NBA Champion no longer Basketball World Champions!

[Phil C]

This was said after the Bulls, Lakers, Pistons and Spurs and any other team that won the NBA championship. It was said by the sports announcers after the final games. No longer is it true as demonstated by the Olympics this year. We had a good team at the olympics and they did bring home the bronze but we are no longer world champions. Any claim by an NBA team to be world champion is now bogus and very premature. Don't get me wrong. Winning the NBA championship is great and a good reason for celebrating. But the NBA champions are now NBA champions not world champions! I hope they don't insult by intelligence the next few years by referring to them as the world champions but don't hold your breath.

[Phil C]

Our USA women won the gold but they showed what sacrifice and effort can do in sports for their country. The USA did not send it's best players in men's basketball the women did. The WNBA even had a pause in it's season to send the best. A good example for MLB but of course for obvious reason$ will never do it.The NBA players were not even playing and chose to not participate in an event that only comes once every four years.
Of all the original players chosen to play in the Olympics only Tim Duncan participated. Sure the rest of the world gave our women good competition but we had our best players and we won. The USA lost to Argentina convincingly and it was not even an upset. Even though we won the bronze and got revenge against Lithuania one suspects that Lithuania was disappointed and maybe their heart wasn't in it perhaps the same with USA. If you don't send your best you won't win. MLB will not follow the example of the WNBA and pause so we can win in baseball at the olympics but that may be just as well because they are talking about eliminating baseball in olympic competition. Probably more with the expense of countries making baseball stadiums or maybe tired of Cuba winning it nearly all the time. They may do the same with softball which our women have won the past several olympics which is a shame since these women work hard and have no major league yet have some great future players like Jeanie Finch and the CAT.

[Chief Woodman]

Good point Phil. I jave been pondering why the "Best" could not win. It occured to me that the Bastketball played in the NBA is entertainment more than Basketball. I am not saying that those guys are not great athletes. But I do think that the Headline should be

"Mark Cuban beats NBA 1-0"

Mark has said that the refs do not call the games correct and he is right. Players constantly double dribble (Hands below the equator of the ball while bouncing the ball) and travel (taking too many steps with the ball in their hand without bouncing it). Fouls are not called. This epidemic of "non-calls" has tricked down to even the school age kids and they think it is ok. Net result: when the rule are enforced as in international play, the players need to play as a team and not try to entertain the crowd. But because that is not what they are used to they are forced to play differently than normal. This in part led to the bronze instead of the gold.

Last, this no-call is affecting all sports. The strike zone is not called in baseball. I am sure many of you can think of other examples of the officials not calling the rules as written. But it can make for more scoring and thus we are entertained.

My hat is off to Cuban. If the rules were followed and less emphasis was put on individual showboating in every sport, perhaps the "team" would be more evident. Until that happens no champion in any sport here in the USA will truly be "World Champions".

[TXMike]

Every 4 years (2002, 1998, 1994, etc) they have held a World Basketball Championship. The US was 6th in 2002, 3d in 1998, 1st in 1994, 3d in 1990, 1st in 1986 (which was the first win in 32 years!!!) The US has been far from being the "World Champions" in basketball for quite awhile.

[venomous tat2]

The fact is all countries have taken a back seat to the U.S.for years and have figuerd out we play on talent and they focus on the fundamentals something we teach the young kids. Now the fundamentals seems to work for the other guys and not us.It is a proven fact that talent will take you so far but skills plus talent will take you a loooooong ways.Our players are the best ,but to put a team togather for a short time is not the same as the countries that play togather all year long.Maby in the next olympics the current nba champs should represent the U.S.A. Think about it they would have played togather all season long. They would tend toplay better as a team. IT is tough to put a bunch of million $$ players togather for a short period of time and expect them to dominate, times have changed and the U.SA. better change with it. Just my opion i coach this game at the h.s.level and thats how i see it.

[Old Tiger]

It makes me sick to think of the greedy NBA players not wanting to represent there country for example, Shaq, KG, and T-Mac. These guys should look at the Carmelo, Lebron, and Duncan. They don't care what is going on in the world. They just want to represent there country in the Olympics.