Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

[MassNole]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

Wow, I would love to see the NBA merge with EuroLeague, but if our playoff level teams lose that would get embarassing quickly. This never would've happened 20 years ago when NBA players actually had talent.

[fsquid]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

Well for Kobe and some of the other guys they had legitimate reasons for not going and will be back for the next tournament.

I agree, my comment was not pointed at them.

[Tha_Kid]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

Wow, I would love to see the NBA merge with EuroLeague, but if our playoff level teams lose that would get embarassing quickly. This never would've happened 20 years ago when NBA players actually had talent.

The NBA is still easily the most talented league. All the comments to the contrary are expected, the grass is always greener on the other side...

[PdiddyPop]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

The NBA is still easily the most talented league. .

Fundamentals beats talent almost everytime. Sure the NBA has the most talent, but without fundamentals how far can that "talent" carry you on a off night?

[MassNole]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

The NBA is still easily the most talented league. All the comments to the contrary are expected, the grass is always greener on the other side...

Define talent. If you define it as athleticism then yes, the NBA is the most gifted league by a large margin. If you define it as skills in passing, shooting, playing team defense, then no it isn't.

[MassNole]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

Fundamentals beats talent almost everytime. Sure the NBA has the most talent, but without fundamentals how far can that "talent" carry you on a off night?

Can you reall have one without the other? To me 'talent' and 'fundamental skills' seem to be hand in hand.

[PdiddyPop]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

Can you reall have one without the other? To me 'talent' and 'fundamental skills' seem to be hand in hand.

Wojo had fundamentals not "Talent". Talent now is pretty much the new term for being very athletic. Years ago talent meant you were skilled in every aspect of the game, and not just being very athletic. That term has now went to the wayside.

[darkeim]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

Do you really think that having Kobe, T-mac, Shaq, Ray Allen, a healthy Amare just to name a few wouldn't have changed things? Yes Lebron and D-Wade are great but that team was not made up of the best.

Ray Allen would've helped.

Shaq surely would've helped with free throw shooting and Kobe would do wonders for team chemistry :wink:

Look, it doesn't matter if we send those players when we can't make free throws, can't consistently shoot from the outside, and let less athletic players do whatever the hell they want on the court. It's nice to be able to create your own shot and go to the basket. But it doesn't help if you can't finish or make the free throws when you get fouled (Shaq). USA basketball needs a whole lot more shooting, passing, and cutting, and less one on one players. USA players that can shoot (Langdon) don't make it in the USA because people want to see highlight dunks. Oh my...he can make an open jumper after dare I say it, his teamates run a play and get him open so we shouldn't take games he played in "seriously." That's the kind of superiority crap that keeps getting us losses and is strangely similar to a certain war we're fighting. We've got all the bombs and bullets but can't seem to win.

International basketball is proving that basketball is still a team sport. Heaven forbid someone moves without the basketball , gets open, and makes the shot.

[Pointguard]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

The talk about the NBA not as talented or skilled is bogus. Its just as skilled and talented. People act like there is a right way to be skilled. If you can dribble fundamentally you have skills, but if you can dribble AND1 then you dont? Its all a bunch of bs.

Anyways, CSKA Moscow just lost badly to a horrible NBA team. European basketball is no where close to NBA basketball.

[darkeim]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

The talk about the NBA not as talented or skilled is bogus. Its just as skilled and talented. People act like there is a right way to be skilled. If you can dribble fundamentally you have skills, but if you can dribble AND1 then you dont? Its all a bunch of bs.

Anyways, CSKA Moscow just lost badly to a horrible NBA team. European basketball is no where close to NBA basketball.

I don't think anyone said that NBA players were not as talented as the Euro players. They are not as fundamentally sound. When you're not as talented you have to use fundamentals. And if European basketball is "no where close to NBA basketball" we should never lose. This is not 1992. That's when Euro basketball was way behind. Times have changed. Or should we only take game results seriously when NBA teams win?

[Pointguard]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

I don't think anyone said that NBA players were not as talented as the Euro players. They are not as fundamentally sound. When you're not as talented you have to use fundamentals. And if European basketball is "no where close to NBA basketball" we should never lose. This is not 1992. That's when Euro basketball was way behind. Times have changed. Or should we only take game results seriously when NBA teams win?

