13th FIBA-Americas Championships

[Bongaboi]

FIBA Americas = success.

New to the forums, and I do not see an intros thread, but I will go ahead and introduce myself. I am Bongaboi, and I am glad to be here.

Anyway, I have to say that the home team deserved to go undefeated and win the FIBA Americas. This team is on a mission. And I think they want to have another crack at the Greeks for what they did to them in 06. They're hellbent for Hellas.

Since Bill Walton was hinting at "FIBA Las Vegas", I decided to make a rendition. Here it goes.

Bright lights city gonna set the nets,
gonna set the nets of fire.
There’s a couple of Beijing '08 berths on the line
to keep the stakes up high.
There’s thousands of spectators waiting out there.
And they’re all watching, the bookie may care.
And I’m just a bookie with money to spare, so
FIBA Las Vegas. FIBA Las Vegas.

Now I wish that there were more
than forty minutes in a game,
but even if there were another four and four,
I wouldn’t hang my head in shame.
There’s Deron, Anthony, Chandler, and Kidd on the wheel.
Howard, Amare, Prince and Redd keeping it real.
Miller and Chauncey Billups making blocks, boards and steals.
FIBA Las Vegas. FIBA Las Vegas.

FIBA Las Vegas, with your qualification
and the entire nation watching
all those jump shots getting drained.
FIBA Las Vegas, Kobe bringing the Showtime,
King James bringing it on primetime.
If they win it once, they’re gonna win again and again.

I’m gonna go on a run, I’m gonna have me some fun
even if it costs me some NBA dimes.
And when I get that gold medal, then I’ll always remember
that I had a swing of a time.
I’m gonna give it everything I got.
Coach Krzyzewski, please, let my dunks stay hot.
Rainbow threes and free throws made on every shot. Swish!
FIBA Las Vegas,
FIBA Las Vegas,
FIBA Las Vegas,
FIBA, FIBA, Las Vegas!
Yeah!

[Federoy]

There were a hell lot of violations. I can't believe you are writing this. Maybe you are just being used to NCAA and NBA officiating. Further, if you want to reduce every whisper of criticism on nationalistic feelings and dislike of the US, I don't want to disturb you in your simple world out there.

I don't like it either. The travelling violations not being called are just a new development, so I posted. Moving screens and holding and grabbing aren't. And I actually don't care who beats who because of how a game was being officiated.

And I actually don't see where in this thread it was being written, that the US won the tournament because of the officials (no-
)calls. Quotes, anyone?

Yeah, I saw a good portion of the tournament --and don't tell me you were in Las Vegas watching the entire tournament live that made you draw your conclusions, then that would force me to call you a desperate liar-- and I can safely say that you're exaggerating the amount of violations committed by the US, period. I'm not suggesting that the US didn't get away with braking the rules every now and then (what team doesn't when you factor in FIBA officiating?), but this suggestion that there "were a hell lot of violations" by you and those most critical of the US is complete bullshit (or bockmist if you're really a Deutschlander.) But then again, I'm sure you would argue that since I'm an American I've been watching tainted basketball all my life and can't identify with how the international game is suppose to be played. Right. What simple world are you referring to? LMAO!!! Since you insist on believing that I'm some US homer who attacks posters because they're picking on my poor little basketball team, you obviously haven't been paying attention to any of my post over the last 2 1/2 years. I don't play favorites to any nation (including my own) when it comes to critically analyzing how a team performs. The US has a lot of work to do if it expects to win gold in Beijing. Most Americans who are ardent followers of international basketball, like myself, recognize the issues that they have. There are still defensive lapses, complacency, stagnation on offense, and isolation basketball that could kill the US's chances of winning anything, much less a gold medal. Hell, at this point, I can't even say the US looks like the best team in the world, despite how dominant they looked at the Tournament of the Americas. That title goes to Spain, Lithuania or an "A" list Argentina squad.

Having said that, if people want to be critical of the US, be critical for the reasons I mentioned above, but when people like K2 blasts the US for every reason he/she can think of and aren't willing to give the US credit for anything it does, that's the sort of stuff that bothers me and that's the sort of lame criticism that happens far too frequently on this forum.

As for your comments about traveling, poorly called basketball is poorly called basketball. It doesn't matter if it's a recent development (traveling) or an ongoing one (clutching and grabbing), the game needs to be standardized and cleaned-up for everyone's benefit. Your suggestion that FIBA is mandating to its officials to be more lax in enforcing traveling is a bit of an erroneous claim, and how you could support such a claim is beyond me. I've been watching international basketball since 1990, and the same inconsistent whistles on traveling existed back then as they do now. You may disagree, but it's crossed my mind that maybe it's the quality of officiating that's the real issue and not some farflung notion that FIBA is conspiring to make the game more "attractive" by not enforcing traveling.