2023 FIBA World Cup (Final)

1st place

Germany 83-77 Serbia

Germany was a cohesive team all the way through this tourney, never overwhelming but consistently solid. Denis Schroeder was their lodestar, Daniel Theis was the veteran dirty work guy (and even in int'l play, he still doesn't get calls!), the Wagner brothers were the offensive anchors of the team (I thought Mo was the better of the two, he seemed to be everywhere), and Isaac Bonga and Johannes Voigtmann gave reliable dirty work minutes off the bench. They weren't deep but in a tourney like this depth is just for injuries, not for rotation. I was impressed with the German game plan and their consistency, again, they weren't overwhelming but they never went away, they were never out of any game. 

Serbia was arguably the best team of the tourney with wins over Canada, Lithuania and Dominican Republic. And, for good measure, I thought Bogdan Bogdanovic was the MVP of the whole thing, with Aleksa Avramovic being a 1st team possibility. Until the 4th quarter of the Final, Bogdanovic was one of the most reliable filler-uppers in the tourney. (And that 4th quarter shows one of the main differences in the int'l game: with no in-game time-outs, its harder to get rest time for the stars because getting them back into the game is incredibly unpredictable; so in the Final, Bogdan was worn out but ended up spending too much time on the bench) In the Final, they hung with Germany until the 3rd quarter when the Germans went on a run and the Serbs just never could quite make it up. Good run, though, hell of a showing for the Serbs. 

3rd place

USA 118-127 (OT) Canada

Canada pretty well dominated the game for the first 3 quarters. Early in the 4th Canada had a 10-point lead and the Americans went on an out-of-nowhere 10-0 run to tie it up. Then Canada outplayed them for the rest of the quarter, until Mikal Bridges with under 5 seconds left had the most improbable 4-point play I've ever seen it to tie it up. Then in OT the Americans rode the high of the shocking comeback to....oh, wait, no the Canadians pummeled the Americans in the OT period, just making the extra 5-minute session an unnecessary waste of time. 

Canada was really good all the way through with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being an MVP candidate and Dillon Brooks deserving of a 1st team nod (did they even do that stuff in this tourney?). The rest of the team was good, they played well together and they reminded the world that Canada has plenty of talent (and maybe should've gone further). I didn't see the semifinal where they lost to Serbia, they would've been fairly evenly matched. 

USA had the expectations problem: they just expected to win though they didn't have the best team or the best plan. Also, I hate to be that guy but....over the last year I have soured quite a bit on Steve Kerr and as I never understood what he was doing with the lineups (re: the overall team strategy), I got to put most of this flame out on Coach Kerr. He was trying to force Brandom Ingram early on (did he even play in the 3rd place game?), starting Jalen Brunson didn't make sense to me, Josh Hart got too much playing time (with too little understanding of his role), he got the least out of Jaren Jackson and he made Walker Kessler completely disappear. What did Coach Kerr do that was good in the entire tournament? Oh well, it don't matter since I assume he won't be back anyway, just thought I'd get in some shots at the coach that I think is overrated (rather than the players). 

As for USA, I thought Halliburton, Bridges and Reaves were consistently good, Anthony Edwards was good but perhaps not quite the bust out star we thought he might be, Paolo Banchero was pretty good (but with the occasional disappearing act), Jaren Jackson was okay but maybe not the ideal fit for this squad, Brandon Ingram sulked like a movie star, Cam Johnson and Kessler and Bobby Portis kinda disappeared and while I like Brunson in a Knick uni, I never thought he was the right fit for int'l competition. 4th place is nothing to sneeze at and yet it feels disappointing--we ended up with 3 L's. 

 

Semifinal matches

Serbia 95-86 Canada

USA 111-113 Germany

Germany was just better than USA. Neither team ever had a major lead but Germany was the pace-setter pretty much throughout and USA could never catch up. 

5th place

Latvia 98-63 Lithuania

7th place

Italy 85-89 Slovenia

5-8 Placement 

Italy 82-87 Latvia

Lithuania 100-84 Slovenia

Suggestion: If this was a 16-team final, rather than 32, the two group rounds could rank all teams 1-16, which could be followed by a one-and-done style tournament that would be even more exciting. Also, by limiting it to the top 16, the best teams would get more tough games, more exposure and the one-and-done tourney would feature even more talented (and desperate!) squads. Just a thought, I know the int'l crowd loves ranking each team out and in this format that is the way to do it and generally I want to include more teams but for FIBA, the final tourney would be a lot more exciting with fewer teams playing a more furious style of tournament. Just a thought. 

Also, as always the problem with USA basketball is we worship the Olympics and don't give a shit about the World Cup. I think the Olympics should be a youth competition--or at least have a series of age-bracketed divisions--and the World Cup should be the real competition. But Americans watch the Olympics, so the big stars want to play for that audience (a bland, nationalistic, every-four-years kinda audience) rather than the real fanatics (the live and breathe basketball crowd). So we prefer spectacle and audience dynamic rather than actually trying to put the best team in the best competition. Oh well, we're America, we keep getting away with our dumb mistakes, so what good is learning?

2023 FIBA World Cup (Quaterfinals)

Lithuania 68-87 Serbia

The first quarter was amazing back and forth action but Lithuania's hot shooting just couldn't counter Serbia's ability to get easy buckets. Man, Serbia had so many dunks and layups, the Lithuanian defense just couldn't shore up protection in the lane and Serbia sliced and diced them up. A really impressive performance by Serbia, if they can keep the scoring going, they're going to be tough to beat. 

Italy 63-100 USA

USA's offense was rolling here, Italy just never had a chance. USA's defense, too, was really good, tight and in control. This was the best, most complete USA performance that I've seen so far. Italy played hard but this was like when a loaded Kansas squad comes up against a plucky overachieving Wisconsin-Green Bay or something: it was clear quickly who the better team was. It still seems plainly obvious to me that USA's best 5 is Tyrese Halliburtaon, Austin Reaves, Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges and Jaren Jackson (and I'm loving Paolo Banchero off the bench), still not sure what the fascination with Josh Hart is or the desire to make Jalen Brunson the tone-setter (when he strikes me as the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency guy); but the team as constructed may well be good enough to win it all anyway, so we'll see. 

Latvia 79-81 Germany

Tight game for the most part, Germany had a burst of scoring early in the 4th quarter that gave them enough of a lead to hold off Latvia's furious attack down the stretch. Potential game-winning shot (courtesy of Davis Bertans) doinked away as the clock expired. Close game, Germany was the better team but just barely. Germany is nice squad but they strike me as losing focus at times, if they play for 40 straight minutes, they'll be a tough out but I feel like they're the 4th best team remaining; we'll see.

Slovenia 89-100 Canada

Close at halftime, but Slovenia kinda melted down in the 3rd quarter when Canada started attacking the basket and racking up frustration fouls. It struck me early on that a 10-point lead on either side could be insurmountable and in the 3rd period, Canada put that into practice, getting up by 16 and taking advantage of Slovenian frustration (eh, the refs kinda favored the Canadians, I thought). A tit-for-tat ejections of Dillon Brooks and Luka Doncic spiced up the post-game talk but petty much killed whatever momentum Slovenia might have been able to regain. Canada was the better team but the game was closer than the score looks. 

2022 World Cup

France 4-3 (PKs) France

Weird game, probably the most lopsided 3-3 tie I've ever seen in any sport. Put it this way: France had 3 goal scoring chances and they scored all three of them, while Argentina had four million chances and scored three of them. Mbappe had a hat trick and came up big when the time was right, but Messi controlled the game and moved the ball forward for 120 minutes. Argentina more or less dominated the first 70 minutes or so, then France got a PK and a quick follow up (mirroring Argentina's scores from the 1st half) and the game got tight. But, even still, Argentina was the better team, had the better midfield control and was more dangerous around the goal. 

Fun game, the last 40 minutes or so of game time was gripping stuff, but Argentina was clearly the better side throughout and Messi the indisputable MVP.

