It happens every summer.
Some welcome its arrival. Others
scoff at its dominance during the
summer months, and complain
that it’s too boring.
Well, are you one of these people?
Are you sick of only seeing
baseball highlights being
replayed on Sports Center
around the clock?
It’s not going to happen this
time around. This summer, the
sports world will have the 2008
Beijing Summer Olympics to
save sports fans from the monumental
amount of baseball.
This year’s Olympics have
more to offer to the common fan.
One of the greatest collections
of basketball players ever assembled
will be on display, and it
will be wearing the colors red,
white, and of course, blue.
The United States Basketball
team has been embarrassed of
late, losing to teams it has never
lost to before and just playing
overall terrible basketball.
Although some would argue
that the world has caught up to
the American dominance, maybe
it is instead the Americans’ arrogance
that has caught up with
the squad.
Recall the “Dream Team.”
That was the first professional
team that the U.S. put on the
floor in the 1992 Olympics in
Barcelona, Spain; collectively
putting on all of the best players
it could muster and generally
showcasing our talent throughout
the world.
Charles Barkley, John
Stockton, Larry Bird and the
greatest player of all time,
Michael Jordan, showcased their
talent – and beat virtually every
team they faced by 40 points.
To say that the opposition was
intimidated when they played
the Dream Team was an understatement.
They knew it was over before
the tip. Before the game even
started, the jaded opposing players
would often ask for pictures
with the superstars on the Dream
Team. How can you defeat legends?
That grace period, the time
when the world was in awe of
American basketball dominance,
has faded, and now international
players are on an even playing
field with Americans.
So the higher ups in management
went back to the drawing
board.
First, they hired legendary
coach of the Duke Blue Devils,
Mike Krzyzewski. Then, they
made sure to sign only players
willing to make a 3-year commitment
to the team -playing in
the World Championships in
2006 and Olympics in 2008.
The precursor to the Olympics
didn’t go over all too well and
we took home the bronze medal.
But remember that the squad
was depleted and lacking in several
key areas. What’s in the
future to guarantee basketball
success and glory?
Well, they secured the most
jaw-dropping and dominating
performers in basketball for the
2008 Beijing Olympics-Kobe
Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo
Anthony, Dwayne Wade,
Dwight Howard and Amare
Stoudemire to name a few.
A unique addition to this team
are Mike Miller and Micheal
Redd, who do nothing but bomb
three pointers.
The problem for other teams
will be which player to double
team. Picture it now. Bryant has
scored 30 points in the first quarter
by just dunking alone, the
team he’s playing against, say
Greece, try to double him, he just
throws it to LeBron who jumps
even higher and scores even
more in the second quarter.
What can you do, then, if
you’re the opposition? Outscore
them.