Luka’s Corner

Team USA reached the gold medal game after holding off an injured Argentina team. The final score was 101-81. For Argentina, Andres Nocioni suffered from tendinitis in his right knee and Manu Ginobili was already weakened by a bum left ankle. Manu actually left the game in the second quarter after re-injuring that same ankle. That said, the Americans jumped on the Argentines in the first quarter (30-11) and held on for a twenty-point victory despite a furious Argentine run in the second period (29-19 in the quarter). Overall, the Americans took care of business and here my three points:

Look at that Free-Throw Shooting!

The main player for the Americans on the day was Carmelo Anthony. ‘Melo finished with a team-high 21 points on 13-13 shooting from the line (although he did shoot 3-14 from the field). He also added 4 rebounds and was very active on box-outs and defensive rotations. As I stated in The X-Factor, Anthony is the best shooter on the team and, against Argentina, his perfect shooting from the line helped tremendously in holding off the pesky South Americans.

This is comforting for the Americans because Anthony’s 13-13 reverses a disturbing trend. Often criticized for poor shooting, this game marked the first time in these Olympics that somebody on America shot over 10 times from the line and made all of their free-throws. Although I do not believe that the game against Spain will be close, having someone who can consistently hit their foul shots could help in winning the final.

Threes are Solid

Although the US shot only 32% from behind the arc overall, their three-point shooting was very solid in the first quarter. From behind the arc, USA shot 4-10 (including a very long two-pointer by Jason Kidd) in the first quarter and it was in the first period that Team USA actually built their game-deciding lead.

When Argentina played zone in the first or even when they played man, the US team moved the ball very well in the first period and both Chris Paul and Deron Williams hit their shots. While shooting 32% for the game is not at all pretty, it is enough for the Americans that they make their threes in one quarter. All they need is to hit three in a row in a three-minute stretch and that is enough to clinch the game. The US is so talented that its players will find another way to beat their opponent in the other three quarters.

Dwyane Wade…?

After getting out to a flying start in the first five games of the tournament, Wade has cooled down slightly in the past two games against Australia and Argentina. Committing questionable fouls and committing more turnovers, D-Wade has given us such high expectations that his recent performances are somewhat troubling. However, Wade has still scored and he is as active on the boards as ever. I am not that concerned about him because of his work in the other statistical categories.

My point is that Team USA needs Wade to beat Spain. If Kobe Bryant plays poorly, which has happened in the Olympics, then they need that extra firepower off the bench. The road to gold runs through the backcourt and Dwyane Wade is as important there as anyone on Team USA.

I will be writing every once in a while in response to a basketball blog on the web. If there is an issue some blogger has already written about, I will either criticize their view or agree with it. This is the first edition of "Blogging Wars".

Unfortunately, there has been more debate about whether LeBron James is better than Kobe Bryant than there has been about the US team’s success so far in the Olympics. According to David Friedman in a recent article, Kobe Bryant is by far the better player between him and "King James". I completely disagree:

Let us start with statistics. Friedman wrote that LBJ established himself as the second best player in the league during the regular season (in terms of stats).  He also added that LeBron will never be as great as Kobe until he improves his outside shot and that his "low shooting percentages and high turnover rates" hold him back in this discussion. First of all, in terms of three-point percentage, Kobe has an advantage over LeBron from downtown (36% to 31.5%), but, more importantly, LeBron actually has an advantage in overall FG% (48% to 46%). So, despite James’ weaker outside shooting, he is so much better than Bryant from inside the arc that his long-range shot barely even matters.

Friedman peeped at the regular season stat sheets with a completely biased eye. He rightly stated that LeBron commits more turnovers than Kobe (0.3 more turnovers), but he failed to state how the assist numbers stack up. LeBron James averaged a staggering 7.2 APG in 07-08, compared to 5.4 APG for Kobe Bryant. This is nearly two assists more! Now, to refute Friedman’s criticism of LeBron’s turnovers, two more assists by LeBron with his 0.3 increase in turnovers gives him more than a 4-1 assist to turnover ratio in this regard. Now, you would think that less assists for Kobe Bryant would mean an increase in points, but LeBron James leads him in PPG by 1.7 as well. So much for the greatest scorer in the world…

David Friedman also goes into great length describing how much better Kobe played in the postseason than LeBron in 2008, but that argument has one major flaw. That flaw is the supporting cast of the Los Angeles Lakers compared to that of the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is an accepted truth that defenses zone in during the Playoffs, focusing even more on the superstar and making life even more difficult for him, whether it be Kobe Bryant or LeBron James or Paul Pierce. Considering this, how can we sit and argue about how "poorly" LBJ played in the postseason when he had Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and Anderson Varejao receiving the ball? Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, had Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol on the receiving end. As Skip Bayless of ESPN says, "Are you kidding me?" Who would you rather have catch your pass, an Anderson Varejao or a Pau Gasol?

All of this arguing about Bryant and James will have to wait for next postseason because Mo Williams of the Milwaukee Bucks recently joined the Cavaliers. Now we can legitimately have a competition where the two superstars have almost equal supporting casts. And, if it turns out that Kobe Bryant actually does perform better than LeBron James, I will be the first to admit that I was wrong and David Friedman was right. But, for now, I stand firm.

On a US team loaded at every position, Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets is often forgotten in the midst of his fellow swingmen, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Perhaps the most consistent player for the red, white, and blue over the past few years, people instead focus on what Kobe brings to the team offensively and defensively or how LeBron can control the game in the open court. However, it may just be the Nugget who proves to be golden in the final two games of the tournament.

Anthony is, in my opinion, the best shooter that Team USA has. Some may say that Michael Redd is the shooter for the team, but what good does he do when he does not even play when the game is close. Others may say that Kobe is the best outside shooter, but looking at his dismal shooting throughout the past six games, he cannot be counted on too heavily. Anthony shot 4-6 from downtown against Spain, perhaps the best team in the tournament, and 2-5 from downtown against Australia in the biggest game thus far. If Anthony gets into a shooting rhythm, which he rediscovered against Spain, then the team has a whole new gear to shift to. The ability to catch-and-shoot in a half-court set has been the Americans’ problem, but all they need is for one guy to get hot. So far, ‘Melo has been that guy.

The other area in which Anthony can contribute is rebounding. He and LeBron are the two best rebounders on the perimeter for Team USA and Anthony has found his groove these six games, averaging a solid 4.8 RPG. You probably have not paid much attention lately, but why is it that ‘Melo doesn’t get on the highlight reel? Why doesn’t he rack up some breakaway dunks of his own? The answer is plain and simple: Carmelo Anthony, often criticized for his lack of commitment to defense, is doing the dirty work for his country. And, if the US does win gold, he should receive a fair share of the credit.