Lithuania Tests US, Americans Survive 99-94

Deron Williams fires a three against Lithuania
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Critics were saying that it would take a perfect storm to knock off the US Men's team and for three and a half quarters it looked like that storm was brewing. Lithuania shot 58% from the field and the US could not get the offense going from the three point line and the free throw line. Lithuania has always given the US fits and Saturday was no exception. Linas Kleiza lead all scorers with 25 and Martynas Pocius added 14 as the US had fits defending the Lithuanian pick and roll offense.

The Americans were coming off an Olympic record performance, scoring 156 against Olympic neophyte Nigeria but would find a stronger challenge against the Lithuanians. At no point were they out of the game staying within single digits for the vast majority of the game, their largest deficit being 12 points in the third. However, it seemed that whenever the US would make a run, Lithuania would answer right back. As an upset minded crowd chanted "Lietuva" in support of the under dogs, Paulius Jankunas made a driving lay up to take the final lead Lithuania would experience. Chris Paul would respond on the next posession with a three pointer and LeBron James would put the offense on his back in the last few minutes as part of a 17-6 run that provided the separation the US needed to win. There wasn't a feel of a secured victory until the final minute when LeBron made his last basket to provide a 9 point lead. LeBron has been focused on getting team mates involved, being a pass first leader on the team but it was apparent that his scoring ability is unrivaled as he rattled off 9 points in the final 4 minutes to secure the victory for the Americans.

The US was able to get Lithuania into foul trouble through much of the game but were uncharacteristically unable to capitalize from the line. The US shot a paltry 61% from the foul line missing 12 shots that could have put the game on ice. USA also struggled from the three point line. Before Chris Paul connected on his momentum swinging 3, the US was 2 of their previous 18. As Lithuania packed the lane, making penetration difficult, the United States became stagnant in their offense only having 13 assists in the game, far below the 32 per game average they've had through out the tournament.

Carmelo Anthony matched LeBron's 20 with 20 points of his own, continuing to show himself as a force to be reckoned with in the international game. Against Lithuania he was able to work in the post where he has been close to unstoppable and was a formidable scoring option off the bench. Also coming off the bench is Russell Westbrook who provides defensive pressure and is a lightning rod for opposing defenses. Coach K capitalized on his speed and defensive prowess  It seems like when the US needs a big shot, it comes to either Anthony or Kevin Durant.

Overall, this game was a good wake up call for the US after lambasting Nigeria by 83. Coach K will no doubt use this game as a learning experience for the team of all stars. On his twitter feed after the game Kevin Love stated that he "Needed a game like that. On to the next one." That next one is against Argentina, which has been a bit of an enigma in this tournament. No doubt though, the third ranked team in the world will give the American's a tough game as both squads prepare for the cross over rounds.

USA rewrites record books, dominate Nigeria 156-73

Anthony puts in 3 of his game high 37 against Nigeria
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Kobe Bryant summed up Nigeria's night in one simple statement. "When we get hot, it's a big problem." Nigeria definitely had a big problem as the USA team shot out of the gate and before Nigeria realized what happened it was 13-0, an opening barrage that set the tone and one that Nigeria would not bounce back from. The 13-0 run to open the game featured three shots from deep coming from Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. Kobe, who had been fairly quiet in this Olympiad come out firing on all cylinders scoring 14 of his 16 in the first quarter, those points punctuated by a steal and reverse slam on the break. One reason Team USA was able to connect on the record setting 29 makes from behind the line could have a lot to do with their ability to penetrate the Nigerian defense. In previous affairs, the US team has settled for deep looks at the basket without getting into a good flow on offense. However, against Nigeria they were able to penetrate for high percentage looks at the rim or kick out to a waiting sniper when the defense collapsed.

The US team had been hindered by slow starts in both of their previous Olympic match ups, and they seemed to be making a concerted effort to not make that three in a row. In both of those games the United States were 0-12 from deep but flipped the script against Nigeria converting on 11 of 14 from behind the three point line in the first quarter alone. Typically in the Olympics so far, coach K has had to resort to his second unit of "shock troops" in Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook to turn up the heat on opposing teams to turn the momentum towards the US team. Things were different against Nigeria as the game was already in hand against Nigeria when they made their way into the game for the first time. The tempo though did not slow down as the US would score 49 points in the first quarter. They would not need to score again in the first half to still maintain a lead against an over matched Nigerian team.

