Official 2024 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament Thread

[heyheymymy]

Wemby playing pretty weak and shooting awful but doing a lot of little things especially in the 2Q

A solid block, grabbing rebs, contesting at the rim and forcing misses, the and-1, the assist to Yabusele and then finally getting a few scoring attempts to fall

[heyheymymy]

Germany can't be happy at the half when thinking about last matchup when the shots were falling

Seems France figured some stuff out against Canada. Love the energy they are playing with and can't imagine the pressure as host nation.

[onechance87]

wemby looking better in second qtr

[heyheymymy]

Germany held to 24 Olympics team low 8 points in 2Q

[skin27]

Number 7 guy carrying wemby and team france

[ace3g]

Number 7 guy carrying wemby and team france

You feed the hot hand, whoever that is, if you want to win.

[onechance87]

wemby gotta knock down those open 3s

[MultiTroll]

This is exactly like the Spurs for most of last season. :lol

Wemby shoots a wide open long trey and clanks.
7 gets the somewhat lucky rebound and is out near the side arc with the ball.
Wemby alertly busts towards the hoop as the key is open except for one lone German. Wama is wide open for a potential dunk or otherwise finish.
7 dribble dribble dribble looks at Wemby and keeps ball for himself. Ends up shooting a jump hook that super greasily falls in after a bounce.
2+1 as he got fouled.

When the German center blocked Wemby sure looked like he got a lot of arm. No replay.

[skin27]

Its funny Schroder looks like a better player out there than wemby haha

[skin27]

Fournier 3! France up by 6pts

[heyheymymy]

Wemby passed out of a mismatch on shroeder twice

[skin27]

Wemby almost got injured

[MultiTroll]

Wemby almost got injured
Ya but he's still in there and looks to be moving fine.
Did the one legged jumper off the same ankle he tweaked.
Probably got fouled on the jumper. TV coverage blows.

[MultiTroll]

Is the German Center a Boston Celtic?
Ya i know i could look it up but if you know just post it.

[MultiTroll]

This time #8 does it.
Wemby WIDE open for the lob slam at 61-53.
France got a basket on the possession anyways but FFS this is 2023-4 Popball all over again.


This is exactly like the Spurs for most of last season. :lol

Meanwhile sweet trey by Wama.

Wemby shoots a wide open long trey and clanks.
7 gets the somewhat lucky rebound and is out near the side arc with the ball.
Wemby alertly busts towards the hoop as the key is open except for one lone German. Wama is wide open for a potential dunk or otherwise finish.
7 dribble dribble dribble looks at Wemby and keeps ball for himself. Ends up shooting a jump hook that super greasily falls in after a bounce.
2+1 as he got fouled.

When the German center blocked Wemby sure looked like he got a lot of arm. No replay.

[ace3g]

So you reward a team with a bucket due to a clock malfunction?

[Mal]

Wemby is defensive nightmare to anybody. He moves well, and this combineted with his size make him covering..a lot

[MultiTroll]

Wama haters can blow.
Ya he had an off shooting game.

Otherwise a Timmy Dunker type all around good performance.

Just swatted Schroeders shit.

[itzsoweezee]

wtf? They just gift points in fiba rules?

[skin27]

France slowly choking this game away

[MultiTroll]

:lol France is soo fundamentally shitty.
66-55

Unforced turnover.

[MultiTroll]

France slowly choking this game away
Victor will come back in and dunk on your face.

[skin27]

:lol

[skin27]

Victor will come back in and dunk on your face.

:lol

[itzsoweezee]

:lol France is soo fundamentally shitty.
66-55

Unforced turnover.

Yeah, the US will beat these guys by 30. Can you imagine these little French guys trying to post up on the US?

[spurraider21]

what a pass that was

[skin27]

Wemby cant post up ffs lmao

[MultiTroll]

Theis fouls the F out of #7 and the refs call it a turnover.

[MultiTroll]

Wama stuffing Schroeder again.

[spurraider21]

Wemby cant post up ffs lmao
splitter cant post up fisher

[skin27]

Tony and Dirk so awkward lmao

[skin27]

France choking

[skin27]

Wemby chonking at the line

[JPB]

If Vic is even average offensively, France wins that one easily.

Thought he would stop chucking 3s after Canada's 0/6, the he goes 1/8 today. This is the Olympics, every possesion matters, can't take that like a regular season game.

[skin27]

They shouldve give it to fournier

[John B]

Can we sign the dancing bear??

[Dex]

Wemby 1/2 at the line, leaves the door open with 10.9 ticks left

[Dex]

FIBA Schroeder 1/2 at the line, gives it right back

[MultiTroll]

I dont know man that looked like it could have been a jump ball.

This coverage blows.

#8 France getting tied up after the inbounds. 71-69

[John B]

Wemby going to medal game!

[Dex]

France prevails! Onto the Gold/Silver game

Wemby VS the USA!

[MultiTroll]

Why the F did Schroeder make the 2nd FT? :drunk:drunk:downspin::downspin:

[r0drig0lac]

:lobt2::lobt2::lobt2:

[Arcadian]

Gonna be reeeaaaaally interesting to see what Victor does against USA (assuming they make the final)... Something tells me he won't shoot 4-17 again. It's a prime opportunity for him to have a breakout game.

[Pauleta14]

mnbdfl,hlgjelngjlei.gmks;d cfhjknmtwhsfjlq.lm ;gs.jd.s,hf.,kfflx, kmtw.

[JPB]

This will be Collet's second Olympics finale, to go with 3 Euros finales( including one title). And he beat Pop's Team Usa in the group stage in Tokyo.

Not bad for a crappy coach. As i mentioned before the competition, like him or not, but he's an experienced coach who knows when things really matter. That's not pretty, but that wins.

[John B]

Is Cordinier available? That guys pesky

[skin27]

France win

[Dex]

I dont know man that looked like it could have been a jump ball.

This coverage blows.

#8 France getting tied up after the inbounds. 71-69

Yeah, Fournier was just holding it and easily could have been a jump-ball if they had given it an extra second. Possession arrow was also with the Germans.

Home cooking for France.

Not complaining, but would be upset if I was Germany.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Wemby’s offense is an insane train wreck.

Thank god for his defense but oof

[Arcadian]

Is Cordinier available? That guys pesky

Yabusele is pretty good too. He reminds me of Boris Diaw with his build and movement.

[Pauleta14]

What a feeling guys!!!!!!

I NEVER at no point expected us to be in Final...

Wow

[itzsoweezee]

If Vic is even average offensively, France wins that one easily.

Thought he would stop chucking 3s after Canada's 0/6, the he goes 1/8 today. This is the Olympics, every possesion matters, can't take that like a regular season game.

They have him playing on the perimeter because no one on that team can shoot, and their go to play is post ups for their forwards. There is almost no movement in France’s offense. Almost no screens. It’s just a very archaic game, which I guess you can get away with in fiba where there is no three second rule.

[hater]

What a win by France

That was pure heart

Yabusele is a fucking beast sign him up on the Spurs ASAP

ALSO Cordinier and Lessort tbqh


They obliterated Germany :tu

Pure heart :tu

[Arcadian]

What a feeling guys!!!!!!

I NEVER at no point expected us to be in Final...

Wow

You gotta take advantage of the rare opportunity to have home court advantage at the Olympics!

[spurraider21]

Yabusele is pretty good too. He reminds me of Boris Diaw with his build and movement.
no ballhandling, shooting, or playmaking

he's just a bull

[hater]

What a feeling guys!!!!!!

I NEVER at no point expected us to be in Final...

Wow

Congrats :tu

It was well deserved

Pretty sure coach Pop had some pointers for that weak French coach

[Arcadian]

They have him playing on the perimeter because no one on that team can shoot, and their go to play is post ups for their forwards. There is almost no movement in France’s offense. Almost no screens. It’s just a very archaic game, which I guess you can get away with in fiba where there is no three second rule.

Well there is an offensive 3 seconds rule, right? Just not defensive.

[itzsoweezee]

I don’t what you people are seeing in yabusele thinking he can play in the nba. That back to basket post up shit is not working in the nba.

[itzsoweezee]

Well there is an offensive 3 seconds rule, right? Just not defensive.

Oh, my bad.but I still don’t see them doing anything to get wemby the in movement in the paint. It’s either a pass to him beyond the three point line or a post up.

[JPB]

Vic owns France a good game in the finale. He's been there defensively but otherwise has had some disappointing Olympics. One can blame the system, the coach, the teammates, but at some point he gotta step up and assert himself.

[Brazil]

Holy shit that was a great win ! We earned the right to get our butt kicked in the final game but I will take dat silver medal.

