Team USA vs. Spain

After playing their best ball in their win over Greece two days ago, Team USA turns their attention to Spain, who is also undefeated through their first three games.

1st quarter

• Kobe just ran over Pau on a screen and Dougie Collins said it was good because that’s Kobe telling Laker teammate Pau this is real. It’s damn real.
  
• There’s been a Carmelo sighting. He just hit a three to tie the score at 7.
  
• Dougie Collins just said that in 35 minutes, Jason Kidd has taken zero shots.
  
• If anyone is fired up, it’s Lebron. He might run over and through someone today.
  
• When I grow up, I want my arms and shoulders to be large and cut like Lebron’s.
  
• Um, Lebron just ran over someone. He now has one foul. Kobe already has two.
  
• If they had a gold medal for most tattoos, Team USA would win.
  
• Spain is running a half court trap and poor Chris Paul is going to be banged around a lot. But he’s the perfect guy to break it.
  
• Paul to Wade makes the score 29-16 and Spain has to call a time out. That’s what they get for doing the slanted eyes.

 

2nd Quarter

• The first quarter ended with USA up 31-22.
  
• We have an early Tayshaun Prince sighting. He immediately hits a three and then throws a lob to Lebron for a dunk. And then his next three was blocked. The good and the bad of Tayshaun.
  
• Kobe finally hits a three and Team USA is now up 14. But then he gets his third foul and has to leave the game.
  
• Chris Bosh isn’t only the better player for Team USA, but everything picks up when he’s in the game compared to Dwight Howard.
  
• Team USA is 7-10 from the three point line and is up 16 with four minutes left in the half.
  
• A Carlos Boozer sighting! Unfortunately, he took Tayshaun out of the game.
  
• A Boozer buzzer beater puts Team USA up 61-45 at the half.

3rd Quarter

• At halftime, the song Basketball by Kurtis Blow played throughout the arena. In China!
  
• Carmelo is hot. He just hit his fourth three pointer and USA is up 22.
  
• Kidd finally took a shot and made it. It was a layup off a fast break.
  
• DWade just blocked a layup attempt with his forearm and sent it out of bounds.
  
• That was a pretty boring quarter. Team USA is up 86-63.

(Why is it so hard to find a video of the Dwayne Wade alley oop to Kobe Bryant from Thursday where he threw the pass falling out of bounds and with his back to Kobe?)

4th Quarter

• Craig Sager is talking to Tina Thompson who has some great soup coolers by the way. But I did watch some of the women play yesterday and they are even more vicious than the guys. They play to kill immediately.
  
• Lebron threw an alley oop to DWade, but his pass was late and DWade was already up in the air. He did flush it, but he clipped the rim on his way down and fell. Not the greatest oop, but just shows you how athletic DWade is.
  
• Team USA is now up 29 after a Michael Redd layup.

It was at this point that the kids could take no more. They didn’t want to watch the butt kicking any longer and wanted to play some PS3. With Team USA being up by 33 at this time (with 3:28 left), I obliged.

We need some Hacksaw Jim Duggan right now. USA! USA! USA!

(The final score was 119-82.)

Team USA vs. China

I wasn’t about to wake up at 7:15AM on a Sunday morning, but my DVR did.

1st Quarter

- Kobe is the defensive stopper, and instead of the Mamba, he’s now the Doberman.

- Yao just hip checked Kobe on the screen and knocked down a three.

- Yao was sitting in the key for what seemed like 5 seconds. Lebron runs right over him and scores. Blocking foul. No home town officiating on that one.

- Remember Wang Zhi Zhi? He’s on Team China.

- China can’t really get any shots off, but they’re shooting them anyway. And they’re making them.

- Yao rejects Kobe and on the way back down, Lebron pins someone against the backboard. I still haven’t got Team China’s names right. Well, except Yao.

- First subs for Team USA were Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, DWade. Kobe and Lebron remain from the OG starting lineup which also included Carmelo, Dwight Howard, and JKidd.

- It’s weird because I’m watching the basketball specific HD channel and they don’t go to commercial. They just run replays without any commentary during the timeouts.

- Kobe’s three pointer gives USA a lead of 14-11 with just over 4 minutes left in the first.

- China is 4 for 4 on three pointers.

-  Hometown officiating in full effect. DWade drove to the hoop for a layup right as the shot clock expired. They called traveling. How can one be called for traveling when he’s already in the air?

- In 1992, the margin of victory for Team USA was a staggering 43.8 points per game. In 2004, it was 4.6.

- End of the 1st Quarter - Team USA 20 China 16.