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NBA Loud - by Rick Gillispie

FIBA Breakdown Day 4

September 1st 2010 13:11

Day four of the FIBA World Championships saw action from Groups C & D. Kirk Penney of New Zealand and Ersan Ilyasova of Turkey led the day with 26 points apiece.

Russia 72-66 Ivory Coast
New Zealand 108-76 Lebanon
Puerto Rico 84-76 China

France 68-63 Canada
Turkey 76-65 Greece
Lithuania 76-73 Spain

All teams will be in Action On Wedensday Sep 1.

Undefeated teams left:

Argentina Group A
United States Group B
Turkey Group C
France Group D
Lithuania Group D

Stats Leaders

Kirk Penney( New Zealand) 28 ppg
Hamed Haddadi (Iran) 10.3 rpg
Milos Teodosic (Serbia) 7 apg

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Posted By: Rick Gillispie - Category: Games

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FIBA Breakdown Day 3

August 31st 2010 13:19

For the second day in a row at the FIBA World Championship Luis Scola paced Argentina to a win with 32 points to lead all scorers on the day.

Day Three Scores only Groups A&B played
Serbia 112-69 Jordan
Argentina 91-70 Angola
Slovenia 91-84 Croatia
Australia 78-43 Germany

Iran 71-58 Tunisia
United States 70-68 Brazil

Game recap for the United States:

The shot bounced off the back rim, then the front, then finally fell out.

With that, the United States walked off the court with a victory, and another warning: A world championship won't come easily for this young team -- if it comes at all.

The Americans survived their first tough test in Turkey, edging Brazil 70-68 on Monday when Leandro Barbosa's shot rattled out at the buzzer.

"This game right here was an eye opener," U.S. guard Derrick Rose said.

Kevin Durant scored 27 points and Chauncey Billups added 15 for the Americans (3-0), who essentially clinched Group B with the victory. But they have bigger goals than a group championship, trying to end a 16-year U.S. drought in this event.

This U.S. team has to do without Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and all the other players who led the Americans to the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, and those guys never needed breaks at the buzzer.

"We know that teams are really coming in here to try to win this tournament and we're here to do the same," said Rose, the only other U.S. player in double figures with 11 points.

After the Americans trailed most of the first 2½ quarters, Lamar Odom's dunk with 7:14 left put them ahead 64-62. But they couldn't build on the lead during a tense final few minutes, and Brazil had two chances to send the game to overtime.

Following a miss by Billups, Brazil got the ball and Marcelo Huertas was fouled on a drive to the basket with 3.5 seconds remaining. He missed the first free throw and then the second intentionally, tracking it down in the corner and firing it underneath to Barbosa, who lofted a shot over Kevin Love, only to have it bounce off the back and front of the rim.

"I thought it was going to in, but it's OK," Barbosa said. "I think we did a great job, it was a great game. I don't think the USA knew that we could cause problems for them and we did it."

Barbosa finished with 14 points after a strong start for Brazil (2-1). Marcus Vinicius scored 16, and Tiago Splitter had 13 points and 10 rebounds while battling foul trouble in the second half.

With NBA big men Nene, Anderson Varejao and Splitter, Brazil was considered one of the teams with enough size to topple the undersized Americans. Nene had to pull out with an injury and Varejao sat out again while continuing to rest a sprained right ankle, so the Brazilians turned to a speed game to lead for much of the game.

They just couldn't finish the upset, leaving the Americans needing only a victory over Iran or Tunisia, the bottom two teams in Group B, or another Brazil loss to earn the top seed from the group and three full days off before meeting the No. 4 seed from Group A on Sept. 6.

The Americans have plenty to work on before worrying about that, after needing a huge night from Durant and 31 minutes from Billups, the old man of the team at 33 who had their only basket in the final 6:50.

"I knew that in the first half that this was going to be a fourth-quarter game, a last two- or three-minute game, and I was preparing myself to just be ready," Billups said.

Nowhere was the difference between this team and its predecessor more apparent than in the matchup with Barbosa. When the teams last met, in their 2007 Olympic qualifier, Barbosa entered as the tournament's leading scorer before Bryant led a defensive effort that held him to four points on 1-of-7 shooting in an easy U.S. win.

There's no defenders like Bryant here, and Barbosa took advantage in the first quarter by making two 3-pointers and scoring eight points. Brazil made 12 of its first 16 shots in the period and its first four 3-pointers, streaks that were snapped when Barbosa was just short on a half-court heave at the buzzer, leaving them with a 28-22 lead.

Brazil extended its lead to eight early in the second quarter and was still up seven midway through the period, but with Splitter on the bench with two fouls, and Barbosa and Alex Garcia joining him, the Americans cut it to one a couple of times.

Splitter's dunk sent the Brazilians to the half with a 46-43 advantage.

The Americans finally grabbed the lead midway through the third, extending it to 61-55 after consecutive baskets by Durant. Barbosa scored the final four points of the period, though, and pulled Brazil within two heading to the fourth.

The crowd grew solidly behind the underdogs, cheering loudly for Brazil baskets and booing loudly when a small "U-S-A!" chant broke out in the fourth.