Defense carries France, after Canada 80 pts, Germany below 70... good stuff

[Brazil]

Vic owns France a good game in the finale. He's been there defensively but otherwise has had some disappointing Olympics. One can blame the system, the coach, the teammates, but at some point he gotta step up and assert himself.

Vic is the only reason France advances to the final, he is anchoring that defense like a beast, I'd call that a good game

[JPB]

but FIBA is really a different animal, ask our Duncan or Giannis.

[hater]

I don’t what you people are seeing in yabusele thinking he can play in the nba. That back to basket post up shit is not working in the nba.

Um noone is saying he should start.as an 8th man he would be amazing

Sign him up :tu

[Raven]

great game

[hater]

Also Gobert will play in the final and plus home court it will be a great final :tu

[MultiTroll]

Yeah, Fournier was just holding it and easily could have been a jump-ball if they had given it an extra second. Possession arrow was also with the Germans.

Home cooking for France.

Not complaining, but would be upset if I was Germany.
Just watched replay in slow mo. While German defender did get his hand on ball, he was all over #8s shoulder and head on the way down to get to the ball. (#8 Frency elected to bring the ball down. Very bad move IMO.
Good call tho.
Krouts do not have legit bitch on that play.

Still that #8 several times this game looks like he has simply not played in high level competition.

#8 is Isaïa Cordinier not Forneir.

[Raven]

Vic owns France a good game in the finale. He's been there defensively but otherwise has had some disappointing Olympics. One can blame the system, the coach, the teammates, but at some point he gotta step up and assert himself.

i mean, he's always taking the attention of 2-4 players, nothing wrong with that.

[JPB]

Vic is the only reason France advances to the final, he is anchoring that defense like a beast, I'd call that a good game

Yeah, you're right about that (and I mentioned it vs. Canada) but, it's fair to say everyone was expecting the good defense + offensive dominance. He's been Mutombo so far, not Wemby. AGain, if he's even decent offensviely France doesn't even sweat the last two games. And you can see he's frustrated. Didn't stop to talk to the media after today's game.

[Raven]

Also Gobert will play in the final and plus home court it will be a great final :tu

it could be an atrocious final tbh, if franca can't keep the pace ultra slow, they will get blown out into the stratosphere

[JPB]

i mean, he's always taking the attention of 2-4 players, nothing wrong with that.

Not that much, he's taking the shoots. but went 4/17 tonight after going 2/10 vs. Canada. that's 6/27 including 1/16 on 3.

Yikes.

[hater]

Well yeah France doesn't win without Wemby


But also France doesn't win without Yabusele and Cordinier

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

This is such an invaluable experience for Wemby and it’ll make him a better player. Even when he struggles offensively he always finds multiple ways to help his team.

Happy for France. Congrats to our french posters and good luck in the final, I’ll be rooting for them.

[hater]

it could be an atrocious final tbh, if franca can't keep the pace ultra slow, they will get blown out into the stratosphere

I have high confidence it will be a great final

France will compete for 3 quarters

And win a great Silver to go with it

[Splits]

Wemby sucks

[spurraider21]

hard to say this is anything but a good experience for him

he's simultaneously out there closing out big games under huge pressure and finding ways to contribute to winning in ways other than scoring and also being humbled and realizing he has a long way to go before he becomes the player he thinks he can be

[Brazil]

Yeah, you're right about that (and I mentioned it vs. Canada) but, it's fair to say everyone was expecting the good defense + offensive dominance. He's been Mutombo so far, not Wemby. AGain, if he's even decent offensviely France doesn't even sweat the last two games. And you can see he's frustrated. Didn't stop to talk to the media after today's game.

Everobody is frustrated by his offense right now and I agree but at the same time I'm happy to see him contribute and not let his frustration get the best of him. He keeps competing instead of whinning ala Fournier.

Let's also not forget that this is his first international tournament

[Brazil]

Wemby sucks

:lol

[Pauleta14]

You gotta take advantage of the rare opportunity to have home court advantage at the Olympics!

It's also so French to win when everybody expects you to lose

I've been reverse jynxing all the way

I think I have a special power now :lol

[rjv]

lol at Mo Wagner.

[Pauleta14]

Congrats :tu

It was well deserved

Pretty sure coach Pop had some pointers for that weak French coach

Thanks man

At this point of the competition its 80% balls and heart. They made me proud today

And Fuck Collette

[Rosewood]

Worried about his shooting, but he’s actually playing really well in every other aspect. I think he will be a spectacular playmaker next year, his passing skills were already good and have seemingly improved.

[rjv]

ST after Wemby's rookie year: he's going to be an MVP caliber player in two to three years.

ST after Wemby in the Olympics: he still has a lot to learn and way to go before he can be considered elite.

[Pauleta14]

I don’t what you people are seeing in yabusele thinking he can play in the nba. That back to basket post up shit is not working in the nba.

We're not saying he can be an allstar, but he's a versatile huge energy guy who I'm sure could become a lethal role player in a small ball era

He's only in europe bc he plays for Real Madrid (prestige & always fight for titles) and huge salary for europe

He could easily be in NBA if he wanted but wants.... to play!! Not be a 10-15min rotation guy (at least short term)

[Pauleta14]

Vic owns France a good game in the finale. He's been there defensively but otherwise has had some disappointing Olympics. One can blame the system, the coach, the teammates, but at some point he gotta step up and assert himself.

He hasn't shown the poise he's used us to.

Could be confidence, inexperience or maybe fatigue? (1st long NBA season + olympics, heavy legs?)

He has an amazing opportunity in front of him now

[Pauleta14]

i mean, he's always taking the attention of 2-4 players, nothing wrong with that.

We're not in the Final without Vic, let's be clear about that

But let's not act like his didn't shoot horendously either.

His shots selection is at least better than a few games ago, but he needs (is due to) to put them down now

[Pauleta14]

This is such an invaluable experience for Wemby and it’ll make him a better player. Even when he struggles offensively he always finds multiple ways to help his team.

Happy for France. Congrats to our french posters and good luck in the final, I’ll be rooting for them.

Thanks man!

[Chinook]

hard to say this is anything but a good experience for him

he's simultaneously out there closing out big games under huge pressure and finding ways to contribute to winning in ways other than scoring and also being humbled and realizing he has a long way to go before he becomes the player he thinks he can be

Now if only the superfans can get that nuanced takeaway

[Chinook]

ST after Wemby's rookie year: he's going to be an MVP caliber player in two to three years.

ST after Wemby in the Olympics: he still has a lot to learn and way to go before he can be considered elite.

That's not a contradiction. It kind of is in the sense that the second take is talking about him being "considered elite" when the actual take is about him being years away from being able to carry a team to a title. Nobody cares about what Stephen A Smith thinks when it comes to Wemby's elite status. We're talking about a lot of growth and maturity that needs to happen and isn't dependent on how tall, long or skilled he is. This isn't a situation with a binary answer. Wemby can be amazing and ahead of schedule and still years away.

[Frenchfred]

If anything, these games show that the Spurs are right to take rebuilding slowly, Wemby is not ready to carry a team by himself. No point in trying to be in the play-in next season, next season should be about tanking again.

[rjv]

That's not a contradiction. It kind of is in the sense that the second take is talking about him being "considered elite" when the actual take is about him being years away from being able to carry a team to a title. Nobody cares about what Stephen A Smith thinks when it comes to Wemby's elite status. We're talking about a lot of growth and maturity that needs to happen and isn't dependent on how tall, long or skilled he is. This isn't a situation with a binary answer. Wemby can be amazing and ahead of schedule and still years away.

Wemby is Schrödinger's Cat.

[Frenchfred]

He hasn't shown the poise he's used us to.

Could be confidence, inexperience or maybe fatigue? (1st long NBA season + olympics, heavy legs?)

He has an amazing opportunity in front of him now

he needs time to work on his shooting; last season he went directly from French league to summer league and had little preparation before the season started. This year, it’s the Olympics so he’ll need to rest and he won’t have much time either. I don’t see his efficiency improving this season except on the defensive side.

[skin27]

Serbia cant miss

[Ice009]

Well, I'm pretty freaking amped up. Staying up late this whole tournament and some of the practice games, following France all the way to this final. They still got one more push left. Loving the defense they've played these past two games. They gotta be sharper on offense. Victor is playing poorly on offense, but he's doing A LOT of other stuff out that that is huge for the team. I have confidence that he will play better in the final. I believe he's a big game player.

And I do think Yabusele could do some damage in the NBA punishing small ball as a super role player.

[spurraider21]

embiid trying to draw whistles instead of score, what else is new

[spurraider21]

then jokic follows that up with hooking AD's arm but getting the call... no better

[exstatic]

no ballhandling, shooting, or playmaking

he's just a bull

There’s a reason Boston didn’t pick up his year 3 option.