When all was said and down the final score showed the US more than doubling up the Nigerians and seemed to put the rest of the teams competing in pool A on notice. Every member of the US national team scored and Carmelo Anthony lead all scorer with 37 including a staggering 10-12 from deep in only 14 minutes of play. Anthony has been on an absolute tear in international play, showing his mid range game and outside shooting to be a perfect compliment to Durant's outside game and LeBron's ability to get to the hoop. Of the 59 baskets the Americans made, they had 41 assists which is a stellar ratio but is even more staggering when it's looked at as an assist to turn over ration. Only turning the ball over 7 times, it gave the US a ratio of nearly 6:1 which shows how well they take care of the ball while sharing it with one another.

Conversely, the Nigerians turned the ball over 24 times which while the US defense has been a force in this Olympiad, it's just not going to cut it when you're trying to face the team of all stars. Ike Diagu lead the Nigerian team with 27 of his own but only one of his team mates would tally more than 10 points in Chamberlain Oguchi who scored 11 in 20 minutes on the floor. The Nigerian team are making their first appearance in the Olympics as a basketball team and tallied their first win against African champion Tunisia but since have fallen to Lithuania and now the United States. After facing the US, the Nigerians only get a little bit of a reprieve as they must face Argentina next who are ranked #3 in the world. The US must face Lithuania who defeated the same Nigerian team by 19 points.

When asked about what the scoring record meant to the team, veteran Bryant stated "It’s a part of history. We understand that there have been a lot of great teams that have come through here and I think it was just kind of an acknowledgment to each other that it was a job well done in terms of being a part of it."

USA Leaves No Doubt Against Dominicans 113-59

LeBron James looks to get his team mates in the act against Dominican Republic
Brian Jones/Las Vegas News Bureau

With all the news stories about a fantasy match up between the Dream Team and the 2012 US team, it was almost lost that Team USA played a real game against a live opponent Thursday. The US national team opened up against the Dominican Republic in their first of five exhibitions before the Olympics begin. Kevin Durant lead all scorers with 24 and Andre Iguodala added 18 as the Americans ran up and down the floor putting on a show against the Dominicans. The US trailed only once at 4-2 and never looked back. The game was well in hand in the 3rd quarter and their lead swelled to as much as 54 points as the Americans stifling defense forced 25 turnovers and used that defensive pressure to pull away. With the win, the US national team improved to 50-1 under head coach Krzyzewsi. Their only loss in that time came against a Greece team which they later defeated in the medal round.

The starters, including Kobe Bryant and LeBron James saw limited action in the win as they allowed the reserves carry much of the weight. One reserve they didn't have for the game, was Blake Griffin. Griffin flew back from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and discovered that he has a torn meniscus. Griffin is going to miss the Olympics but plans to be back for the next NBA season. As the starters sat back and watched, Kevin Durant put on a scoring clinic, scoring 21 points in the first half and connected on his first 4 three point shots.In the FIBA game, the 3 point line is closer than in the NBA so to all the NBA players around the world, a 3 point jumper is little more than a mid range jumper. The rest of the national team followed suit as the US went 13 for 33 from down town.

One of those 3 pointers came from an unexpected source. Anthony Davis, rookie center for New Orleans was called up to replace the injured Griffin hit a three pointer near the end of the game, after Davis made the shot and got fouled he got up and taunted Dominican coach and his former coach John Calipari. It was a light hearted exchange that punctuated a dominant performance from the Americans. The US showed how dangerous their whole roster can be as they had 27 assists on 42 baskets and shot a torrid 56% from the field. On the other side of the ball, the defense kept the Dominicans to 31% from the field. Facing the US national team and all of it's NBA superstars will be a challenge for any team but especially so when the finest NBA product on your roster goes 1-12 from the field and only tallies 7 points. That stat line belongs to Al Horford, currently a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

The US is the top ranked team in the world and are set for the Olympics. The next team the face will be Brazil which boasts a little more NBA level talent. Many people are saying that the Brazilians could be a sleeper and make some serious noise this year in pool play, so they aren't a team that USA can just show up and expect to beat. Coach K's style as coach would not indicate that Team USA would take any game for granted but it's definitely too early to start reading press clippings, even after a 54 point rout.

