I was six when USA basketball was on top of the world. Six when Bird, Jordan, Magic, Malone and the rest were obliterating other countries and individual opponents with their sensational, unsurpassed skills during the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
And while no group of talent may ever surpass that legendary "Dream Team," the rest of the world has certainly come to par with the game James Naismith invented so many years ago — just ask the defending Olympic champion team from Argentina.
And so after a few years of unrest and after the U.S. placed 6th and then 3rd in recent international competitions, the American public more than anything is fiending: Fiending for superiority, fiending for domination, fiending once again for gold.
And this time Team USA managing director and benevolent sports figure Jerry Colangelo seems to have gotten it right. Led by Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, USA Basketball announced the squad to compete in this upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Beijing last June 23, to an array of criticism and doubt.
"No big men," is the persistent message, as if USA Basketball somehow unequivocally forgot — forgot about Tim Duncan's authority, lapsed on Kevin Garnet's power. Acting as if this selection should have been an All-Star selection and not an international one.
We've come so far from that 1992 Dream Team, when the strength and speed of USA Basketball was enough. Back then centers Charles Barkley or David Robinson could literally size out a player under the key and dominate with utter strength and force, or at worst dish it out to any of the ever speedy, ever talented U.S. players.
Back then, teams couldn't even keep up with USA's ball movement, let alone their shooting ability.
I could spend a great deal of time discussing how the world has caught up with our overall shooting ability (just take a look at recent drafts), or more importantly how the world has caught up with our ability to defend a half-court offense, using the expanded trapezoid-shaped key to their defensive advantage. Moving the ball isn't good enough, and getting inside isn't nearly as easy anymore.
And here lies the secret: The expanded key makes international basketball literally a different game, which is exactly why Coach K's selection of a team consisting almost entirely of guards and forwards is an excellent one. Teams outside of North America typically play with this kind of restricted area, perfecting the jump shot while focusing their defense to a wider, more spread out half-court with less focus on a powerful center's domination under the basket.
A large center can't get as close to the basket as he could in the NBA. It requires far greater agility and ball handling skills to penetrate inside, something usually done by a guard like LeBron James from behind the three-point line.
Breaks to the basket by a center, which usually begin right near the edge of the restricted area, must begin further away, making the idea of a Duncan-like player receiving entry passes at the side of the key illogical.
In international play, it's much easier for a guard to penetrate off isolation or to receive a backdoor-style pass than for a center to receive the ball and penetrate the (larger) paint, all within three seconds and without committing a turnover or being stopped by a double team.
This style expands play away from the basket and encourages a motion offensive built with screens to open up jump shots, constant clever passing and pick and rolls to get inside.
Due to the overall shooting ability of the squad, teams will most likely be forced to play man-to-man defense against the U.S. In this case, when opponents do double team, especially off the dribble, a player will always be open, ready to either take an immediate shot or restart the offense.
It looks good for this squad. Using its excellent speed with flexible size, the USA will be able to penetrate, especially when the opponent is in a man-to-man defense. In these cases, the paint will be irrelevant.
To win a particular game, you must focus on the particular elements taking place. You wouldn't take Federer on clay, even though he's the best, just as we aren't taking centers to a FIBA-sanctioned basketball game, even though they are the best. Krzyzewski game-planned for the opponents as well as the rules and soon, with a little luck, he'll be helping the USA claim the gold for basketball's homeland.
Reach the reporter at: joshua.spivack@asu.edu.
