Olympic Basketball 'Predictions'
Have you ever noticed that sportswriters rarely make flat-out predictions?
Instead, they tend to make noncommittal, loophole-filled anti-prediction previews that are factually accurate and insightful, yet somewhat frustrating to read.
An example, from Michael Wilbon's column about the newly-named U.S. Olympic basketball team: "If the reciting of names can win a championship, the U.S. team is a lock. . . I've covered too many U.S. losses in international basketball to presume anything, and perhaps I'm letting that history overly influence my wait-and-see attitude about this team. . . We keep sending star-studded but flawed teams into international play, then cursing their effort and heart when they don't come back with gold . . .Okay, this U.S. team doesn't seem to be fatally flawed. . . Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants will have relatively little time to turn a group of superstars into a team . . ."
Anyhow, I suppose the point today is that there is no point, but here's a sample of what readers are saying about Wilbon, the Olympics and Steve Nash:
gwc_67: What kind of column is this? Where is the in-depth analysis we come to expect? Wilbon uses his 750 or 1,000 words to repeat the same thing: we are not a lock to win, we lost in 88, 02, etc. But that's not what I want to read. I want to know what the actual flaws of the team are, why FIBA ball is different from the NBA, and why the current team doesn't stack up against international teams, which teams we need to be worried about, etc.
joeyjoey: I love you Mike, but, yes, this lineup DOES ensure victory.
zap123: First. And quit your whining Wilbon. We'll be swimming in gold soon!
Pearl77: No question, the U.S. team is loaded with individual talent, but as in recent years, the question will be can they play as a team or do we need five basketballs on the court at the same time?
gogmu012: I'm fine with the picks except for Kidd. You see what he did for the Mavs near the end of the season. Only thing I'd change would be to add a few more jump shooters. James' jump shot is streaky at best.
Utahreb: I always thought the Olympics were for amateur athletes. When they bring professionals into the games, it just doesn't seem quite right. But then, nothing about these Olympics has seemed right.
Name an active amateur Olympian (curling doesn't count).
1rap: You've got to be kidding me. Tayshaun Prince and not Rip Hamilton. Jason Kidd and not Steve Nash. What happened to Tim Duncan? This is not a lock even just going by the names. We could have done better.
How could we have forgotten aboot good old Steve Nash? Can you believe they left him oot of the lineup?
csh1: The US doesnt have a chance unless this group can learn to play 'basketball', and not whatever it is they call what they play here. Before the professionals were brought into the game, thats how we won what we did. Maybe Coach K can pull it off but its a tall task...
What do you think?
By Lindsay Applebaum |
June 24, 2008; 11:39 AM ET
| Category:
NBA
,
Olympics
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Posted by: P Diddy | June 24, 2008 11:56 AM
Wait, I'm off-topic again. What I meant to say was that I had no idea basketball was an Olympic sport. Then again, I suppose if snowmobiling is an Olympic sport, then we might as well let basketball in.
Posted by: P Diddy | June 24, 2008 11:58 AM
We all float down here.
Posted by: Pennywise | June 24, 2008 1:12 PM
Lindsay Applebaum is such an inappropriate and unwieldy name.
From now on, your blog name will be: Peach Blossom.
Posted by: Bluto | June 24, 2008 1:39 PM
Who has time to sunbathe in Vegas Diddy?!
Posted by: Redcoat | June 24, 2008 1:43 PM
How were the tables, Diddy? Clearly you can still afford an Internet connection, so it couldn't have been too bad.
Posted by: Lindsay Applebaum AKA Bonita AKA Peach Blossom (?) | June 24, 2008 2:29 PM
I'd be much more comfortable if there was another true center on the team.
Kevin Garnett would have been a welcome addition,too.
Oh well. Dream team part II.
Posted by: Boots with the fur. | June 24, 2008 3:40 PM
I'd really like to see the US win, but I'd rather watch a coach K team get embarrassed...
Posted by: CRitch | June 24, 2008 3:44 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Didn't think it was possible for people of my skin color, but I am massively sunburned from my weekend in Vegas. I now fully empathize with the plight of white people all over the world and will, as a result of my newfound empathy, spend 3 minutes today crusading against ozone recession before I go back to watching "Ellen" and "The Price is Right".