[pad300]

Go Serbia! The meltdown would be hilarious!

[spurraider21]

Edwards really showing his inexperience. a couple of sloppy turnovers, bad gamble on defense there. his only bucket was a long pullup 2

nobody on the US looks particularly good aside from Curry. serbia's defense really has them locked down

[skin27]

USA getting killed in the paint lmao

[r0drig0lac]

houston, we have a problem...

[itzsoweezee]

US looks completely overpowered

[hater]

:lmao USA

[DAF86]

I'm torn, tbh. On one hand I want Argentina to keep being the only team to gold aside from NBA US teams (only exception I would make would be for our boy Wemby), but on the other hand US media has been too cocky with their "there's no way this team loses" takes.

[skin27]

I'm torn, tbh. On one hand I want Argentina to keep being the only team to gold aside from NBA US teams (only exception I would make would be for our boy Wemby), but on the other hand US media has been too cocky with their "there's no way this team loses" takes.

Like i said the world already catched up..

[DAF86]

Like i said the world already catched up..

Thinking is impossible for USNT to lose on a single game elimination tournament in 2024 is as retarded as a take can get, tbh.

[itzsoweezee]

Both these teams trying to flop for calls

[Brazil]

Go Serbia !

[spurraider21]

US finally on a small run then they fuck it up. turnover on one end where edwards couldnt handle the bad pass from holiday, and then in transition holiday doesnt just hand it off to edwards for a free dunk, instead stops his dribble and kicks it out for a 3PA

really startling how ineffective holiday has been today. and booker is just invisible

[skin27]

Thinking is impossible for USNT to lose on a single game elimination tournament in 2024 is as retarded as a take can get, tbh.
Some people here in st think that USA is still a powerhouse and unbeatable..lol.. actually US is doomed because they dont have lebron curry and durant anymore in 2028

[hater]

Why do American bitches complain so much to the refs?

Fucking faggots

[spurraider21]

Some people here in st think that USA is still a powerhouse and unbeatable..lol.. actually US is doomed because they dont have lebron curry and durant anymore in 2028
they are tbh, but are playing an awful game today. imo they still win this game

[itzsoweezee]

Some people here in st think that USA is still a powerhouse and unbeatable..lol.. actually US is doomed because they dont have lebron curry and durant anymore in 2028

Cmon, US is still winning this game

[skin27]

Spurs should sign serbia's pg wearing jersey number 30 lmao

[Brazil]

yeah let's not go crazy... US win dat shit

[spurraider21]

Serbia has punished every gamble, have hit more than half their 3's so far

[hater]

Kerr crying like this is the NBA :lmao

[skin27]

they are tbh, but are playing an awful game today. imo they still win this game

They are not unbeatable amymore especially next olympics

[Brazil]

so nice btw to see Boris and Tony congratulate Victor... even though Tony applauds were quite shy :lol

[Brazil]

Curry doing work for US.. he scored half of US points

[itzsoweezee]

Is Serbia always this good from the outside? Seems pretty unsustainable.

[hater]

Serbia should have gone up 17+ to the half

It's a measly lead.

USA wins this easily

[Raven]

Thinking is impossible for USNT to lose on a single game elimination tournament in 2024 is as retarded as a take can get, tbh.

if serbia wins, they will suddenly start realizing they have been playing 3 tosbs the whole tournament... of course, still unlikely to happen.

[Raven]

Is Serbia always this good from the outside? Seems pretty unsustainable.

it is unsustainable, but they are packed full of shooters, yes.

[spurraider21]

Is Serbia always this good from the outside? Seems pretty unsustainable.
from what ive seen from them during this tournament they've actually been pretty bad from 3

[DAF86]

if serbia wins, they will suddenly start realizing they have been playing 3 tosbs the whole tournament... of course, still unlikely to happen.

One of those TOSBs being the only reason the US is still in the game? :lol

[Raven]

One of those TOSBs being the only reason the US is still in the game? :lol

well, yes :lol

[DAF86]

well, yes :lol

Imagine this team without those TOSBs, tbh. :lol

[skin27]

:lmao USA

[Robz4000]

:lol if team USA loses

[Raven]

Imagine this team without those TOSBs, tbh. :lol

well that's the thing.. durant, curry and lebron have happily fallen off and somehow they are still carrying the team. Obviously the quality of the team must have fallen.

[spurraider21]

US bench is 3-14 from the field lol

[DAF86]

well that's the thing.. durant, curry and lebron have happily fallen off and somehow they are still carrying the team. Obviously the quality of the team must have fallen.

The Jason Tatum lead US. :lol

[skin27]

US needs a big run now

[hater]

Easy win for USA

They are just toying with the European Mexicans tbqh

[Brazil]

well its still a long shot but damn dat Serbia team is doing work

[DAF86]

Jokic with 4, that's huge.

[skin27]

6pts run for the US

[hater]

Easy win for USA

They are just toying with the European Mexicans tbqh

Called it


Bye bye Serbia

[Brazil]

and Curry still with almost half of US points :lol

[Raven]

jokic can play with 4, but this is different

[Brazil]

well it was fun the time it lasted tbh

[DAF86]

To think the US stealing Embiid might end up proving to be the difference maker. :lol

[Seventyniner]

Serbia is giving the US all they can handle, but France doesn't have anyone near Jokic's level.

[skin27]

Serbia is giving the US all they can handle, but France doesn't have anyone near Jokic's level.

Us will beat france easiy iguess

[skin27]

Embiid waking up

[DAF86]

20 years ago this is where Manu took over and didn't let the US comeback, tbh. :hat

[Strategic]

Without Jokic this Serbian team would be unwatchable. I doubt the US team will fall so far.

[DAF86]

There's only one Manu, tbh.

[skin27]

US might win this game lol

[Brazil]

US can thank Curry tbh

[spurraider21]

:lmao TD 21 going to melt down over golden boy carrying the US

[itzsoweezee]

Just suffocating defense by the US

[Raven]

they had a chance, they choked.

[TD 21]

Funny how Embiid is shrouded in criticism, but Golden Boy, who continues to look as he has for a few years, which is as a shell of his former self, continues to struggle while being handed a glamor role and media won't say a peep about it.

Can't wait until the inevitable progression to the mean stretch where they pretend he's been doing it all along, while continuing to largely ignore the non hype machines playing well.


:lmao TD 21 (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=17781) going to melt down over golden boy carrying the US

:lmao Golden Boy cum guzzler obsessed with me.



To think the US stealing Embiid might end up proving to be the difference maker. :lol

I lost all respect for him pulling a Durant/Warriors start on the 2-yard line and pretend you're a champion.

[Brazil]

not sure who is going to take the biggest beatdown... France or Germany

[lefty20]

Jokic ducking Wemby, tbh.

[Fireball]

great game

[skin27]

US vs Wemby for Gold medal

[DAF86]

not sure who is going to take the biggest beatdown... France or Germany

Germany beats Serbia by double digits, tbh.

[DAF86]

Serbia choked this. You can't give up a 10-2 run in little more than a minute, tbh.

[TD 21]

Who is willing to admit they were secretly either hoping to or fine with losing? :lmao

Now they'll prance around arrogantly pretending they did something worthy of praise when all they really did was barely avert disaster against a team with one player who'd make their team thanks in large part to having to "recruit" (should be beneath them) the best player on the team . . . and yet that won't be the story the agenda driven, propaganda media will tell. What a disgrace.

[Dex]

USA fucked around and almost found out

Wild game. Looked like Serbia had it in firm control until the final minutes.

Embiid had a dominating stretch, then Durant/Curry/James closed it out

[itzsoweezee]

The US might be in a tough spot in 2028. The talent drop off from the old guys, Durant, Lebron, Curry, Embiid, is tremendous

[Dex]

Who is willing to admit they were secretly either hoping to or fine with losing? :lmao

Now they'll prance around arrogantly pretending they did something worthy of praise when all they really did was barely avert disaster thanks in large part to having to "recruit" (should be beneath them) the best player on their team . . . and yet that won't be the story the agenda driven, propaganda media will tell. What a disgrace.

I never cheer for the USA to lose, but not gonna lie I was already imagining the chaos it would have had on the internetz

[itzsoweezee]

Who is willing to admit they were secretly either hoping to or fine with losing? :lmao

Now they'll prance around arrogantly pretending they did something worthy of praise when all they really did was barely avert disaster against a team with one player who'd make their team thanks in large part to having to "recruit" (should be beneath them) the best player on the team . . . and yet that won't be the story the agenda driven, propaganda media will tell. What a disgrace.

