Interbasket

You don’t have to be an international basketball guru to recognize names like Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Manu Ginobili, Pau Gasol, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Luis Scola. And to know that these players are going to play a significant role in their team’s success and most likely leaders in several statistical categories.

If you know names like Joaquim Gomes, Wang Zhizhi, Robertas Javtokas, Brad Newley, Pablo Prigioni, and Carlos Jimenez, congratulations.  That means you’re moderately-knowledgeable about basketball outside of your country.

However, international tournaments always have a handful of little-known players that come in with much less fanfare and reputation, only to use that tournament as a springboard into national and international headlines.

About a week after the Olympics have officially ended, Interbasket will be profiling 10 of these players, over the next couple of week, that made names for themselves during the 2008 Olympics or furthered their reputation with their play.

One of the biggest stories this tournament was the play of the 17-year old Spanish guard Ricky Rubio.  For those of you that have followed international basketball the last couple of years, it’s almost impossible for you not to have heard of this phenom. 

The Rubio Legend Began in 2006
Rubio first became legend when he led Spain’s U16 National Team to the Under-16 Eurocup championship. And what was so amazing about Rubio’s performance during the tournament was that he was so obviously heads and shoulders above the competition. 

In the seven games during the tournament, Rubio registered three triple-doubles, and one quadruple double. And to top it all off, he not only hit a halfcourt, buzzer-beating, three point shot from half-court, to force the first overtime In the 110-106 double overtime finale victory over Russia, but he scored 51 points, tallied 24 rebounds, passed for 12 assists, and had 7 steals for the game. 

After his amazing performace in final game leading Spain to the title, and led the tournament in points, rebounds, assists and steals, Rubio was named MVP.  

As the youngest basketball Olympic medalist, the teenager is so good that he plays a significant role as the backup point guard on the second-best team in the 2008 Olympics.  

Rubio plays behind Toronto Raptors guard Jose Calderon, and ahead of former Utah Jazz guard and current starting point guard for Real Madrid, Raul Lopez.

And Ricky is so good, that Spanish coach Aito Garcia Reneses selected Rubio for the national team over another up-and-coming point guard Sergio Rodriguez, known as Spanish Chocolate on the Portland Trailblazers. Reneses also coachs DKV Joventut, the ACB club that Rubio plays for.

When Coach García Reneses was asked if he had any qualms about having a player so young on the court, he responded, “This 17-year-old kid is actually a very mature player, and I have no problem putting him on the court.”

Though Rubio’s Olympic stats weren’t all that amazing and his field goal percentage was downright horrendous at just 28% - his composure and the skills that he displayed at his age were impressive and certainly mature beyond his years.  It probably helps that Rubio has played professionally for three years, joining DKV Joventut at the age of 14, but that alone doesn’t make Rubio such a great prospect.  I mean, Rubio isn’t lightning quick by any means, he looks pretty weak, he can’t jump and his jumpshot looks like it’s out of the 1950s.  

So then, what makes Rubio so special?  The kid’s basketball IQ is GENIUS, he’s got lightning quick reaction time, quick hands, fantastic hand-eye coordination, patience beyond his years, and did I mention his genius-level basketball IQ?

Even so, none of Rubio’s statistics are overwhelming, but the overall look at his statline gives you an idea of Ricky’s all-around potential - 4.8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.1 steals.

But Rubio’s contributions don’t end at the numbers he accumulates, his legend grew in his first non-junior tournament with his Olympic performances - stealing the ball from his idol Chris Paul (unheard of in the NBA), dealing with defensive pressure from guards nearly twice his age, and many times his experience (Jason Kidd and Sarunas Jasikevicius), and he was key in Spain’s 18-point comeback win against China as he pressured China’s veteran guard Liu Wei, and stole the ball from both Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.

During the Olympics, the young Spaniard never once seemed out of place or out of his league playing the world’s best.  “I was nothing compared to him when I was 17,” said teammate and Spanish superstar Pau Gasol, who was drafted when he was 20. “His maturity and confidence level is extremely high for his age and for what’s he doing.”

