Group D, day 4, Lebanon vs. New Zealand

[John.AbouElias]

I will not vote.
I will remain silent.
I will even be at work during most of the game tomorrow.
So... what do YOU think ppl ?

[ultimate_baller24]

I will not vote.
I will remain silent.
I will even be at work during most of the game tomorrow.
So... what do YOU think ppl ?

i'll go with the CEDARS. im more familiar with them ..i think they can pull an upset here. .it will be a close game for sure.

[CKR13]

Lebanon is more than capable of winning this one.

[Goxest]

Lebanon to win this one imo.

Tall black's defense isn't reassuring, I guess Tal Baldwin knows well this team after coaching them 5 years, particularly Kirk Penney who posed Spain some problem

[khaledlebanon]

Gd Luck Lebanon!
Hope we can win this match and qualify to 2nd round!
Go Lebanon

[Picek]

it's interesting how New Zealand who are basicly playing without a real C was able to dominate the rebounds both against Spain and Lithuania..
team rebounding is the key for them..
still, they are being considered as favs (by the bookiers) for this one and I doubt that is really the case here..
and it will be interesting to see how they will react to that kind of situation
like someone already mentioned their defense is not outstanding which should work in Lebanon's favour..
I would pick Lebanon here, from what I saw they have enough weapons to win this game..

[eliooo93]

I think Lebanon should have the upper hand only because Tab Balwin coached them previously.

[donmar]

I go for my adopted country New Zealand... yes, they got Kirk Penney but they also have a highflyer named Thomas Abercrombie.. that kid can fly and his game against Spain is the proof of that..

Of course, like I said before.. only way for Lebanon to win is to shutdown Kirk Penney.. but that shouldn't be a problem... Tab Baldwin knows the weakness of his former team.. heck, the current coach used to be his deputy..

Anyway, Go Tall Blacks!!!

[karim]

NZ didnt have bad games against lithuania and spain where they were within single digits almost the whole game but than again lithuania and spain are not that impressive this tournament and i understand that since like most NTs they are missing key players and lithuania almost lost against canada . I think lebanon is the favorite but i dont know how kirk penney scores 29PPG a game when all the teams know hes the only superstar there so he must be one hell of a player the coach will put elie rustom on him but i dont know if thats enough I think we should double team him its not like they have any other go to guys in my opinion we have 3 and fahd can have a breakout offensive game anytime .

[micho]

I think Lebanon should have the upper hand only because Tab Balwin coached them previously.

lebanon will win today am sure of that .. our big guys are the best .. i think we will have the lead for the whole match and win by 8 to 10 points

[each way]

Kiwis have been respectable against both Lithuania and Spain. As a poster noted above their lack of a quality centre doesn't appear to have affected their ability on the boards.

Kiwis to win and win well

[daniab]

Lebanon wins hopefully and advance to 2nd round !

[Basketcase]

Tab still a Kiwi?

August 31, 2010
Tall Blacks logo

Tall Blacks logo

Scott Preston, Stuff
The down-on-one-knee, fist-resting-on-chin, intense stare down-court is the same as it always has been. The only difference for Tab Baldwin is the colour of his team-issue polo.

Instead of wearing the black and white of New Zealand, he is now wearing the red and white of Asian wildcards Lebanon.

And tomorrow morning (NZ time), Baldwin will be on the opposing bench, trying to guide Lebanon to a win over the Tall Blacks, the team he coached from 2001-06 and took to a fourth place finish at the 2002 World Championship, still New Zealand’s watershed basketball moment.

“I’m going to try not to feel anything,” Baldwin said about facing the Tall Blacks, after Lebanon’s 86-59 loss to France on day two.

“I’m going to try to be professional and put the feelings aside because those feelings probably won’t help me at all.

“I have thought a lot about this game. I have mixed feelings about it, how much I want to win, how much it means to both teams. It’s going to be a critical game for our pool.”

“Absolutely I want to win desperately. But the fact that it’s New Zealand is not related to how much I want to be part of this game and to win this game. Every game I’ve coached, whether it’s against friend or foe, I’ve wanted to win. I’ve wanted that for my team and the organisation I represent.”

“Whatever’s churning inside might be something different but I’ll keep that inside..”

It’s not like Baldwin and the Tall Blacks have been avoiding each other during their time in Izmir.

Following their opening day games, Baldwin and the Tall Blacks coaching team of Nenad Vucinic, Dillon Boucher and Chris Tupu were seated beside each other in the press tribune to watch France upset Spain. And after the Tall Blacks’ loss to Spain, Baldwin and Vucinic were in deep discussion in the hallway outside New Zealand’s locker room. Vucinic and Baldwin have even been sharing information on other teams in Group D.

“Basketball is basketball but life is much more important. Nenad Vucinic, Pero Cameron, Dillon Boucher, Phill Jones, these guys are life-long friends, so the fact that we were sitting together is the most normal thing you could see.

“And also Nenad and I, we decided we can help each other out a little at this tournament, as we always do, so no-one should be surprised by that.”

With New Zealand’s coaches and players so familiar with the offensive and defensive systems Baldwin likes to run, and Baldwin knowing the strengths and weaknesses of most of the Tall Blacks roster, the game could come down to whose inside information is better.

“I think Nenad knows my stuff better than I know his,” said Baldwin, who has coached clubs in Greece, Romania and Turkey in the last three seasons. “But it’s not how much I know or he knows, it’s how much the players know. We’ll scout them and we’ll be prepared.

“It’s probably a slightly bigger advantage that Nenad knows the coach and his system, but it’s about how much the coach can relate to his team about what’s going on. I believe I’m a pretty good coach and I know Nenad is a heck of a coach. It remains to be seen how much impact the coaches will have on the game. The players have to do the job.”

Lebanon and New Zealand last met in a three-team tournament in Canada in 2008, the Tall Blacks winning 84-71, with Craig Bradshaw top-scoring with 18 points. However, it was long before Baldwin took over the head coaching job for the 24th-ranked nation that finished fourth at the 2009 Asia Championship.

Baldwin - who has a strained relationship with some sections of New Zealand basketball through his ownership of the Auckland Stars franchise in the National Basketball League, who were suspended from the league in 2010 - said he would watch the haka and also ask his team to face and respect the pre-game challenge.

“I’ll have my hand on my heart when God Defend New Zealand is played and I won’t forget that I’m a Kiwi but on that day I’m the coach of the Lebanon Cedars and that’s the most important thing.”


GO TALLBLACKS!!!! HOPEFULLY NO UPSET THIS TIME!!!!!

[Perseus]

Lebanon to win this one imo.

Tall black's defense isn't reassuring, I guess Tal Baldwin knows well this team after coaching them 5 years, particularly Kirk Penney who posed Spain some problem

Kazla was China's former coach but this fact didn't helped us.

no prediction for me.

[samer_1_2]

iT WOULD BE a Very tough game today , You can't underrate the kiwis

NZ were able to get along Spain point by point very close all the game and overcome Lithuania all the time.. They are good team
Lebanese Team is also good because they will fight till the end, as it s a breakable match.. who wins will have an advantage to go to the second round.

I vote for Lebanon