Luka’s Corner

Nearly a week since Team USA reclaimed the gold medal against Spain with a 118-107 victory and completed a magical run through the Olympics, I asked myself why the "Redeem Team" won in the first place. The US coaches and players had preached from the beginning that they wanted to win "the right way" and they have done that in 2008. They carried themselves with class both on and off the court and supported their fellow American athletes along the way (Michael Phelps, Misty May-Treanor, etc.) along the way. Here are three reasons why the Americans won gold in Beijing:

Defense

From the first game of the FIBA Americas tournament in ‘07 to the Olympic final in ‘08, the Americans developed a game plan that revolved around defense. Their main source of offense was their pressuring of the ball in the backcourt, which created steals and caused deflections. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul thrived in the open floor and the easy dunks they picked up on the break got them into a rhythm in the halfcourt as well.

Even the bigs (Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh) played exceptional defense down low, rotating over if the guards were broken down or putting a body on the boards at all times. The only times that opposing big men could rebound against the United States were when the American bigs were forced out of position by a slashing guard.

The Team Came First

The Americans would not have accomplished their goal if their superstar players did not buy into the system. LeBron or Kobe or D-Wade could have easily shrugged off what Coach K, a college coach, was telling them and decided to try to win the game on his own. This did not happen and you have to give all of the players on the team credit for putting behind their egos and doing what was best for the team.

Wade, who would have been a superstar on any other team, accepted his role of sixth man. Paul, perhaps the best point guard in the world, accepted his role as a backup to an aging Jason Kidd. Bosh, arguably a better big than Dwight Howard, accepted his backup role. Even Kobe Bryant let LeBron do his thing. He did not try to outdo "The King" when they were on the court together. To his credit, he did not care who scored the points or who wowed the Beijing crowd.

Dwyane Wade

The most consistent player for the United States throughout the Olympics was Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. He was the most consistent in terms of scoring (16 PPG on 67% shooting from the field) and in terms of his pressure defense. Of course Wade gambled on defense occasionally, as did every American, but I cannot remember a game where D-Wade did not come up with one steal leading to a fast break. He epitomized the pressure, in terms of anticipation and deflections, that Team USA brought defensively every night. 

Even in the final against Spain, some may say that Kobe Bryant stepped up when the US team needed it most. However, the game would not have even been within reach if D-Wade had not entered the game with #10 and #6 on the bench with 2 fouls and delivered. He scored 21 points in the first half and kept Team USA in the game. It is an old basketball cliche that the best player always steps up in the final period, but what good does that best player do if he does not even receive that opportunity. Fortunately for the reigning MVP, D-Wade provided that opportunity.

Stepping away from the US team, one of the most interesting storylines of these games was how Ricky Rubio would play for Spain. Considered to be "the next big thing" by many scouts and often dubbed the Spanish version of "Pistol" Pete Maravich, Rubio is only 17 years old and will most likely apply for the NBA draft next year.

Looking at Rubio play against the United States in pool play and against Lithuania in the semifinal round (Jose Calderon sat out due to injury), one thing was very clear: Ricky Rubio is one of the best defenders in the world at this point and has a chance to be the best in the world in that regard, including the NBA. He is capable of pressuring the opposing team’s guards for a full 94 feet of hardwood and can disrupt everybody in the backcourt on rotations and pick-and-rolls. I have never seen a guard steal the ball the way Rubio has in these Olympics. When the opponent’s big man rebounds the ball in the backcourt and hands it off to the point guard, Rubio trails behind the play and either deflects the pass or steals it from the dribbler. That is extremely effective in disrupting the other team’s offense and, even if Rubio fails to steal the ball, the offensive player spends so much time looking for him that another Spanish player can easily steal the ball instead.