Because of Rubio’s slight build, floppy hair, and infectious smile, many early observers have compared him to Pistol Pete Maravich.  And though Ricky definitely has the flair of a Pistol Pete, Rubio is more a pure point guard than he is a scorer.  Lang Whitaker, editor of SLAM magazine, thinks Rubio is more like Magic Johnson than Maravich, “Maravich was a scorer first, while Ricky seems suited to being a distributor first and scorer second.” said Whitaker.

I think he is a combination of Chris Paul and Manu Ginobili.  Rubio has awesome handles, understands spacing, is a master of changing pace, and has a knack of seeing plays before they happen.  And even though he is very talented on offense, what makes Rubio ultra-scary is that he has even a better understanding of defense.  In his first year in the Euroleague, as a 14-year old, Ricky led the league in steals at 3.1 a game in just 18 minutes.

Not a bad start to be compared to Pete Maravich, Magic Johnson, Chris Paul and Manu Ginobili, most players would love to hear those comparisons, but when Ricky Rubio was asked which players he hopes to be compared to, or whom he patterns his game after, the boyish, 17-year old responded: “I’m Ricky Rubio. I play like Ricky Rubio.”

Links and Resources: Ricky Rubio Olympic Profile (Fiba.com), In Young Spaniard, NBA sees next Maravich (New York Times), Spain’s Rubio plays well beyond his years (NBC Olympics), Ricky Rubio Video Mix (YouTube), Other 2008 Olympic Breakout Profiles: Ioannis Bouroussis

The United States Men’s basketball team, dubbed the Redeem Team, captured the Olympic gold medal for basketball yesterday, defeating Spain 118-107 in a tightly-contested and high-scoring game (replay).

The 2008 US National Team has shunned any comparisons to the iconic Dream Team, and ironically, they’re probably the closest thing to the 1992 team in terms of dominating the competition.  Coming into the final game with Spain, the USA had defeated teams by an average of just over 30 points a game.

The win placed the USA back on top of the basketball world, but the game also showed why Spain is considered one of the tournament favorites, and basketball powerhouse, as they played a composed game, withstood the American’s defensive pressure, and fought hard for 40 minutes before finally succumbing by eleven points, which is the lowest victory of margin for the Americans during the Beijing Olympics.

Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown:
First Period: Other than the 17-year old Ricky Rubio starting in place of the injured Jose Calderon, there weren’t any significant changes in the starting lineups.

LeBron James started out the game with a long three pointer for the United States, and was immediately answered by a Pau Gasol’s three point play on Spain’s first play.  The two teams would exchange leads throughout the beginning of the game before Spain took one-point lead after a Carlos Jimenez three pointer to make it 10-9 Spain.

The Spanish were able to maintain a slim lead throughout the next four minutes and would take a 5 point lead after free throw by Juan Carlos Navarro.  The United States would then outscore Spain 21-9 to finish out the first quarter, to take a 38-31 lead.  Dwyane Wade scored eight points during their run and led the United States in scoring with twelve first quarter points.

The second period starts out with five straight points from Kobe Bryant, which pushes the United States’ lead to 13.  Critical time for Spain because with a couple key mistakes, this could be when the United States goes on one of their runs that takes the spirit out of their opponents.

But the Spanish would remain strong with a Marc Gasol basket, a Rudy Fernandez three, and a couple free throws from Ricky Rubio that puts the Spanish within striking distance again.  Spain would close the lead to six twice in the period, but wouldn’t get any closer than that.

USA goes into halftime with an eight-point lead 69-61, thanks to Dwyane Wade’s 21 points and 10 points from Chris Paul.  Spain’s Rudy Fernandez, who will play for Portland in the NBA, came alive with 11 points in the period, including three three-pointers.  Pau Gasol added 9 points.