2022 World Cup (Final)

Semifinals

Argentina 3-0 Croatia

This game was as wide open unpredictable as any match I've seen in ages, maybe like an NCAA Final with two great teams or a Masters where everyone is balling out. I had no idea what would transpire, so when Argentina was up 2-0 at the half, I still figured Croatia could win 3-2--I would not have been shocked. But, man, Messi was so fuckin' good in the 2nd half, just owned the game, took it over like Nikola Jokic: he just did whatever needed to be done like a boss. That third goal was pure Messi, thing o' beauty. I thought the PK that kicked off the scoring in the 1st half was 50/50: there was clearly contact so a replay isn't gonna change anything, I'm just so used to the keeper being given more leeway than everyone else that I'm surprised they called that contact, I thought it was even; Messi nailed the perfect finish (the one Harry Kane couldn't put away against France). Then soon after that Croatia gave up a video game goal: you're playing FIFA, you start thinking about getting an oil change or something, the computer's got the ball but he's not doing anything, you expect the ball to get poked away, it never does, now you're down 2-nothing. It was one of those, not a brilliant play but Argentina, just good ol' persistence kept the possession and went coast to coast with it. Nice work by Argentina, Messi played great, Croatia just never got lucky, made a coupla bonehead plays and that was that. 

France 2-0 Morocco

When Morocco gave up an early goal (5th minute) to France, I wasn't that worried; I knew Morocco wasn't gonna change anything about their game, though maybe they had a chance to get an equalizer. Well, Morocco really did control possession for the most part, but France's counter was pretty good. So even though Morcco held the ball and moved it well for the most part, the French still seemed more dangerous around the goal. When France got that 2nd goal (in the 80th minute), it finally let off the tension, because Morocco really could've tied that game up. Morocco was good at all phases of the game except shooting, they never really get one decent rip in the whole game, even though they held possession well and were sneaky in the offensive mid. But, France was able to overcome the chaos, got two kooky goals out of it and they're moving on. France has the home run potential of Brazil but more confidence in the midfield like Portugal or Spain, they're a good team; but if Morocco had a little more shot making up front, France might be playing the consolation game. 

3) Morocco (legit top notch defense, loved the keeper, their attacking midfield was effective against a lot of different teams; but they're goal scoring just wasn't effective enough; they deserved this run, this is a good squad, though I didn't get a feel for how old/young they are and the African teams are notoriously up and down, so not sure if they'll be nearly as tough in 2026)

4) Croatia (good team, savvy veterans, classy footballers, but they needed some luck and they did not get any against Argentina; Croatia is definitely on the map, their recent success is not a surprised, but I'm not sure this team makes it back in 2026)

Final

Croatia - Morocco

Could be a fun match. Morocco is sturdy, good in defense (though they get stretched on the counter), pretty good holding the ball. Croatia is a veteran side, patient, opportunistic but I think a little more geared toward making the big play than they ought to be. Also, gotta factor in who actually wants to play another game after losing in the semis and who is ready to just go home; I think they'll wanna play and should be rather conservative. I think I like Morocco to find the goal (maybe in OT) and I think Croatia fails to counter. I'll take Morocco.  

France - Argentina

My pre-tourney prediction was Belgium over France in the Final. Belgium did not live up to my expectations--even after they were gifted an opening game W against Canada, a team that more or less dominated them for 89 minutes and 55 seconds. But I'm not shocked to France here in the Final. They've got a ton of talent all over the field, Mbappe has been pretty great and has plenty of speed and moxy to the outside to make plays even at the highest of levels. I've been sandbagging Argentina all the way through because they didn't look special to me and I'm more used to see decline in the older teams; but then again this is the era of Lebron and Tom Brady, Federer and Nadal and, well, Messi. This team is and has been much better than I've given them credit for and their big man is feeling it. I like Argentina, I expect Messi to play the game of his life and while I expect France to be good, they look kinda half-ass to me, like they're waiting for the miracle instead of putting in the work. I think France has the better, younger talent, but I think Argentina is in it to win it like nobody I've seen in a while. I like Argentina (they're playing like they really fucking want it).

2022 World Cup (Semifinals)

Quarterfinals

Brazil 1-2 (PKs) Croatia

Brazil really let this one slip away. If they had put their effort into a for-real half court offense, controlling possession and pushing toward a ball control attack, I'm frickin' positive they would've scored goals. This would've left Croatia no hope but a searching counterattack, which I just don't think would've worked. Brazil scored first in OT but they couldn't parry the final Croatian push and then missed PK after PK (which is pretty un-Brazil, no?).  Croatia is a nice team, loads of veteran savvy and pride and while they don't have the depth of talent that Brazil possesses, Croatia was able to put together a cohesive game plan and Brazil didn't. 

Netherlands 2-3 (PKs) Argentina

Thought it was notable that all that Dutch youth wilted in OT and the Argentines dominated the attack late. Felt like the Dutch had their chance to establish the tempo early (nope) and still they could have come on late (got an equalizer, but I was thinking of a game winner or at least a dominant possession attack), but they didn't do either of those things, nor did they do anything in OT. So Argentina is moving on, the veteran savvy still getting it done (though I'm still dubious of how good they actually are). 

Portugal 0-1 Morocco

Not the most exciting game. Morocco got their goal (nice header off a long cross) and they made it hold up. I thought Portugal was old and that Morocco was underrated and that's how this match played out. 

France 2-1 England

Man, France was the better team with the deeper talent but England had their chance to extend the match but Harry Kane missed a late PK (ouch, that one's gonna hang in English lore for a long long time) and France is moving on. France has so much talent all over the field, Mbappe still has another level to get to (watch out, Morocco!), and that offense can score a ton real fast. France is the best of the remaining sides, not a slam dunk, but I'd say they're the team to beat. 

5) Brazil (this is disappointing, this team could've won it all and they didn't even score on Croatia in 90 minutes nor did they keep their advantage or shine out in PKs; Brazil has been weird for, like, 20 years now, they still got the talent, but are they ever going to find the coach that pulls it together?)

6) England (loaded with stars (but is that the same as 'talent'?), feels like they had a disappointing run but I'd say top 8 is a pretty good result; this could be one the old head teams in 2026)

7) Netherlands (good young squad, definitely could've bested Argentina, they just didn't; I'm guessing they'll still be good in 2026)

8) Portugal (one last run with the old guard, feels like this team will totally different in 2026)

Semifinals

Argentina - Croatia

Two oldhead squads that shouldn't have made it this far--and one of them is to going to the Finals! I dunno, man, this match could go in any direction, I can see either team getting hot and winning big, I can see either team stealing it late, I can see either team winning in OT or PKs. This one is wide open, I suspect the Man of the Match will be someone unpredictable. 

France - Morocco

France is the better team, Morocco's goalie has really been kinda great so far, if he can keep them in the match, then Morocco can certainly pull off the upset. But I don't think that happens, I think (unlike Brazil), France will concoct the proper game plan and will execute it to victory. Feels like France might drop bombs on the Moroccans late, we'll see, but this could an onslaught for the French.

2022 World Cup (Quarterfinals)

Round of 16

Netherlands 3-1 USA

Man, the 1st half that the Netherlands played was about the most perfect half of soccer you will ever see: they scored early, they scored late and in between they did virtually nothing and it kept the Americans running in circles. The lattice-work defense bottled up the middle and for some reason the Americans just could not shift it to the wings. The Dutch basically had two nice chances on counter attacks and they finished them both. Game over. The Americans hung around, scored a goal to make it close for a little bit, but the Dutch slammed the door soon after and that was that. The Americans have good talent, much more depth than I've ever seen in my lifetime and I'm pleased to report that the 2026 team looks well in place; that's nice, but in 2022 this was a top 16 team not a top 8 team and we all know it. As for the Netherlands, hey, man, they're better than I gave them credit for. They did so little in the group that I just kinda forgot to pay attention to them, but I was impressed with their size and speed all over the field, they're gonna be a tough out. 

