I am going to give you a Team USA gold-or-not prediction in this column, and I promise you a prediction that goes against the grain. That’s all I’ll say about that … for now. First, I’ll hand over the podium and relay a quote that could be the defining declaration concerning the London Olympics: “Let’s no longer beat about the bush. This summer’s Olympics Games are going to be a catalog of disasters. Not everything that can go wrong will go wrong.
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
Manchester Town Hall in Albert Square, seat of local governance, is an example of Victorian era Gothic revival architecture. MANCHESTER, England, July 19, 2012 _ Team USA is staying the night tonight. They will leave for Barcelona in the morning, refreshed or not. You don’t get many nights off on the way to the Olympics after 40-point wins, but Team USA got that rare treat tonight, and perhaps the paparazzi will tell us more tomorrow. This column is entitled
MANCHESTER, England — Kevin Durant replaced Carmelo Anthony as the starter at power forward, and Deron Williams took over the starting job at the point from Chris Paul. But despite the efficiency that those moves produced, there is no permanence to those moves, coach Mike Krzyzewski said Thursday night after the United States clobbered Great Britain 118-78, in its third tuneup game. Coach K said there will be seven starters, with Anthony getting the nod when the team needs a little more beef,
WASHINGTON — Someone has to say it first, so I’ll take the plunge. Team USA is in trouble unless changes are made. They are too small, they are bringing their best scorer off the bench and making him guard players much stronger than him, and they are brimming with so much overconfidence that they are practically blind to the reality of the situation. If they cannot impose their will on their opponents at the London Olympics, they will lose. They are a one-trick
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama was on Kiss Cam, smooching his wife Michelle, when the outcome was no longer in doubt. The First Family’s date night had a happy ending, but it was perilous along the way as Obama and vice president Joe Biden watched from courtside seats across from the Brazilian bench. The home team struggled coming out of the gate, was outsized and outcrafted and trailed by 10 points at the end of the first quarter. Even when Obama was in
WASHINGTON – Yeah, Team USA’s here. Big deal. So are hundreds of college basketball coaches and more than a dozen NBA scouts, who converged this weekend on the Nike Global Challenge to evaluate tomorrow’s stars. Here’s a look at some key storylines from the three-day event held at lovely Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va. and the not-as-lovely D.C. Armory. CAL’S BEEN BUSY: After coaching the Dominican Republic within one win of an Olympic berth before Thursday’s loss to Team USA in Las Vegas, Kentucky