Third Period: Spain took advantage of four USA turnovers in the first few minutes and uses a 10-6 run, with four points each from Felipe Reyes and Juan Carlos Navaroo, to start the third period.

The run brings the lead down to just four points, 75-71, and prompts the USA to call a timeout.

The two teams would exchange buckets before the US eventually builds the lead to 11 before Juan Carlos Navarro strikes at the buzzer with one of his patented runners to make it a nine-point lead going into the final quarter.  Navarro goes for four field goals and eight points in the quarter and Carmelo Anthony hits six points for the USA.

Fourth period: Spain is down nine, but they use a 7-0 run out of the gate with two straight buckets from Pau Gasol, and a three from Rudy Fernandez to cut the United States’ lead to just two, 91-89 with a little over eight minutes remaining in the game.  This mini-run prompts another US timeout.

Coming out of the timeout, the USA answers Spain’s 7-0 run with one of their own; Kobe hit a tough jumper in the lane, a Deron Williams three, and a Dwight Howard dunk, both off Bryant assists.   The lead is back up to nine, at 98-89.

Rudy Fernandez would break Spain’s drought with another three, but Kobe would answer with a three pointer of his own.  After a LeBron James putback of his own miss, Fernandez runs a pick-and-roll with Pau Gasol.  Dwight Howard switches out on Rudy after the supposedly great-defender Kobe Bryant goes for a steal.  Rudy looks left takes one hard dribble, takes two long steps with Dwight Howard trailing, and puts down a spectacular one-hand dunk with Howard in tow.  And one.

After the free throw, the lead is back down to eight, 103-95.  Pau Gasol would hit for four points on Spain’s next two trips to cut the lead to five, 104-99.

On the following USA possession, Kobe Bryant hits a long-three and is fouled by Rudy Fernandez.  Not only would Bryant convert the free-throw for a rare four point play, Rudy Fernandez would commit his fifth foul on the play, and was disqualified from the game.

And even with the lead back up to nine with just over three minutes left, Spain still had more fight in them.

Spain would score the next five points with a Juan Carlos Navaroo runner and a Carlos Jimenez three cutting the lead back down to four, 108-104.

And again the USA would counter.  Dwyane Wade would hit his fourth and final three-pointer on the next possession to push the lead back up to seven with just over two minutes remaining.

Spain would miss their next three shots and wouldn’t get any closer than six.  With 34 seconds left, Marc Gasol would follow up a miss by his brother to make the score 115-107 and USA bench was already celebrating, knowing that the game was all but over.

The final score, 118-107, was not indicative of how close the game really was as technical fouls against Spain’s bench and Rubio padded the final score.

Respect for the Both Teams
After the game, there was respect for both teams for what they had just accomplished.

“Every possession counted.  You couldn’t take one second off. Much respect for Spain” LeBron James said shaking his head as if the USA had lost the game “Spain was unbelieveable.”

“It has been a very beautiful game to play,” said Spain’s Pau Gasol. “It’s a pity because we came mighty close. We never backed down and played a tough game. I think this final game says a lot about what team we are and how we deserve to be in this position.  We should be very proud of what we have accomplished here.”

“Spain was fabulous. Everything we did, we tried to stop them, we couldn’t stop them completely and it was a great basketball game where everybody involved played at the highest level,” said US Coach Mike Krzyzewski. “It brought out the best in us. We played with great character in one of the great games of international basketball history.”

Gold Medal Game Recap, Facts, & Stats
The USA used great shooting from the three-point line. hitting a US Olympic record 13 threes at a 46% clip (13-28 including four threes from Dwyane Wade, who led the US in scoring with 27 points and 4 steals.  Kobe Bryant added 20 points, 6 assists and played a significant role in withstanding Spain’s comeback in the fourth quarter.

Lebron James scored 14 and grabbed 6 rebounds.  Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul each scored 13 points.  Paul added a team-high 5 assists.

Rudy Fernandez led Spain in scoring with 22 points, Pau Gasol put up 21 points and 6 rebounds.  Juan Carlos Navarro added 18 points and 4 assist.  Carlos Jimenez chipped in with 13 points.

