new heights as did David with Navy them not ringing was expected...

[mavsfan1000]

I dont blame it all on Duncan ...its a team sport. In fact he didnt play terrible iirc, he just failed to dominate as expected.But the star gets the lion share of credit for wins and also for losses. Stars like Duncan, LeBron etc. Understand this even if its unfair.
For the record it doesnt stain Duncan's legacy for me.
But to ignore it or pretend it didnt happen is dishonest.
Every player even the great ones has a failure on their resume even Jordan. After worthy left unc and he was the alpha unc could not win another ncaa ...they failed to even reach the final 4 iirc. Is that more important than the ring he won as a frosh or the 6 rings in the pros? No. But it is a part of his total history just like the bronze for Tim is ...
He didn't dominate because the refs didn't give him the star treatment. What he gets away with in the nba wouldn't be allowed in Fiba.

[ambchang]

I get what you mean by expectations ...
But doesnt change the fact Jordan was a two time cpoty on a stacked team with perkins still and later kenny smith and more and he failed to get back to a title game. For example len bias led a less heralded maryland squad to key wins over unc.
Look mj hit the game winner as a freshman so he had a skin on the wall he was one of the best college players ever despite the realitively low scoring numbers for him ...doesnt change the fact when he was the leader unc underachieved. Duncan for example carried little brother wake to new heights as did David with Navy them not ringing was expected...

Jordan probably could have done more, but college is a very different game than NBA, where individual brilliance makes a stronger impact. College ball is mostly about team work and systems, you have the Shane Battiers and Danny Ferrys and Christian Laettner's playing like they are the second coming in college.

The only person to hold Jordan under 10 points a game since he was a freshman was Dean Smith.

[Killakobe81]

Btw the team in 83-84 after not only had pe.rkins and smith but brad daugherty as well. Smith did break his wrist that year but it was probably one of the better teams not to reach a final 4. They lost only 1 game in the regualr season and another in the acc tourney before losing in march madness ...

[Killakobe81]

Jordan probably could have done more, but college is a very different game than NBA, where individual brilliance makes a stronger impact. College ball is mostly about team work and systems, you have the Shane Battiers and Danny Ferrys and Christian Laettner's playing like they are the second coming in college.

The only person to hold Jordan under 10 points a game since he was a freshman was Dean Smith.

Part of that was the stacked team he had ...
Perk, Daugherty, kenny smith joe wolf and matt doherty

[Killakobe81]

Again for the credit he gets for ringing as a frosh he also takes the L for losses as a soph and junior ...
And again worthy was actually the best player on that title team ...though jordan was the greater college and pro player overall.

[ambchang]

Again for the creditvhe gets for rining as a frosh he also takes the l for losses as a soph and junior

You bring out a good point earlier, and that is the good will that was built up helps with the legacy earlier on. I guess you have only one chance at first impressions.

If Duncan didn't ring in 99, he would be grilled a lot more for 01 and 02, and Pop might have been fired before 03.

If it wasn't for the previous rings, losing to the Grizzlies would have torn the team apart and Duncan would have been labelled as a choker.

Look at Dirk, the disappointments of 06 and 07 forever stained his legacy. It really took a monumental performance in 11 to somehow redeem it a little (not all the way).

It took Lebron 3 titles, including beating a 73-win team and coming back 1-3 to somehow redeem his 11 loss. If the timelines were reversed, say Lebron won first, got that 73-win team slaying title under his belt, then blew a fart in the finals like he did in 11, people will brush off the 11 as some anomaly and that what he did previously more than offset that one "failure", and he'd be an undisputed top 3 player of all time.

It's funny how these things work.

[Killakobe81]

You bring out a good point earlier, and that is the good will that was built up helps with the legacy earlier on. I guess you have only one chance at first impressions.

If Duncan didn't ring in 99, he would be grilled a lot more for 01 and 02, and Pop might have been fired before 03.

If it wasn't for the previous rings, losing to the Grizzlies would have torn the team apart and Duncan would have been labelled as a choker.

Look at Dirk, the disappointments of 06 and 07 forever stained his legacy. It really took a monumental performance in 11 to somehow redeem it a little (not all the way).

It took Lebron 3 titles, including beating a 73-win team and coming back 1-3 to somehow redeem his 11 loss. If the timelines were reversed, say Lebron won first, got that 73-win team slaying title under his belt, then blew a fart in the finals like he did in 11, people will brush off the 11 as some anomaly and that what he did previously more than offset that one "failure", and he'd be an undisputed top 3 player of all time.

It's funny how these things work.

Absolutely. Imagine if Moses 83 destruction of kareem happened before he rang?
What if magic hadnt rung twice before 83 or his "tragic" failure in 84? Winning takes the stink off failures ...but every great player has one ...