Reply With Quote
The writer of this article should have waited till after the Argentina vs. Spain game to release this article.
Spain has looked more impressive than Argentina lately
Sorry USA, Argentina will win gold
Unless they shore up defense, Americans likely headed for silver
OPINION
By Chris Ekstrand
SportsTicker
Updated: 10:10 p.m. CT Aug 30, 2006
Wednesday's victory over Germany put the United States in the semifinals of the world championships, as the Americans continue their quest to erase memories of poor performances in the 2002 worlds and 2004 Olympics.
But winning the gold medal won't be so easy, as the compe ion continues to get tougher.
With that in mind, let's break down Friday's semifinal matchups.
Argentina vs. Spain: Argentina has been THE dominant team in Japan, and never mind that their average winning margin has been 23.9 points compared to the United States' 25 ppg. The Argentines have clearly been the master in each game they have played, unlike the NBA stars, who actually trailed Italy by nine points at the half in a preliminary round game and led Germany by only a single point at half in the quarterfinals.
Except for a laissez-faire performance in a four-point win over a desperate Serbia-Montenegro team in the final game of the preliminary round, Argentina has put opponents away early and most have not had even a glimmer of hope for victory.
Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs has averaged 15 points per game in Japan, but when needed he's come up with huge scoring games against France (25 points) and New Zealand (28). Andres Nocioni of the Chicago Bulls, who may be the toughest international player in the history of the NBA, has a pair of 20-point games and is one of five legitimate 3-point shooting threats Argentina possesses.
Luis Scola (Tau Ceramica) may have lost some teeth against the Kiwis, but he's still the team's toughest rebounder (7.1 rpg) and interior scorer (14.6 ppg). Fabricio Oberto (San Antonio Spurs) has been a surprisingly adept complementary scorer and Walter Hermann (Charlotte Bobcats) and point guard Pepe Sanchez (Unicaja Malaga) have made all the plays with ease. Sanchez leads the tournament with 6.4 assists per game despite averaging only 24 minutes.
Spain's Pau Gasol is the most unstoppable scoring force remaining in the tournament. The NBA All-Star from the Memphis Grizzlies is averaging 21.6 points while shooting over 62 percent from the field.
Even Argentina, Spain's semifinal opponent, will have to play a helping, collapsing defense against Gasol, since neither Oberto nor Scola is big enough to handle Gasol's variety of post moves and short jumpers by himself. Gasol hasn't scored less than 16 points in any game, and he's done his share defensively, averaging 9.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots.
Spain's sterling backcourt of Juan Carlos Navarro, who plays for Winterthur F.C. Barcelona (14.6 ppg), and Jose Manuel Calderon of the Toronto Raptors (28 assists, five turnovers) will have to fight Ginobili and Sanchez to a draw despite giving away size to both players. Navarro has consistently displayed his dependable 3-point shot (45.5 percent) in the tournament while Calderon has taken only wide open shots and has made 63 percent of them.
Rudy Fernandez (DKV Joventut) will have to be a big factor against Argentina as well. The explosive guard is not nearly as powerful as Nocioni, but he's quicker and he'll try to use his speed in open court situations. Jorge Garbajosa (Toronto Raptors), who can be a dangerous 3-point shooter despite playing power forward, must rebound from a hideous showing against
Lithuania (0-for-9 shooting, four points).
PICK: Argentina
Greece vs. United States: From an American viewpoint, it's easy to dismiss the chances of Greece defeating the United States. Unlike Argentina or the former veteran group from Serbia-Montenegro with Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic, there is no complement of tested NBA veterans to fear.
Only one player on Greece's roster has ever played in the NBA, and the cameo of Antonis Fotsis (when he was a teenager) did not exactly strike fear into the hearts of NBA players. But the fact that Greece doesn't possess one scoring superstar like a Gasol or Yao Ming means they are much harder to shut down than some of the other international teams here. Greece has eight men who average at least 7.4 points, with no player scoring even 12 points per game.
Every player from Greece knows his role and performs it admirably. Interior scoring might come from center Lazaros Papadopoulos (Dynamo Moscow), huge youngster Sofocles Schortsianitis (Olympiakos) or cagey veteran Michalis Kakiouzis (Winterthur F.C. Barcelona). Fotsis, a more polished player at 25, is one of the best players in Russia playing alongside Papadopoulos for Dynamo Moscow.