Full on boomer meltdown

[rjv]

Who is willing to admit they were secretly either hoping to or fine with losing? :lmao

Now they'll prance around arrogantly pretending they did something worthy of praise when all they really did was barely avert disaster against a team with one player who'd make their team thanks in large part to having to "recruit" (should be beneath them) the best player on the team . . . and yet that won't be the story the agenda driven, propaganda media will tell. What a disgrace.

. . . and Ledeuche will come off as patriotic when that a-hole is just trying to pad his GOAT resume with another gold. F Lebron.

[DAF86]

To think the US stealing Embiid might end up proving to be the difference maker. :lol

Pretty much this, tbh. The US had to steal a player to not get eliminated in this tournament, yet there was "this team is better than the dream team" talk. :lol

The days of team US being a lock to win every gold are long gone. On any given bad night there are more than a handful of teams that can beat them, just like the Spurs could beat the Nuggets at the end of the regular season.

Lebron and Co. are lucky Germany wasn't on the other side of the floor tonight. A more experienced, cohesive unit wouldn't have wasted a 14 pts lead in the 4th, imho.

[TD 21]

Full on boomer meltdown

:lmao I'm neither a boomer nor having a meltdown, I'm just a truth teller, who calls it like I see it, doesn't suffer fools and isn't concerned with perception.

[Chinook]

Anyone suggesting Embiid the best player on the USANT isn't making a serious take.

FIBA is an old man's tournament. Lebron is pretty unambiguously the best player on any team.

[DAF86]

Expect a very unticlimatic final, tbh. France doesn't have the perimeter players to keep up. It can get ugly. Let's hope Wemby can at least have a good individual perfomance.

[Robz4000]

At least Wemby or DWhite get a gold medal tbh.

[DAF86]

Anyone suggesting Embiid the best player on the USANT isn't making a serious take.

FIBA is an old man's tournament. Lebron is pretty unambiguously the best player on any team.

lol "unambiguously"

The best player on any team is the, undoubtedly, best player in the World: Nikola Jokic.

[Chinook]

At least Wemby or DWhite get a gold medal tbh.

If Serbia wins on Saturday, the Spurs would have draft picks on each medal team.

[Mal]

If Serbia wins on Saturday, the Spurs would have draft picks on each medal team.

I cannot see Serbia being ready for this game, they gave it all. Now they have 36h to overcome this.

[Robz4000]

If Serbia wins on Saturday, the Spurs would have draft picks on each medal team.

:lol

[hater]

Lol Gobert 12th man :lol

[Chinook]

lol "unambiguously"

The best player on any team is the, undoubtedly, best player in the World: Nikola Jokic.

I don't think you can look at this game and conclude Jokic has been the best player in this tournament. That's the entire point I was making. These 40-minute, single-game tournaments allow Lebron to be much more of what he used to be. It's pretty clear no one else has his combination of scoring, passing, defense and leadership. Dude got a triple-double while playing Jokic extremely well. Nikola is better over the 100-plus game NBA season, especially with the pace and rules. He's not better in FIBA.

[KDKSpurs24]

Pretty much this, tbh. The US had to steal a player to not get eliminated in this tournament, yet there was "this team is better than the dream team" talk. :lol

The days of team US being a lock to win every gold are long gone. On any given bad night there are more than a handful of teams that can beat them, just like the Spurs could beat the Nuggets at the end of the regular season.

Lebron and Co. are lucky Germany wasn't on the other side of the floor tonight. A more experienced, cohesive unit wouldn't have wasted a 14 pts lead in the 4th, imho.

Man what are you talking about? Embiid was bad most of the whole tournament. This was his makeup game. Same for Curry. And gtfoh with those hypotheticals of Germany being up 14 points. How tf do you know they would have even been up 14? You don’t. Styles make fights and it could have been the complete opposite type of game. I hope you’re not American because I held back from saying this the other day but it was a damn shame to see all that talk about France (yes I know Wemby is on our team and this is a Spurs forum) but there wasn’t a single post about the Brazil game. It’s a damn shame how nobody seems to support their country’s team. I don’t want to bring up race but I know a lot of people on here don’t like how players on USA act for a reason. I’m going to leave it at that. I’m a Spurs fan but I put all that to the side to support. I’m super hyped for this win.

I’m probably going to get called out for whining or whatever but these are facts and my observations. It’s a shame.

[Mal]

Someone wrote - The USA roster is stacked, but LeBron still is the ultimate boss there

[TD 21]

I never said Embiid has performed as the best player throughout (though he's trending closer as he works his way into form), but in the grand scheme he is unambiguously the best player on this team.

That, the relative hole in the middle and Jokic is why they "recruited" him.

Why both sides would want to take the easy way out is beyond me, but that's this era for you . . . start on the two-yard line, win and then receive equal or greater credit to people who did it the hard way.

[DAF86]

I don't think you can look at this game and conclude Jokic has been the best player in this tournament. That's the entire point I was making. These 40-minute, single-game tournaments allow Lebron to be much more of what he used to be. It's pretty clear no one else has his combination of scoring, passing, defense and leadership. Dude got a triple-double while playing Jokic extremely well. Nikola is better over the 100-plus game NBA season, especially with the pace and rules. He's not better in FIBA.

If it wasn't for Curry, Lebron would be prepering for the Bronze medal game right now, the fuck are you talking about? :lol

Of course I can watch at tonight's game and think Jokic is easily the most impactful player in the World. And to say who the best player of the tournament was, I needed to watch the entire tournament, and, once again, the answer is Nikola Jokic.

Imagine thinking Lebron has been the best player in this tournament only because Curry prevented him from getting knocked out tonight. :lol

[Joseph Kony]

so are we rooting for USA or for Wemby to win gold?

[DAF86]

Man what are you talking about? Embiid was bad most of the whole tournament. This was his makeup game. Same for Curry. And gtfoh with those hypotheticals of Germany being up 14 points. How tf do you know they would have even been up 14? You don’t. Styles make fights and it could have been the complete opposite type of game. I hope you’re not American because I held back from saying this the other day but it was a damn shame to see all that talk about France (yes I know Wemby is on our team and this is a Spurs forum) but there wasn’t a single post about the Brazil game. It’s a damn shame how nobody seems to support their country’s team. I don’t want to bring up race but I know a lot of people on here don’t like how players on USA act for a reason. I’m going to leave it at that. I’m a Spurs fan but I put all that to the side to support. I’m super hyped for this win.

I’m probably going to get called out for whining or whatever but these are facts and my observations. It’s a shame.

I'm Argentinian, tbh.

I wasn't saying Germany would have been up 14pts in the 4th against the US, I'm just saying had they been, they wouldn't have choked it away, because they have more experience on these type of international games.

And I don't know why you got your panties in a bunch, I'm just stating a fact: the days of team US cruising on every game and being a lock for gold are long gone. Don't get me wrong, they are still the heavy favourites, but they can lose on any given night, now.

[Limguogolo]

He hasn't shown the poise he's used us to.

Could be confidence, inexperience or maybe fatigue? (1st long NBA season + olympics, heavy legs?)

He has an amazing opportunity in front of him now

The effects of Covid. Maybe people will stop underestimating the effects of this disease. We now know that it can cause a lot of problems in the short and medium term by causing a lot of chronic illnesses and reducing performance, especially after several contaminations.

Collet brought out a Victor-Rudy lineup during the game, the guy didn't understand anything. The team is in the final thanks to a few players who overcame Collet's boring and cerebral game, but as soon as the FNT is ahead, Collet persists in wanting to stop playing by thinking FNT is Greece or Serbia. However, it's quite simple in basketball as in all sports: when you stop playing, you lack aggression, and you give ammunition to your opponent. We weren't far from it, it's almost a miracle to find ourselves in the final against "Leebron James" (that's how we pronounce it in France, the French commentators still haven't understood that the "Le" was precisely intended to sound French).

Anyway. Good opposition proposed by the Serbs. It is only in women's basketball that the domination of the USA team is unchallenged.

A third game in a row where France will not be favorites, but that's the French flair. French teams are never as good as when they are outsiders. Hoping that Victor wakes up offensively: we have to see him attack the paint again, head forward, playing with double/euro/huge steps. It will cause whistles. For the rest, we can trust Yabusele and Lessort to martyr their compatriot Jojo and Cordinier to do some "Leebron" things.

The girls now, and Magic Marine against the terrible Belgians.

[KDKSpurs24]

so are we rooting for USA or for Wemby to win gold?

USA every time. Multiple silver medals is a huge and big enough accomplishment for him and his legacy. He can win multiple championships with our Spurs tho. I highly prefer that! That’s what matters to me as a Spurs fan.

[DAF86]

so are we rooting for USA or for Wemby to win gold?

