The Redeem Team has looked solid, and nothing more, in their first two Beijing Olympic Games contests against China and Angola. Neither were threats to beat the US Men's Basketball team. This morning's opponent, Greece, most definitely is.
Greece's National Basketball Team, ranked 6th in the world, sent the US packing in the semifinals of the 2006 World Championships, so the "Redeem Team" has legitimate redemption at stake. The Greeks are precisely the type of team that has given NBA's best trouble over the last four years. Great team work, precision passing, great ball movement, and they hammer home the pick and roll to death. Essentially, they're fundamentally sound. Lacking the vertical leap and athleticism as the US, in 2006 they ran the pick and roll 42 times and they'll do that again this morning.
Team USA also lost to Greece in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. A gold medal won't be at stake just yet, but we'll see what kind of drive Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony and those that have been embarrassed by the Greeks have when we tip it off at 8am ET.
In these Olypics, Greece actually lost to Spain in their opening game, but rallied to beat Germany and Dirk Nowitzki on Tuesday.
If Dwyane Wade and Lebron James keep up their defensive intensity, I wouldn't expect too much trouble. But if some defensive lapses are coupled with continued poor outside shooting, we could be in for another nail bitter.
You can be sure some of the guys watched these final minute highlights from 2006 at some point today:
We'll keep this thread lively with our thoughts throughout the contest. Grab some coffee.
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