Interbasket

This month’s SLAM Magazine report is featured in the “In your face” section and focuses on the Argentine, Euroleague superstar, and NBA rookie, whom really made a name for himself this season.

Luis Scola may have finished third in the NBA Rookie of the Year ballot, but there was nothing novice in his inaugural season in Houston, where he filled a perpetual hole at power forward with his soft hands, irascible physicality, and international experience.

The 6-9 native of Buenos Aires was the Spanish league Rookie of the Year in 2000 and was widely considered the best pro player not playing in the League after the San Antonio Spurs drafted him in 2002.  Due to contractual snags, Scola opted to remain with Tau Ceramica and led his squadto the Euroleague final in 2001, then three consecutive Euroleague Final Fours between 2005 and 2007.  His outstanding performances earned him an All-Euroleague Second Team selection in 2005, as wel as two all-Euroleague First Team selections (2006 and 2007).  

The Olympic gold medal he won in 2004 with Argentina and the MVP honors cap the 2007 FIBA Championships foreshadowed the huge role he played in the Rocket’s surge toward the top of the Southwest Division last season.

From late-December with T-Mac was sidelined with an injury, through the last two months of the season when Yao Ming caught his own injurt, Scola averaged nearly a double-double.  He played an even more prominent role in the Playoffs, averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds against the Utah Jazz.  Scola’s season may have ended prematurely, but his playing days were far from over.  In Beijing he was even more impresive, finishing third overall in scoring, averagin 19ppg and 6 rpg in leading his team to the bronze medal.  His best performance came after Manu Ginobili twisted his ankle in the first quarter if the semi-finals against Team USA, when Scola stepped up for 28 points and 11 rebounds to keep the underdogs in the game.

If the Rockets keep him in the starting lineup alongside Yao Ming and Ron Artest with Shane Battier coming off the bench, the 28-year old Scola’s contribution is certain to be even greater in ‘08-09, as the Rockets try to make it past the first round for the first time in a dozen years. –Sherman Johnson

Source and links: Slam Magazine, issue 122 (November 2008), Argentina Basketball Forum (IBN)

Catch the replay of the USA vs. Spain gold medal game online at NBC Olympics.com, if you are in the United States.  You can also catch the replay of the bronze medal game of Argentina’s win over Lithuania (replay).  I am getting comments that the links go directly to the Lithuania-Argentina game.

* Apparently both games are on one continuous video, so after the ads, pull the pointer to the middle, that should place you in the USA-Spain game.  You can also use the modules and see if you want to skip to any other games, including the womens games.

I believe the links above will only work within the United States, if you are outside of the USA, click here to find the official Olympic partner sites that offer replays for your country or region.

Interbasket also has directly linked the USA-Spain recap and boxscore from NBC Olympics.com.  Same goes with the Lithuania vs Argentina match: recap and boxscore.

If you are interested in an in-depth play-by-play perspective, I also found this great Gold Medal Game blog, with live updates during the game between the USA and Spain, from the New York Times.

Links and Resources: Watch Olympic Basketball Replays Online (Interbasket), Watch USA-Argentina Replay Online (Interbasket), LIVE NOW: Basketball Gold: USA vs Spain (New York Times), Olympic Basketball Schedule and Results (NBC Olympics.com), Watch Olympic Basketball Live Online (interbasket),

The 2008 Olympic Basketball Gold Medal will go to either the United States or Spain.  Watch and discuss both the gold and bronze medal games live on your PC by clicking the appropriate regional link below:

August 24, 2008
Bronze Medal Game (discuss)
12:00: Argentina vs. Lithuania
Watch the game live in Argentina, Lithuania, Spain, USA

<< GOLD MEDAL GAME (discuss)
14:30: USA vs Spain
Watch game live in Argentina, Lithuania, Spain, USA

The USA and Spain, the two powerhouses and the favorites coming into the tournament advanced to the medal game by defeating Argentina and Lithuania respectively in the Olympic semi-finals, they’ll now play in a rematch for the 2008 gold medal in basketball.

The USA had demolished Spain earlier in the tournament during pool play.  Look for both teams to come out extremely intense and focused, with the Americans defense being the key factor.  The Spanish’s key to victory will be keeping turnovers low and their three-point accuracy, both of which will keep the United States running a half court game.  Ricky Rubio is going to be a great player, but Jose Calderon must play at least 32 efficient minutes, the fiery guard is the linchpin for the Team Spain.

