# Preleminary Game 4 USA vs Italy 6:30 AM Wednesday ESPN2



## Diable

Essentially a win in this game would guarantee the United States first place in Group D.Both teams are 3-0 in preleminary games and our final game in pool play will be against winless Senegal.I don't know anything about Italy beyond what I saw of them against Senegal.In that game they appeared to be very lethargic and shot the ball horribly for two and a half quarters.Personally I would love to see them play a terrific game against us.I just don't feel that it will be a good thing to go into the knockout rounds without playing something of a competitive game.The whole story appears to be how well the Italians shoot from the perimeter and whether or not their zone defense will be effective enough to slow down our scoring.If everything went perfectly for them they could win this game,but the international game is very much like the NCAA where you can get huge upsets because the rules encourage them

On our side the end of the Slovenija side pointed out the dangers of playing at the extreme pace we've adopted.We need to focus for the entire game and maintain our momentum all the way to end.When you force the pace the way we have it allows your opponent every oppurtunity to comeback on you because of the great number of possessions.We need to work on maintaining the pace and keeping our focus on the attack even if we get far ahead.


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## girllovesthegame

Here's what D'Antoni says about the Italian team..

http://broadband.nba.com/cc/playa.p...oni_italy_preview.asx&video=blank&video=blank


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## MagnusPinus

I'm italian so I can tell u something...We are a team of shooters, u plays terrific team defense at times...Offensively we are not that good....with not much in the frontline(with Bargnani would be a different thing).. 
At the end if we have an incredible shooting day we have a chance,but I doubt it..I see Usa destroing us this time..because this year our team lack experiece(we have some new players).. Anyway I hope to be wrong


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## MemphisX

This World Championships has been a lot better than the Olympics in terms of competition. Team USA still does not have a good grasp of international plying style yet though.


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## ChiBron

Terrible call against Kirk.


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## Diable

The Italians are hilarious with the way they complain about the most obvious violations.


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## ChiBron

Sweet drive and dish by CP3.


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## MemphisX

Damn, the future of the NBA is bright. TEAM USA and the international prospects are great to watch.


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## italianBBlover

SPMJ said:


> Terrible call against Kirk.


What about Mordente few seconds earlier ?


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## MemphisX

Man, Chicago should have gotten a low post threat to put with Hinrich. That kid is misplaced playing SG in Chicago. Their next move is Gordon for some low post scoring.


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## MemphisX

No...no...no...


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## ChiBron

I hope he's alright.


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## Diable

Damn that was a nasty fall...Pretty close to a dirty play.


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## girllovesthegame

We need some defensive rebounding. How many doggone offensive rebounds does Italy have already?


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## Diable

It's amazing how quickly Paul looks up the court.


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## Matej

25:19 Usa-Italy

SPMJ&Diable: come on guys, stop complaining, i mean refereeing is more fair than yesterday, but there were still more decidions today in favor of the USA than Italy... I think it's just the matter of time when referees will crack under the pressure and start favouritising americans... even though Italians are known of not being just quiet when injustice happens to them...


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## MagnusPinus

We are playing great... GO ITALY!!


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## MagnusPinus

Vai Mancinelli Vai!!!!!


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## ChiBron

1st unit can't get it going offensively.


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## HallOfFamer

We need that second unit in, ASAP.


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## MemphisX

One thing I am learning about in the WCs..Chris Paul is horrible defensively.


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## MagnusPinus

SPMJ said:


> 1st unit can't get it going offensively.


U have to give credit to our defense till now


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## ChiBron

The color guy needs to STFU.


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## MagnusPinus

I love my team..I don't think we are going to win..but we give the heart..fantastic... GO MANCINELLI!!


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## HallOfFamer

The Italians forcing tempo, they're playing good.


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## HallOfFamer

The only other teams the commentator brings up is Spain and Argentina. Hes pretty annoying.


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## Diable

Greece is beating Brazil 42-23 with 4 minutes left in the first half


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## Diable

good to see Howard back


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## HallOfFamer

US bricking way too many FTs.


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## MagnusPinus

Go Mancinelli Go!!!


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## italianBBlover

35-40 

:banana:


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## ChiBron

We just look really tired out there. Defense is constantly getting beat off the dribble(even Kirk!) and the poor FT shooting is a testament to tired legs. Our ball movement is nonexistant as well.


