August 13, 2008 in Sports

U.S. men seem detached from loss to Greece

Serious threat arrives after two easy wins

• Print
• Email
• Share

BEIJING – Oh, it’s so on now.

Those U.S. basketball games against China and Angola were just appetizers for a rematch two years in the making. The Greeks that made the U.S. team look incapable on defense and downright wimpy in the 2006 world championships are next on the schedule, and the Americans are fired up.

That game stings. The pain lingers.

The loser always remembers, right Chris Paul?

“I really don’t remember it too well.”

Hmm, OK.

Well, Paul was just coming off a whirlwind rookie season and was pretty much awful in that game against the Greeks, so it’s probably best that he forgot it.

But you, Carmelo Anthony, you’ve been on the international scene for four years, and you must be ready to stop that guy that carved up your defense like Steve Nash and scored on it like Allen Iverson.

You remember that guy, right Carmelo?

“Spadoulis, I think.”

Nooo, it was Vasileios Spanoulis.

But, hey, every Greek player’s name ends in an “s,” and what do names really matter anyway?

All that matters is that you’re better prepared this time.

That pick-and-roll that demolished you – yes, the same play you run on the playground made a bunch of NBA all-stars look like amateurs – will not work this time because you’ve done your homework and know those big fat Greek nuisances inside and out.

Right, LeBron James?

“I haven’t seen them play since they beat us.”

Well, that’s not very encouraging at all.

This doesn’t sound like the Redeem Team. More like the Redo Team, bound to repeat overseas embarrassment.

For now, Tuesday’s 97-76 win over Angola will have to do. James, who scored 12 points, knocked aside overmatched Angola players like a schoolyard bully, going wherever he wanted on the basketball court.

Dwayne Wade scored 19 points for the Americans to help offset a poor performance by Kobe Bryant, who finished 4 of 13 overall and 0 for 8 from 3-point range.

Dwight Howard added 14 points for the U.S. team.

No comments on this story so far. Add yours!