The USA must continue to keep up the defensive pressure, but to pick and choose when best to gamble.  Kobe Bryant’s three-point shooting has mostly been horrendous during the Olympics and his breaking the offense to shoot contested shots has unsuccessful the majority of the time, but his presence on the court is important for the United States, more than I’d like to admit.

Olympic Basketball Semifinals Recaps
USA 101 - Argentina 81 (boxscore) - The USA defeated Argentina by 20 points, as Argentina lost their leader and best player Manu Ginobili six minutes into the game after re-injuring his right ankle.  The Americans used a balanced attack led by Carmelo Anthony’s 21 points and LeBron James 15 points.   Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul each had 12 points.  And Chris Bosh added 11 points for the Americans.  Luis Scola scored 28 and Carlos Delfino put in 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Argentinians.

Unfortunately for Argentina, Manu Ginobili’s injury will keep him out of the bronze medal game against Lithuania.

Spain 91 - Lithuania 86 (boxscore) - Behind Pau Gasol’s 19 points and Rudy Fernandez’s 18 points, Spain put Lithuania away with a 91-86 win.  The game was tightly-contested with both teams exchanging leads several times throughout the game before Spain pulled away

For the Spanairds, Felipe Reyes added 15 points and Carlos Jimenez had 11 points and 7 rebounds.  Simas Jasaitis and Sarunas Jasikevicius scored 19 points for Lithuania. Robertas Javtokas added 15 points for the Lithuanians.

After the Bronze medal game, Lithuania will have played for the basketball bronze medal in all five of the Olympics they’ve participated as since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.  Team Lithuania has three bronze medals (1992, 1996, 2000), and placed fourth in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Links and Resources: Final: USA vs Spain discussion thread (interbasket), Bronze game: Lithuania Vs. Argentina (Interbasket), Gasol leads Spain past Lithuania 91-86 (AFP), USA-Argentina Boxscore (NBCOlympics), Spain-Lithuania Boxscore (NBCOlympics), Ginobili done for the olympic (Interbasket)

The Olympic basketball’s final four has been determined, and there are no surprises as Argentina, Lithuania, Spain, and the USA, the top four seeds going into the round have advanced.

The four teams have a combined record of 21-3 with the United States the only undefeated team left in the field.  Argentina, Lithuania and Spain are each 5-1.

To watch the games live, you’ll have to determine whom is your local official Olympic partner.

August 22, 2008 Game Times
20:00: Spain vs Lithuania (discuss the game)
Watch Live in Argentina, Lithuania, Spain, USA

22:15: Argentina vs. USA (discuss the game)
Watch Live in Argentina, Lithuania, Spain, USA

If the above providers don’t work, click here to find your specific local partner in your region or country.

Olympic Basketball Quarterfinal Recaps:
Spain defeated Croatia 72-59 behind 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots from Pau Gasol.  As with their two other losses previous to this game, the Croatians couldn’t find the mark from three, shooting only 5-17.  Marko Banic led the Croatians with 15 points.   Felipe Reyes chipped in 13 and Jose Calderon added 10 for the Spanish team.

Lithuania put away host China in the second match of the day 94-68.  The game was only a two point difference after one, and from there the Lithuanians pulled away with each subsequent quarter, outscoring the Chinese team by 9, 6, and 9.  Sarunas Jasikevicius hit 5-6 threes, scored 23 points, and dished out 6 assists.  Linas Kleiza and Ramaunas Siskauskas added 15 each.  Team China was led by Yao Ming 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Yi Jianlian added 11 points and 9 rebounds.

The Aussies kept up with the Americans, keeping tight after one, and only down 12 at half.  That was until Team USA used a 14-point run to start the third that opened up the game.  Kobe Bryant scored 25 points for the Americans in his first game of the tournament in which he shot better than 50% from the field.  Lebron James added 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Carmelo Anthony scored 15 for the USA.  Patrick Mills was amazing again against the Americans, the speedy 5-11 guard scored 20 points with 3 steals.  Glen Saville socred 13, and Joe Ingles added 11 hitting all four of his shots.

