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Before we all go off to check whether James Naismith was actually a
Serb or to investigate Red Auerbach's Argentine lineage, we need to understand
that Team Iverson's loss to Italy in an exhibition game was not the end of
American basketball as we know it. It simply means that Commissioner David
Stern's master plan is continuing apace, and the NBA's quest for world
domination is on schedule. Let the NFL have this continent. Stern wants the
whole globe.
And he might just get it some day. For now, however, he'll have to be
content with the Olympic gold medal. Because there is no way -- NO WAY, DO
YOU HEAR ME? -- Uncle Sam is going down in Athens. Even if the NBA crème is
fleeing to safety, vacationing, rehabbing or girding for trial, AI, TD and
the fellas have more than enough to take care of the Eurothreats, the South
American posers and the Asian pretenders. Will it get a little hairy? You betcha.
But in the end, Iverson will be able to tattoo a medal replica on his chest,
and Larry "the right way" Brown will be the first
head coach to collect the holy trinity of coaching honors (NCAA, NBA,
Olympic).
It won't be easy, not with Lithuania's alphabet-soup roster on the
schedule in preliminary play, and the Argentines, Spaniards and
Serbs/Montenegrins lurking in the medal rounds. But let's be serious. Do you
think a motivated, well-prepared collection of NBA stars -- even if many are
second-tier playas -- will lose to the likes of China? This isn't John
Thompson at the helm here, exercising a criminal unwillingness to put a
single offensive threat on the execrable 1988 U.S. team, a sin which led
directly to the Dream Team's creation. This is a damn good squad, one which
realizes that playing Germany in Cologne before the Olympics is the
equivalent of a February visit to the Hawks. Once they lace 'em up for real,
you'll see a highly-motivated club capable of propagating Uncle David's
global message and whipping anybody who dares to stand in its way.
Just for fun, though, let's look at the field.
Puerto Rico, Angola, The Clippers, New Zealand: Do you believe in
miracles? No!!!
China: Oooohh, it's the "Great Wall." The Chinese front
line of Yao Ming and Mengke Bateer is big. It also
moves about as quickly as the 1,500-mile fixture for which it is named.
Italy: Hope you enjoyed your exhibition win guys, because the U.S.
will get medieval on you in a rematch.
Australia:Shane Heal is dangerous, but Chris Anstey couldn't
stick on an NBA roster -- despite being seven feet tall and white.
Spain:Pau Gasol and Raul Lopez will put up great numbers,
but expect Gasol to take a protracted siesta once things get a little rugged.
Argentina: These guys made the U.S. look silly two years ago in
Indianapolis. Then again, that American club had Antonio Davis and Raef
LaFrentz, so it doesn't count. Tim Duncan goes for 30 against Ruben
Wolkowyski.
Serbia & Montenegro: Without Peja Stojakovic in the
lineup, Team Predrag is dangerous but not capable of closing the deal.
Lithuania: The No. 1 threat to American primacy, despite never
having beaten a U.S. senior team. Arvydas Macijauskas. Sarunas
Jasikevicius. Saulius Strombergas. The names just roll off the
tongus. Great outside shooting but nothing inside.
So, go ahead and pick one of them. Take the whole stinkin' lot. El Hombre will roll with the good, old U.S. of A. and cash big. The Olympics belong to the U.S. -- unless of course '72 villains Aleksandr Belov and R. William Jones show up. Then, put it all on the Soviets.
Find this article at:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/michael_bradley/08/12/olympic.men/index.html