Pau Gasol’s brother Marc, who will join Fernandez as an NBA rookie next year, scored 11 points and pulled down 5 rebounds.

Ricky Rubio totaled 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in helping to fill the point guard void left by the injured Jose Calderon.  With his silver medal, Rubio became the youngest basketball player ever to win a gold medal, beating out the legendary USSR center, Vladimir Tatchenko, who won a bronze in the 1976 Olympics.

USA Basketball has put together a 96% winning percentage, with a 122-5 record, and have now medaled in every Olympic basketball competition they have particiapted in. Including these Olympics, the USA has 13 gold medals, one silver (1972) and two bronzes (1988, 2004).

Links and Resources: Americans overcome battling Spain to win gold medal (FIBA), USA Men Fight Off Spain To Claim 118-107 Win And Olympic Gold Medal (USA Basketball), USA vs. Spain Replay (Interbasket), 2008 Olympic Men’s Basketball Tournament Results (USA Basketball), USA-Spain Play by Play and Boxscore (NBC Olympics), Images in this article are courtesy of Gettys Images.

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)

With a few days left before Olympic basketball begins, Interbasket is previewing the twelve national teams participating in the tournament.  We reviewed the six teams in Group A on Tuesday, and we’ll be reviewing Group B today. (Click here for Olympic Basketball Group A Preview).

With the United States, Spain and Greece all in Group B, the group is obviously the tougher group of the two. Unlike Group A where five teams have a chance for four spots with Iran a 100-1 chance to win a game, Group B will likely have one spot for either Angola, China, or Germany assuming that the heavyweights take the top-three spots.

United States Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 1 (832.2)
Qualified: 2007 Fiba Americas Tournament (Gold)
Roster: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams
Facts: If the USA wins the gold, Jason Kidd will join Larry Bird as the two oldest basketball Olympic gold-medalists (Larry was an older 35, beating Kidd by a few months).
Note: This may be the first real group of US players that are coming in with a real sense of urgency and respect (basketball-wise) for their opponents.  “For too long, we’ve been saying it’s our game,” said USA coach Mike Krzyzewski. “It’s really the world’s game. You can’t be arrogant and win.”

I’ve followed their U.S. coverage and their play and teamwork seems as cohesive as I have seen a US team with a couple exceptions. Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade have proven they haven’t completely bought into the team concept when they step on the court as they’ve broke the offense many times to go one on one with only mixed results.  Wade has converted on his individual forays, while Kobe has not.

This type of play will hurt the US especially against more disciplined teams such as Greece, Spain and Argentina, but if they make the shots that will add to the US’s intimidation factor.  And though the intmidation factor is not nearly as it was in the previous years, the USA still can seem imposing.

“(The USA) can intimidate a lot of people,” said Australia’s Chris Anstey.

The key for the USA and their intimidation is their defensive ball pressure and offensive flow.  One feeds into the other, and if the US runs into a defensive team with capable guards (see Greece, Spain, Argentina and Croatia), it can cause major problems for the United States.

Every time Jason Kidd has put on a USA jersey, he has been an important player for the United States, but his needed impact is less necessary this time around with the growth and skills of the spectacular Chris Paul and powerful Deron Williams.

Outside of needing work on his help defense, Carmelo Anthony continues to be the most-adapted international player on team USA, Instead of being the explosive scorer he is in the NBA, Anthony is quietly getting 15 a game by letting the game come to him.

LeBron James is adapting, though he’s been tempted to shooting fadeaway jumpshots as he does in the NBA, his amazing shooting percentages in the FIBA tournament of the America and the recent pre-tourney games shows he is picking and choosing his spots.  (He averaged 18 ppg in the TOA on 76% from the field and 63% from three).