Argentina 2-1 Australia

Yeah, Argentina was just better, man. The Aussies put up a game effort but they were never in this game and while this is probably the best Australian team I've ever seen....yeah....that's not saying much. There's always one team that's too old and I thought Argentina might be that team (still got my eye on Portugal and Croatia, too), but so far they've used their veteran savvy to get by. I don't think that's gonna work against the Netherlands, but we'll see. 

France 3-1 Poland

(I missed this game) Kinda seemed like the Netherlands-USA game: France was in control throughout, Poland added a late PK to make it look like a game, but I don't think it was. France is good, man, they're still in the sweet spot of their greatest generation and Mbappe is the MVP up to this point, I'd say (Messi has been pretty damn good, though). 

England 3-0 Senegal

I thought this match had some upset potential, but Senegal just never could find the upper hand. Then when England scored and then scored quickly again, Senegal was deflated. This scoreline looks like all the other round of 16 matches, but I think Senegal is better than this and I'm not convinced England is as good as they've looked so far: they caught Iran in a bad moment, couldn't get over top USA, easily pushed aside little brother Wales and got the chances they needed against Senegal. Yeah, they've won so far but I don't see them as favorite going forward. I could be wrong. 

Croatia 2-1 (PKs) Japan

Is Croatia the too-old team? Could be. But they didn't fall apart when Japan got the lead on them, Croatia stuck to their game, parried Japan for an extra 30 minutes and then handled their business in the PK round and that is impressive. I like Japan, they're smart, they play hard, they're like a really good Vanderbilt team: you know you've got more talent and that becomes your weakness because these guys will make the most of your lackadaisical mistakes. Japan is steadily improving and I wouldn't be surprised to see them as a regular fixture in the round of 16, but they've got a ways to go to reach the quarterfinals (just ask Mexico!). As for Croatia, well, I think they're getting by on guile and we'll see how long that lasts.

Brazil 4-1 South Korea

Yeah, Brazil took it easy on them in the 2nd half. Does the score look like a blowout? Man, Brazil took a nap for 45 minutes--that's how much of a blowout this game was. Does this suggest that South Korea sucks? Not at all. They are disciplined and well coached, they're good athletes and that goal they scored was fuckin' shweet! No, this is indicative of Brazil's resurrection. They've been kinda out of it for a while now, but they're gonna be tough to beat from here on out. South Korea did not suck in this game and Brazil smacked them around mercilessly before getting bored. Brazil is in it to win it this year. 

Spain 0-1 (PKs) Morocco

Not a shock. Of the eight "lesser" teams in the round of 16, Morocco is arguably the best side, they were really good in group. Spain is solid, nice mix of youth and vets, but they're not back to the 2000s form and losing to Morocco might normally seem like an upset, I thought these two were evenly matched. Indeed, it was clear fairly early in the match that it was gonna take a PK or a fluke play for either team pull it out, this had overtime written all over it. In PKs, I was little surprised that Spain missed their first three shots, felt like they'd have the veteran savvy to pull it out, but they didn't. Hey, man, not an upset, Morocco is solid. 

Portugal 6-1 Switzerland

Not surprised that Portugal laid the smackdown on Switzerland but I'm a little dubious of their overwhelming offense. They strike me as one of those teams that's too old to get it done but if they can keep this level of attack up, then they can definitely move on. Switzerland just couldn't hang; once they were forced into full attack mode, their defense got shredded on the counter, Portugal just plucked goals as if from a grapevine. 

9-16

9) Spain (Netherlands, England, France, Argentina, Brazil and Portugal all got up by 2 goals and then smothered their opponents; Croatia was able to weather the storm and get to OT but Spain couldn't get the lead and couldn't find the equalizer. They're not at their 2000s peak but the influx of young talent might be tough to beat in 2026)

10) Japan (Good team, man, they flat out beat Germany, should've beaten Croatia--Japa could easily still be in play. Japan is steadily producing better and better athletes each year, they'll be around in 2026)

11) USA (Not bad, one of those squads that forever oscillates between underrated and overrated. A nice showing against England, but should've finished off Wales, should've handled Iran and they did get housed by the Netherlands (though I suspect Netherlands is really good). So...nice tourney, not a failure but I'd like to see more confidence and looking more dangerous at the next level. USA is the host team in 2026, is USA's time finally on the horizon? 

12) South Korea (got housed by Brazil but otherwise competed well and South Korea for a while now have been passing the bus test: yeah, they look badasses getting off the bus. They're producing more athletes, they're on the up right and they'll be dominating Asia, along with Japan, for the foreseeable future. They'll be around in 2026)

13) Senegal (Senegal has a spicy offense, they produce solid athletes, just a matter of having a raft of young badasses at the same time. If they could've held off England's early offense, they might've taken that game (a mix of thinking Senegal is underrated and England is overrated))

14) Poland (They've got Lewandoski so they've definitely got for-real world class talent up front. But...there's not much beyond that. Otherwise they're just....Australia)

15) Australia (Yeah, if they had Lewandowski, I'd put them at #14. I think they're getting better and it is worth remembering that Australia is a deceptively small country, so the amount of talent produced is maybe about right)

16) Switzerland (I've been complaining about the "old" teams and frankly that's what Switzerland was. They had a coupla nice players but not nearly enough depth to even come close to Portugal (a team I'm not even that into))

Quarterfinals

Netherlands - Argentina

I'll take Netherlands, they're big and fast at every position. Argentina has the savvy but I think the Netherlands can pierce that defense, which might make the Argentine offense go haywire. 

France - England

I'll take France, they're just better. 

Croatia - Brazil

Brazil is rolling, man. They kinda haven't done anything since 2002 but this team meshes together in a way we haven't seen from Brazil since the 1990s. Throw in that Croatia is clearly one of the "old" teams and this could be a boat race. 

Morocco - Portugal

I like Morocco, if they can keep Portugal out of the box, then it can be the Moroccan counter that gets out on the break. I don't like Portugal that much but their offense has been effective, if they keep it going, they can roll up on Morocco. We'll see.

2022 World Cup (Round of 16)

Netherlands - USA (The Dutch have the pedigree but USA is producing players now that don't know they're not supposed to win; Netherlands is nice but not that great and they're coming in with the expectations; we'll see; I'll take USA (but obviously because I'm a homer))

Argentina - Australia (I thought this Argentina side might be too long in the tooth to get it done and when they got stung by Saudi Arabia in the opener, it felt like the end was neigh; but they're righted the ship and look pretty damn good again; Australia, on the other hand, is big and tough with not a lot of skill on the ball; I'll take Argentina)

France - Poland (France looks good, Poland looks okay; France has world class talent on the bench, Poland has Lewandowski up front; France is the better team but if they falter and Poland can get the ball forward, this has upset potential; but I'll take France)

England - Senegal (Senegal isn't bad while the English aren't as good as they think they are; this is toss-up, the English probably fancy themselves the favorite but I'm not sure; I'll take Senegal)

Japan - Croatia (Croatia is another team that looks old to me, Japan is sneaky and they just keep working; Croatia should have more talent, but that might doom them; I'll take Japan)

Brazil - South Korea (I like South Korea but they're not Brazil; I'll take Brazil)

Morocco - Spain (Hey, man, Morocco has played well to this point, but they may have just been in a disappointing group; Spain has moments of looking like the old magic, but I feel like they haven't played a complete game yet; I'll take Spain)

Portugal - Switzerland (I think Portugal played above themselves in group, I can see them crashing back to earth at some point; on the other hand, I don't think Switzerland has enough spice to really put in on them; I'll take Spain)

Bottom 16

17) Tunisia (man, they were good, thought they'd advance, kinda surprised they didn't; really solid on both sides)

18) Cameroon (beat Brazil, competed well against weird Euro squads, little more luck and they could've moved on)

19) Ecuador (good scorers, they were dangerous, just got unlucky down the stretch)

20) Germany (fell asleep against Japan, got lucky against Spain, finally busted out at the end of the Costa Rica match; flashes of German-ness but not enough to get it done)

21) Uruguay (still kinda scary up front, almost made it through; didn't love them but they weren't bad; last rodeo for the Suarez-Cavani combo, I presume)

