The “Redeem Team” hasn’t faced that much opposition in its first two outing though China put up a surprising early exchange of baskets way into the early parts of the second quarter in their first game. The litmus test for the US team is Greece who beat them in the Athens Olympics in 2004, taking away America’s dominance. And so the game, revenge time one may call it is all pumped up even before the ball was tossed at center court!
Greece Team
Greece is fittingly the Ancients in the game in terms of size… as if they are Titans looking down on the New World basketball gods. Their defense is so tight… physical, but not enough… often late. So the ball goes to fall for the US team but they usually ends up on the floor with Greece’s defense. In terms of offense, well… they are big and again, Titans they are… move not that fast with the US team. But I think that they’re brand of basketball is more scientific. Most of their points were made by players moving without the ball but un-Europeanesque, their outside shooting was dismal. And their so-called Baby Shaq was not that much of a factor in the game.
Redeem Team
First Quarter of the game was close, so close that I stayed glued to my chair. The slow start was followed by a scorching/explosive second quarter that encroached the US team by a considerably large margin and marked the collapse of team Greece. As the US team dictates the tempo of the game, impeccable defense resulted to a lot of steals and highflying poster dunks, dunks, dunks and more dunks from LeBron James and others. Team USA on both ends of the floor displayed athletism at its finest. Each steal was finished so quickly with highflying acrobatics as team USA unleashed the might of its Air Force. Kobe Bryant is definitely the leader of the team. LeBron James and Dwayne Wade were the fearless finishers as well as the numerous 3-point play of Chris Bosch. Defense, which I think have been absent in recent years, is definitely the core of this team USA’s game.
The second quarter is definitely Olympics basketball at it’s best. There were a lot of Ohhh’s and AAHHH’s from the jam-packed stadium every time team USA ran the floor and even I got in on the action even though I’m just in the confines of my lazy seat at home.
Now that the stigma of losing to Greece gone, it looks like smooth sailing to me as long as they can put up a decent defense.
Controversial team USA photo... Why controversial?