The play of the big guys, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh, will be particularly important against the more competitive teams.  Howard is at that stage of his career where consistency is still an issue.  Some days he looks like a thinner, more athletic Shaquille O’Neal and other days he seems content, almost biding his time, watching LeBron, Carmelo, and Wade get their shots.  I think the US is definitely one of the favorites, it’s how this team will respond to being challenged will be the true test; will they come together or will they be tempted to play one-on-one?  USA’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. China (22:15 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), US survives toughest test, beat Asutralia by 11 (Associate Press)

Spain Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 3 (580)
Qualified: 2006 World Championships (Gold)
Roster: José Calderón, Rudy Fernández, Jorge Garbajosa, Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Carlos Jiménez, Raúl López, Álex Mumbrú, Juan Carlos Navarro, Felipe Reyes, Berni Rodríguez, Ricky Rubio
Facts: A tribute to how strong this Spanish team is, they won the 2006 World Championships without leading scorer Pau Gasol, whom was injured the game before.  Espana’s medalcount stands at 97 total medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, placing them 34th overall in the world, behind Greece.

Note: The Spaniards are a disciplined, emotional, talented, and they don’t just want to beat you, they want to embarrass you.

The Spanish National Team hasn’t changed much in the last two years and they’re bringing almost the same squad as they had in the 2006 World Championships (where they won first), and the 2007 Eurobasket (where they took 2nd).

Speaking to the talent of the Spanish team, they boast seven players that have played, currently play, or will play in the NBA, the most in the Olympics outside of the USA.

Spain brings back 10 of the 12 players from those two tournaments, only swapping out point guards Carlos Cabezas and Sergio Rodríguez with point guards Raul Lopez and Ricky Rubio, arguably the best 17-year old basketball player.  With only minor changes to the team, and without significant losses to their core, Spain’s chemistry and gameplan will be amongst the strongest, if not the strongest, in the field.

With that said, Group B has the best guard play in the tournament, and Spain boasts a really strong backcourt in fiery Jose Calderon, La Bomba Juan Carlos Navarro, solid Raul Lopez and teen phenom Ricky Rubio.  Look for Calderon to be all over the floor this tournament, whether because of opponents or self-inflicted.  Also look for opposing fans to hate him.

Their frontcourt is nothing to sleep on either with their cog Pau Gasol and brother Marc are intense on the inside.  Swingman Rudy Fernandez is a better-Carlos Delfino - much better.   Carlos Jiménez is one of those players that is more than willing to sacrifice any individual accolades so that his team succeeds, that’s a nice way of saying he’ll do the real dirty work.

Spain has been looking great in preliminaries blowing out contenders in Argentina and Lithuania.  I know that using friendlies as a gauge is flawed, but I think it does help to determine a team’s preparedness, especially when playing against other senior national A teams.

Pau Gasol is weary about the competition, but it doesn’t phase his confidence “There are several big teams in the competition, such as Argentina or Greece — and especially the United States is very strong this year,” the Spanish superstar said “Once we are in the quarter-finals we will begin to make plans. We must demonstrate to everyone why we came here as the favorites.“ 

Their first step towards those quarterfinals is a huge one, they’ll play Greece in their first 2008 Olympic match.  That’s going to be one intense game, people.  Spain’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. Greece (14:30 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), Kobe can Wait, says Spain’s Gasol (AFP), What about Carlos Jimenez? (Interbasket)

Greece Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 6 (429)
Qualified: 2008 World Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Roster: Yiannis Bourousis, Dimitris Diamantidis, Antonis Fotsis, Andreas Glyniadakis, Theodoros Papaloukas, Michalis Pelekanos, Giorgos Printezis, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Vasileios Spanoulis, Kostas Tsartsaris, Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Nikos Zisis
Facts: Throughout its history, Greece has totaled 104 total medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, placing them 33rd overall in the world (behind New Zealand and ahead of Spain).

Note: Not far behind USA and Spain, is Team Hellas.  Aggressive on offense and defense, the Greeks have an all-world defense led by their starting backcourt of Theodoros Papaloukas and Dimitris Diamantidis.