22) Costa Rica (weird run, not a bad team but never got going) 

23) Saudi Arabia (beat Argentina, didn't do much else, but they beat Argentina)

24) Iran (gave away the first match but still played hard for two games; strong turnaround)

25) Mexico (just couldn't score, never seemed dangerous around the goal)

26) Ghana (nice team but didn't make the most of their chances; really should've been better, which is kinda promising)

27) Serbia (weird team, weird energy, weird group)

28) Wales (one PK was almost enough to fuck up the World Cup for USA, but otherwise they were non-existent on the pitch)

29) Denmark (I dunno, they did nothing)

30) Belgium (my pick to win it all, biggest disappointment of my lifetime; these guys sucked when they could've won the whole thing; something is seriously wrong with this team)

31) Canada (Yeah, outplayed Belgium for 90 minutes (well, 89 minutes an 55 seconds) but two games later, that seems like a major disappointment instead of a rallying cry; Canada was never particularly good on either side)

32) Qatar (Oh man, they sucked at everything! Shocking, too, because I thought they'd be kinda good and...they were not)

2022 World Cup (after 2 games)

Top tier (France, Brazil)

These two are gonna be hard to beat. Right now, I'd say this is your final (or semifinal, at least). 

Pretty good (Ecuador, Senegal, England, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal)

I was impressed by Ecuador's scoring ability, they are legit dangerous around the goal. Likewise with Senegal--that's gonna be a good match! Winner is in, loser is almost certainly out. 

England must have felt pretty good about putting the wood to Iran (who looked listless in that match), but must've felt pretty awkward about their lackluster draw against USA (thought USA was better but they each walked away with a point). Will there be nerves against Wales? I doubt it but they could really use the W. 

I wasn't sure what to expect from Spain and while I was reasonably impressed with them running it up against Costa Rica, I took that result with a grain of salt. They were better than Germany and if they'd held on to the W, they'd be riding high. As it is, they look good to move on but they need a positive outcome with Japan and that won't be a gimme. 

Switzerland showed off a solid defense against Brazil and pretty good offense against Cameroon. They need a positive result against Serbia to move on, so what's their plan? I think they're a solid team but they'll need to take control to be dangerous going forward.

Portugal is already through to the round of 16 and they look pretty good, but I haven't been blown away by them. Not sure if they'll bring maximum effort against South Korea.

So far so good (Netherlands, Iran, Poland, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Costa Rica, Croatia, Morocco, Cameroon, Serbia, Ghana)

Netherlands are nice, not blowing me away but they're on their way to the next round. 

Iran has had a rugged run in this tourney, reflecting the political unrest back home. Their performance against England is arguably the worst anyone has played so far. But they bounced back with a good W against Wales and are staring down a win-and-in match against the great Satan (well, I don't know that USA is that great). Iran's legacy has the widest variance at the moment, they may look back on the 2022 World Cup with great pride or great shame. We'll see.

Poland is nice, competent, the more they get the ball to Lewandowski the better off they are. Not completely sold on them but any team with Lewandowski has a shot at moving on. 

Argentina's opening L to Saudi Arabia will go down as one of the great upsets of all time in the World Cup group phase. But they righted the ship against Mexico--well, sorta: two moments of brilliance netted them two goals but honestly the other 89 minutes were pretty even. My initial thought was that Argentina was the team that brought the old squad one year too long, but it could be that this Mexico crop is just kinda disappointing. I'm not sure I'm in on Argentina just yet, it is very possible that they are too old. 

Saudi Arabia snuck two quick goals (both beauties, incidentally) to shock Argentina, so this team has pretty much already earned a lifetime of blow jobs regardless of where they go from here. These guys are playing on house money, not sure if they're any good at all.

Japan is a nice squad. When they tied up Germany I thought they earned their draw, but when they got that 2nd goal, I was impressed at their ability to stand up to a (hmmm...."better"....let's say "more talented") side. I thought they were merely unlucky against Costa Rica and now even after a full-on shocking upset, they're still playing for their lives against Spain. They'll need another big steal to keep going.

Costa Rica got shell shocked by Spain, but I think they just had a bad day (I like Spain but even I was like, 'they're not this good'). They rebounded nicely against Japan and have to face a German side that's been backed into a corner--a match that will be a fun one because both teams got nothing better to do than fight to the death. (I can totally see Costa Rica sneaking through)

Croatia is another in the 'are they too old?' discussion. I haven't made up my mind. They looked sluggish against Morocco and exposed Canada as possibly the worst team in the tourney. So are they any good? Will Belgium finally show up and play or can Croatia go ahead and make their plans for the round of 16? Not sure. 

Serbia is nice but let's be honest: they're Poland without Lewandowski and that's not so sexy.

Morocco, Cameroon, Ghana: three African representatives have had good moments and bad moments. They've shown that they can hang and possibly score, each of them has a solid W. Not sure which ones move on, though. 

Lucky to still be alive (USA, Mexico, Denmark, Tunisia, Germany, South Korea, Uruguay)

USA played well against Wales and England but couldn't outscore either opponent, now they must--MUST--beat Iran to move on. I think the Americans are in the top 16 but we'll see if they actually make it. 

Mexico just doesn't have much scoring threat in that lineup, which is odd because they're always kinda spicy. They should beat Saudi Arabia but they need to score some goals (and get lucky) to move on. 

Denmark just couldn't find the goal against Tunisia (who isn't bad) and got beat by a better team in France. They've got to beat Australia, which they are capable of doing, to move on. 

Tunisia is a hard working side but I'd be shocked if they got a worthwhile result against France. Nice team but not superlative. 

Germany got unlucky against Japan and lucky against Spain. I don't recall ever seeing a German side that needed "luck". Where is this team? They've clearly got the talent but they have yet to pull it together. 

South Korea is a nice team, though not particularly dangerous up front. I wouldn't be surprised to see them snag a W against Portugal but that might not be enough. 

Uruguay just couldn't take control against Portugal or South Korea and I don't see them beating Ghana, either. There's always at least one team that brings their old stars back one time too many, looks like Uruguay could be one of those teams. 

Not good (Australia, Belgium, Wales)

Australia is like bigger tougher Canada: they play hard but they're just not particularly good at soccer.

Belgium was my pre-tourney pick to win it all and...uh...that ain't happening. They had one brilliant moment against Canada and made it hold up (got lucky many times in that match) but never did anything at all against Morocco, who legit outplayed them for 90 minutes. Belgium is still alive but unless DeBruyne and Wittsel get it going, this team will be one of the biggest disappointments of recent years.

Yeah, yeah, I get it: it was a penalty, there's no overturning that call. (*) Fine. But getting fouled in the box that one time is all they've done in this tourney so far. 

Bottom of the barrel (Qatar, Canada)

I was surprised how bad Qatar was, they looked pretty good to me in last summer's friendlies, but, man, they stink at everything.

Canada outplayed Belgium for about 89 minutes and 55 seconds but couldn't find the net and then just ran out of gas after an early strike against Croatia. Canada has never been particularly good at soccer, just being here is their peak. 

(*) All I'm saying is Zimmerman was playing the ball, while Bale was just looking for a foul. Not overturning the call, I get that, but it was a lame play. 

2018 World Cup (Final)

Croatia - France -- France has glided to this point. Watching that semifinal against Belgium was like watching an inter-squad game, the teams were virtually identical in how they possessed, how they moved forward and how they played D. It was like watching twins fist fight, everybody knew the next move. That was a 50/50 game and France won the coin flip. France has as much talent as anyone but their path to this point is a mixed bag: Peru and Australia were not terribly interesting opponents, that France-Denmark game is officially the most boring of the entire tourney, though France-Argentina is perhaps the most exciting, Uruguay without Cavani was pretty toothless, and they got the one perfect strike against Belgium. They've got the skills, they are absolutely capable of striking once, twice even thrice against anyone anywhere at any time. They've got enough defense to keep feeding that offense all day.