I'll be rooting for Wemby but it's a win/win for me: either Wemby golds or Argentina remains the only team to have beaten NBA's US team.

Either way, I don't think the final will be close. Tonight was the night to beat team US, imho.

[KDKSpurs24]

I'm Argentinian, tbh.

I wasn't saying Germany would have been up 14pts in the 4th against the US, I'm just saying had they been, they wouldn't have choked it away, because they have more experience on these type of international games.

And I don't know why you got your panties on a bunch, I'm just stating a fact: the days of team US cruising on every game and being a lock for gold are long gone. Don't get me wrong, they are still the heavy favourites, but they can lose on any given night, now.

Well at least you’re from Argentina. I know there are a lot of American haters rooting against their own team.

And I’m aware that it’s going to keep getting tougher and tougher for them as time goes by.

[Dex]

I'll be rooting for Wemby but it's a win/win for me: either Wemby golds or Argentina remains the only team to have beaten NBA's US team.

Either way, I don't think the final will be close. Tonight was the night to beat team US, imho.

Yeah, Serbia really shit the bed in the 2nd half...you could tell it on their faces that they let a historic win get away

Again, glad the USA won...but the storylines would have been crazy

[hater]

so are we rooting for USA or for Wemby to win gold?

Fuck USA niga

[TD 21]

I'm just saying had they been, they wouldn't have choked it away, because they have more experience on these type of international games.

The really helped the Spurs in 6 . . . every player/team who has been in enough of them has these types of big game losses on their resume. That's basketball, particularly in the "pace and space" era.

Especially in a case like this where only Jokic could make the U.S. team and obviously their antennas are up because of the magnitude. It's extremely difficult to hold off vastly superior talent in a sport with constant possession changes and scoring opportunities.

Let's be real, Argentina only won in '04 because the U.S. had two players (Duncan and Iverson) who'd have been part of the "A" team, amid arrogance and negligence overcoming their organization.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Anyone suggesting Embiid the best player on the USANT isn't making a serious take.

FIBA is an old man's tournament. Lebron is pretty unambiguously the best player on any team.

Random, but who do you have as the GOAT?

[DAF86]

The really helped the Spurs in 6 . . . every player/team who has been in enough of them has these types of big game losses on their resume. That's basketball, particularly in the "pace and space" era.

Especially in a case like this where only Jokic could make the U.S. team and obviously their antennas are up because of the magnitude. It's extremely difficult to hold off vastly superior talent in a sport with constant possession changes and scoring opportunities.

Let's be real, Argentina only won in '04 because the U.S. had two players (Duncan and Iverson) who'd have been part of the "A" team, amid arrogance and negligence overcoming their organization.

It's a matter of "belief". It is true the Spurs had a lot of legends, but they hadn't played a finals series in 7 years prior to that and were all past their primes. In the back of everybody's heads the Heat were the favourites that year. Mid 2000's Spurs wouldn't have choked that series.

Germany are the defending World Champions, I don't think they would have froze like Serbia did at the beginning of the 4th quarter.

[Arcadian]

Who is willing to admit they were secretly either hoping to or fine with losing? :lmao

Oh, I was absolutely cheering for Serbia, and loudly so. First of all, I always root for underdogs. Second, Jokic was my favorite player for 3 years before Wemby came along. And third, I don't give a fuck about national pride.

If you wanted to see something historic happen, Serbia winning was exciting as fuck regardless.

[ace3g]

https://x.com/Eurohoopsnet/status/1821655545947750530

[Chinook]

If it wasn't for Curry, Lebron would be prepering for the Bronze medal game right now, the fuck are you talking about? :lol

I mean, sure. Ignore that Serbia only had the lead they did because they shot an absurd percentage from three in the first half. Stop being lazy. Emojis aren't arguments.


Of course I can watch at tonight's game and think Jokic is easily the most impactful player in the World. And to say who the best player of the tournament was, I needed to watch the entire tournament, and, once again, the answer is Nikola Jokic.

Your inability to separate the "best player in the world" and "best player in a specific stint of games" isn't a good look. Do you think Jokic was the best player in last year's playoffs too? That's why they have separate MVP awards and don't just hand out one "best player in the world" trophy.


Imagine thinking Lebron has been the best player in this tournament only because Curry prevented him from getting knocked out tonight. :lol

Imagine thinking Jokic has been the best player in this tournament when he scored one more point than Lebron on twice as many possessions, choked a major lead and couldn't get more than five boards despite playing 38 minutes. But I guess you "watch every game" so what do I know?

[DAF86]

I mean, sure. Ignore that Serbia only had the lead they did because they shot an absurd percentage from three in the first half. Stop being lazy. Emojis aren't arguments.



Your inability to separate the "best player in the world" and "best player in a specific stint of games" isn't a good look. Do you think Jokic was the best player in last year's playoffs too? That's why they have separate MVP awards and don't just hand out one "best player in the world" trophy.



Imagine thinking Jokic has been the best player in this tournament when he scored one more point than Lebron on twice as many possessions, choked a major lead and couldn't get more than five boards despite playing 38 minutes. But I guess you "watch every game" so what do I know?

Yes, watching games helps, but if you can't, at least check the stats before stating one of the most retarded takes of the summer, tbh :lol

https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/mens-olympic-basketball-tournament-paris-2024/teams/serbia/203055-nikola-jokic

https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/mens-olympic-basketball-tournament-paris-2024/teams/usa/147374-lebron-james

[Chinook]

Random, but who do you have as the GOAT?

Personally, I think that answer changes a lot depending on how you look at it. There as ways of cutting it that have me put Duncan at the top and ways of cutting it where Kobe is way ahead of him and Tim is closer to Curry. I tend to think the difference between "greatest" and "best" is a matter of cultural impact beyond talent or accomplishments.

If we're talking about overall cultural impact, Jordan, deservedly or not, would be the GOAT by that standard, and it would be really close between Kobe and Lebron for second, with perhaps this gold having a chance to seal the debate. Then guys like Curry and Paul George have had such huge cultural impacts on young players that they're much higher on the list than some might believe. Tim was great, but almost by his intention, it's easy to overlook him. That's especially true of his peak, which ended a decade before he retired. People saw Old Tim for so much longer than most players that it made many forget that he had much more dynamism and cache once upon a time.

But if we're only talking about the cultural impact on one organization and what he could do as the centerpiece of a franchise, Tim stands alone in the modern era. Maybe Bill Russell makes an argument for "All-Time", but there's no player in NBA history I'd rather start a franchise with. Not Jordan, not Lebron, not K:lolbe, not even Wemby. It's Tim and there are no other right answers. Because I don't really care about basketball as a cultural or media phenomenon, I'll go with Tim as much overall answer.

[Chinook]

Yes, watching games helps, but if you can't, at least check the stats before stating one of the most retarded takes of the summer, tbh :lol

https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/mens-olympic-basketball-tournament-paris-2024/teams/serbia/203055-nikola-jokic

https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/mens-olympic-basketball-tournament-paris-2024/teams/usa/147374-lebron-james

So your official take is that you base your rankings off Puerto Rico and South Sudan?

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Personally, I think that answer changes a lot depending on how you look at it. There as ways of cutting it that have me put Duncan at the top and ways of cutting it where Kobe is way ahead of him and Tim is closer just above Curry. I tend to think the difference between "greatest" and "best" is a matter of cultural impact beyond talent or accomplishments.

Jordan, deservedly or not, would be the GOAT by that standard, and it would be really close between Kobe and Lebron for second, with perhaps this gold having a chance to seal the debate. Then guys like Curry and Paul George have had such huge cultural impacts on young players that they're much higher on the list than some might believe. Tim was great, but almost by his intention, it's easy to overlook him. That's especially true of his peak, which ended a decade before he retired. People saw Old Tim for so much longer than most players that it made many forget that he had much more dynamism and cache once upon a time.

But if we're only talking about the cultural impact on one organization and what he could do as the centerpiece of a franchise, Tim stands alone in the modern era. Maybe Bill Russell makes an argument for "All-Time", but there's no player in NBA history I'd rather start a franchise with. Not Jordan, not Lebron, not K:lolbe, not even Wemby. It's Tim and there are no other right answers. Because I don't really care about basketball as a cultural or media phenomenon, I'll go with Tim as much overall answer.

Cheers!

[MultiTroll]

Didn't watch. See the boxscore.
Looks very even.

How did Serb go up 17? Not like the US was shooting bricks nor was Serb shooting better. Or were they until the mid 4th?
Don't see Turnovers being a factor.

Offensive rebounds well in favor of Serb so there is that.
Otherwise it's even. How did they go up 17?

[TD 21]

:lmao At counting stats without context in '24. As if Jokic, who has no teammate who'd so much as sniff consideration for team U.S.A., is in a comparable situation to James.