The Greeks came off a unbeaten record in the World Qualifying Tourney (4-0) defeating their opponents by a decisive 32 points a game, including a complete 57-point drubbing of Lebanon.  Yowza.

Along with the United States and Spain, Greece’s backcourt is amongst the strongest in the tournament with all-European player Theodoros Papaloukas, defensive genius Dmitrios Diamanditis, the fearless Vasillis Spanoulis, and solid Nikos Zisis.

Theodoros Papaloukas is a pure point guard that stands 6-7, and is arguably been Europe’s most successful player in recent history, as well as being the Euroleague’s all-time leading assist man and thief.  Diamantidis is the Joe Dumars of the Euroleague, quiet, smart and known for his defensive prowess, the Octopus Man has being named as 2007 Euroleague Final MVP,  2005, 2006 and 2007 Euroleague Best Defender, 2006-07 All-Euroleague First Team.  Spanoulis provides an aggressive player that can get to the basket and Zisis a consistent perimeter threat in both running the offense and shooting the three.

Zisis is coming off a shoulder injury from the World Qualifiers, but should be ready in time for Greece’s first game matchup against Spain.

On the frontline is the 6-10 Antonis Fotsis, a skilled athelete with a knack for rebounding the ball can also step back and shoot the three.  6-9 Sofoklis Schortsanitis who was a force in the 2006 World Championships, but since has had trouble controlling his weight and 6-11 center Yiannis Bourousis.  Bourousis will fill the space of the national team center mainstay Lazaros Papadopoulos, whom wasn’t included on the Olympic roster.

Greece has been running on all cylinders as of late, that’s not good news for Group B, or the rest of the world for that matter.  Their first test is going to be a good one, they’ll be playing recent nemesis Spain.  Expect some sparks to fly.  Greece’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. Spain (14:30 local time)

Links and Resources: Zisis to undergo intensive treatment (FIBA), Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia),

Germany Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 9 (284, tie)
Qualified: 2008 World Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Roster:  Patrick Femerling, Robert Garrett, Demond Greene, Steffen Hammann, Jan Jagla, Chris Kaman, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Ohlbrecht, Pascal Roller, Sven Schultze, Konrad Wysocki, Philip Zwiener
Facts: Dirk Nowitzki will join Sarunas Jasikevicius, Manu Ginobili, and Andrei Kirilenko as the flag-bearer for Germany, which apparently is odd because only German Gold Medal winners who took part in several olympic games were considered. Germany’s total medalcount is at 648 for both Winter and Summer Olympics, putting them 5th in the world.

Note: This is Dirk Nowitzki’s first Olympics and the pressure is on. Because Deustchland is still all about Dirk Nowitzki, the burden for him to perform is at its highest since he led Dallas to the NBA Finals two years ago.

Recognizing the reliance on Germany’s best hooper, Team Germany has continue to fine-tune and tightened up Dirk’s supporting cast.

They’ve added naturalized American 7-0 center Chris Kaman whom will take a huge load off of Nowitzki by holding down the interior and pulling in his share of rebounds - Kaman averaged 8.6 rebounds and added 12.6 points to boot in the FiBA World Qualifying Tournament.

Germany has also tweaked the players outside the paint with solid preimeter players and outside shooters in Pascal Roller, Steffen Hamman, Demond Greene, and Robert Garrett.

Robert Garrett is 6-4, but Roller stands only 5-11, and Hamman and Greene at 6-1.  With significant players lacking in height, Germany will really miss their warrior in the paint, 6-9 Ademola Olulaja, whom pulled out of the Olympics after reportedly being diagnosed with a tumor in his spine.  With Okulaja out, the 33-year old, 7-1 center Patrick Femerling and 6-8 Konrad Wysocki will be called upon to contribute in the German frontcourt.  With all that said, this team’s fortunes begin and end with Dirk Nowitzki, and the 7-0 German has always delivered in international tournaments. Germany’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. Angola (11:15 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), Nowitzki will be flag-bearer for Germany (Spiegel.de), Concerns raised over Okulaja’s health (FIBA)

China Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 11 (252.7)
Qualified: Host
Roster: Yao Ming, Liu Wei, Yi Jianlian, Chen Jianghua, Weipeng Zheng, Chen Jianghu, Sun Yue, Wang Zhizhi
Facts: China has 319 total medals in both Winter and Summer Olympics, ranking them 15th in the world. Among the 433 torch bearers in the final Olympic torch relay from the Forbidden City to Beijing, Yao Ming was the ninth bearer.  Yao will also be the China’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremonies, this is the second consecutive Olympics that Yao has the honor of bearing the flag, he also did so in Athens 2004.  Including 2008, Chinese Basketball players have beared the flag for China in the opening ceremonies in seven straight Olympics Wang Libin (1984), Song Tao (1988), Song Li (1992),  Liu Yudong (1996 and 2000), and Yao Ming (2004 and 2008).

Note: Host team China has the pressure to do well on their homecourt.  Despite the obvious lofty expectations, Team China’s goal is progress, and that is to make it into the quarterfinals.  With USA, Spain and Greece all in China’s group, that would be a great accomplishment for the host team.

Chinese superstar Yao Ming is coming off another leg injury and whether his timing and stamina will be up is a concern for China.  “I went several months without playing and it’s hard.” Yao said.

Even if Yao doesn’t score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds in a game, the 7-6 center’s presence is invaluable to Team China on both ends of the court.  Teams have to be concerned that the Chinese giant is more than capable of getting 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Like the Aussies, the strength of the Chinese team is their frontcourt.  With the new walking great wall, veterans Ming, Wang Zhizhi, and newcomer Yi Jianlian (taking place of Mengke Bateer) standing at the frontline, they will certainly be imposing.  A couple issues with the big men is that they are all turnover prone, how well they will move their feet and how quickly they can get to rebounds, as none of the three are lightning quick or are naturally strong rebounders.

China has never had a problem filling their frontline with talented big men, but the question has always been whether China will have the capacity in the backcourt to finish off competitive games.

Liu Wei is an experienced international player and should do a decent job running the point as he played 10 years with Yao Ming and this will be his third Olympics.  Liu’s backup is Chen Jianghu, whom participated in the 2007 Nike Hoops Summit as part of the World All-Star team, is new to the National team and tends to play sporadically.

Even with all the questions about China’s National Team, Li Yuanwei, deputy director of the Chinese Basketball Association thinks this National team is the best team China has ever fielded: “I think the Chinese teams at the Beijing Games are the best.” We’ll have to wait and see.  China’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. USA (22:15 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), China has best basketball teams in history, top official (Xinhua), Olympic Torch Relay begins final leg to Beijing (China Daily)

Angola Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 14 (206)
Qualified: 2007 African Championships (1st)
Roster: Carlos Almeida, Felizardo Ambrosio, Milton Barros, Abdel Aziz Boukar, Olimpio Cipriano, Armando Costa, Luis Costa, Vladimir Geronimo, Joaquim Gomes, Paulo Leonel, Eduardo Mingas, Carlos Morais.
Facts: This will be Angola’s fifth-straight Olympic Games as the sole representative from Africa.

Notes: Angola is the perennial African champions, and have won the last nine of ten African Championships, dating back to 1989.  Despite the continental success, Angola has never placed higher than 10th in either the Olympics or the World Championships.  The southwestern African nation is looking for a lot more progress this time around.

Angola is assuming that powerhouse USA, Spain and Greece will advance to the quarterfinals so, they’ve marked the calendars for their games against Germany and China.  “Spain are world champions, and Greece and the U.S. are just very, very tough.” said Carlos Almeida, Angola’s veteran shooting guard. “China and Germany are tough teams but we will try to steal those games.  We know we have the ability to beat them.”

Defeating Dirk Nowitzki and Yao Ming’s teams would basically guarantee Angola a spot in the next round.