I think it's notable that Croatia scored in Extra Time against Russia and England, I think Croatia's game only kicks in after the first 90 minutes. They need to survive and then outlast the opponent. It's worked so far. In Croatia's run, they outworked Nigeria, had more savvy than Argentina, did what needed to be done against Iceland, then wore down Denmark, Russia and England. They never seem dominant, they just hang around, longer they hang, the more likely they are to find a way. They're not overpowering, they're sneaky, pesky, crafty, gritty, gutty, all those John Wayne-type words. They've got veterans and even though it seems like they ought to be worn out, they may be in better shape than everyone else. They're well-practiced now in leaving it all out on the field.

I gotta go with Croatia. Croatia will play the full 90 minutes and be tough to beat even then. I'd give France more of a chance the earlier they score, if they can get an early goal they can relax and go for another, if they can keep Croatia backpedaling for 90 minutes they've got a better chance to pull it out. But Croatia manages to hang on no matter what happens. And they can score, they've got the guile to get PK's, enough size and strength in the box for corners and crosses, enough teamwork and gumption to make plays in the box. They're a cockroach team, France might squish them, but I'll stick with the Croatians.


Belgium 2-0 England. I almost totally forgot about the 3rd place game. Woke up at halftime, caught the 2nd half. Thought Belgium held better possession, looked more dangerous pushing forward, pretty good at keeping England's attack thwarted, not at all surprised they won. My thought going in was that England would be more excited about being there and sneak a W off the Belgians. Belgium is better and they'd already beaten England, they just reminded me of one a those blueblood college football squads that thinks they're gonna get the championship but instead they get shuffled off to the Bluebonnet Bowl and even though they're wildly more talented than their opponent, they end up getting pants-ed by Central Florida because no one gives a fuck about the Bluebonnet Bowl. But once the Belgians got that quick early goal, it gave them the backbone to play hard and just be better than the English, which they were. England had a good run but Croatia and Belgium were better teams, while Sweden and Colombia were not.

2018 World Cup (Semifinal predictions)

France - Belgium -- Of the four remaining teams Belgium has (to my eye) the best offense and the crappiest defense. If they can push the ball forward they'll crack the French back line but if they get pressed at all, they'll get wrecked. France has a good collection of offensive talent, too, and a stiff back line to go with it. Tough call, the two teams are really similar. Who gets loose? Mbappe or Lukaku? Does de Bryne find Hazard or is it Pogba finding Giroud? And which goalie will make the mistake that gets his team bounced? My gut is Belgium is better...but also worse. I dunno, I'll take Belgium (they've already beaten Brazil and England, there's no one left to scare them).

England - Croatia -- Croatia looked excellent against Nigeria, Argentina and Iceland but then waffled against Denmark and Russia, escaping in shootouts both times. At their best they look like the ideal mix of vets and youth, offense and defense, invention and discipline; at their worst, they look tired and too dependent of Modric (who looks listless on occasion). It feels to me like Croatia should beat England, who are a fine but not superlative side. That said, England has played some crafty football to get to this point and though they don't exactly seem loaded with superstars, well, the World Cup is where superstars get made so it wouldn't be that shocking if two weeks from now this English roster looks like an all-star team. England is smart, they don't mess around and when given the chance, they can make plays up front. But they also seem youthful and perhaps overly exuberant and could be beaten by some veteran linkage. Okay, I'll go with Croatia, it feels like they're gonna have more chances around the goal.

USA Soccer (*sigh* No World Cup)

Trinidad 2-1 USA
That loss sealed the fate for USA last night, as they failed to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1986. This qualifying season has been one of extreme ups and downs for USA. After losing the first two matches (Mexico 2-1 USA; Costa Rica 4-0 USA), coach Jurgen Klinsmann was fired and former coach Bruce Arena was brought back in to guide the squad through qualification. (I haven't seen the news yet but I assume Arena will be fired today--if 'fire' is even the term, he was simply brought in for this World Cup cycle so his presence is no longer required) At the time I was all for that move: Klinsmann had long shown me that he wasn't the man for the USA job and given the circumstances I thought Arena was the perfect choice. Arena's mission was clear: get the USA back on track, get through the Gold Cup and into the World Cup.

Arena's return to the Hex got off to a good start: USA 6-0 Honduras. This was one of the "ups". Clint Dempsey had a hat trick and USA seemed to have their feet under them again. The 1-1 draw in Panama was a good enough result, and though the defense was wobbly at times, Pulisic and Dempsey had some good interplay up front and it felt like USA finally had some identity to its game going forward. USA 2-0 Trinidad and USA 1-1 Mexico were also positive signs that the team was moving in the right direction. You've got to your win home games and a draw in Mexico City is a notable achievement (Mexico's home field advantage is pretty staggering). Two home wins (and piled up some goal differential) and two road draws are good results.

Then came this past summer's Gold Cup. (Hmmm....why didn't I write about this at the time?) I watched most all of the tourney and I'm pleased to report that USA was clearly the best team from beginning to end. Yes, Mexico didn't bring their top squad nor did Costa Rica, but USA's performance on both sides of the ball and with a wide variety of lineups was impressive throughout. And though it was Jamaica that USA beat in the final, I thought Panama, who tied USA in the first game, was probably the next best team. (Jamaica has a lot of impressive athletes but none seemed particularly good at soccer)

USA was finally ready to dominate, they had their identity, they had their form and they had good depth at all positions. Bring on the Hex!

Unfortunately, their next game was another one of the "downs": Costa Rica 2-0 USA. USA was listless in, couldn't seem to find in shape in the attacking half and were prone to dumb giveaways in the back that led to a disappointing--and shocking!--home defeat. Suddenly the team that had looked so convincing against the same opponents in the Gold Cup was in disarray all over again. This single game as much as any other was the back breaker, a win here would've made everything easy, instead this made everything hard.

The next match (USA 1-1 Honduras) featured another bad giveaway and, frankly, a lucky goal was the only thing that saved any shred of hope for the Americans. Honduras is not an easy place to play and never has been. The idea that this was where USA would right the ship was pretty much always doomed.

USA 4-0 Panama brought back some hope and put USA back into 3rd place in the Hex. Pulisic had a great game and cemented his status as the leader of this team. I was struck by Panama's funky attacking shape: when they pushed forward, they left a huge gaping hole in the middle of the field--dude, you could play Frisbee in the hole at midfield!--that USA was able to counter through again and again. (Kind of felt like Panama had a specific game plan in mind that they abandoned almost immediately because of Pulisic's early goal)

Then came last night's loss at Trinidad. The commentators for the game were quite upbeat about USA's chances (I believe he said USA had a 93% chance of qualifiying going into the game), but I was less sanguine. The nightmare scenario (USA losing, Panama and Honduras both winning) was hanging out there to be had. And it was had. It was another listless performance, another Omar Gonzalez mistake (and, oh man, how he wasn't called for the penalty a few minutes later is a mystery!), no one moved the ball forward, Trinidad stuck with their game plan, bogged down in the middle and road the early goal all the way to a W (only their second win in the Hex).

Okay. Where do we go now? Well, Coach Bruce Arena is not coming back. He was never the man for the future, only for now and...well....now is over. I've said a few times already that Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard have played their final games for USA but this time I have to believe that everyone else agrees with me. To my mind one of the downsides of Arena's "now"-ness was not moving on to Brad Guzan earlier. Personally I've seen enough of Omar Gonzalez, never understood why Arena kept going with him: he doesn't hold the off-side trap well and regularly gets beat when strikers attack him directly.

On defense, I liked the Brooks-Cameron line up the middle, not sure why Arena abandoned that. I kinda liked Villafana and Yedlin on the wings both of whom are young enough to be back around. I'm not sure about Brooks and Cameron coming back (Cameron in particular seemed quite salty about being left out of Arena's plans, not sure he'll want to be back). I like Matt Besler and Tim Ream to provide bench depth. Not sure which youngsters are in the pipeline.

