// BARCELONA — “Was that was the final margin was? Six?” Usually the reporters ask the questions and the players provide the answers. But the tables were turned as I spoke with Chris Paul after Team USA’s 86-80 victory Sunday night over Argentina, and those questions came from him. Yes, the final margin was six – 86-80, to be precise. But the margin earlier was 20, and the score was 16-1 in the early going as the Americans were making their first seven
UNDER CONTRACT: F-C Tim Duncan, G Manu Ginobili, G Tony Parker, G-F Stephen Jackson, F Boris Diaw, C Tiago Splitter, F Matt Bonner, G Danny Green, F Kawhi Leonard, G Patty Mills, G Cory Joseph, F DeJuan Blair, G Gary Neal DRAFT PICKS: G Nando de Colo (2009) FREE AGENTS: None MOVES: The Spurs approached free agency the way men approach a mall. They didn’t browse or waste hours walking around and looking. They walked in knowing what they wanted, made their purchase, and left. GM R.C.
360 degree view of the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. We play USA here tonight. 360.io/CpmhQX — Manu Ginobili (@manuginobili) July 22, 2012 The big game is not tonight. There is a game, yes, but it is not the big one. That’ll come Tuesday night when the Americans play Spain in Barcelona at the arena pictured in Manu’s tweet above. What is notable about tonight’s US-Argentina game is that it is the only friendly the Americans will play against a team they are
Although the current Olympic team won’t cause quite the eruption of the Dream Team in 1992, fans in Barcelona will be quite enthusiastic when Team USA plays exhibition games Sunday against Argentina and Tuesday against Spain. The difference in focus and expectations from 1992, however, are profound. International fans were mesmerized by the Dream Team and couldn’t get enough of their American basketball idols. But never in their wildest dreams did anyone from another country think their team would beat the
The two biggest names in this game we love remain Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. And as free agency slows to a crawl after three frenetic weeks, the basketball world’s focus is on Barcelona, Spain, where Bryant, James and the rest of Team USA practiced and held court with the international media, one day before their “friendly” vs. Argentina on Sunday. In terms of popularity, Bryant is the unquestioned king. His jersey is the top seller internationally, while James is third, trailing Derrick Rose.
BARCELONA — The building pictured to your left is the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, which sits atop one of the highest hills in this Spanish coastal city. To get there from the plaza below, they have a series of outdoor all-weather escalators. You can use those, or you can climb about 500 steps. Behind the museum is the Palau Sant Jordi, the modern arena where Team USA will play Argentina on Sunday night and Spain on Tuesday night. From