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## MemphisX

It is still crazy that the USA does not just play a matchup zone or zone press.


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## RomaVictor

Matej said:


> SPMJ&Diable: come on guys, stop complaining, i mean refereeing is more fair than yesterday, but there were still more decidions today in favor of the USA than Italy... I think it's just the matter of time when referees will crack under the pressure and start favouritising americans... even though Italians are known of not being just quiet when injustice happens to them...


Oh, YOU come on. I'm tired of seeing you ___ about officiating and actually having the stones to think the calls FAVOR the US. And then you go and make excuses for the other team losing. If the US wins the tourney, I'm sure you'll be here *****ing about the refs.


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## MagnusPinus

SPMJ said:


> We just look really tired out there. Defense is constantly getting beat off the dribble(even Kirk!) and the poor FT shooting is a testament to tired legs. Our ball movement is nonexistant as well.


Italy with all the fouls is controlling the game tempo.... GO GUYS!!! Ah.... if u are tired also Italy is tired.. :biggrin:


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## italianBBlover

USA-Italy @ 1st half

36-45 


:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:


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## gamadict

We're giving this game away at the line and on the boards. USA needs to wake up.


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## MemphisX

Has Coach K not put in an offense. They need to run some sort of plays when they get bogged down on offense.


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## MemphisX

LMAO...ALL International starting five all play in the same freaking division.


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## MagnusPinus

Coach Recalcati has prepared so well the game..Italy has managed(till now..I don't know if we can continue) to play the perfect game..we are playing super defense...tons of fouls, letting shoots from outside..that against Us is a possibility...

And what about Belinelli.. u should respect him.. He is killing u :biggrin: and is only 20 :biggrin:


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## RomaVictor

MagnusPinus said:


> if u are tired also Italy is tired.. :biggrin:


The fouls definitely slow down the game, which is the goal, I guess. 

As for being tired, even with the depth, the US uses up more energy pushing the tempo and pace than Italy does slowing it down. 

I hope the US comes out with more energy and if Italy is going to play man-to-man, take better ADVANTAGE of it. 

And hit the damn FTs! :curse:

BTW, I also noticed that USA is not hitting some good AND-1 opportunities that would put them closer to the Italians score. By 'just' missing those shots, then brickin one of two FTs, they're even further behind than they should be.


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## Matej

RomaVictor said:


> Oh, YOU come on. I'm tired of seeing you ___ about officiating and actually having the stones to think the calls FAVOR the US. And then you go and make excuses for the other team losing. If the US wins the tourney, I'm sure you'll be here *****ing about the refs.


I'm not complaining about todays game,even though there were some mistakes in the first quarter. Anyway,maybe you're more used to NBA basketball and you don't see how many travelling americans are doing,and another thing,I'm not making ''excuses for the other team losing'',if you mean yesterdays game,I have never said Slovenia would win,if there was fair refereeing  but surely we would win the first quarter. And while yesterday I was supporting my team, today I don't have any reason to support Italy instead of USA - quite opposite, I even bet on usa team,and i don't want to lose the bet....


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## Diable

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD id=container_middle>Due to an extremely high amount of user, our website is currently unavailable.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

However all games can be can still be followed live. ACCESS OUR LIVE STATISTICS HERE! </TD><TD id=sidebar_right></TD><TR></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


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## MagnusPinus

Belinelli!!!!!!


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## ChiBron

Brand's poor finishing is killing us.


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## italianBBlover

Belinelli with the dunk and foul :cheers:


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## RomaVictor

I love how that Rocca steps into Lebron and then flops (though Lebron hitting you would knock you over) to try to draw the lame foul.


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## MagnusPinus

The have to slow down the game again...damn..


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## RomaVictor

Italy is apparently (in their minds) allowed to do whatever they want on the court. Good effort and it's cool that they get chippy with the US, but don't get mad when they get chippy back. :clap:


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## MagnusPinus

Seems like our dream is over..anyway it was a good dream..


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## HallOfFamer

I hope they practice a lot of half court offense the next couple days.


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## ChiBron

'Melo was due. He'd been off the last 2+1/2 games.


