Day 3 Summary – U.S. Train keeps rolling along nicely

So much for Greece having our number. So much for the pick and roll giving us problems. If you can’t advance the ball past half court you don’t have much of a chance to get into a pick and roll.  The US team is suddenly the unholy offspring of the old UNLV and Arkansas teams. We played the UNLV team of Plastic Man, Grandmama, Greg Anthony, Anderson Hunt, Moses Scurry and the gang in 89-90 when I was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State and we had a very good team that year (Dumas, Houston, Corey Williams, etc). In the second half when they turned up the heat (and when the effects of the night before at Richard Perry’s house wore off) we could barely enter the ball into our offense. The 40 Minutes of Hell squad at Arkansas was very similar.

Neither of those teams relative to their competition were as scary as this team. Greece was supposed to be the first big test and within minutes there were about 20 turnovers, about 30 dunks, and Jason Kidd was throwing absurd AND 1 Tour passes off the backboard (which thankfully to Coach K’s credit, got him yanked immediately out after it went 10 feet over the head of an unexpecting LeBron).

Pressure on the basketball is the absolute key to any strong defense. If a ballhandler doesn’t have the time to see openings or to relax for a second, then everyone else can gamble and over extend without getting burned. If a ballhandler can pick and choose without pressure where to enter the ball, no matter how good the other four guys are defending, there will be completed passes that lead to baskets. It is the advantage of the offense knowing where they are going. Just like in football, where if you can put the front four pressure on a quarterback, then you can blitz and take chances without getting burned and you can cause turnovers. If your quarterback (guard) has time to think and read and see the field (floor), then they will pick you apart (Hopefully even if your names are Tarvaris Jackson and Aaron Rodgers and you play for my local teams the Vikings and Pack).

Team USA shot the ball better from 3 today, a respectable 35%, which is a good sign. Kobe came out with a definite intent on getting going offensively, launching 3 of the first 4 or 5 shots, which is fine with me, cause he is still the best overall player in the game to me. But he may not be the best overall player much longer. I said on air last year (when we discussed the MVP vote as it came out). that it was ridiculous that LeBron didn’t get more attention for MVP. He is quickly closing the gap on Kobe and he is easily the most physically imposing asketball player I have ever seen. I know about Shaq and Yao, etc but the combination of size, speed and skill that LeBron brings is awesome. He has had more pin-on-the-glass, volleyball-spike, “lick your fingers and check the wind” ERASE jobs than anyone ever in a 3 game stretch against the worlds elite.

Team USA looks awesome and even though I really like the way that Spain and Argentina play, I don’t seem them losing.

Random Thoughts

by Jack not so Handy

• Coach K brought his Duke staff to be “assistants to the assistants” . Helping out are Johnny Dawkins, who just recently became the head coach at Stanford, Chris Collins, who is the son of former Olympian (and our NBC colleague) Doug, and my man Steve Wojciehowski. I brought Wojo over to play for me in Poland and I still owe him to this day for talking him into coming over to a bad situation. I had high hopes of Wojo being a dual citizen, in a situation similar to what we are now seeing with the likes of Chris Kaman for Germany, etc. Unfortunately, like has happened to me too many times in my life, I was ahead of my time on that one and we both faced incredible frustration that we couldn’t get through any of the hurdles at that time and couldn’t get his application approved. Oh, and did I mention the little fact that they forgot to pay any of us coaches and players??? So thankfully Wojo escaped and landed safely in the arms of Coach K. I thankfully didn’t permanently ruin the career of a kid who will be running a very successful program of his own one day. I know how much Wojo loves Duke and it would not surprise me at all to see him hang out there for a long, long time. I, and many coaching friends of mine, have all one time or another made the mistake of itching so bad to be a head coach that we have left great positions as assistants to be head coaches of bad programs or bad situations. Wojo was one of my all time favorites and I probably flatter myself too much by saying that he reminded me a lot of myself when I played. He certainly was a friend to my family and me when we were over there in a foreign country without knowing anybody and without speaking the language. We valued his friendship and his basketball opinions tremendously. I am happy for all of his recent success and I am sure he is having a blast with the Olympic team.
• David Robinson, as far as I know, is the only American to play on 3 Olympic teams (like the depth and committment of my research? As far as I know stands for I am typing this on the train and not connected to the internet and too lazy to follow through to research it). I remember in 1983 – 84,  when I was briefly being recruited by Navy, that then asst. coach Pete Hermann told me about a kid that was growing like a weed and that he was going to be great. I thought, “yeah, right…it’s Navy”…and it turned out to be “The Admiral”. Even I could have found a way to get some assists if all you had to do was throw it up to David. By the way, I sat next to David at The Final Four this year and he still looks like a million dollars. I actually think he was one of the most ripped players of all time (pre steroid-HGH-supplement era) but because he was so long and lean, his muscles didn’t look as big as they were. You put his guns on my 5’9” body and I would like Pocket Hercules.
• Is it possible that Spain continues it’s ridiculous run of sporting success by pulling off the upset and winning the gold? What a year so far…..Nadal at Wimbledon and French, UEFA Cup and Sergio knocking on the door of majors and now the basketball team….”Muy bueno Espana. Es excellente”