Everyone expected the Argentina-Greece match to be the most competitive, and they were right.  Behind Carlos Delfino’s 15 fourth quarter points, great individual defense by Pablo Prigioni, and Manu Ginobili scoring Argentina’s final seven points, the defending Olympic Champions held off Greece 80-78.  Greece had a stretch in which they threw the ball away three consecutive possessions, allowing the Argentinians to build a lead before riding some hot three-point shooting back into the game.  Ginobili’s layup put Argentina up 5 with 46 seconds left, Greece’s Panagiotis Vasilopoulos banked in a three.  And after a missed three by Ginobili on the other end, Vasileios Spanoulis dribbled up-court, shot a straight-away three that was just short to make the final margin.

Manu Ginobili led Argentina with 24 points, hitting 6-13 threes.  Carlos Delfino scored 23, Luis Scola had 11 points and 8 rebounds and Pablo Prigioni added 7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists.  For Team Hellas, Antonis Fotsis led the Greeks with a double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds) and received some surprise offensive contribution from Konstatinos Tsartsaris with 13 points.  Tsartsaris had scored only 9 points total in the five games previous.  Ioannis Bouroussis remained solid again with 12 and 3 rebounds.

Links and Resources: Watch Olympic Basketball Live Online (interbasket), NBC Olympics Live Basketball Coverage (NBC Olympics),

The Olympic basketball quarterfinals are less than a day away with the four best teams from each group advancing onto the next round.  The four quarterfinal games are Spain vs. Croatia in the first game,  Lithuania vs China, Argentina vs. Greece, and the United States vs. Australia.

Are you searching the internet to watch the USA vs. Australia game live?  Look no further, if you are in the USA, click here to access NBC Olympics, in Australia, go to au.sports.yahoo.com.  If you are in Europe, you’ll likely find what you want on EuroVisionSports.tv.  If you live outside these regions, click here.

August 20, 2008 Game Times
14:30: Spain vs. Croatia Live Online
16:45: Lithuania vs. China Live Online
20:00: Argentina vs. Greece Live Online
22:15: USA vs. Australia Live Online

In the first game of the quarterfinals pits Spain against Croatia.  Spain (4-1).  In their pool play, Croatia has lived and died by the three thus far.  In their three wins, they’ve shot 62.5% from three (30-48), and only 25% in their two losses (8-32).

The second game features Lithuania, the Group A winner, taking on host China, whom are coached by a Lithuanian, Jonas Kazlauskas.

In probably what will be the toughest matchup in the quarterfinals, Argentina squares off against Greece.  Both teams are excellent defensive teams, as Argentina is second in points against and Greece is third.

After losing to Lithuania, Argentina (4-1) ended the tournament with four straight wins defeating their opponents by an average of 17 points per win.  Manu led Olympic pool play in scoring at19.6 per, while Luis Scola was third in scoring with 19.2 points per game.  As a team, Argentina turned the ball over the least in the tournament.

Greece doesn’t have any players in the top-10 in scoring, as they take a combined approach on both the offensive and defensive side.  They managed three wins in a up-and-down tournament with a couple disappointing losses to Spain and the United States.  Ioannis Bouroussis has been solidly efficient in the middle for Hellas, Vassilis Spanoulis leads them in scoring with 15.4, with solid contributions from Antonis Fotsis, Theodoros Papaloukas, and Nikos Zisis.

Outside of Argentina, the hottest teams in the tournament will be playing against each other.  The United States and Australia will duel in the last game of the Olympic quarterfinals.  The US hasn’t lost a game (5-0), and are the only team to get out of pool play undefeated.  Australia (3-2) lost their first two games, got their act together won their final three games, as they throttled Iran, Russia, and Lithuania, by an average of 28 points.  Bogut has really come alive in the last two, averaging 22.5 points and has shot 5-6 from three.  The Aussies are shooting 52% from downtown and have hit 41 threes in their wins.

Some of you may remember that the Boomers were the ones that gave the Americans their closest game in nearly two years during their final preliminary game on August 6th.  Bogut sat out that game and he watched Patrick Mills, Chris Anstey, and David Barlow challenge the United States before finally falling 87-76.

“What (the USA has) done and where you see them can intimidate a lot of people,” Anstey said. “I think to come into a game intimidated you’ve given up before you start…”

What to say about Team USA?  They’ve steamrolled the competition even with their chief competitors in the same bracket, winning all five pool games by an average of 32.2 points, including a 37-point blowout of Spain and a 49-point destruction of Germany.  They lead the competition in points scored, but not one player has scored more than 22 points in a game.