Pulisic and Nagbe are clearly the core of offense for the foreseeable future. I assume Michael Bradley will be too; I've long had that love-hate thing with Bradley: I appreciate that he's confident and sure with the ball, that he's a leader in the middle; but I wish he'd push the ball forward more, he seems intent on settling when getting into the attack is crucial. If he steadily drifts back to a defensive mid, maybe even a sweeper role, I'd be okay with that. I'd like the see more attack in the midfield, let Bradley become a defender if need be. I was generally pleased with Bedoya, Arriola and Kellen Acosta in the midfield. Fabian Johnson is young enough to deserve another shot, I suppose, but I was never blown away by that guy (he doesn't look like his heart in the game). Again, I'm sure the Under-17 team will produce another 4-5 guys to throw in the mix (at least I hope so!).

Altidore and Wood are big strong guys that can rip the ball when they get a chance and they're veterans now I assume those forward spots are theirs to lose. That said, I was never terribly impressed with their ability to create chances and if there's some USA youth out there that can compete, I say bring 'em on.

As for coach, I suggested a while back aiming for Didier Deschamps, who will either be canonized or fired by August 2018. The Klinsmann experience did not turn me off the European coaches, quite the contrary--I think Klinsmann just sucks at being a coach. I watch a lot of soccer but I'm not that immersed in the coaches, the culture, etc., to know who the next coach should be. But my gut is there aren't any South Americans ready for this job. And I don't see any North Americans out there ready to take on this task (unless you want to follow retread Bruce Arena with retread Bob Bradley, which I don't) so I think its back to the continent. Again, Deschamps will either be available or he won't and though USA soccer is itching to move on, we kinda have to wait until the Cup is over to see who the next coach will be.

And what about Sunil Gulati? I don't think he's the problem. His only mistake was sticking with Klinsmann for so long but (arguably) that was a mistake that anyone would've made. I understood bringing Klinsmann in, I understood keeping him through the 2014 Cup, and while doubling down on him after Summer 2014 was not what I wanted, I can understand that within USA Soccer there would've been a faction in favor of it. And I kinda like him in a public persona kinda way. So while Gulati will undoubtedly face more competition the next time his seat is up for election, I don't think getting rid of him now advances anything (or is even possible to do...?).

I am disappointed to not be going to the World Cup. Not because I think we were gonna win this time (ha!) or because its the only thing getting me interested in the Cup (hell, no! I've quit jobs to watch the World Cup before! USA impacts nothing on my interest in the Cup), but because USA's natural progression should include always making the Cup. Dude, our hemisphere gets 3 bids and a chance for a 4th--there's no way USA should ever not be in the top 4! Ever! Under any circumstances! (Mexico, too, should never be out of the top 4)

So how did this come to be? You know my answer: Klinsmann was good at developing the youth game in America but not good at dealing with the players once they got to the national level. Klinsmann set this team back a whole four years, while simultaneously producing a deeper collection of talented players. I thought there was still enough time and talent for Bruce Arena to get it done (kudos for USA's dominating performance in the Gold Cup) but he was never able to fully get a grip on where this team needs to go. Now its up to Gulati (or Gulati's replacement) to get the program back on track.

USA Soccer

USA Soccer made news this week but suddenly cutting ties with coach Jurgen Klinsmann and bringing back previous USA coach Bruce Arena. I applaud both moves: the first was long overdue, the second is the right move right now

I understand the initial interest in Klinsmann but I never understood the continued interest. He's been showing for a long time that he's not the right coach for this program. Honestly the fact that he came in 3rd with Germany in 2006 was kinda suspect to me. He looked like a guy that could motivational speeches but wasn't gonna be much of a tactician. And that's what he was at USA: in all the time he's been here, he's never had a coherent game plan and he's never shown any acumen at adjusting at halftime, and he's kind of a petulant punk-ass at the post-game presser. He just yells at players and throws them under the bus, I thought that act was tired a long time ago.

I understood the commitment it took to bring him in--and he was a good get for USA Soccer at the time--but that was sunk cost. I would've canned him after the 2014 World Cup. I was not moved by USA's performance and specifically I blamed Klinsmann for not making the most of the talent he had. He just looks at these players and thinks, 'They're not German, they can't be any good.' He doesn't know how to coach them (probably because he's just not a very good coach) and he should've been gone before the 2015 Gold Cup or the 2016 Copa America, neither of which were grand successes, I would've canned him after each of those tourneys too.

Is Bruce Arena the right guy? Short term: yes; long term: probably not. What USA needs right now is a sturdy hand that's gonna tell everybody what to do and then mold a game plan that utilizes each player's strengths, which is something Klinsmann never showed any aptitude for. Things aren't good but it isn't yet dire, we just need to straighten up and play right and we'll be fine. I think Arena can do that and I can't think of anyone else who could. Far from thinking of Arena as a hack or a retread I'd say he's the #1 contender. He's as worthy of the job as anyone in the world. He needs to get this team into the Cup and get them to play with some gusto while they're there. Klinsmann wasn't gonna get that but I think there are coaches that could get that of this USA team. All a matter of economy of scale: Klinsmann doesn't see enough talent, plenty of coaches see more talent than they've ever had before.

Arena is the man for now, is he the guy for the future? Probably not. I'm ready to go back to Europe. Klinsmann was a dud but there are plenty of Europeans that could elevate this squad, don't let Klinsmann spoil that. And don't let the Klinsmann episode make you think that are a ton of Americans ready for this job, Arena is one of the few. (I could be talked into Jason Kries but I haven't been yet)

My vote for next coach is Didier Deschamps. After 2018 he and France will likely be ready to part ways: the World Cup cycle is so long and over so suddenly, that hardly anyone lasts for two Cups. Either a coach does great and gets a better job or he does terrible and gets fired. So don't be surprised if Deschamps is job hunting in a coupla years. Would he want the USA gig? I have no idea. Are there better candidates? Surely they are, I just don't know them. Deschamps may be a ridiculous suggestion but Team USA could use some ridiculous. If Gulati wins re-election (I believe he's still unopposed), he'd probably have the mandate for one last crazy move. Maybe it's a do-able thing. Sounds good to me anyway.

Incidentally, I think Arena will accomplish the task of settling USA down and getting some W's. I am confident that actually we have more talent than we've ever had and Arena will recognize that and guide them wisely. He'll also be a prickly pear that rubs the media the wrong way and wins him no friends outside of the locker room....and will eventually cost him in the locker room too. I don't think he lasts longer than 2018 but I think til then he'll put on a good show, he'll get 'em playing like they ought to and we'll be primed for a nice Cup. And good riddance to Klinsmann; honestly I wouldn't be surprised if he never coach again, the England job was open twice this summer and he couldn't move the needle there. So where does he go?  I'm guessing either he gets paid by Sky Sports or maybe BBC (his English is excellent) or else he just moves off to play golf for the rest of his life or something.

USA is moving in the right direction again. Time to make USA great again!

Rugby World Cup

New Zealand 34-17 Australia

I would've loved to have watched this match but my local NBC station had expanded Breeders' Cup coverage. Barf. (I'm supposed to care because it took place in my hometown this year but I can't stand horse racing and Breeders' Cup is not enough to make me give a shit) Anyway, if you're only gonna watch one rugby match for the next four years, New Zealand against Australia in a World Cup Final is the one to watch. *Sigh* Maybe next time...

Rugby World Cup

So Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are all in the semi-finals? What a shocker! I haven't watched a single second of this tournament (I don't have the right cable package) but these last few matches should be all-world rugby action.

Sports Watching

I had a good sports watching day the other day.

FA Cup Final (Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa).  Yeah, never felt like Aston was gonna score. Arsenal didn't exactly dominate the game but they were more dangerous team from beginning to end. (Man, that second goal, yowza!)