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## Diable

The refs are really into this game...must be going about five or six whistles per minute


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## RomaVictor

matej

are you looking at the same game I am? Right now I see an Italian team that hip checks guys on the perimeter (Hinrich was knocked down, almost travelled, no call) under cut guys in the air and even try to use their head to "rhino" Paul from off his feet.

It's not that US is getting no calls but they're typically getting legit calls while I'm seeing a lot of perimeter contact not getting whistled.

I thought that in FIBA the perimeter was more sensitive while they let play in the paint get pretty physical?

EDIT: Fran Frischilla is the color guy, in case anyone else wanted to know the name of the person annoying you.


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## MagnusPinus

Carmelino..he is clearly the man of the match


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## Diable

Carmelo is unconscious right now


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## MemphisX

Nice pass by Bron Bron.


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## MemphisX

Battier just ALWAYS gets you 2-3 critical plays a game.


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## MemphisX

Melo is a problem.


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## MagnusPinus

Travelling by Melo.. We have stil lto play zone defense.. our last weapon


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## RomaVictor

Can "Fran" Frischilla or however he spells it shut up. "Oh might be a travel." And then all he does is talk about Spain and Argentina. OK, WE GET IT!!

Just talk about the game. I don't need an American color guy calling out travel when the refs aren't calling it.


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## ChiBron

The FT shooting


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## MemphisX

Note to the rest of the NBA:

Please do not trade Denver any more weapons!

Thank you.


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## Diable

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=288 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=bottom><TD align=right height=16>Lebanon</TD><TD align=middle>vs. </TD><TD align=left colSpan=2>France </TD></TR><TR class=font_stand30 vAlign=bottom><TD align=right width=125>74</TD><TD align=middle>: </TD><TD align=left width=125>73 
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
*FINAL SCO*RE


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## italianBBlover

USA-Italy @ 3/4

71-64 with a 3 of Melo at the buzzer


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## HallOfFamer

Melo looks to be the key when playing against other elite teams in the tourney. He's our best halfcourt offensive player and he's proving his worth today.


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## ChiBron

WOW Anthony . Makes up for Brand screwing up another play in the paint on the previous possession.

And I'm convinced this Fran Frischilla dude hates the US.


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## ChiBron

He lost the grip of the ball otherwise it would've been the nastiest dunk of all the games we've played so far.


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## MagnusPinus

ATROCIOUS REFS!!!! Wade...at first travelling..than dunks on the rim and they gave him a foul... U can't deny that..I'm getting angry..


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## MemphisX

Italy still in this game.


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## SheriffKilla

i cant beleive diaw missed that free throw
come on now boris
you can be a better ft shooter than that...

anyway
honesly i think america is gonna have a tough time with argentina , spain, and even greece
if they need carmelo to be ABSOLUTELY ON FIRE to be winning italy


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## MemphisX

Italy...a team full of punks and thugs.


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## italianBBlover

77-72 mid 4/4

Carmelo on fire from 3


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## MagnusPinus

So far this is no Us win...is Carmelo's win..Damn :biggrin:


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## RomaVictor

MagnusPinus said:


> ATROCIOUS REFS!!!! Wade...at first travelling..than dunks on the rim and they gave him a foul... U can't deny that..I'm getting angry..


Then tell me you didn't miss them missing Italians travelling twice (at least once) and going over the back for rebound and two points?

FIBA refs suck, dude. It seems that's just the way it is. Just thank heavens you're not the US because then teams are allowed to manhandle you throughout the game, apparently.


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## gamadict

They don't need melo to be on fire, they need to hit their FTs. They hit their FTs at any reasonable pace and this game isn't close.


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## italianBBlover

I saw some of the worst calls I've never seen in this game :curse:


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## Rudy-T

Those punks and thugs are close to actually chalenging team US. Carmelo is the only thing keeping Italy behind in this game. 

And yeah, Wade travelled in that one.


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## RomaVictor

italianBBlover said:


> I saw some of the worst calls I've never seen in this game :curse:


Like the multitude of over-the-backs, perimeter bumps and hip checks and other plays by the Italians that weren't called? Or the travelling? Illegal screens?

I hate the officiating but it's gone against both teams (and for both.)

In general, though, teams are allowed to do whatever they want to the US including 'screens' that involve damn near tackling the defensive player trying to work through it.