The only particular weakness that the US showed was a slow start in the first quarter. They simply won't be able to do that against teams like Spain and Argentina. If they do, they could find themselves in a fight they don't want to be in. Even though they started slow, USA used their speedy pace of fast break basketball to force opponents into mistakes and eventually pull away, a strategy that could pay them dividends in pool play. Team USA is going to have to wait for a better opponent to show what they are really made of but experience is definitely on their side. The squad boasts 5 returning players from the 2008 Beijing games and 5 more from the World Championship winning team from 2010.

How the lockout affects the NBA fan: An editorial

Shaq is a lot taller than Earl Boykins and I miss him already.

This isn't so much as how it affects every NBA fan, but maybe more so how it affects me. I'm a fairly young man and so when I started watching the NBA, certain things and players became commonplace. It's interesting to me to see an era of basketball slowly closing. For me, it started with the retiring of Shaquille O'Neal.

For as long as I can remember, "The Diesel," "Shaq Fu," "The Big Aristotle," "Superman," or whatever you want to call him has been moving up and down the floor, being one of the most dominant big men in the history of the game. He was certainly the most dominant of his era. It struck me as he clowned his way through his retirement ceremony that a lot of my sports icons were sure to be following in his path.

It made me a little sad realizing that iconic players who have been capturing my imagination like Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan are getting older and won't be playing much longer. It truly is as I mentioned before the end of an era. These athletes will go down into the annals of time and many of them will be discussed as some of the greatest to ever do what they do, and even though they've battled the odds, each other and even gravity they can't battle time, at least not forever.

That's why to me and fans like me, this lock out is turning into one of the largest injustices to sports fans that I can remember in quite some time. As I write this, owners and players still have not met on an agreement which means, according to Commissioner David Stern; games are going to be cancelled. With the entire season in jeopardy it makes it a possibility that the fans won't get to see these tremendous athletes play at all this year, a year that could push many players past their abilities and won't be the players we remembered them being the last time they picked up a basketball.

The effects of this are far reaching, especially with current champion the Dallas Mavericks. Jason Kidd was the heart, soul and behind Dirk Nowitzki the leader of the team. Well, if the season starts the way it's supposed to the Mavericks come back looking to repeat with largely the same squad with which they won the title. After another year though? A year without game speed competition, but most importantly another year. Do I personally think that Kidd can come back and play like he did in the playoffs after missing an entire year of basketball? Not really, but I've been wrong before. I was wrong about the Dallas team that won it all.

So maybe I'm wrong about this. Maybe a year off, a year of rest letting Garnett and Duncan rest their knees could help them in the long run to extend their already sparkling careers. It could be just what the doctor ordered to keep these players in the league. Yet, the inverse is also possible. Maybe apathy sets in and they get out of shape. We certainly see it with Baron Davis every year. These players return as a shell of their former selves and realize that they have to hang it up sooner than they thought. This is all pure speculation of course. There are few athletes with the competitive drive that Kevin Garnett displays, but you have to wonder as he approaches the twilight of his career if his window is closing.

I don't know. Maybe a new era in the NBA would be a good thing. Once the old guard is retired, young promising stars like Kevin Love, John Wall, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Brandon Jennings will get their day in the sun. Maybe it's for the best. All I know is I want basketball.

Is this the end of the Lakers' dynasty run?

The Lakers are in disarray whether or not Kobe wants to admit it. As the final seconds ticked off the clock and Ron Artest was taking an early shower, what remained of a packed house showed their disapproval for the efforts on court. Scattered boos and cat calls could be heard through out the arena. They better get it out of their system now because if this series continues the way it's been going, the lights in the Staples Center are going to stay off until next season.

The series has been an enigma. Statistically, the Lakers have been the better team. Winning the rebound battle, more blocks, more steals, more points in the paint, fewer turnovers, equal field goal percentage. So why are the defending champs down 0-2 to a perenial playoff burnout?

Wednesday night, it's easy to point to if you're looking at the stats. 3's and free throws. The Lakers shot 10% on their 3 point shots and they wouldn't even have had that if it weren't for two meaningless threes late in the game, with the outcome decided. What is absolutely baffling to me is a professional basketball team shooting 55% from the free throw line. Yet, it was all L.A. could muster.

Take a look beyond the box score, though and you'll see what's becoming obvious. The Lakers don't trust each other. Andrew Bynum said so himself, "All 13 of our guys have trust issues right now. I think it's quite obvious to anyone watching the game -- hesitation on passes, and defensively we're not being a good teammate because he wasn't there for you before -- little things." Well, it's the little things that win championships.