In these Olympics, Rubio has played against the best that basketball has to offer. Even against Team USA, Rubio was a pest against Chris Paul and Deron Williams, two of the best point guards in the world. Defending against Jason Kidd, Rubio used his superior quickness to really trouble Kidd. In the semifinal against Lithuania, Rubio had to go up against Sarunas Jasikevicius, perhaps the best PG in Europe. And, surprisingly, Rubio took the more experienced Lithuanian out of his game. He pressured Jasikevicius in the backcourt and gave him no space on pick-and-rolls, not to mention that he stopped the Lithuanian from scoring and handing out assists. Known for his leadership on the court, Jasikevicius was "bamboozled" (in the words of Charles Barkley) when matched up against Rubio.

I would compare Rubio’s defense to that of a Rajon Rondo or Delonte West, but two times better even at this point in his career. Like Rondo and West, he gives the dribbler no space in the backcourt, but he gets more steals than those two and is a higher-level pest. I look forward to seeing Rubio in the final against Team USA and in the NBA soon because he can achieve superstardom on the defensive end. If a team like Memphis or Seattle drafts the Spaniard, they will truly have a game-changer on their side.

David Friedman continued his assault on LeBron James in a recent article for Slam Magazine. Comparing the different aspects of Kobe Bryant’s game versus LeBron James’ game, Friedman gave KB24 a 3 to 1 advantage (with two draws) in six categories. Once again, I utterly disagree with his view:

Friedman has left out two extremely important categories: driving to the hoop and the team game. I could also go into another important category called attitude to prove my point, but let’s focus on the skills for now. What I am trying to say is that anybody can put together a "scouting report", as Friedman puts it, including only the skills that clearly benefit your player. Why even have this discussion if you are going to leave out two categories just as important as the ones you listed?

In terms of driving to the hoop, it is clear that LeBron has an overwhelming advantage over Kobe. Athleticism and strength are clearly in James’ favor, as well as his versatility attacking the hoop. I do not understand how a blogger can include shooting in one category of their basketball "scouting report" and not driving in a separate category. The two skills are equal in importance and they need to be treated that way.

Advantage: James

In terms of the team game, there is more to it than assist totals and how many passes you have in your arsenal. The team game comes down to whether you make your teammates better or if you need to score 30 points every game in order to rely on your teammates. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers fits the mold for the former and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angles Lakers, as he has done all of his career, fits the mold for the latter.

Just look at the respective rosters for the two in question. With Anderson Varejao, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West, LeBron James was able to take his Cavs to the brink of the Eastern Conference Finals last season (in which they would have beaten Detroit again). Not only did he lead his offensively-challenged team on offense, but he also led the defensive charge. In his previous blog regarding the Cavaliers, David Friedman wrote that the Cavaliers gave Boston more trouble because they play better team defense than the Lakers. In my opinion, that all comes down to the superstar leading his team and telling his teammates that they need to dig down defensively in order to win the game. If Kobe is such a superior defender to his counterpart, as Friedman points out, then I look for him to tell Vladimir Radmanovic and Pau Gasol to play defense. LeBron definitely did that to "Wally World" and Daniel Gibson, two key players, and we can all agree that they are not particularly gifted on the defensive end to start with.

Once again, advantage: James

In the category labeled rebounding, Friedman supported his point that Kobe is more skilled at grabbing rebounds (he is supposedly crafty on the boards) by focusing on one play that occurred in a regular season game with the Cavaliers. First of all, it is foolish to base a player’s overall skill at something on one play. For example, when Paul Pierce grabbed a critical loose ball in the final game of the series with Cleveland, that is not at all proof that Pierce wanted the game more or he has more heart than LeBron James. James was simply in an awkward position and Pierce was closer to the ball to start with. My point is that one play means nothing in the overall scheme of things.

Finally, let’s not forget that the Cleveland Cavaliers won the game that Friedman referred to. In that particular game, LeBron James finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. He also guarded Kobe in the fourth quarter, limiting him to 1-6 shooting during that stretch. Overall, KB24 finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. So, David Friedman should do a better job at supporting his arguments with evidence that actually proves his point. The one thing that this game does is it proves my point.