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## MagnusPinus

RomaVictor said:


> Then tell me you didn't miss them missing Italians travelling twice (at least once) and going over the back for rebound and two points?
> 
> FIBA refs suck, dude. It seems that's just the way it is. Just thank heavens you're not the US because then teams are allowed to manhandle you throughout the game, apparently.



Ok ok..but that was so damn clear..2 mistakes in 1 action..and huge mistakes...in a decisive moment of the game...Now is probably over..but it was a good game..I'm pruod of my team


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## SheriffKilla

what do u guys think of this bellineli kid

he ball hogs and shoots some weird shots
but he is only 20 and already starting for the team
and also one of the their main options
plus looks really confident and has solid athletism and nice looking shot
plus his handlin/vision/defense doesnt seem bad either...


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## Rudy-T

MagnusPinus said:


> Ok ok..but that was so damn clear..2 mistakes in 1 action..and huge mistakes...in a decisive moment of the game...Now is probably over..but it was a good game..I'm pruod of my team


It looks bad for Italy right now. But it doesnt look so good for US either. I mean Italy is not the best opponent they have to play against. They may need two or three victories over better teams to win the championship. And with plays like this one, they just might lose one of those.


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## MagnusPinus

fjkdsi said:


> what do u guys think of this bellineli kid
> 
> he ball hogs and shoots some weird shots
> but he is only 20 and already starting for the team
> and also one of the their main options
> plus looks really confident and has solid athletism and nice looking shot
> plus his handlin/vision/defense doesnt seem bad either...


He is a lottery pick..a bigger JJ Reddick...


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## RomaVictor

MagnusPinus said:


> Ok ok..but that was so damn clear..2 mistakes in 1 action..and huge mistakes...in a decisive moment of the game...Now is probably over..but it was a good game..I'm pruod of my team


No reason not to be proud but remember that the consistency of the calls (or lack thereof) are just as big a handicap. If one team is allowed to over-the-back after travelling twice and pulls within 3 as a result (or whatever it was) that's just as big as a bad play on the other end. Also, if one team is allowed to hip check, illegal screen (they actually call that in the NBA) and do as much travelling as the other is ACCUSED of doing, then the other team is the one with a built-in disadvantage.

But there's no shame in being proud of Italia's effort tonight. I don't mind the scrappiness either, so long as one team doesn't whine later about it.


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## ChiBron

Gotta love Wade's competitive spirit. He just won't be denied.


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## Almairo

Whats score now and which team plays better??


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## RomaVictor

90-81.

USA again forgetting teh game isn't over.

92-81. 

Wade and Melo saved the US.


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## MemphisX

Almairo said:


> Whats score now and which team plays better??


Good effort by both teams but too much talent for Italy's inexperienced team to overcome.


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## MagnusPinus

We are't losing because of the refs...we are losing because of Anthony.. but today the refs were terrible..they made mistakes in both sides..


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## italianBBlover

92-81 with 3 minutes left

Monster game by Melo

Notice that Italy didn't play a single second of zone in this game ...


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## ChiBron

Off night for LeBron.


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## MagnusPinus

We kept u under 100 points :banana: GREAT ITALY::. An applause.. :clap:


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## girllovesthegame

Give it up for Melo and DWade! :banana:


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## italianBBlover

Final

USA-Italy

94-85

Stand up for our guys :clap:


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## gamadict

I keep the game muted most of the time, but anytime I turn it up fraschilla is talking about how the US is going to get owned by argentina or whoever. Please, get a nationalist in the booth.

Anyway, ok game. The US played pretty poorly, especially Brand, Italy's gameplan worked pretty much as well as it could(ie the US butchered it at the FT line after Italy's many, many fouls) but still a reasonably comfortable win against an undefeated squad.


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## MagnusPinus

And looking at the stats I see we didn't have a good shooting night but we still were competitive.. Fantastic.. :clap: 

Ah...compliments to Us also... we can say everything but they still won the game :biggrin:


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## girllovesthegame

Early box score


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## RomaVictor

MagnusPinus said:


> And looking at the stats I see we didn't have a good shooting night but we still were competitive.. Fantastic.. :clap:
> 
> Ah...compliments to Us also... we can say everything but they still won the game :biggrin:


Interested to see Italy in 2008. I assume Andrea will be playing then and no matter how he plays in the NBA, I imagine he'll be an excellent int'l player.

