I respect Smith most for his three point shooting, but now can respect the way he handled the commentary of the USA-Spain friendly. With many Americans (I'm looking at you Fran Fraschilla), questioning the US's ability to defeat some of the better European sides, it's refreshing to hear someone provide a reason why we don't dominate the competition like we used to. Here's a few explanations Smith offered:
Officiating - The international referees aren't quite as good as their American counterparts. Now that's saying something. According to Smith, the international refs miss quite a few calls, so the players will just have to get used to it. Of course, Smith is operating under the assumption that American refs don't miss quite a few calls. I'd have to disagree.
The Ball - The basketball used in international play is apparently lighter than the ball our players use in the NBA. This is a legitimate adjustment. I remember as a kid playing with a WNBA ball. It was great. I could palm it and throw it across the court. Of course, the size and weight of it did result in a few air balls. Smith attributed one of Iguodala's air balled three pointers and Billups' three pointer off the glass to the weight of the ball.
Flopping - Smith's analysis of Tyson Chandler and Lamar Odom guarding Marc Gasol was pretty comical. The gist of it was that they couldn't body him because he would just flop. They also couldn't go through a screen because the other defenders would just flop. I love this analysis because it's true. The international game is built around flopping, and unfortunately, it's carried over to the NBA.
I was flat out wrong. It actually pained me a little to see Rubio pick Rose's pocket a few times as easily as he did. I underestimated his size. For some reason, I thought he was about 5'10, 170 lbs. Turns out he's 6'3, 190 lbs. He's a much better defender than people have been giving him credit for, and with his size, can match up with any point guard in the league.
I would have liked to see what he could have done against Rondo. Anyway, I can't wait until he makes his way to the NBA. I'm officially on the bandwagon.
Fresh off of acting like an NBA superstar and threatening a hold out, Rudy Fernandez made an appearance, sporting some new blonde highlights. Here's what bothers me about Fernandez's holdout: he's not an elite player that deserves to play major minutes for a contender. Revis' hold out is at least somewhat understandable. He's the best cornerback in the league and wants to be paid for it. Besides having one good year from behind the arc, what exactly has Rudy accomplished in the NBA?
Fernandez missed four of his five shots from the field, including a shot that was blocked in the final seconds by Durant to win the game for the US. Rudy had the chance to prove to his NBA coach Nate McMillan, sitting on the opposing side, that he deserves more minutes, and made himself look worse. In fact, Fernandez's highlight of the game was an offensive rebound he came up. Seriously, besides being blocked to end the game, that's all I remember him doing.
This post wouldn't be complete without a D. Rose update. Rose really got the chance to shine at the end of the game. He drove hard to the basket and made a layup over Gasol to put the US up 84-82. He then knocked down two free throws that clinched the game. Free throw shooting was an area of concern last year from Rose, so it was good for him to sink two big ones with the game on the line.
Rose's full skill set isn't being showcased during international play like it will be in the NBA season. Rose is best when he has the ball in his hands and can either drive the lane or create the open shot. He's being asked to distribute more than he normally would, which hurts his overall performance. The end of this game was him playing like he's accustomed to.
So is Team USA only a point better than Spain? I'm obviously a little biased, but I think the US is much better than they showed today. Remember, they didn't play Rondo, Love, or Granger. While I don't think Granger would make much of a difference against Spain, I think Love and Rondo would be huge defensive assets.
I think Rondo would be the ideal candidate on our team to guard Rubio and Love could provide another big body to match up with Gasol down low.
I'd also expect the overall intensity level of the US to improve as the stakes do. The same defensive lapses and bad shot selection plagued this team the way it does with so many good NBA teams. Eventually the great teams get bored. What the US did in the opening five minutes, jumping out to a 16-3 lead, is how they should have played the entire game. Instead, they lowered their intensity after jumping back and forth between big leads, and in the end, it almost cost them.
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