French Open Tennis. Azarenka (against Serena) choked away a break in the 2nd and another in the 3rd, can't say anything other than she blew it. Matches like those (when you're on the verge of winning and then Serena effortlessly surges back into the lead), must hurt worse than other losses: Azarenka not only has to live with choking away a winnable match in a Slam but the way Serena let Azarenka feel like she had a chance of winning, just to snap it back, is just cold-hearted and hurtful. Serena Williams is probably my all-time least favorite athlete: I think she's an obnoxious snob on the court and her rudeness to her opponents is all the more egregious because she's clearly better than anyone else that has played in the last 15 years! When she wants to be the best she is clearly the best and has been pretty much since day one. And for her to be such a selfish, angry, demented little brat makes her the quintessential ugly American in my book. (Very rare for me to dis an athlete, the hero/villain dynamic in our entertainment culture rather bores me, that's not what I watch sports for, so I rarely pay attention enough to really dislike anyone; AJ Pierzynski and Bill Romanowski are the only other athletes I can think of that really struck me as awful people)

Rugby 7's. I used to cover rugby back in the day, so I have actually watched and paid attention to rugby in my lifetime, though not for long and not recently. Always liked the game, bummed Americans don't dig it a little more. Dude, we have minor league indoor football, can't we just get into rugby?  Its a really cool game.  And the way the NCAA plays it is much more fluid than 'real' rugby, much more like backyard football.  'Real' rugby is slower, chippier, more intense, the scrums are Road Warrior-like affairs, and pro rugby players are badass dudes, they've been beat up and stuff, they are not 'studio tough'.  So watching these clean cut college kids with spiffy clean jerseys was fun, a bite-sized morsel of sugary rugby rather than a hearty meal of the real thing. I really do like rugby and I'd like to see USA get more competitive in it (its a college sport here, surely we're producing plenty of rugby players) and I'd like to see Americans embrace it more fully. The Rugby 7's is not great stuff but its pretty good stuff and that ain't bad.

Alvin Gentry to the Pelicans. I think Gentry is (or was until Saturday) the best coach in the world not coaching in the NBA. Steve Nash had his best years under Gentry, I think he can be a great coach with the right talent. Personally, I thought he was the best candidate for the Cavs job (if David Blatt should happen to get shivved during the post-game shower), but I guess Gentry wanted to lock up the gig as Anthony Davis's mentor rather than wait for the courtly intrigue to play itself out.  Good move for the Pelicans, I think it'll be a good move for Gentry, too. (*sigh* Now Calipari is the only guy that can replace Blatt)

NHL Western Conference Finals (Blackhawks 5-2 Ducks).  The Ducks didn't have a single slice of luck in the whole match.  Reminded me of watching the Clippers game 7 against the Rockets: no lucky breaks, nothing to build on, felt like they'd lost before they even walked in the arena. The Blackhawks scored early and kept it on the Ducks all the way. Very tight game, thought the Ducks goalie played about as well as he could have (he got no help from that defense in front of him). The Ducks controlled the puck well enough but they're scoring chances (til the 3rd period) were never so scary. The Blackhawks pressed their chances and were able to keep the Ducks backpedaling the whole way.

Way to go, NBC Sports! I know where to go for my Tour de France fix.

FIBA World Cup All-Tournament Team

The all-tourney team: Faried, Irving (USA), Teodosic (Serbia), Batum (France), Pau Gasol (Spain).  That's a good five.  I think I would've taken Harden over Kyrie but Kyrie was clearly the MVP of the gold medal game, so I think its reasonable to include him.  

Other guys that caught my eye: Dieng (Senegal), Gular, Asik (Turkey), Blatche (Phillipines), Pekkonen (Finland), Ayon (Mexico), Saric, Bogdonovich, Tomic (Croatia), Dragic, Dragic (Slovenia), Baynes (Australia), Bjelica (Serbia), Diaw, Diot, Huertel (France), Siebutis, Valanciunas (Lithuania) and frankly Spain's entire roster was killer (until they played France).  A lot of NBA names in there, I would've preferred to find more new talent but these guys want to play in the best league in the world and they all deserve to be there.

Kenneth Faried was the overall MVP of Team USA and the tournament in general.  He balled out every single game, was the glue of the team, the indispensable dirty work guy, turned every moment into an opportunity, endless energy.  He had a great tournament.  I thought it would be Anthony Davis or even Derrick Rose but it was Faried.  Kudos to that guy. 

Steph Curry might've been that glue guy but honestly USA never really needed him to step up in that way; Curry played great but he never had to get to hero level.  I thought Demarcus Cousins and Klay Thompson were great off the bench.  Anthony Davis was fun to watch (but, like Curry, never needed to kick into that extra gear, so he didn't shine the way he might have).  Kyrie Irving was solid, great when he needed to be.  James Harden did all that was asked of him, thought he played well from beginning to end.  Rudy Gay contributed well.  I thought physically Derrick Rose looked great but his game was rusty: he didn't shoot well, his rhythm always seemed a little off.  A triumph in its way to see Rose looking healthy but his game has a ways to go.  DeRozan and Plumlee did well in their spots.  

Andre Drummond was the only one that made me wonder why he was there.  In the end it didn't matter but in those games where USA got off to a slow start, I couldn't help but think that Korver or Parsons might've been better choices than Drummond.  Oh well, USA ended up win every game by 400 points, so gold medal for Drummond.

FIBA World Cup Round of 16 recap

Obviously USA was the best squad out there.  Not so much the talent but the team ethic ingrained by Coach K and Jerry Colangelo.  They have built a USA machine, which could've been built 50 years ago but wasn't.  

But from the rest of the field, I was most impressed with France.  They had a ton of talent and I suspect would've given USA a better game in the final than Serbia did.  While France was able to rub out Croatia, Spain and Lithuania, they forgot to pull it together against Serbia in the semi-final game. Batum earned his spot on the all-tourney team and if there was a 2nd team Boris Diaw would've made that.  Throw in impressive performances from Huertel, Diot, Gobert, Lauvergne and fine moments from Gelebale and Fournier, and France was a pretty solid squad.  Too bad we didn't get to see them match up with USA in the final.  

Serbia was solid.  Teodosic was all-tourney worthy and Bjelica, Bogdonavich, Krstic and Markovic all had solid tourneys as well.  They thumped Greece and Brazil, jumped out to a huge lead on France which they were able to cling to.  A solid silver medal for those guys.  

Lithuania upheld their proud tradition and while they were on the easier side of the draw, they took all comers (except USA) and almost pulled off the killer comeback on France in the 3rd plac game.  That 3rd place game was kooky: both teams were fouling at the end so the last minute of the game took what felt like hours to play out.  I can't remember a game that close, that important, where both teams fouled their way to the close.  Weird finish, man, that's why I watch these games!

Spain...oh, Spain.  Losing to USA in the final would've been an acceptable finish but flubbing the quarterfinal game to France must've hurt bad.  The beauty of a tournament like this and that when you really get into it, then an upset like this is HUUUUUUUUGE!  They had the whole tourney laid out for them, all they had to do was hold serve.  Exciting game, even though it never really felt like Spain was gonna put it together.  Marc Gasol was MIA, Rodriguez never got in sync, Llull failed to contribute and why on earth was Ibaka shooting all those 3's?  Until that point Spain was the best team in the tourney, guard play was amazing, inside play was solid, they were killing it on both ends of the court and held the home court for every single game.  They were rolling, had everything going they way.  Tsk, tsk.  Losing to another Euro team was just an extra knife in the back.  Oh man, when Gobert swatted Pau...game over.  

Of the other final 16 I thought the most impressive was Croatia.  They went out to soon.  I enjoyed watching them, thought they were stronger inside and out than Serbia or Lithuania.  But they had a tough draw, had to play France in the round of 16 instead of skating into the quarters like the other top squads.  

I wasn't as impressed with Brazil as I feel like I was supposed to be, they seemed old to me (where were Caboclo or Nogueira?).  Ditto Argentina, who felt like a farewell tour more than one last run to glory (something akin to Expendables 3).  You see this is soccer every 4 years: a team that has performed well in the past keeps running out their veterans instead of integrating the young talent (Spain was this year's culprit in FIFA).  Brazil and Argentina showed that paradigm plays out in basketball too.  

I didn't see Greece play (bounced by Serbia in the round of 16) but the stats are not impressive for Antetokounmpo, Calathes or Papanicklau.  Too early for those guys?

