Watching the way this team continues to amp up its game each time out is impressive. They faced two tough tests in Spain and Greece and surpassed all expectations. They were set up with a potential let-down game against Germany and they responded with an easy, impressive win.
Three more games left and with three wins the “Redeem Team” will take the gold.
This is great for basketball.
First of all, you get the feeling by looking at these guys that they want to be there and that they want to represent their country. The past few teams, it seemed like the players felt it was more of a burden than an honor. Sure it is hard to play an 82 game season then go to the Olympics and win gold, but that is the legacy that the Dream Team – the only team to really deserve that name – handed down. This ’08 version is certainly rising to the occasion.
Michael Phelps won his Olympic record eighth gold medal the other night. In attendance was Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, two players who know winning and the dedication that comes with it. They were bouncing in the stands watching their fellow American take gold with his teammates in the relay that blew away the competition. It was refreshing to see them giddy, acting like fans in support of one of the all time great Olympic athletes. And they were genuinely in awe.
Then you hear Lebron interview after the win against Germany saying they are playing with a chip on their shoulder and that they have something to prove. What is interesting is the feel of this team, they aren’t playing angry as if the people of the United States doesn’t support them, rather it is directed at the rest of the world for doubting us. In a time when a lot of doubt and mistrust is being pushed America’s way, it is great to see someone doing something to change that. Even if it is in some small way like proving to the rest of the world that America is still number one in basketball.
The Olympics seem to be an attempt for a coming out party for China to the rest of the world. Look at us, we are a superpower. At least, that is the initial idea but it has turned out to be something much more somber, much more beautiful. You are seeing great stories from around the world as the world is truly coming together to embrace these games. Team USA basketball is trying to show that they are a force to be reckon with in the game of basketball, that we are still the best in the world when it comes to our sport. Yet they are doing it with a kind of graciousness, a kind of humility that we haven’t seen really since the ’92 team.
What makes this group probably even better than the ’92 team is that the world competition is so much better now that it was 16 years ago and the differential in the wins is almost as massive. And you want to root for this team – they are not brash and angry. They are confident and calm in the face of adversity. They represent what you want America to represent when being presented to the rest of the world. In a word, they make you proud.
They play the game the way it is supposed to be played. They take it to a different level and they show greatness on the court. They also make an effort to show up at the rest of the events and be a part of the Olympics, not just distant professional mercenaries assembled to win a medal. Jerry Colangelo deserves a ton of praise for how well he has constructed this team.
This may be the best Olympic men’s basketball team ever.
Wade has a lot to prove all of a sudden. Coming off a 15 win season, which got the Heat the #2 pick in this draft, Wade feels a bit slighted considering it was only 2 years ago that he was on top of the basketball universe leading his team to its first ever NBA championship and being dubbed Finals MVP. There were whispers that he could be the next Jordan, and Wade even started to eclipse Lebron James in some people’s minds.
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Miami Heat Offseason Silent: In Vacanza in Italia
Mi dispiace…mah, sto in Italia in vacanza questi giorni.
At least, I hope I spelled that correctly. Anyway, I am still in Italy these days, winding up the Grand Tour I am on, and with that I have a moment to check on the Heat’s offseason.
Seems I haven’t missed out on too much since I left July 7th. We seemed to have missed out on opportunities to trade for Mike Miller or Ron Artest. We also watched Ricky Davis sign on with the Clippers – but is this going to be the kind of exodus the Heat grow to regret like last season’s exodus of James Posey and Jason Kapono? It seems like there wasn’t much room for Davis anyway, despite his hardwork while with the team. Yet, that deal with Minnesota definitely cost the Heat as they gave up Antoine Walker, Wayne Simien and their first round pick (2009) for Davis and Mark Blount.
Most interestingly, however, are reports that Dwyane Wade is on fire with the Olympic team and that he is approaching the summer in Beijing with a chip on his shoulder. He has something to prove. This is a great sign because the great ones stay great because they are never satisfied. They always stay hungry and lean. Wade is just being Wade, and with his new teammates and looking to make the Heat his team, this could probably be the most promising development of the offseason. Despite drafting Michael Beasley with the #2 selection overall (which in my book is going to go down as a bit of a lucky bounce itself).
So, I will continue enjoying the sunshine, wine and gelato of Italy. I will keep poking around the ancient corridors and ruins while brushing up on my Italian and Latin – snapping photos for my students back home. As for the Heat, they seem to be content with building from within, and this may just be the best approach for a franchise with so much turnover.