- I turned on the television to see an athletic breakaway dunk and felt quite happy with myself. Turns out it was an Angolan by the name of Morais, not an American. Wow. Great way to start the day.
- Angola actually looks pretty athletic and shoots well. For a team supposed to be losing big, they aren't doing too badly through the first quarter so far.
- Wow, the Angolan coach just admitted that his goal for the game was to not lose by forty. Modest, mocking, or serious? Who knows, but I am sure that we better win by forty.
- OK, I have seen the woman referee call at least five travels within eight minutes. She has made no other call so far, so I guess that's her mission. Keep the world travel-free. Good job lady, just miss all the shoves and flops going on. Female Donaghy, I swear.
- They just played a flashback of the original Dream Team's first meeting with Angola. Sir Charles has been officially documented as a global-grade jackass. Man, what a bully. It's turrible.
- Kobe's really not shooting too well. I hope this not taking over too much thing doesn't carry over into the NBA season, because if I see Kobe dishing consistently to Mr. Machine and Sun Yue instead of going Black Mamba, I'll have an aneurysm.
- Look for this around the 5 minute mark of the 2nd quarter. Lebron just turned on his inner Kerri Walsh and tried to permanently implant an opponent's shot into the Beijing basketball gym floor.
- DWade was just called for a foul while jumping in the air on an alley oop. I don't think I've ever seen someone on the receiving end of an alley oop get called for anything before. I must admit, that was strange.
- I don't want to say it again, but COME ON NOW, PRACTICE YOUR FREE THROWS.
- At the half, they lead by 18. Not horrible, but could be a lot better. It is about half way to 40 though, so sucks for the Angolan coach.
- After watching a recap of the Spain vs. China game (which looked like a great game and should be watched on all accounts), I'm really starting to hope that the Lakers team doesn't get too tired out over the course of this summer. Pau and Kobe should both travel deep into this tournament, and I really hope fatigue doesn't play too much of a factor.
- I'm happy to see that the NBA on NBC theme song is still being played. John Tesh's best work, no question.
- I think Jason Kidd should be played alongside either Chris Paul or Deron Williams more often. Having two amazing passers on the court works wonders for the fastbreak and the overall ball movement.
- Start of the second half, and Kobe misses another three. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU DOBERMAN? Just as I've said that, I realize that the nickname Doberman sucks. Why Doberman? What's with Kobe and Animal Planet references?
- I'm not sexist, I swear. BUT I HATE THAT WOMAN REF. SHE IS RIDICULOUS.
- The US has come out very, very flat in the second half. And Kidd's refusal to shoot the ball is getting annoying... maybe he is getting old. Just kidding, just kidding.
- Kobe Bryant on fast breaks is just so beautiful. Too bad he's missed like five threes. I really don't understand where his shot is right now. Animorph into Black Mamba, Doberman isn't needed this game.
- It doesn't look like the USA was properly prepared for this game. The matchups that they're creating don't favor them whatsoever. Why not put in a team of Boozer, Howard, Lebron, Wade, and Paul? They would dominate rebounding while still being quick enough to run. This Angolan team is fairly physical, so push back.
- With 3:30 left in the 3rd, it looks like the USA has woken up, and Angola is finally falling apart.
- Oh man, Chris Bosh being the regular old American tourist is great. That giant man getting so excited with his camera and snapping picture after picture along the Great Wall reminds you that these guys are just normal people. Well, really talented, really rich, and really famous "normal people".
- I love the two-man game of Deron Williams and Chris Paul. There are no words for how well they seem to mesh. Either that, or they're both just so baller that its beautiful.
- The lead has ballooned to 28 after three. This game is on it's way to being what I expect from the Redeem Team.
- Dwayne Wade just saved the ball off of an Angolan player, and the player jumped up immediately to protest, only to be stared down by Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The Angolan stopped mid sentence and proceeded to run away. He looked like a chihuahua cowering away from a pair of rottweilers. Too bad the Doberman was on the other side of the court.
- As soon as I started being proud of them, The US team started getting sloppy. They no longer impress me.
- Morais of Angola is really impressive. Yeah, he has double digit turnovers, but that's because he has it in his hands almost 80% of the time while being hounded by Kobe and DWade.
- With a final score of 97-76, the Americans cruised to victory, albeit not up to my personal expectations. Wade was perfect in Beijing for 6 quarters still having missed only 2 shots total and Lebron has been overpowering anyone that dares come close to him. The US team is winning easily, but the blowouts just aren't what they used to be.
To conclude this game, it must be stated that the US team shot ridiculously poorly. 24% from the three and 64% from the line is horrible. Had they shot a more reasonable 43% from the arc (which is more or less a twenty foot jumper) and 80% from the line, they would have won by thirty-seven instead. And that's being generous. Kobe and Redd need to start hitting their threes with more consistency and Lebron really needs to learn how to make a freethrow. So far, Dwayne Wade has been the star of these 2008 Olympics. By far.
PRACTICE YOUR FREAKING FREETHROWS
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