[DAF86]

So your official take is that you base your rankings off Puerto Rico and South Sudan?

Dude, you swap Jokic and Lebron today and the US win by 30. Heck, forget that, swap Jokic and Lebron and Serbia isn't even in the semis. How is this even an argument? :lol

[MultiTroll]

ways of cutting it where Kobe is way ahead of him and Tim is closer just above Curry. I tend to think the difference between "greatest" and "best" is a matter of cultural impact beyond talent or accomplishments.

it would be really close between Kobe .... for second, with perhaps this gold having a chance to seal the debate.
:lmao Did you work for or receive trust funds directly from Kobme, ABC-Disney or similar?

FFS wow.

[ace3g]

https://x.com/NBA/status/1821674469498249228

[DAF86]

We all respect Chinook because of his contractual knowledge and being a respectful long time poster in this forum, but his actual basketball takes are lowkey awful, tbh. :lol

[BatManu20]

Serbia choked this. You can't give up a 10-2 run in little more than a minute, tbh.

They all went ice cold simultaneously in the 4th Qtr after shooting lights out all game. They were bound to come back down to earth and they did at the worst time possible.

USA was going under every screen, daring them to shoot wide open 3's in the 4th and they just simply couldn't throw it in the ocean. Jokic probably felt like he was back in Denver tbh :lol

[scott]

Thinking this might be a great matchup for Wemby, going against NBA competition who won't be playing as much of the physical FIBA style and more of an NBA style game.

Hope our boy goes off!

[Chinook]

Dude, you swap Jokic and Lebron today and the US win by 30. Heck, forget that, swap Jokic and Lebron and Serbia isn't even in the semis. How is this even an argument? :lol

Jokic was minus-10 in this game in a five-point loss. Lebron was plus-16 in a five-point win. I'm not dogging Jokic, but he had Milutinov or someone worse behind him getting a better a positive plus-minus while Lebron had his plus-minus despite Davis and Durant being his backups. Obvious Team USA is more talented, but Serbia's supporting cast played more than well enough to win this game. Lebron stabilized and drove the USA to the gold match. It was Curry this game but hadn't been him in any other game. A lot of other guys have stepped up, but James has been the constant.

[BatManu20]

Thinking this might be a great matchup for Wemby, going against NBA competition who won't be playing as much of the physical FIBA style and more of an NBA style game.

Hope our boy goes off!

France is going to get their shit pushed in tbh, especially after today's wake up call. USA is lucky to be moving on. France's offense is also just trash, and Wemby's been pretty underwhelming offensively in these Olympics so far.

[Chinook]

We all respect Chinook (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=37557) because of his contractual knowledge and being a respectful long time poster in this forum, but his actual basketball takes are lowkey awful, tbh. :lol

You could make another thread about this. Hopefully this new one won't be timed and worded so poorly that it confuses the forum.

[Chinook]

:lmao Did you work for or receive trust funds directly from Kobme, ABC-Disney or similar?

FFS wow.

That you believe ESPN or other major networks "want" to put Kobe at the top is kind of the point of the post you half quoted.

[cool cat]

I hope Team USA wins. But I won’t be mad if Wemby goes Supernova and drops 40+ and pulls off the upset.

[DAF86]

Jokic was minus-10 in this game in a five-point loss. Lebron was plus-16 in a five-point win. I'm not dogging Jokic, but he had Milutinov or someone worse behind him getting a better a positive plus-minus while Lebron had his plus-minus despite Davis and Durant being his backups. Obvious Team USA is more talented, but Serbia's supporting cast played more than well enough to win this game. Lebron stabilized and drove the USA to the gold match. It was Curry this game but hadn't been him in any other game. A lot of other guys have stepped up, but James has been the constant.

You can try to rationalize this anyway you want, you would still be the only person in the World saying Lebron James has been the "unambiguously" best player of any team in this tournament, tbh.

[MultiTroll]

That you believe ESPN or other major networks "want" to put Kobe at the top is kind of the point of the post you half quoted.
Yes where would we get that idea.

[DAF86]

FWIW, behind Jokic, the 2nd best player of this tournament has been Giannis and the 3rd, SGA.

All 3 pretty much "unambiguously" for anyone not trying to be a contrarian with a unique take, tbh.

[TD 21]

We all respect Chinook (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=37557) because of his contractual knowledge and being a respectful long time poster in this forum, but his actual basketball takes are lowkey awful, tbh. :lol

We do? Virtually anyone could grasp CBA minutia if they devoted enough time.

:lmao Did you mean respectable? He's about as respectful as my haters perceive me to be.

[DAF86]

We do? Virtually anyone could grasp CBA minutia if they devoted enough time.

:lmao Did you mean respectable? He's about as respectful as my haters perceive me to be.

I respect anyone that isn't an obvious low level troll. That's all it takes to be among the upper half in this forum, tbh. :lol

[DAF86]

We do? Virtually anyone could grasp CBA minutia if they devoted enough time.

:lmao Did you mean respectable? He's about as respectful as my haters perceive me to be.

And I meant both, respectable and respectful. He's fine compared to others. I'm an insufferable douche on this forum, yet I consider myself to be "respectful" in ST terms, tbh. :lol

[Dex]

Didn't watch. See the boxscore.
Looks very even.

How did Serb go up 17? Not like the US was shooting bricks nor was Serb shooting better. Or were they until the mid 4th?
Don't see Turnovers being a factor.

Offensive rebounds well in favor of Serb so there is that.
Otherwise it's even. How did they go up 17?

If you had to point towards one thing...

Serbia was 15/30 from three to finish the 3rd quarter.

They finished the game 15/39.

Couple that with an Embiid 7-0 run in the 4th, and Curry/KD/LeBron all going HAM down the stretch...that was basically the game.

[mudyez]

On a side note: I know it's difficult due to the qualification process and so on, but wouldn't it have been sweet to see: Jrue, Tatum, White and Brown in the 3x3 competition?

Just put Caruso, Bridges and Brunson on the 5vs5 team instead.

[Pauleta14]

The effects of Covid. Maybe people will stop underestimating the effects of this disease. We now know that it can cause a lot of problems in the short and medium term by causing a lot of chronic illnesses and reducing performance, especially after several contaminations.

Collet brought out a Victor-Rudy lineup during the game, the guy didn't understand anything. The team is in the final thanks to a few players who overcame Collet's boring and cerebral game, but as soon as the FNT is ahead, Collet persists in wanting to stop playing by thinking FNT is Greece or Serbia. However, it's quite simple in basketball as in all sports: when you stop playing, you lack aggression, and you give ammunition to your opponent. We weren't far from it, it's almost a miracle to find ourselves in the final against "Leebron James" (that's how we pronounce it in France, the French commentators still haven't understood that the "Le" was precisely intended to sound French).

Anyway. Good opposition proposed by the Serbs. It is only in women's basketball that the domination of the USA team is unchallenged.

A third game in a row where France will not be favorites, but that's the French flair. French teams are never as good as when they are outsiders. Hoping that Victor wakes up offensively: we have to see him attack the paint again, head forward, playing with double/euro/huge steps. It will cause whistles. For the rest, we can trust Yabusele and Lessort to martyr their compatriot Jojo and Cordinier to do some "Leebron" things.

The girls now, and Magic Marine against the terrible Belgians.


:lmao

As for the final, I'm afraid Embiid is a bad matchup for Victor, we'll need to be smart and put him in foul trouble

I also fear the "we have a silver medal, it's ok if we lose vs USA" effect

[Pauleta14]

We all respect Chinook (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=37557) because of his contractual knowledge and being a respectful long time poster in this forum, but his actual basketball takes are lowkey awful, tbh. :lol

I find him unnecessarily condescending anytime he disagrees

[baseline bum]

Yeah, Fournier was just holding it and easily could have been a jump-ball if they had given it an extra second. Possession arrow was also with the Germans.

Home cooking for France.

Not complaining, but would be upset if I was Germany.

Oh well Germany got that free two points after the whistle so they still came out ahead.

[Pauleta14]

he needs time to work on his shooting; last season he went directly from French league to summer league and had little preparation before the season started. This year, it’s the Olympics so he’ll need to rest and he won’t have much time either. I don’t see his efficiency improving this season except on the defensive side.