“I think (the USA is) unbeatable,” said German coach Dirk Bauermann. “I don’t even think it’s going to be close. I would be surprised if anyone can even give them a game.”

Don’t tell that to Chris Anstey and Australia.

Links and Resources: NBC Olympics Live Basketball Coverage (NBC Olympics), Quarter-finals: Argentina vs Greece (Interbasket), Quarter-finals: USA vs Australia (Interbasket), Quarter-finals: Lithuania vs China (Interbasket), Quarter-finals: Spain vs Croatia (Interbasket), German Basketball Coach Says Americans Are Unbeatable (New York Times)

Searching for replays of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Basketball games in their entirety?

If you are in the United States then you’ve come to the right place.  You can go to NBC Olympics.com coverage or click here to go directly to the page.

NBC Olympics.com offers replays of most all the Olympic Basketball games.

On their site, you’ll find the Olympic basketball schedule for both Mens and Womens.  Expand the date in which the game was played.  For example, if you are looking for the USA-Spain replay, expand August 16th by clicking on the + sign next to the date.  From there, click on “Rewind” and you should be able to enjoy the entire replay.

I’ve directly linked replays of some Olympic basketball games available on NBC Olympics below:

August 10: USA vs. China Replay (Replay Now)
August 10: Australia vs. Croatia Replay (Replay Now)

August 12: Croatia vs. Russia Replay (Replay Now)
August 12: Greece vs. Germany Replay (Replay Now)
August 12: Angola vs. USA Replay (Replay Now)
August 12: Argentina vs. Australia Replay (Replay Now)

August 14: Germany vs. Spain Replay (Replay Now)
August 16: Australia vs. Iran Replay (Replay Now)
August 14: Angola vs. China Replay (Replay Now)

August 16: Australia vs. Russia Replay (Replay Now)
August 16: Croatia vs. Lithuania Replay (Replay Now)
August 16: Argentina vs. Iran Replay (Replay Now)
August 16: China vs. Germany Replay (Replay Now)
August 16: USA vs. Spain Replay (Replay Now)

If you are in Europe and looking for replays, you’ll likely find the replays you want on EuroVisionSports.tv.  If you live outside these two regions, click here.

Links and Resources: NBC Olympics Basketball Coverage (NBC Olympics), USA vs Spain Replay (NBC Olympics) China vs. Germany Replay (NBC Olympics), 2008 Beijing Olympics (Official Site)

Looking to watch USA vs. Germany Olympic Basketball game live or the Australia Lithuania online match?   Or are you just looking for a replay?  Look no further, if you are in the USA, click here.  If you are in Europe, you’ll likely find what you want on EuroVisionSports.tv.  If you live outside these regions, click here.

The fifth and final day of pool play starts August 18th, 09:00am local Beijing time.  You can watch the games live online, find out which official sites are streaming the Greece-China game here.  You’ll find the Olympic basketball day five schedule below, with a link to our forum next to each game.  The link leads to a  message board that previews, predicts the score, and play by play action with fans from around the globe.

August 18, 2008 Game Times
09:00 : Iran vs. Croatia Live Online
11:15 : Australia vs. Lithuania Live Online
14:30 : Greece vs. China Live Online
16:45 : Angola vs. Spain Live Online
20:00 : USA vs. Germany Live Online
22:15 : Argentina vs. Russia Live Online

None of today’s games have any qualification implications as the four teams from each group have essentially been determined.  With the two top teams in both groups already decided, only the seeding of the teams in 3rd and 4th place is yet to be determined. Without getting too much into if-thens, the eight teams going on the next round will look like this:

Group A: Lithuania (4-0), Argentina (3-1), Croatia (2-2), Australia (2-2)   Out: Russia (1-3), Iran (0-4)
In group A, Lithuania and Argentina advance on their overall record.  Croatia and the Aussies are also in, even though the chance that the two teams and Russia could all end up 2-3.  Even if Russia wins their game tomorrow against Argentina and Australia and Croatia both lose, the three-way tie would still have Russia being eliminated because they lost both head to head games against the Boomers and Croatia.

Group B: USA (4-0), Spain (3-1), Greece (2-2), China (2-2)    Out: Germany (1-3), Angola (0-4)
In Group B, the United States and Spain move forward with their overall records.  Greece and China will both move.  Despite the unlikely chance that the Germans will beat the USA in their final game.  And even with the two teams that Germany is chasing, China and Greece, playing each other tomorrow, both teams have the tiebreaker over Deutschland.