But with the younger players being even more experienced and better developed, I think we'll be seeing them up near the Spains and Argentinas of the tournament (maybe not as consistent but should be able to show well.)

As for the game, the US STUNK at Free Throws tonight. What the hell, guys? That and they missed layups and And-1 opportunities that would have likely made the win more comfortable.

I also think that the US came up for Slovenia with its NBA players and came out lackadaisical against Italy because of the 'rep' of the team involved. Then they realized they were getting toasted.... :biggrin:


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## Matej

RomaVictor said:


> matej
> 
> are you looking at the same game I am? Right now I see an Italian team that hip checks guys on the perimeter (Hinrich was knocked down, almost travelled, no call) under cut guys in the air and even try to use their head to "rhino" Paul from off his feet.
> 
> It's not that US is getting no calls but they're typically getting legit calls while I'm seeing a lot of perimeter contact not getting whistled.
> 
> I thought that in FIBA the perimeter was more sensitive while they let play in the paint get pretty physical?
> 
> EDIT: Fran Frischilla is the color guy, in case anyone else wanted to know the name of the person annoying you.


look you're not listening me.I wasn't complaining about any calls in todays game  And refereeing wasn't so one-sided today. Anyway I have to say that Melo almost every time he went to the basket did travelling and everybody who has watched the game precisely could had seen that...


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## Diable

So lets review...Everyone hates the refs and that's the way it should be.I don't think that those guys favor either team,but I just have no clue where they learned to officiate a basketball game.They call travelling if you don't release the ball,but then they let you take six steps.They blow all sorts of silly little inconsequential fouls and ignore blatant ones...I just don't understand how year after year FIBA tolerates the sort of performance from the refs that should be an embarassment to them.


I'm really glad that we got a game from Italy.We needed to be put to the test.It's obvious that we'd be in trouble if we came up against a team that hit treys the way Italy started out,but the main thing is that we have to do a better job of forcing turnovers and taking advantage of them.I still like our chances as well as anyone's,but this is another example of how you can get upsets in the FIBA game.A lot of weird stuff can happen when you're one bad game away from going home and we need to focus in.


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## Matej

RomaVictor said:


> Then tell me you didn't miss them missing Italians travelling twice (at least once) and going over the back for rebound and two points?


 Yeah that's also true.


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## Hakeem

U.S. needs rebounding. Howard is the only good rebounder on this team. Brand and Bosh are mediocre. Brand does average 10 rpg, but he takes close to 40 mpg to do so. Carmelo and LeBron aren't particularly good either.


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## MagnusPinus

Hakeem said:


> U.S. needs rebounding. Howard is the only good rebounder on this team. Brand and Bosh are mediocre. Brand does average 10 rpg, but he takes close to 40 mpg to do so. Carmelo and LeBron aren't particularly good either.


The rebounding is clearly about attitude... how the hell Mason Rocca(an american form Princeton, that played for us)..that is about 6-5 could take offensive rebounds over Howard, Brad...thanx to his will.. Us defensively has to be more aggressive(talking about half court defense)..because Italy is not a talented team at all... We have some talents like Belinelli..but most of our players are solid players..but we still managed to stay in the game


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## Antrox

Bargnaaaaniiiiiiii
:curse: :curse: :curse: :curse: :curse:


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## MagnusPinus

Antrox said:


> Bargnaaaaniiiiiiii
> :curse: :curse: :curse: :curse: :curse:


 :biggrin: Mago will be with us next time..but there are reasons to be proud of the other guys...Michelori has 1 % of Bargnani 's talent.. but can still play against US team..We play more with our toughness that with our talent..


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## girllovesthegame

MagnusPinus said:


> We kept u under 100 points :banana: GREAT ITALY::. An applause.. :clap:


Missed free throws kept USA under 100 points.


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## MagnusPinus

girllovesthegame said:


> Missed free throws kept USA under 100 points.



But u had a good shooting day from 3 that is not usual..so it compensates it.. :banana:


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## Antrox

MagnusPinus said:


> :biggrin: Mago will be with us next time..but there are reasons to be proud of the other guys...Michelori has 1 % of Bargnani 's talent.. but can still play against US team..We play more with our toughness that with our talent..