That's where I'm leaning too for his inside game but his missed shots could be nervousness, he's been very emotional, maybe too much during the games, imo he needs to be more in control to get loose

[scott]

I'll stand up for my man Chinook. He and I don't always agree, but he always spells out the reasoning behind his positions and I appreciate that. Wish more people did, tbqh

[Chinook]

I'll stand up for my man Chinook (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=37557). He and I don't always agree, but he always spells out the reasoning behind his positions and I appreciate that. Wish more people did, tbqh

In a way, I get it. If you think of ST as basically co-workers shooting the shit in a breakroom, then someone sliding in there tossing out long-ass responses for why your opinion is wrong, it can come across as that person "doing the most" as some would say. A lot of people don't give their opinions with the intention to defend it. They kind of want to just say their piece and go back to work. And if someone is handing them a book report challenging what they consider to be an intuitive or consensus stance, it feels condescending or obnoxious. Of course there are some of us who want to put a bit more effort in and don't mind getting into the weeds or fending off multiple posters at the same time. I think ST has space for both, but it can be jarring for those high-engagement and low-engagement posters to disagree.

I think there's something said about butting heads with someone so frequently and intensely that you get a sense of each other's lines and views and can sort of appreciate where you agree and disagree. Despite Teeds' comments, I would 100-percent put him in that category, along with DAFfy. I think you and I gas each other up so much that folks might forget the debates we had during last season. But it's fun, man. What's the point of having folks hang around a message board for a decade or two if we aren't going to get into it every once in a while?

[baseline bum]

If anything, these games show that the Spurs are right to take rebuilding slowly, Wemby is not ready to carry a team by himself. No point in trying to be in the play-in next season, next season should be about tanking again.

That went out the window signing CP3 and trading for Barnes. Spurs are probably a 35 win team, maybe a chance for 40 wins barring crap injury luck.

[scott]

In a way, I get it. If you think of ST as basically co-workers shooting the shit in a breakroom, then someone sliding in there tossing out long-ass responses for why your opinion is wrong, it can come across as that person "doing the most" as some would say. A lot of people don't give their opinions with the intention to defend it. They kind of want to just say their piece and go back to work. And if someone is handing them a book report challenging what they consider to be an intuitive or consensus stance, it feels condescending or obnoxious. Of course there are some of us who want to put a bit more effort in and don't mind getting into the weeds or fending off multiple posters at the same time. I think ST has space for both, but it can be jarring for those high-engagement and low-engagement posters to disagree.

I think there's something said about butting heads with someone so frequently and intensely that you get a sense of each other's lines and views and can sort of appreciate where you agree and disagree. Despite Teeds' comments, I would 100-percent put him in that category, along with DAFfy. I think you and I gas each other up so much that folks might forget the debates we had during last season. But it's fun, man. What's the point of having folks hang around a message board for a decade or two if we aren't going to get into it every once in a while?

Absolutely. My favorite corners of this site are when we get into very detailed, elaborate discussions or in the weeds about advanced stats or the theory of trade valuation, etc. But there's also fun in some simple banter.

Other than the overt racist, misogynistic or homophobic screeds that occasionally pop up, and telling each other to kill themselves, I personally get a lot of enjoyment out of just talking Spurs with fellow Spurs fans. Hell, even exstatic, who I give a lot of shit to, I really appreciate and value. We all have our quirks, and aside from those few things I mentioned to start this paragraph I'm not sure why anyone gets too worked up about any of it.

[scott]

That went out the window signing CP3 and trading for Barnes. Spurs are probably a 35 win team, maybe a chance for 40 wins barring crap injury luck.

While I'm not saying you are wrong... I will point out that there was a time after we drafted Wemby when we all thought we'd be a 35 win team :lol

[DAF86]

I find him unnecessarily condescending anytime he disagrees

Which makes his bad takes all the more funny, tbh. :lol

[DAF86]

I'll stand up for my man Chinook. He and I don't always agree, but he always spells out the reasoning behind his positions and I appreciate that. Wish more people did, tbqh

That's exactly what I wanted to say, but my second language speaking ass wouldn't let me. :lol

I disagree with Chinook a lot, but I respect the thought he puts into his takes, and he always argues in good faith.

[Dex]

That's exactly what I wanted to say, but my second language speaking ass wouldn't let me. :lol

I disagree with Chinook a lot, but I respect the thought he puts into his takes, and he always argues in good faith.

People get all sensitive when they get called out around here. I know I've certainly been guilty of it.

End of the day, this board is for discussion and different viewpoints. Different viewpoints don't always blend well but we all share a common interest (for the most part) and that's the Spurs and basketball, in general.

[playblair]

I'll stand up for my man Chinook (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=37557). He and I don't always agree, but he always spells out the reasoning behind his positions and I appreciate that. Wish more people did, tbqh


In a way, I get it. If you think of ST as basically co-workers shooting the shit in a breakroom, then someone sliding in there tossing out long-ass responses for why your opinion is wrong, it can come across as that person "doing the most" as some would say. A lot of people don't give their opinions with the intention to defend it. They kind of want to just say their piece and go back to work. And if someone is handing them a book report challenging what they consider to be an intuitive or consensus stance, it feels condescending or obnoxious. Of course there are some of us who want to put a bit more effort in and don't mind getting into the weeds or fending off multiple posters at the same time. I think ST has space for both, but it can be jarring for those high-engagement and low-engagement posters to disagree.

I think there's something said about butting heads with someone so frequently and intensely that you get a sense of each other's lines and views and can sort of appreciate where you agree and disagree. Despite Teeds' comments, I would 100-percent put him in that category, along with DAFfy. I think you and I gas each other up so much that folks might forget the debates we had during last season. But it's fun, man. What's the point of having folks hang around a message board for a decade or two if we aren't going to get into it every once in a while?
u should pm each other ur personal social media or phone numbers........dont want to regret missing out on a friendship........we are all getting older one day some of us will stop posting & other members will never know what happened to them........

[baseline bum]

While I'm not saying you are wrong... I will point out that there was a time after we drafted Wemby when we all thought we'd be a 35 win team :lol

Might have been close if Pop didn't go retard with Point Sochan and Point Bran Ham.

[Rosewood]

Might have been close if Pop didn't go retard with Point Sochan and Point Bran Ham. I was about to say :lol it took a lot of deliberate effort to lose as many games as they did.

[Frenchfred]

That went out the window signing CP3 and trading for Barnes. Spurs are probably a 35 win team, maybe a chance for 40 wins barring crap injury luck.

CP3 is older; Barnes is an upgrade over Champagnie and Cedi but I don’t see him making a huge change. I think that Vassel, Collins, Sochan, Wesley, Malaki and Tre won’t improve and I feel that Wemby won’t be much better on the offensive end either. I think that if the Spurs are below 30% by mid season, CP3 gets traded to a contender and the Spurs will tank.

[baseline bum]

CP3 is older; Barnes is an upgrade over Champagnie and Cedi but I don’t see him making a huge change. I think that Vassel, Collins, Sochan, Wesley, Malaki and Tre won’t improve and I feel that Wemby won’t be much better on the offensive end either. I think that if the Spurs are below 30% by mid season, CP3 gets traded to a contender and the Spurs will tank.

Part of what you have to look at is how much of an improvement is CP3 not only over Tre, but over Point Sochan and Point Bran Ham who wrecked this team's winning percentage before the new year last season. And CP3 is not going to have the same difficulty hitting Victor for lobs the way the ballhandlers did last season. CP3 even only playing say 26 minutes a game should be a pretty decent upgrade for this team. And Barnes is low-end starting level, not poverty level bench that hurts your offense like Champagnie does. It's not so much that I think so highly of 40 year old CP3 and 33 year old Barnes, it's what they replace that was horrible. No more point Branham backing Tre up, now it's a competent PG in Tre backing up another competent PG in CP3. And I don't buy that Wemby's not going to take good steps forward offensively after we saw the leaps he made last season. Especially now that he'll be playing most of his minutes with a real PG on the floor (once again, assuming reasonable health for CP3 and Tre).

[DAF86]

CP3 is older; Barnes is an upgrade over Champagnie and Cedi but I don’t see him making a huge change. I think that Vassel, Collins, Sochan, Wesley, Malaki and Tre won’t improve and I feel that Wemby won’t be much better on the offensive end either. I think that if the Spurs are below 30% by mid season, CP3 gets traded to a contender and the Spurs will tank.

Without the additions of CP3 and Barnes, the Spurs would have still probably won around 35 games just by playing the right lineups and Wemby more.

[Chinook]

I do feel like Spurs fans more than most fanbases should be able to appreciate this version of the USANT. The idea of three old guys showing they still had what it takes to reach the mountaintop. It gives me 2014 vibes. No, they don't have that "Beautiful Game" chemistry, but there's a level of poignancy in seeing old masters at work one last time. I've talked before about how there's a wound in the NBA from the 2010-2015 drafts being so shitty. We're seeing that now with the 2028 version of this team projecting to be so much more limited. Perhaps there will be some surprise members that fix those issues. But the NBA's upcoming lack of domestic superstars has never been more apparent.