Angola comes back with a similar gameplan as in past tournaments - small ball.  Always seemingly bringing a roster that is lacking a legitimate big man, Angola plays small ball with their tallest players only standing at 6-8; leading scorer and rebounder Joaquim Gomes.  Abdel Aziz Boukar is also 6-8 and Felizardo Ambrosio is 6-7.

What the Angolans lack in height, they make up for in speed, energy, and athleticism, quite possibly matching the USA in overall athelticism.  Team Angola has will be led by the three-headed forward combination of Joaquim Gomes, Eduardo Mingas, and Olimpio Cipriano.

This threesome has consistently been Angola’s leading scorers over the last several tournaments, and we would assume that this will remain the case.  The 29 year-old Mingas and 27-year old Gomes have played together since the 2002 World Championships, with Cirpriano joining the tandem in the 2004 Athens Olympics.  Angola’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. Germany (11:15 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), Angola aims to give China the elbow (Guardian.co.uk)

It wasn’t that long ago when Peja Stojakovic was the king of international NBA players - it only seems like it’s been a long time.

After a couple subpar playoff series in Sacramento, where he spent seven seasons, Peja was traded away midseason for Ron Artest in 2005-06.

Stojakovic ended up playing out that season in Indiana (40 games).  With Stojakovic an unrestricted free-agent, he left Indiana and signed with New Orleans at the beginning of the 2006-07 season.  His first season was a frustrating year, as a myriad of injuries kept him out of all but 13 games the entire season.

The 2007-08 season has seen he 30-year old sharpshooter climb back into the radar.  The 6-9 Serbian small forward played in 77 games and averaged 16.4 points per game, good for third on the team Although it is his lowest point total since his first two years in the league, Peja found himself playing an important role on an up-and-coming team. “Peja’s shooting opens up the court for the rest of us.” said point guard virtuoso and MVP candidate Chris Paul.

And vice-versa.  With the threat of another Chris Paul-Tyson Chandler alley-oop and David West attacking the basket, Peja slipped around the arc, catching pinpoint passes from Paul for open-jumpers. Peja not being the first or second option gave him extra breathing room for his smooth jumpshot this year and led to his most-accurate  three-point percentage of his 10-year career (44.1%).

And New Orleans loves Stojakovic, so much that they came up with an very odd way to show their appreciation and affection for the Serbian star: dubbed “Peja on a Stick.”  After Peja hits a three or scores, a huge cutout of Peja’s head on a stick marches through New Orleans Arena.

Peja is making his imprint against the defending champions San Antonio Spurs.  In the first two games, both wins, Peja has benefited from the focus on Chris Paul and has blistered the Spurs for 23.5 points per game, shooting 63.7% from three (7-11) and 60.7% overall (17/28).  “I’m just trying to be aggressive, trying not to force anything,” Stojakovic said.

“Unbelievable.  (Peja’s) filling it up right now,” teammate Morris Peterson said. “He’s probably the best shooter I’ve ever played with.”

This year has also seen Stojakovic showing some new twists in his game.  Back with his time with the Kings, Peja shot threes, ran through picks, backcut, and ran the break for his points.  During this year’s playoffs, it wasn’t uncommon to see Peja post up smaller-guards, backing them down to the rim or shooting turnaround jumpers.

In New Orlean’s seven playoff games thus far, in which they are a surprising 6-1, Stojakovic is shooting an amazing 61.5% from three-point range, hitting 24 for 39 long range bombs.

So are we witnessing the resurgence of Peja Stojakovic, NBA all-star?  Stojakovic knowingly answers like a veteran that understands the ups-and-downs, and the defensive adjustments of the NBA playoffs; “You never know. Some nights you make them and some nights you don’t. I’m just trying to stay focused.” 

Sources: Stojakovic Sizzles Again (2theAdvocate), Peja on a Stick Discussion (Hornet’s Hype Forums),  Peja Stojakovic Head Image for Stojakovic on a stick (Nba.com)