IMHO, although it had been very difficult, we could win this match
Pecile hasn't entered in the spirit of the game and from that moment USA made the break
Gigli ... badly
Ok, no problem...we must win tomorrow


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## italianBBlover

:cheers:


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## mr.ankle20

italianBBlover said:


> :cheers:


Why are the Italian fans Bragging about that Clip It was basic dunk 
and your team still lost


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## Bartholomew Hunt

I'm sorry guys, but we're not winning first place this year. Maybe in 2008 we will. When it gets right down to it, USA still has to rely on running and isolation to win. We are still supreme athletes compared to the rest of the world, but that can only take you so far. Coach K has done an outstanding job of masking our weaknesses and focusing on strengths, but eventually Argentina, Greece, and/or Spain will expose us much worse than Italy did. If our guys were taught fundamentals and jumpshooting at a young age like the other countries, we would still be invincible. Maybe someday our AAU teams will coach something besides running, dunking, and one-on-one play. I'm encouraged by the progress, but we still have a long ways to go. Also, learn how to ****ing defend. I'm so sick of watching us get blown up by penetration. That is one thing that should not happen. Wade Lebron, Paul, etc are pitiful on the defensive end. You don't have to gamble on every single pass or dribble drive. Steals is not the defining stat of good defense. Add this to our problems boxing out and the inability to make a damn free throw, I'd say that we have trouble concentrating. Thank goodness for Carmelo and Wade today. I'm glad we're still undefeated.


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## DuMa

this was a good game for the USA. they needed a wakeup call. they are getting it done int he 2nd half with halftime adjustments but they are going to need to wakeup during the first half. 

gold is a little less bleak now but i still think theyre the favorites to win it.


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## Pioneer10

Lebron with an off game: good thing Melo stepped it up.

Lebron continues to have a somewhat mediocre (compared to his very high level) WC although last game he was probably the POTG. He needs to step it up and work on making himself a threat from the shorter 3 point line.


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## Benedict_Boozer

Lebron will be fine. If his shot is off he will pick it up on the boards or with assists most games. When he's in with Melo + Wade he tends to defer also i've noticed and take fewer shots. 

What really needs to be corrected is the FT shooting, what the hell is wrong with our boys on the line? Like ~15 missed free throws??? We would have won by 20 if they even shot a decent percentage.


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## Sir Patchwork

Melo continues to be the best player on the team. He has really taken the leadership role by the balls and run with it. Everyone else just needs to follow his lead.


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## Sir Patchwork

MagnusPinus said:


> The rebounding is clearly about attitude... how the hell Mason Rocca(an american form Princeton, that played for us)..that is about 6-5 could take offensive rebounds over Howard, Brad...thanx to his will.. Us defensively has to be more aggressive(talking about half court defense)..because Italy is not a talented team at all... We have some talents like Belinelli..but most of our players are solid players..but we still managed to stay in the game


You're right about this and some of it stems from how high the defensive pressure is for the USA. It's great when nobody gets into the lane and the other team is taking long jumpers or turning the ball over. It spells trouble when penetration is getting right in the lane and guys like Howard and Brand have to jump over and essentially cover two players, which is going to leave the glass wide open. Guys like Melo and Wade are leaking out too early I think.


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## ToddMacCulloch11

Sir Patchwork said:


> Melo continues to be the best player on the team. He has really taken the leadership role by the balls and run with it. Everyone else just needs to follow his lead.


 totally agree. I've been very impressed with him so far. Maybe he's getting tired of always been looked at as not as good (for lack of a better way of putting it) as Wade and LeBron.


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## Matej

Diable said:


> I just don't understand how year after year FIBA tolerates the sort of performance from the refs that should be an embarassment to them.


That's because all the good European refs are in ULEB - the organisation which run Euroleague.


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## Pioneer10

Sir Patchwork said:


> Melo continues to be the best player on the team. He has really taken the leadership role by the balls and run with it. Everyone else just needs to follow his lead.