Put European teams against NBA team in games that matter to NBA teams and it wont be close. These preseason games are pretty meaningless to most NBA players, which are used to get in shape and get back into a grove most of the time. However, this is like a David vs. Goliath match for the Euro teams, getting to play against the "best teams" in the "best league".

The World Championships are screwed. These teams have been playing together for 5 and 6 years while ours play for a month. Anyone who watched and studied basketball knows chemistry on the court is huge. The Dallas Mavericks are less talented these days than 2-3 years ago, but becayse we've keeping the same people intact, we are better for it.

Put the NBA Champs, Miami Heat up against anyone in a championship game and I know who Im going to take.

The Europeans are making strides and are getting competitive, but dont kid yourself that 90% of these Euro clubs would be picking in the lottery's top 5 every year.

[MassNole]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

Put European teams against NBA team in games that matter to NBA teams and it wont be close. These preseason games are pretty meaningless to most NBA players, which are used to get in shape and get back into a grove most of the time. However, this is like a David vs. Goliath match for the Euro teams, getting to play against the "best teams" in the "best league".

The World Championships are screwed. These teams have been playing together for 5 and 6 years while ours play for a month. Anyone who watched and studied basketball knows chemistry on the court is huge. The Dallas Mavericks are less talented these days than 2-3 years ago, but becayse we've keeping the same people intact, we are better for it.

Put the NBA Champs, Miami Heat up against anyone in a championship game and I know who Im going to take.

The Europeans are making strides and are getting competitive, but dont kid yourself that 90% of these Euro clubs would be picking in the lottery's top 5 every year.

Don't kid yourself, if the NBA merged with Euroleague there would be some good games. The only thing the NBA would have going for it would be rules overly friendly to the athletes they have vs. the basketball players Euroleague has. There is some great talent in Euroleague, just because they aren't in the NBA doesn't mean they can't play. Hell, I would venture to say right now that Larry Bird would be over there because NBA teams would pass on him.

[Pujols91]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

Put European teams against NBA team in games that matter to NBA teams and it wont be close. These preseason games are pretty meaningless to most NBA players, which are used to get in shape and get back into a grove most of the time. However, this is like a David vs. Goliath match for the Euro teams, getting to play against the "best teams" in the "best league".

The World Championships are screwed. These teams have been playing together for 5 and 6 years while ours play for a month. Anyone who watched and studied basketball knows chemistry on the court is huge. The Dallas Mavericks are less talented these days than 2-3 years ago, but becayse we've keeping the same people intact, we are better for it.

Put the NBA Champs, Miami Heat up against anyone in a championship game and I know who Im going to take.

The Europeans are making strides and are getting competitive, but dont kid yourself that 90% of these Euro clubs would be picking in the lottery's top 5 every year.

I totally agree.

[jmood88]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

Don't kid yourself, if the NBA merged with Euroleague there would be some good games. The only thing the NBA would have going for it would be rules overly friendly to the athletes they have vs. the basketball players Euroleague has. There is some great talent in Euroleague, just because they aren't in the NBA doesn't mean they can't play. Hell, I would venture to say right now that Larry Bird would be over there because NBA teams would pass on him.

No one is saying that and if was true then there wouldn't be teams using(mostly wasting) high draft picks on these european players.

[darkeim]

Re: Clippers blown out by CSKA Moscow

The World Championships are screwed. These teams have been playing together for 5 and 6 years while ours play for a month. Anyone who watched and studied basketball knows chemistry on the court is huge.

Team Chemistry? What does that have to do with the Free Throw line? Anyone who watched and studied basketball knows that making free throws is huge. Look at some of the statistics for the games we've lost where we've doubled the amount of free throws taken by the other team but can't shoot 60%. It also has everything to do with desire. Excluding this year's WBC USA team the last few teams we've sent were loafing in plenty of those games. Talented, fundamentaled or not if you've volunteered to go over and play you should probably play hard. The guy that's scrapping is going to win.

Nobody was making the excuse that those Euro teams were together longer or that we lacked "team chemistry" when we were blowing them out for years. What's wrong now?

And if we're still "light years" ahead of Euro basketball then the games should never be close. In the early 90's we were light years ahead. That's over.