But it's in the backcourt where Greece shines brightest. Vasilis Spanoulis, who will play for the Houston Rockets in the fall, is a whirling dervish who loves to drive to the basket and draw fouls on opposing big men. Theodoros Papaloukas has been the go-to guy for CSKA Moscow in the Euroleague Final Four and he has delivered more than not. Dimitris Diamantidis of Panathinaikos is a dangerous 3-point shooter and one of the best defensive guards in the world. Watch for Diamantidis to match up with Dwyane Wade — you might be surprised at the result.
The United States has relied on one big scoring spurt — usually in the second or third quarters — to put away opponents who have done a good job staying within striking distance for 10 or 20 minutes. The chief scorer during most of these red-hot runs has been Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets, who started horribly against Germany but once again saved his team by coming alive in the third quarter. Anthony (19.6 ppg) and Wade (17.2 ppg) have shouldered the scoring burden in most games, while Elton Brand and Chris Bosh have provided some balance with interior scoring in the last couple of contests.
The United States has talked up its team defense all tournament, and there have been some yeoman efforts shutting down opponents by Shane Battier and LeBron James. However, point guards Chris Paul and Kirk Hinrich have been unable to keep opposing guards from driving to the basket at will, opening up the drive-and-kick game that is the lifeblood of most international team's offensive game plans. That is the weakest in the armor of the United States and, frankly, it's an even bigger concern than the spotty 3-point shooting display against Germany. If the United States wants to slip gold around its collective necks on Sunday, it will have to close up the lane and that starts with the point guards.
PICK: United States
GOLD: Argentina.
SILVER: United States.
BRONZE: Spain.
The writer of this article should have waited till after the Argentina vs. Spain game to release this article.
Spain has looked more impressive than Argentina lately
^^ You are right. For me Spain plays better basketball than Argentina on this WC.
yeah tough matchup... if argentina wins this WC they would have a legendary status if Spain wins it probably sets up a rivarly against the united states... they must get over that big-game hump
USA needs to focus on Greece. This is a very strong team. Wade or Johnson will probably have to defend Papaloukis and everybody will have to hope the refs aren't whistle happy.
Last edited by Solid D; 08-31-2006 at 07:11 AM.
Spain/USA will play the final game, imo.
Bronze for Argentina.
For setting a rivalry Spain must win once. I still remain with my initial predictions, Spain won't beat USA. The only team who has a small chance to beat USA is Argentina ( Due to match ups ) but Argentina is not going to beat Spain for the same reason.
Prediction:
1.- USA
2.-. Spain
3.- Argentina.
If Argentina beats Spain, my prediction is open.
Gus
i like Argies or Greece most but atm it is very unsafe to predict any team wining
USA,Spain and Argentina are very strong but Greece always seems to do good in tough situations
imo USA wont go all the way....
wow, this guy isas me!!
They still might.....but then again...so might the US. Forgive me if I don't give up hope just yet.
SolidD,USA needs to focus on Greece. This is a very strong team. Wade or Johnson will probably have to defend Papaloukis and everybody will have to hope the refs aren't whistle happy.
I've noticed you're a fan of Papaloukas for quite some time now.
Spanoulis and Diamantidis will have a big game also. Greece will get a medal.
< le
It seems like every little NBA beat writer I read is hoping the USA loses so they don't look foolish on their predictions. I think they believe the USA will win and are trying to convince themselves USA isn't that good. From what I've seen, USA takes the gold and restores order in the universe.
Got my alarm set for 02:30.
This crappy tourney is finally ready to play some basketball.
Yes, I think he is a very strong, complete player. He showed that once again. Maybe Coach K will remember his name now, also.
Bzzt.
Bzzt.
Bzzt.
Bzzt.
Bzzt.
Don't ask for a raise anytime soon, Ekstrand.
bronze
Sorry USA, Argentina will get 4th place.
LeBRONZE James
Good win for Team USA. I was going for Argentina, but the US played a good game and earned the win. The Game was over when Manu sat out the whole 3rd quarter and the US was able to build a decent sized lead heading into the 4th quarter.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
