the redeem team

Went to the gym last night, and got to watch a little bit of a tape delayed basketball game between Team USA and Australia, which was pretty close, and pretty good.

At the last Olympics, the U.S. team was taken right from the NBA all star game, and while it didn't get crushed, it didn't live up to the gold medal expectations. The lesson coming out of that experience was that the international game, played at the Olympics, is not the same as the NBA game. The rules are slightly different, and the game is called differently....like they actually call traveling and fouls the NBA lets slide in deference to the highlights on Sports Center. Besides enforcement though, there are slightly different rules that change the game, and make you play more of a team game with less individual emphasis. The U.S. team wasn't built for that, and it showed. They hadn't been built for that in the past either, but the talent discrepancy overshadowed any weaknesses.

Well, a lot happens over time, and the rest of the world caught up, and the talent discrepancy isn't nearly as big as it once was. The result - the rest of the world took it to us four years ago.

This time around, the strategy for building the team was a little different. It wasn't like building the basketball version of the Yankees...just get the biggest stars money can buy and put 'em out there. An emphasis was put on getting guys who can play together as a team, and win as a team. The difference is showing, and so far they're winning. What amazes me though, while I'm watching them play, is the announcers. They're breaking down the team's strengths and weaknesses, but they're doing it from an NBA perspective. They're talking about the lack of big men, which makes it harder for a guy to back his opponent down toward the basket, and less rebounding. These aren't weaknesses in the international game, although rebounds are always a good thing. The game needs more outside shooters, and that's one of the things this team brings. It needs more ball movement, and this team does that better than the one-on-one "team" of four years ago.

Of course there's one other little tidbit. Four years ago the team thought they were going to walk in and get handed a gold medal, kinda like a welfare entitlement program. I mean, go there, punch the ticket, wow the fans for a few games and walk out with the gold. Why not? Every other team we sent got one. They got that attitude shoved back in their face. This team is a little hungrier, and wants to prove they deserve a gold medal, but they know it's not a given anymore.