.... fans proceeded to roast Team USA, and specifically Gregg Popovich, for blowing their final possession of the game, which they could have won had they executed correctly.
That final play was an absolute disaster, and it's clear to see why many fans are having a hard time with it.
Link: Gregg Popovich Gets Roasted After Team USA Loses Exhibition Match To Nigeria - Fadeaway World
Goddamn truth nuke
I could actually see him taking team USA to Hiroshima in real life.
Why is that dude crying??
First African team to beat USA even in exhibition. Pop's legacy continues.
This cannot be over stated.
Sounds like something some third world piece of would say.
I was only able to watch the extended highlights, but from what I could tell, USA lost because they treated this like an exhibition game. Way too many open threes and easy drives to the rim for Nigeria.
Well, that and Nigeria hit 20 threes...which is pretty much the formula for beating USAB.
That said, this team isn't so stacked that it can just coast to wins on talent alone, and this game proved it. They've got a super talented top 5-6 players, but the talent drops off quickly after that...Jerami Grant? Kevin Love? Zach Lavine? Come on.
Also a concern is that they don't really have any great point guard or playmakers. Lillard, Beal, Durant...they are all built to make their own offense. Kinda reminiscent of 2004 where everyone is gonna be looking for their own shots.
Hopefully this was their wakeup call and they turn it up a few notches on defense when the real games start, but even losing a friendly is embarrassing for Team USA standards.
All I know is that the NBA would be way better with FIBA refereeing style.
Refs not falling for all the flops and foul baits. Travels and carries actually get called.
Yeah, but what about the FIBA 3-point line?
That short porch is literally the death of real basketball.
Metu shot the same amount of three pointers in his 12 minutes on the floor with Nigeria (4) as he did in two seasons and 250 minutes with the Spurs.
https://www.basketball-reference.com.../metuch01.html
Good point.
It's shorter to compensate for worse shooting ability and less athleticism of most players.
But foul criteria and travels being called is something NBA would benefit from.
We'll see if the starting line up changes. I don't get Draymond not starting. With all of those scorers, it seems a do-everything-else DPOY who doesn't care about scoring is exactly what you need in there.
it's about damn time the rest of the bball world realizes how far the old man has fallen as a coach
it's just a game. it's only fair for the other countries to have a chance at gold.
Pop won’t figure it out. It takes him years to realize players like dejuan Blair and bryn forbes aren’t starters you think he could figure out the correct lineups to play in a couple weeks?
The league has turned into a 3 point chuckfest because of Curry and the Dubs. Give me the 77-74 Spurs vs. Pistons games in the 00s any day over the we're watching today, IMO. Those were games featuring hardnose defense, strategic possessions that weren't just about tossing up to see if it falls, clutch shots, and even highlight reel dunks. I know haters called us boring then but that was only because our players weren't a bunch of talkers throwing up signs after dunks. But even the teams they preferred to watch back then were more exciting than today's product.
Pop and Draymond don't mix. The moment Draymond gets a tech or so much as yell at a player, Pop will yank the out of him and he won't sniff the court for the rest of the run.
DDR has gotten his fair share of technical fouls and Pop always didn't say a word and left him in the game so Draymond will be Ok
"lol windowmaker, no culture... get over yourself"
"offical cracker of USA Basketball... it's coach Pop.. duh. Should be Kevin Love tbh
Lillard and Beal on the same team = low efficiency = probably a loss. Too many face of the "never won anything "franchise players on that team.
I thought that's why Durbeta was there, to set the tone
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