Brazil is coached by Ruben Magnano, who guided Argentina to victories over the U.S. in the 2002 worlds and 2004 Olympics, when the Argentines won gold. He nearly authored another upset, as players on both teams thought Barbosa's shot was going in.

"I had Durant right in front of me, I couldn't see," Huertas said. "I was in the corner but I saw the ball tipped on both sides of the rim and went out. It was a big disappointment."

U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski used his reserves liberally in the first two games, but gave much longer runs to the starters Monday after the backups were ineffective during their first stints.

Billups, who played in the 2007 victory over Brazil, thought it was good for his young teammates to have a close game so soon.

"We came out victorious, but for the young guys, just know how thin of a line it is. Possessions, turnovers, things like that that we talk about," he said. "Now they can see it."

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FIBA Breakdown Day Two

August 30th 2010 14:31

Day Two of the FIBA World Championship was paced by Luis Scola's 31 points for Argentina in their 74-72 win against Australia.

China 83-73 Ivory Coast
Lithuania 70-68 Canada
Angola 79-65 Jordan
United States 99-77 Slovenia
Greece 83-80 Puerto Rico
France 86-59 Lebanon
Germany 82-81 Serbia
Croatia 75-54 Iran
Turkey 65-56 Russia
Spain 101- 84 New Zealand
Argentina 74-72 Australia
Brazil 80-65 Tunisia

United States Game Recap:

- Team USA passed another test with flying colors on Sunday at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey with a 99-77 triumph over Slovenia.

In front of a raucous, festive Abdi Ipekci crowd - the majority of them Slovenians - the Americans prevailed in Group B after getting excellent performances from several players.

The USA, who whipped Croatia in their opener on Saturday, got plenty of scoring again from Kevin Durant while the defense, rebounding and fastbreaks killed any chance of a Slovenia upset.

The Americans took the lead for good when they scored 10 underanswered points at the start of the game for a 12-2 advantage. Slovenia battled back and closed the gap to 27-21 after a three-ball from Samo Udrih and a dunk by Primoz Brezec, but the USA finished the half with a 15-7 run to go on top at 42-28. Durant had 15 points and a team-high six boards at the break.

The United States delivered the knockout in the first five minutes of the second half, outscoring the European team 14-4.

Slovenia also had no answers for the tenacious and relentless Kevin Love, who came off the bench to dominate on the boards, and visited with FIBATV.Com after the game.

At the end of the third quarter, Love had nine rebounds - four on the offensive glass - to go with his 10 points.

He ended up with a double-double (10 pts, 11 rbs) in just 13 minutes.

On one play, Love boxed out Slovenia's Uros Slokar and used just one hand to grab the rebound and score.

Former NBA man Bostjan Nachbar matched the Americans with a terrific first half and ended up with 13 points while fans also got a good look at the promising center Gasper Vidmar who finished with 10 points, most of them on thunderous dunks.

It's going to take an extraordinary effort to beat the Americans, who look every bit as good as the side that captured a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Eric Gordon gave the Americans a boost from long range against Croatia but on Sunday it was Rudy Gay who drilled a trio of three-balls.

More important for coach Mike Krzyzewski was Gay's defense.

He was one of several USA players with at least one block and one steal.

Quotes:

USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski: "We are pleased to beat an outstanding Slovenia team. It was tough because they forced us to make turnovers. My team played so hard and as long as we get that effort, we are going to do well. It was a great crowd (mainly Slovenian fans) but all of us have played in much tougher environments than this one."

Slovenia head coach Mehmed Becirovic: "This is a great USA team. They are very athletic, very aggressive and get a lot of point off turnovers. I am not disappointed with the performance of my team. They tried their best."

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FIBA Breakdown Day One

August 30th 2010 14:22

Day One of the FIBA World Championship saw Kirk Penney of New Zealand drop in 37 points in a losing effort.

Greece 89-81 China
Lithuania 92-79 New Zealand
Australia 76-75 Jordan
Slovenia 80-56 Tunisia
Lebanon 81-71 Canada
Russia 75-66 Puerto Rico
United States106-78 Croatia
Serbia 94-44 Angola
France 72-66 Spain
Turkey 86-47 Ivory Coast
Argentina 78-74 Germany
Brazil 81-65 Iran

United States game recap:
-The United States broke open a close game in the second quarter and stormed to a 106-78 victory over Croatia in the second Group B game of the day in the Abdi Ipekci.

The Croatians, on the back of excellent efforts from the youngsters Ante Tomic, Bojan Bogdanovic and Luksa Andric in the first quarter, out-rebounded the USA 12-9 in the first quarter and only trailed 22-20.

When the second frame got underway, the teams traded baskets before a Kevin Durant three-point play after a dunk sparked a 14-2 run that put the USA in command at 36-22.

The USA defense held Croatia to just six points in the quarter and also dominated the boards en route to a 48-26 lead at half-time.

Durant, Derrick Rose and Eric Gordon each had nine points at the break and the Americans marched to a decisive triumph.

Chauncey Billups contributed 13 points and visited with FIBATV.Com after the win.

The USA, who face Slovenia in their next game on Sunday, got 14 points Durant and 16 from Eric Gordon.

