The next US crusade for the basketball “gold” will begin on August 19 in Japan. It is this intrigue that will undoubtedly become the main one at the upcoming World Cup. The Americans have not won the main prize of world championships since 1994. They lost the last Olympics in Athens.
Favorite
The only favorite of the tournament is the US team. So it was before the games in Athens, when the representatives of the current old guard, superstars Tim Duncan and Alain Iverson, went to the Olympics. And the golden youth of the 2003 draft sample travels to Japan: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Kirk Heinrich and Chris Bosh. This brilliant company, supplemented by young Chris Paul, will make up the backbone of the national team of Mike Krzyzewski, who, coaching the Duke University team, has trained many good defenders and easy forwards for the NBA. Krzyzewski recruited the team for himself and succeeded in this. That is why there is only one nominal center point in it - Brad Miller. The Americans are a very fast team: back in Duke, the mentor relied on fast basketball, and he has already tested this strategy in friendly matches of the national team. By the way, two Duke's pupils play in the team - Elton Brand and Shane Battier.
The Krzhizhevsky team clearly distributed roles. The above golden youth minus Chris Bosh, but plus Joe Johnson is responsible for speed and performance. And Bosch, Brand, Miller and Howard - for the shield and the game in the three-second zone. The team also has personalists, Jamison and Battye. Their main task is to prevent the rival leaders from playing.
In this composition, the Americans are capable of any tasks. However, there is another factor that will become decisive for them. It's about motivation.
The success of the US team will largely depend on whether 12 players can feel like one team and forget about the NBA championship for 15 days.
Export option
The second intrigue of the championship is economic. Never before have so many NBA players participated in an international tournament at the national team level. The American League successfully sells its product worldwide. Her basketball players were part of 14 national teams (except the United States) of the 24 that will take part in the championship.
Such an economic policy, of course, is very profitable, but the NBA basketball level is gradually declining. Celestials arrived in Barcelona-92 who did not know what zone protection was, and the three-point line they had was already a meter further than the European one. And now the typical NBA team is a tightly knit team, where everyone has learned their role, there are almost no superstars and any player can “shoot”. In such a team, a place should be reserved for foreigners - so that American basketball is sold to the country where they come from.
Argentina will not forgive the Olympics
The third intrigue of the world championship is connected with the Argentine national team: did the South Americans retain the courage by which they won the Athens Olympics? According to the leader of the national team, Manu Zhinobili, in friendly matches the team did not show even half of what it is capable of. “The main thing is that we got together and the team has the most friendly atmosphere. Everyone is ready to repeat the Athenian success,” said two-time NBA champion in the composition of “San Antonio”.
The Argentine national team has ten players who won gold medals in Athens, but they understand that in Japan they will have much more difficult. They will fight against Argentina not as against a strong team, but as against the Olympic champion.
The first opponent of the Argentine national team will be the French national team, in which exactly half of the players represent the NBA. The starting match will certainly be indicative.
One for all
At the last European championship, Dirk Nowitzki almost single-handedly led the German national team to the finals of the championship, where the Germans, however, lost. In Japan, Nowitzki will again lead her to the heights. But the world championship is not the Old World Championship, there are much more strong rivals here.
Russia is out of the game
The Russian team is just beginning to prepare for the next qualifying round of the European Championship. Under the leadership of David Blatt, the Russians will qualify for the European Championship, and then for the Beijing Olympics. They did not get to Japan.
The Russian team had the opportunity to enter the championship with the help of FIBA's wild card, but the leaders of the international federation did not invite her to the world championship, and David Blatt did not have to play the role of a crisis manager who would make the team out of nothing.
Our prospects are not bad: on the way to the main team, a talented generation of young people and stars playing in the NBA are determined to bring the team to the Olympics. But these are the prospects. In the meantime, Russia is a stranger at a basketball festival of life. Let's hope that the alien is the last time.
Group A
Argentina, France, Lebanon, Nigeria, Serbia and Montenegro, Venezuela
Group B
Angola, Spain, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Panama
Group C
Australia, Brazil, Greece, Lithuania, Qatar, Turkey
Group D
China, Italy, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Slovenia, USA
Group Tournament matches will be held from August 19-24. Four best teams from each group reach the 1/8 finals. Games 1/8 finals - August 26 and 27, 1/4 - August 29 and 30, 1/2 - August 31 and September 1. The final is in Saitama on September 3.
Dmitry DONSKOY