The Basketball Quarterfinals will look like this:
August 20th: Spain vs. A3
August 20th: Lithuania vs. B4
August 20th: Argentina vs. B3
August 20th: USA vs. A4

With all that said, the most interesting match will be the Boomers taking on Lithuania in the second match of the day.  Lithuania has the chance to go into the quarterfinals unbeaten, while the Aussies can continue their momentum by unseating a less-motivated Lith team, whom has sewn up the #1 spot.

Another interesting game will pit hosts China against Greece.  Though the Chinese have already advanced, their goal is to improve (and not to be embarrassed at home), so look for them to try to make a statement.  Not to mention the winner of the game receives the third seed, which will be either Lithuania or Argentina.

Links and Resources: Group A, day 5: Argentina vs Russia (Game Thread), Group B, day 5: USA vs Germany (Game Live), Group B, day 5: Angola vs Spain (Interbasket), Group B, day 5: Greece vs China (Interbasket Game Thread), Group A, day 5: Australia vs Lithuania (Interbasket)

** This is the pool play game post between USA and Spain, looking for the Gold Medal Game?  Click here. ***

Looking to watch USA vs. Spain Olympic Basketball game?   Or if you’re just waking up, looking for the USA-Spain replay?  Look no further, if you are in the USA, click here for the entire day’s schedule.  If you live outside the USA, click here.

The fourth day of Olympic Basketball starts August 16th local Beijing time. You can watch the games live online, find out which official sites is streaming the USA-Spain game here.  You can find a Olympic basketball day four schedule below, with a link to our forum which provides a message board, preview, prediction and play by play action with fans from around the globe.

August 16, 2008 Game times
09:00 : Angola vs. Greece >> Comment Online >> (Watch Replay)
11:15 : Russia vs. Australia >> Comment Online >> (Watch Replay)
14:30 : Croatia vs. Lithuania >> Comment Online >> (Watch Replay)
16:45 : Argentina vs. Iran >> Discuss Online >> (Watch Replay)
20:00 : Germany vs. China >> Discuss Online >> (Watch Replay)
22:15 : Spain vs. USA >> Discuss Online >> (Watch Replay)

In Group A, the most significant games are Russia vs. Australia and Croatia taking on Lithuania.  In the second game of the day, we have the Russians (1-2) and Aussies (1-2) each with only one win, and the only two teams with this record in Group A.  This game could play critical in deciding which team will advance to the next round.

In the third game of day four, Croatia (2-1) takes on Lithuania (3-0).  Lithuania has a chance to solidify first place in group A with a win, and with a Croatia win, they’ll likely cause a three way tie for first by giving Lithuania their first loss, and with the likely outcome of Argentina (2-1) defeating Iran.

The last two games of the day are the two biggest of the day. Germany vs. China in game five and Spain vs. USA in the last game of day four.  With China (1-2) and Germany (1-2) each defeating Angola for their sole win in the tournament, this will be a key game for both in moving on to the quarterfinals.  Germany’s remaning game comes against the US, China’s comes vs. Greece.

The final game of the day is Spain versus USA, which pits the undisputed two favorites against each other.  The Redeem Team has been rolling through the Olympics, while the Spanish are unbeaten, they’ve had their share of bumps in the road (being down 15 to China, controversial advertisement).  Still, this promises to be a great game that features 19 former and current NBA players.

The key will be how effective and focused the USA comes out on defense.  The Americans will find it much harder to fluster the likes of Jose Calderon, Raul Lopez, and Juan Carlos Navarro, and the Spanish will find that the USA recovers a lot quicker on defense when and if they’re not gambling for steals.   If the US starts reverts to playing the passing lanes, it could spell trouble as the Americans won’t find a better-prepared backcourt in the OIympics.  This one is the one to watch.

Links and Resources: Watch Spain vs. USA Live (NBC OLympics), Group B, day 4: Spain vs USA (Olympic Basketball Message Board), Group B, day 4:China vs Germany (Basketball Forum), Group A, day 4: Iran vs Argentina (Olympic Forum), Group A, day 4: Croatia vs Lithuania (Interbasket), Group A, day 4: Russia vs Australia (International Basketball Forum), Group B, day 4: Greece vs Angola (Interbasket)