Quotes:

Croatia head coach Josip Vrankovic: "It's very difficult to play against this team, especially when we shot the way we did tonight. We knew it was going to be hard but after a good first quarter, we struggled. We have to put this defeat behind us. Our tournament begins tomorrow."

USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski: "We had a lot of respect for Croatia. Their big guys are very good and their guards are good shooters. They played very well in the first quarter and we needed three threes to break open a close game. Now we have to turn around and beat another good side."

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Gordon shines for USA against Greece

August 26th 2010 02:29

The United States got their final exhibition win by beating Greece 87-59

The Americans were led by:
Eric Gordon 18 pts
Kevin Durant 15 pts
Derrick Rose 13 pts
Kevin Love 10 pts 12 rbs

Greece's Kostas Tsartsaris had 24 points to led all scorers.

Every American player played atleast 10 mins in the game.

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U.S. Roster set after Rondo Leaves

August 25th 2010 10:09

So the roster is set: The guards will be Derrick Rose, Chauncey Billups, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry and Eric Gordon; the wing players will be Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay and Danny Granger; and the front line will be comprised of Lamar Odom, Andre Iguodala, Tyson Chandler and Kevin Love.

Lets not go into why Rondo left lets just look at the upcoming championship.

Anything less than gold and it will be a disappoinment.

Team USA will open play Saturday night against Croatia. Then the tackle Slovenia, Brazil, Iran and Tunisia in group play.

Tweleve games will kick off the action On Saturday.

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Posted By: Rick Gillispie - Category: Misc

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Rudy Fernandez leaving the NBA

August 19th 2010 10:49

The agent for Rudy Fernandez says the Trail Blazers swingman does not want to return to the NBA.

Agent Andy Miller told several media outlets that Fernandez wants to play in Europe and is willing to sit out for the next two seasons, the time left on his contract with the Blazers.

Blazers general manager Rich Cho says the team has looked at several possible deals involving the Spaniard, but none of them have made sense for Portland.

Fernandez, a fan favorite, has been unhappy about his playing time. Known for his 3-point shot and energy off the bench, he averaged 8.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2 assists last season but missed 20 games with injuries.

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Posted By: Rick Gillispie - Category: Portland Trail Blazers

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Tony Stewart is the New Mr Excitement

August 19th 2010 10:46

This guest post from Lewis Beck

Tony Stewart has lived through a few trying years as a NASCAR Sprint Cup owner and driver. Stewart's first season was magical as an owner of two cars in the series, with both making the NASCAR Race to Chase. Stewart's teammate Ryan Newman won his first race this season in Phoenix. Although he has not been knocking out a lot of top fives, Newman is in 14th place in the points standings.

Tony Stewart's season has been one to forget. Stewart has yet to win this season and with the summer months almost over, Stewart may be getting desperate. Stewart has been known to dominate in hot summer months but this season has been a different story. Stewart has six top fives and 12 top tens as the NASCAR Chase approaches but he still resides in eighth place in the NASCAR point standings.

Tony Stewart is always a fun driver to watch. When I sit down to watch a NASCAR race in front of my setup through a satellite tv deal, I always look to see where Tony Stewart is in the field so I can see what kind of moves he will make at the start of the race. As a sprint car driver, Tony Stewart is a driver that is quick on the gas and not afraid to drive high to the wall to make the pass.

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Posted By: Rick Gillispie - Category: Misc

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A Gambler's Paradise

August 17th 2010 15:15

Are you like me and love to test your knowledge of the upcoming games. well if you are then more than likely you know about online sports betting. I do not approve of excusive gambling but if you can control yourself then it is great.

I love testing my knowledge on football, basketball and soccer. One of the problems most people have is finding the right site for them well i am here today to tell you about a site i found that will slove all your problems.

Sportsbettingspot.com is a site that gives you all the info on all the top betting sites and will give you info on bonuses you get for signingup. The also give reviews on the sites. Now for a guy like me that is great i can find all the info i need about a certain site.without having to actual visit that site.

And to top off the cake the site also has its own Handicappers that can give you great advice on what to do with a certain game. So do not wait visit them today and make the first smart bet of the day.

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Stacy's first soccer game!

August 17th 2010 15:04

Post contributed by Leonard Phelps

Last night was Stacy's first soccer game. She is only 4, and her brother (who is 8) has been playing sports for years. This was her big night! We had pizza early before the game, which was a special treat. She got into her new uniform (!) and all the kids got into the car. I quickly set our monitored alarm in Arizona (no need to worry while we are out and about) and went to the game.

What can I say...It was so cute. Four and five year olds do NOT understand soccer. They were running all different directions. There were two goals scored for the wrong team. But Stacy scored one of them! Yay. Even though it was the wrong goal, we were all really excited, especially her brother. What a great night.

The final score was 6 to 3, Stacy's team won. All the kids were excited and of course they didn't understand the score anyway. There is another mom who is super organized (I wish I was) who brought rice krispy treats for the whole team, and that was certainly the highlight of the game for Stacy. Who cares about playing soccer when there is sugar around.

After the game, we loaded into the van, and we were back home by 6:30...what a fun night!

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