Personally, I'm really glad to see these guys get to the gold medal match. I would've been happy to see Kawhi get there with them, though I'm elated that Derrick White gets a chance to compete after putting in his time with the USANT during less important off-seasons. I'm not the biggest Embiid fan, but I'm glad he got to give the middle finger to a French crowd that felt entitled to his services just because their nation had colonized his nation. I'm glad to see how elated everyone was after the final buzzer. I'm happy to see a dude with a gray beard go out there and be the consensus best player in the tournament at basically 40 years old.

It's just cool, man. We're not going to see another Olympics like this for a long time.

[DAF86]

I do feel like Spurs fans more than most fanbases should be able to appreciate this version of the USANT. The idea of three old guys showing they still had what it takes to reach the mountaintop. It gives me 2014 vibes. No, they don't have that "Beautiful Game" chemistry, but there's a level of poignancy in seeing old masters at work one last time. I've talked before about how there's a wound in the NBA from the 2010-2015 drafts being so shitty. We're seeing that now with the 2028 version of this team projecting to be so much more limited. Perhaps there will be some surprise members that fix those issues. But the NBA's upcoming lack of domestic superstars has never been more apparent.

Personally, I'm really glad to see these guys get to the gold medal match. I would've been happy to see Kawhi get there with them, though I'm elated that Derrick White gets a chance to compete after putting in his time with the USANT during less important off-seasons. I'm not the biggest Embiid fan, but I'm glad he got to give the middle finger to a French crowd that felt entitled to his services just because their nation had colonized his nation. I'm glad to see how elated everyone was after the final buzzer. I'm happy to see a dude with a gray beard go out there and be the consensus best player in the tournament at basically 40 years old.

It's just cool, man. We're not going to see another Olympics like this for a long time.

Don't say that, Brazil is gonna call you a racist and "anti-sportsmanship", tbh.

[Ice009]

There’s a reason Boston didn’t pick up his year 3 option.

You don't think a player can improve in 4 years? It's been 4 years since he last played in the NBA.

If Daniel Theis at the same height is able to play C in the NBA, why can't Yabusele play PF/C?

[Pauleta14]

Don't say that, Brazil (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=14466) is gonna call you a racist and "anti-sportsmanship", tbh.

That's not racism, just his natural condescendance

French fans are booing Embiid bc the letter he sent to the president of France was published and spread all over social networks.

It should be easy to find it still today, in it he's claiming he feels french, has always loved the country and basically begging to get the citizenship

Him and his camp asked for months to get a naturalisation and when he finally gets an exceptionally fast answer for those requests thx to Macron, he just goes "yeah no I'm good, I'm an American after all"

Had he not done all this cinema, not only French fans wouldn't have booed him but most probably supported him bc he's a francophone player

He's just playing the victim and should be playing for Cameroon

[Limguogolo]

:lmao

As for the final, I'm afraid Embiid is a bad matchup for Victor, we'll need to be smart and put him in foul trouble

I also fear the "we have a silver medal, it's ok if we lose vs USA" effect
Bro, all the matchups have been unfavorable for three games.^^ Being smart, that sounds too Collet for my taste. They must remain “racailles” and play with more intensity than the USA team.

Sur un malentendu, everything's possible.

[Limguogolo]

Don't say that, Brazil (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=14466) is gonna call you a racist and "anti-sportsmanship", tbh.
It's not racist. It's just not understanding the situation.

Embiid claimed French citizenship. Nobody asked him. He has family in France, but he has no connection with France. He asked for it out of personal interest. Furthermore, he wanted to be able to benefit from the well-known social advantages for him or for his family, even though he is as rich as Croesus. And then he changes his mind and decides to apply for another nationality, one that could give him a medal.

Embiid, if he was a man of honor, should have played for Cameroon first, then eventually played for France because he was the one who requested it (and a lot were against).

There is no hatred or contempt when he is whistled. The French public is good-natured and very mocking. It's a bit of trash talk from the crowd, and frankly, it's completely deserved for a man who has neither values ​​nor honor. His choice for the USA will be all the better if he allows team USA to lose by playing personally, as he has been doing since the start of the competition. As talented as he may be, he is poison. Good luck to team USA handling the boy.

While Monsieur Embiid can appreciate the effectiveness of the French administration in giving him nationality, migrants from Cameroon are suffering mistreatment, dying in the Mediterranean, in Libya, sleeping in the streets of Paris, and have been pushed out of the capital so that Monsieur Embiid can come and play for the Olympics, and suffer daily racism or, worse, institutional racism.

[quentin_compson]

I've been mostly meh on the Olympic Basketball Tournament, but the semi-finals sure delivered.
First we get a tense, defensive-minded and offensively challenged game between France and Germany with some fine individual moments and a lot of headscratching ones on both sides. Collet's rotations felt weird and it seemed like he still didn't quite know (in the semi-final, no less) who to play and which lineups to use.

Then we get another nail-biter and the offensive fireworks between Serbia and the US. By the way, I would agree that LeBron has been USA's best player in this tournament - at the very least, the most important and most consistent.

[Brazil]

Don't say that, Brazil (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=14466) is gonna call you a racist and "anti-sportsmanship", tbh.

I struck a nerve tbh...

As for Embiid Chinook is cute, Embiid said he does not feel American and basically does not give a shit about team USA... but yeah he will give us the middle finger :lol like US could not beat France without him

[Brazil]

That's not racism, just his natural condescendance

French fans are booing Embiid bc the letter he sent to the president of France was published and spread all over social networks.

It should be easy to find it still today, in it he's claiming he feels french, has always loved the country and basically begging to get the citizenship

Him and his camp asked for months to get a naturalisation and when he finally gets an exceptionally fast answer for those requests thx to Macron, he just goes "yeah no I'm good, I'm an American after all"

Had he not done all this cinema, not only French fans wouldn't have booed him but most probably supported him bc he's a francophone player

He's just playing the victim and should be playing for Cameroon

:cry but Cameroon is not qualified :cry so instead of helping my birth country I prefer go to Paris in a 5 stars hotel :cry

[Chinook]

That's not racism, just his natural condescendance

"Condescending" is to assume I don't know the surface level answer to a question. There's a solid French representation on this forum. A lot of you are great posters, but you guys aren't the sole source I have for FNT team news to leak in. RGM also has a large population of posters from France and who follow FIBA more consistently. They were pretty active talking about it when it happened.

I know about the FNT shit. Otherwise I would've been utterly confused by the boos rather than criticizing the imperialist bent that they have. I admit that comes from an American perspective where we have citizens play for other national teams all the time. (And we DEFINITELY have guys commit and then back out.) Becky played for Russia. Do you know who's mad about that? Certain assholes and that's it. Embiid has lived a colorful life, but his personal views on identity and citizenship may be more complicated than the average American or French person has experienced. I wouldn't presume to say he lied on his quest for French citizenship even though he obviously could have.

"But when decided to play for the USANT, who didn't need him." Like the FNT doesn't also have a ton of talent, especially at center. I bristle at the idea trying to force him to consider Cameroon his home. I don't think he should've played for them if he didn't want to. It doesn't seem like the FNT is therefore any more of a "noble" decision than the USANT would've been. If Teeds likens signing up with the USANT as starting on the two-yard line, the FNT is starting at the 10-yard line. Most would've expected the USA to make the gold medal match without him, and France did make it without him. Neither side was the "do it the hard way" option.


Had he not done all this cinema, not only French fans wouldn't have booed him but most probably supported him bc he's a francophone player

I think this is more the heart of the cringe for me. Embiid is not "francophone" because he's French. He's not "francophone" because he moved to France and got infused with the culture. He's not "francophone" because Cameroon and France are sister nations with cultural exchange. He's "francophone" because his nation was colonized by France and is still forced into an exploitative economic relationship with France under penalty of military intervention. No, I don't hold average French people responsible for that. I have no issue with French people and actually like a lot of the music and media coming out of the country nowadays. But in terms of what the government and state department did and continues to do in the "francophone" world, it's just a down-low version of what the US does all around the world. It's just as heinous and self-serving, and the feelings of the people getting exploited toward the dominant cultures are just as complicated and varied.

I don't know how every French person or French STer feels about their country's imperialist actions throughout the world. Doubtless they have insights and nuances into it that I don't. I have to believe a lot of folks in that crowd booing are aware of the situation and even sympathetic. But dogging guy from a neo-colonized region for waffling about his French culture before deciding to play for the country he's lived in since he was a teenager is peak. Feeling betrayed because a guy decided to join the other stacked team in the tournament is cringe. Booing a person constantly in the Olympics is peak cringe. It's all cringe shit, and I'm glad Embiid was able to shake it off and play well the last couple of games.