 This was actually by far his best game since the actual tournament started (i.e. not coutning exhibition). I would have to say Wade except for his supbar Game 1 has been the best and most consistent performer. Lebron was real good in Game and 3 but inconsistent in the other 2


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## futuristxen

Bartholomew Hunt said:


> I'm sorry guys, but we're not winning first place this year. Maybe in 2008 we will. When it gets right down to it, USA still has to rely on running and isolation to win. We are still supreme athletes compared to the rest of the world, but that can only take you so far. Coach K has done an outstanding job of masking our weaknesses and focusing on strengths, but eventually Argentina, Greece, and/or Spain will expose us much worse than Italy did. If our guys were taught fundamentals and jumpshooting at a young age like the other countries, we would still be invincible. Maybe someday our AAU teams will coach something besides running, dunking, and one-on-one play. I'm encouraged by the progress, but we still have a long ways to go. Also, learn how to ****ing defend. I'm so sick of watching us get blown up by penetration. That is one thing that should not happen. Wade Lebron, Paul, etc are pitiful on the defensive end. You don't have to gamble on every single pass or dribble drive. Steals is not the defining stat of good defense. Add this to our problems boxing out and the inability to make a damn free throw, I'd say that we have trouble concentrating. Thank goodness for Carmelo and Wade today. I'm glad we're still undefeated.


I disagree on every front. If you watched the Slovenia game and some of the China game, you would see the potential for being a fantastic ball movement team is there. I think we are one of the leaders in assits in the tournament actually. Against Italy our eyes got a little wide because they played us man to man, and everyone of our guys want to take that matchup. When does Melo, Bron, Wade, or Brand see single coverage? I bet Lebron hasn't seen single coverage since he was a sophmore in high school. They just have to be patient and pass like they did against the zones other teams play. We've got the shooters this time in Battier, Johnson, and Hinrich who will knock down that corner J. 

And defensively, we would not have beaten Italy if what you had said had held true. In the second half Team USA figured out that they couldn't turn Italy over that easily, so they backed off and played Italy, and ran off the rebounds, and that was what turned the game for us. Once we stopped gambling for everything and took care of our defensive glass and ran off it, it was all over. This team doesn't need to get steals to get into transition, they should be running out of the net and off the rebound, like the Suns do, because Paul, Lebron, Wade, and Hinrich can break everytime.

And as for the Thank Goodness for Wade and Melo--I disagree there too. Wade had almost 30, Melo was on fire. But this is what superstars do. This is why Melo, Lebron, and Wade are on the team. Because they can put together performances that nobody else in the world can do and completely win a game by themselves. So it wasn't suprising what Melo and Wade did. It was ABOUT FRICKING TIME.


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## Bartholomew Hunt

futuristxen said:


> I disagree on every front. If you watched the Slovenia game and some of the China game, you would see the potential for being a fantastic ball movement team is there. I think we are one of the leaders in assits in the tournament actually. Against Italy our eyes got a little wide because they played us man to man, and everyone of our guys want to take that matchup. When does Melo, Bron, Wade, or Brand see single coverage? I bet Lebron hasn't seen single coverage since he was a sophmore in high school. They just have to be patient and pass like they did against the zones other teams play. We've got the shooters this time in Battier, Johnson, and Hinrich who will knock down that corner J.
> 
> And defensively, we would not have beaten Italy if what you had said had held true. In the second half Team USA figured out that they couldn't turn Italy over that easily, so they backed off and played Italy, and ran off the rebounds, and that was what turned the game for us. Once we stopped gambling for everything and took care of our defensive glass and ran off it, it was all over. This team doesn't need to get steals to get into transition, they should be running out of the net and off the rebound, like the Suns do, because Paul, Lebron, Wade, and Hinrich can break everytime.
> 
> And as for the Thank Goodness for Wade and Melo--I disagree there too. Wade had almost 30, Melo was on fire. But this is what superstars do. This is why Melo, Lebron, and Wade are on the team. Because they can put together performances that nobody else in the world can do and completely win a game by themselves. So it wasn't suprising what Melo and Wade did. It was ABOUT FRICKING TIME.


 You make solid points. The potential is there for fantastic ball movement, but we only showed it when we were not playing against disciplined, halfcourt defense. The assists are deceiving because a lot of them were off turnovers and dribble drives that disciplined teams will keep to a minimum due to their solid rotations and overall good chemistry. It seems to me that we have a lot streak shooters. It's like every game, we are supposed to wait for a player or two to get hot. This is no way to play IMO. Defensively, I feel that we did back off a bit, but it took way to long to figure it out. Plus, Italy looked tired due to our style of play I guess, and started missing long jumpers. What if those shots keep falling for other teams because we're so horrid against penetration and leave wide open kickouts? Or like these international teams so often have, guys that just need one inch of room and will bury down any three with high percentage.



