Sue Bird and Carmelo Anthony talked about their experiences playing for team USA basketball in a recent episode of Melo’s podcast. Bird claimed that playing for team USA was the most uncomfortable basketball she’s ever played. Do you think the players’ on the men’s team feel the same way?
by cs-kid
19 Comments
Do you have a timestamp?
It sure looks that way sometimes
> Do you think the players’ on the men’s team feel the same way?
For the most part, yes. Besides the players with an immediately translatable game (superstar role players) its a CRAZY sacrifice going from 20 shots, unlimited touches, priority looks, etc to rotation minutes and spot looks. My favorite thing to watch in Olympic years is how good the stars are at dirty work. When you’re relied upon to create offense/anchor defense, the odd jobs (boxing out, diving on loose balls, fighting screens) that are crucial to wins aren’t expected of you.
I agree with her point, which was basically that except for the best player/scorer on the team, you are going to be uncomfortable due to trying adjust to a different role.
Most of these players are the best players on their team since they were kids and are use to being the focal point of the offense.
Adjusting from playing starter minutes and having the ball or a lot of shot opportunities as the best player to suddenly being the 3d or 4th option (or on the bench) is a dramatic change.
I wonder if we’ll ever see USAB just take a championship team to the Olympics
The men’s team looks more cohesive and loose IMO
The bench celebrations are dope and they seem to support each other.
This is why people are idiots for thinking the lineups they create would be better than Kerr’s and he just hasn’t thought about it yet?
You can’t plug and play all stars into a team game and expect it to work out. That’s exactly why we lost in 2014 and why they revamped the entire organization from top to bottom. They brought in freaking Coach K because they didn’t think anyone else could get the players to play as a team
Not necessarily a bad thing
Yes it has different rules and you have to adjust. Those that can’t probably find it difficult compared to the US leagues
Unless you Stewie or A’ja, they gonna eat.
I gotta watch this interview. I’m the biggest Melo stan, but his pods and colabs are mostly about him, his takes, and how he feels about his guests’ stories compared to HIS journey. With Melo being the goat of USA Olympics in modern times vs S.Bird with a very different experience, I can only imagine a wild ride
It’s definitely a good point, but it’s more like players are being TOO unselfish and too deferential instead of all trying to earn that alpha spot.
You could definitely see a lot of over-passing and some janky offense, and aside from Lebron, KD, Ant, Stewie, and A’ja, players on both teams are playing vastly different roles on Team USA.
We’re watching LeBron not you. Move along.
Thats why D White and Jrue are playing so well and getting big minutes. Elite role players
A group of women usually don’t get along. If you’ve worked in groups where it’s only women, you know. Men will see who the alpha is and if there are multiple they’ll compete and everyone will see who is the winner and respect it.
She could tolerate the level of discomfort to play in 5 Olympic Games, so it must not have been all that uncomfortable.
Unfamiliar teammates, unusual roles, trying to fit your game in around everyone else’s… yeah, there’s definitely going to be some discomfort zone stuff there.
Get a team full of All-Stars together, well, someone’s still gotta be the glue guy or the conductor of the bench mob or the guy who only passes. It’s gonna be really weird to be that player when you’re used to taking 20 shots a game and being the team’s lodestone. At this point if you’re that in the NBA or WNBA you have probably been the best player on whatever team you have played on for… quite a lot of your lifetime.
lol I thought this had something to do with like mentally or environment, not the actual ball game lol
Serious question. Would the US be better off taking the entire championship winning team from that year rather than the all star team, as those guys have played together all year and already have a flow to the game?