Andrew Bynum, again was a perfect example of not trusting his team mates. As J.J. Berea torched the Lakers guards, the smallest guy on the floor was getting uncontested floaters in the lane. Why? Kobe answered this question, "...He gets frustrated when he supports a guard coming off the screen-and-roll and nobody supports him." It's coming down to a pick your poison scenario. When Berea or Kidd come off the screen, Bynum has to decide if he's going to try and stop the ball or stop the pass. Stop the ball and there's an uncontested dunk, by Dallas' big men. Defend the pass and Berea and Kidd are going right to the hoop with no yellow shirts to stop them.

So, back to the question at hand. Is this the end of the Laker's Dynasty run? I don't think so. The pieces are all still there. One of the most dynamic players of all time, a strong front court and in my opinion, one of the finest 6th men in the game in Lamar Odom. However, the one piece that the Lakers will be missing next season could be the biggest. Phil Jackson. Jackson is retiring after this season and without him at the helm, there is no telling which way the ship will turn.

Do I think the Lakers will win the title this season? In my opinion, no. But we're going to find out what they're made of tonight in Dallas playing without their best defender Ron Artest. If L.A. wins tonight, watch out because we may still have a series but if Dallas closes the door on them tonight, we will see a new champion this year.

Kobe Slams Hornets, Lakers Lead 3-2

Kobe Bryant slams it home over Emeka Okafor
(Photo Credit to Harry How/Getty Images)

The Lakers weathered the storm early, surviving a first quarter that saw New Orleans go 13 for 16 from the field and Chris Paul dishing out 8 assists. New Orleans looked to be in control of the game, leading by 9 points after the first quarter, but the second quarter was Kobe time.

Bryant went off for 12 of his team high 19 points in the second quarter, including a thunderous dunk over Emeka Okafor, which seemed to answer any questions about the superstar's health. The Lakers lead by 3 at the break and never looked back, outscoring the Hornets 52-39 in the second half in which the visitors only managed 36% from the field.

Los Angeles withstood New Orleans' torrid shooting in the first half by amassing  22 second chance points to the Hornets 2 and also dominated the paint 42-30 against the undersized New Orleans front line. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum came up huge for the hometown squad combining for 34 points and 18 boards, 7 of them on the offensive end.

The Lakers had 6 players in double figures, lead by Bryant's 19. Bynum added 18 and Gasol, 16 as the Lakers made a concerted effort to establish a low post game against a New Orleans team who is desperately missing David West, lost late in the regular season to a torn ACL.

The Hornets had 3 players in double figures, with former Laker Trevor Ariza pouring in 22 points, shooting 5 of 8 from three. Chris Paul continued his exceptional series, with 12 assists and 20 points in a losing effort. The Hornets need to regroup and find a way to contain Los Angeles' inside game if they hope to push the series to 7 games.

Not many expected New Orleans to put up such a fight after losing All Star caliber David West, but they managed to take one in the Staples Center to open the series and with one more win, can cause a one game playoff with the defending champions. Game 6 is back in New Orleans as the Hornets try to avoid elimination. If tonight was any indicator, it could be a long summer for Hornets' fans.

Previewing L.A. Lakers Vs. N.O. Hornets

The Lakers and Hornets get back to work tonight at the Staples Center for game 5 of their series. The Lakers looked to take a stranglehold on the series in New Orleans two nights ago, but ran into a buzz saw as Chris Paul went off for a triple double, compiling 27 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists; carrying the Hornets to a game 4 victory to even the series at 2 a piece.

Sunday night brought a nip and tuck affair with neither team stretching their lead to double digits at any point during the game. Both teams shot respectably well from the field despite both squads being cold from three point land.

Points of interest tonight include whether or not CP3 can don the superman cape once more and put this team on his back, Kobe's ankle, and Trevor Ariza's D on Kobe down the stretch.

Ariza, a former Laker has limited Bryant to 3 of 11 shooting in the 4th quarter this series, an area where the "Black Mamba" is usually most deadly.

Also factored into tonight's tilt is Kobe's ankle. With 1:33 remaining in the 4th Kobe went down with a sprained ankle, playing on defense and it will be interesting to see if he can play at the level of intensity the Lakers need him to bring. The sprain doesn't seem serious but this is one of those instances where we'll see the opportunity for a great athlete to rise above physical limitations to do something special.

All in all tonight should be an interesting game, if the Hornets can steal one in Los Angeles, you have to like their chances to close out the series in New Orleans in front of their home crowd Thursday night.