> ITS ABOUT FREAKIN TIME


This is one point you make that I absolutely agree with. :laugh:


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## HKF

Man I don't get why everyone expects the USA to blow out every opponent. With the FIBA refs and closer three point shot, that's not going to happen.


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## ChiBron

Bartholomew Hunt said:


> It's like every game, we are supposed to wait for a player or two to get hot.


Which game? 

We've pretty much _blown out_ the opposition in every game except for the one against Brazil. Even in that one we didn't need a _player or two_ to get hot(everybody was off that night). Today against Italy we completely dominated the 2nd half and won fairly easily. 

You're statement is just way off. Team USA's winning behind GREAT team play.


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## blh5387

I must say, Wade has really impressed me during this Summer. Fresh off an NBA championship, he STILL goes out there and pours in the points and makes key plays. 26 points in 23 minutes? WOW! Pluss 22 in the 2nd half. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Clutch, D WADE!!! Also, I gotta give it up to Melo, great performance. But still, to those who have said Melo has been "The Leader" so far, he shares that role with Wade and Lebron. But imo, I believe Wade has been the best, most consistent performer on this team.


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## Bartholomew Hunt

SPMJ said:


> Which game?
> 
> We've pretty much _blown out_ the opposition in every game except for the one against Brazil. Even in that one we didn't need a _player or two_ to get hot(everybody was off that night). Today against Italy we completely dominated the 2nd half and won fairly easily.
> 
> You're statement is just way off. Team USA's winning behind GREAT team play.


 I misstated myself. I was referring to the games where we play stronger opponents.

I'm very happy that we're undefeated right now. I just don't think we're quite ready to take first place. This is so much better than watching team USA in 2004, etc. We're a young team with a bright future if we can keep the group together. I still think that they are some bad habits ingrained in many of our guys that could result in a few losses. I wish young American basketball players would make more of a committment towards fundamentals and shootings. Things are obviously getting better.


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## RomaVictor

Here's a question? WHy do our U-20 still dominate their competitions? The last U-20 beat the hell out of Argentina if I recall correctly. I know they placed first.

So why is it that our younger squads do just fine against the young squads in the rest of the 'fundamentally sound' world but then our very best players somehow struggle?


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## Like A Breath

I was VERY surprised to see Howard get rebounds snatched away from him. Maybe he isn't as invincible on the boards as I thought.

Melo started slow but exploded, there was an and-1 opportunity he missed where he looked completely pissed at himself, and it was history from there. Wade was a tremendous finisher at the hoop, but didn't dominate like Melo. LeBron did a decent job setting people up and grabbing a few spectacular rebounds, but struggled with scoring. He'll be fine, though, he missed a lot of opportunities that he usually converts.

I was expecting more Joe Johnson, he should have some opportunities to do some ballhandling.


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## jaja

RomaVictor said:


> Here's a question? WHy do our U-20 still dominate their competitions? The last U-20 beat the hell out of Argentina if I recall correctly. I know they placed first.
> 
> So why is it that our younger squads do just fine against the young squads in the rest of the 'fundamentally sound' world but then our very best players somehow struggle?


very good point. never thought of that. but i never bothered to go that deep into it because i know that its a lot of BS when peopel say our players arent fundamentally sound


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## girllovesthegame

:thinking: Maybe our U-20 dominate their competition because the competition starts playing their best ball when they're 20 and older. ??????????


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## RomaVictor

girllovesthegame said:


> :thinking: Maybe our U-20 dominate their competition because the competition starts playing their best ball when they're 20 and older. ??????????


I'm hoping that's sarcasm of a sort. The reason is, if the young players in other countries are more skilled and tutored in the 'fundamentals' then they should be winning these amateur tournaments vs. the US. Because many kids haven't physically matured by then, the physical talent difference shouldn't be holding them back as it might with older squads.

It just makes no sense. If our young players handle the international squads (more or less) than that would seem to indicate that 'fundamentals' are being taught to them, at least on some level OR (and I don't believe this) that 'fundamentals' are not as important as other elements.


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