I swear, things just keep getting better for the Rockets. If we could actually resign Landry and Mutombo...what would be our weakness? Defense has improved with the addition of Artest. Offense improved with Artest and we'll have Yao back. People will continue to ask "What have you done for me in the playoffs?", so the number one thing is for us to stay healthy. The problem is that's impossible to completely control.
NBA 2008-2009 Basketball season...can you please start already? *waits for championship*
I knew this team wasn't leaving without a medal. Too much heart. Too much pride. Ginobili, the leader of their team didn't play the whole game, but that didn't stop them. Even against the U.S. in the last game they could have called it quits. They were supposed to get blown out by the U.S. because of the injuries they had, but they stayed close for a majority of the game. Carlos Delfino lead the way against Lithuania with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Scola chipped in 16 points and Nocioni with 14 as they beat Lithuania 87 - 75. It’s the first time the Argentines have won back-to-back Olympic medals.
Now that was a nice game to watch. After gettin crushed in the first quarter 30 to 11 and without their leader Ginobili in the game due to injury, Luis Scola and Argentina battled back to cut the lead to six. The U.S. eventually pulled away again by getting the ball inside more against Argentina's zone defense.
If you're a Rockets fan you HAVE to be impressed with Scola, not to mention the whole Argentina team. Scola went 13-21 from the field scoring 28 points along with 11 boards, 2 block shots and 2 steals. I think he did all he could. I also noticed he has improved so much at finishing close to the basket. He not only was making his layups, but difficult reverse shots and jumpers. I can't wait for the season to start. McGrady? Scola? Artest? Battier? Hopefully Landry? Yao Ming back? *prays to god we can stay healthy*
One thing is for sure. Argentina competes. Like I've said in several other posts, it seems like they do everything in their power to give their team an edge. They never give up, and they showed a lot of heart today, and it definitely would have been more competitive if Argentina had a full healthy roster.
“It was a must-win for us,” said Manu Ginobili, the team’s spiritual and physical leader. “A loss to them today would have meant almost elimination.”
Looking at the box score it seems as if each individual player had a good game as far as shooting percentage and overall contribution.
One thing I didn't realize was how many NBA players there were on Argentina's team. I knew about Ginobili and of course Scola, but I had forgotten about Fabricio Oberto and never knew Carlos Delfino was on the team. Their will to win is incredible. They flop, they hack, and they take charges (sometimes they get dunked on in hopes that they'll draw that charge) all to give their team the edge. I'm with Jeff Van Gundy in the fact that I can't stand flopping, but still their will to win is just incredible to watch.
One side of me is like "Come on Skip. You're making millions a year as a starting point guard on an NBA team, and you're gonna do something like this? Everyone doesn't get that opportunity and you should know better. Pretty stupid."
I would have to imagine that side is very right and all that is true.
BUT
There's another side that realizes that many of the people who will criticize him have driven drunk before. That side understands that money and fame doesn't solve everything and doesn't erase all problems. Often money and fame bring on different, more complex problems. With that being said, that side still agrees that it was a stupid move.
I also realize this isn't Skip's first time dealing with the law, but I still hope it's the last.
I didn't get up early enough to catch the game, but according to my sources they were up by 14 at the start of the fourth? They were still the underdogs, but that game was definitely winnable. I said I didn't want to see Yao get dominated against the United States, and he didn't. I wish I could say the same about his performance against Spain. Pau Gasol did some damage. Looks like China had the same problem they had against the United States. When the other team decides they really want to put ball pressure on China, they just can't handle the ball well enough to get into their offense. Also conditioning was a factor, especially for Yao, who we know already had conditioning issues before in Houston. You have to cut him a little bit of slack, because he stated before the preliminary round started he was about 70% after coming off his injury. It's got to be a dissapointing loss for China, knowing they were so close to that win.
A lot has been made of Yao Ming and his part in the 2008 Olympics. Rightfully so. He is the most popular person in the most populous country which happens to be the host country of the Olympics. It's no surprise Yao Ming is "big" and is going to get a lot of attention. Rockets fans know there is another one of our players in the Olympics though. That's right - Luis Alberto Scola, a member of the Argentina Olympic Basketball team. So how is the Argentina doing? Well they're just coming off a heart-breaking loss to Lithuania. The game was decided by a buzzer-beating shot by the Denver Nuggets' Linas Kleiza.
When interviewed after a training session today, Manu Ginobili said "We have a bigger challenge now because have to win virtually everything if we are to advance to the second round". With the competition being what it is, he might be right.
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