Turkey, Australia, Slovenia played hard but didn't have the firepower to go deep.  

Mexico, Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Senegal all did well just to make it out of the group stage.  Senegal, perhaps, has the most upside, wonder if we'll see them in 5 years.  

Surprised Germany wasn't in this field, I suspect that when they finally embrace basketball as a youth sport then they'll quickly get good just as in soccer; they have good athletes, a good system and the right kind nationalism to want to compete on the international level. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see Angola kicking it up a notch on the international level; they have many, many amazing athletes, if they ever figure out how to play basketball they could get good right away.  

FIBA Quarterfinal Power Ranking

1 Spain
2 USA
3 France
4 Brazil
5 Slovenia
6 Lithuania
7 Turkey
8 Serbia

Spain is really good, man.  They've got a killer squad, veteran team, they're at home, they are rolling right now, they are clearly the favorite.  Clearly.  USA has a shot to beat them, wouldn't be a huge upset, but I don't think its likely.  Spain is taking this.

USA is good but not great.  I suppose we should take heart that they have yet to play their best game.  There's something sluggish about this team, honestly only Kenneth Faried has played his best in every game.  Derrick Rose looks good physically but his game is rusty, Anthony Davis is playing hard but I'm not sure how he fits in.  I suspect going forward there will be more playing time for DeRozan (his wing defense might be the game changer) and the bulk of the scoring will fall to Curry (not to replace Harden but to augment him).

I'm putting France ahead of Brazil because I've seen Brazil go up against USA already.  France has a lot of good talent and if they had Tony Parker I'd even give them a puncher's chance against Spain.  (The buzz is that next time around they'll have Joel Embiid in a France uni, interesting)

Brazil has good talent down low but USA handled them without much problem in a friendly in Chicago last month.  There is a chance that Brazil has been gelling since then and that USA could be worn out by now.  But I'm not buying that.

Slovenia is spunky but with Goran Dragic in the absolute sweet spot of his career, they are legitimately dangerous.  I think USA will take them this afternoon but don't be surprised if the Dragic brothers keep this close, as USA's perimeter defense is its Achilles' heel.  If Goran is money and Zoran contributes, Slovenia could put a real scare into USA.

Lithuania is paced by Jonas Valanciunas going off.  I always liked Valanciunas but he kinda got swallowed up in Toronto last year, hope this is a springboard to him being even more of a contributor to the Raptors next year.  Oh yeah, I haven't seen Lithuania play...so...yeah, go Raptors!

Turkey is solid.  I've been really impressed with Sinan Guler: he is a helluva playmaker.  And Omer Asik is a world-class big man down low.  I don't think Turkey would take either USA or Spain but they are a formidable squad, one of those teams that does a little bit of everything.

I have not watched Serbia so far.  But they beat Greece by 18 in the round of 16.  Yipes!  Curious to see how well they match up with Brazil.

If I were to do a proper top ten, I'd put Croatia higher than some of the squads that are in here; they unfortunately drew a very good France team early and got run before their time.  Greece, too, impressed me, good inside-out play, thought they'd go deeper.  And worth tipping one's hat to the swan song of Argentina's Golden Generation, still had their moments in this tournament (but, like soccer, veteran teams falter when they get a little too veteran).

FIBA U-17 World Cup

USA dominated the U-17 FIBA World Cup, as expected.  They breezed through the group with only Greece giving them pause.  I didn't see the Greece game (USA only won by 10, though Greece went on to a 12th place finish, the Americans suffered from butterflies early on, I presume) but I watched Angola (good athletes but virtually no basketball skills) and the Philippines (good basketball skills but no size at all, the Americans towered over them), both of whom were dispatched with ease.  The size and length of the USA squad gave them dominance on the boards.

Of the single elimination games I only saw the final, where USA beat Australia 99-92.  The Aussies had their opportunities (continually missed crucial FT's in the 4th quarter), attacking the basket with abandon and generally showcasing good skills.  Vasiljevic, Humphries (both of whom made the all-tournament team), Wilson, Noi and Frohling will look good in NCAA uniforms in the next coupla years.  The Americans dominated the boards, scored well enough and were efficient enough to sneak past the Aussies who made a game of it in the 4th by nailing many 3's.  The Americans didn't play with a cutthroat mentality which allowed the plucky Aussies to keep coming back.

Ivan Rabb (currently #1 on ESPN's ranking of high school prospects) was probably the most promising all-around talent (great low post moves, great footwork) but played sparingly due to an ankle injury.  Malik Newman was the MVP of the tourney largely due to his mid-range shooting (killed it in the 1st half of the Championship game) and led USA in minutes played.  Diamond Stone (also on the all-tourney team) was money inside, great on the boards, good touch with the ball, will be in the NBA soon enough.  Harry Giles had the makings of a superior SF.  Henry Ellenson moved well for his size, not the best shooter but good basketball IQ, good footwork.  Caleb Swanigan disappeared from time to time but asserted himself inside on the defensive end.  VJ King, like Giles, looks like a solid SF.  Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, Terrance Ferguson all had moments in supporting roles.  Tyus Battle acquitted himself well as the backup PG.  Devearl Ramsey didn't catch my eye.  Curious to see how many of these guys turn into lottery picks (Rabb and Stone are easy calls, they're gonna be top 5 in the 2017 draft) and which ones become great college players (my money's on Tyus Battle to be the most interesting NCAA player).  

USA is still undefeated in U-17 play and that's the way it should be.  No other nation on earth takes youth basketball as seriously as we do.  That said, I was a little surprised to not see Brazil, Germany, Turkey or Russia in this tournament, I would assume them to be top 16 year in, year out.

The final rankings:
1) USA
2) Australia
3) Serbia
4) Spain (blew a big lead to Australia in the semifinals and never recovered, it seems)
5) Puerto Rico
6) Canada
7) China
8) France
9) Italy
10) Argentina
11) Angola (good finish for them, great athletes but their b-ball skills were minimal)
12) Greece
13) Egypt
14) Japan
15) Philippines (good ballers but so undersized)
16) UAE (the host country)

World Cup Rankings: 1-4

1. Germany -- Sure there's still a game left but even if Germany loses to Argentina, it'd still be an impressive enough loss to keep them ahead of Argentina in my book (did that make sense?).  They played well against France, Algeria and USA (three squads that impressed me) and put utter beatdowns on Brazil and Portugal.  I'm willing to overlook their lackluster effort against Ghana and I'd even overlook a loss to the great Messi.  Germany has just been better than everyone else.  I think they're playing better than Argentina, I think they are better than Argentina, I think they will be better than Argentina on Sunday and I suspect they'll stay better than Argentina over the next 2-4 years.  Like Roger Federer in his prime, they're not unbeatable but you're surprised any time they lose.

2. Argentina -- They've had an amazing amount of 1-0 wins (Bosnia, Iran, Switzerland, Belgium) and scoreless draw with Netherlands, so you know that defense is getting it done.  And Messi has gotten loose just enough to keep the wins coming.  They've got a puncher's chance against Germany but I think the Germans are a better squad, deeper, more disciplined, just as focused as the Argentines right now.  I kinda half-wanted to see them play Brazil in the 3rd place game but they earned a good win against the Netherlands, they're gonna give Germany all they can handle.  But...will Messi be back in 2016?  I doubt it, what will this team look like next time around?  Obviously Argentina is one of the all-time great squads but when they fail to produce that one singular talent that elevates the team, they tend to flounder.  What does the post-Messi look like?

3. Netherlands -- This is a veteran group and they're coming together well enough right now.  They drubbed Spain, drubbed Australia (sorta), snuck past Chile, Mexico and Costa Rica, went to penalties against Messi, and they have a good chance to drop a beatdown on Brazil in their homeland.  So, yeah, pretty good tournament for them.  Too bad they couldn't solve Argentina's defense. And, like Argentina, I wonder how this team holds together going forward.  Van Persie and Sneider both looked gassed today and Robben couldn't get it done by himself.  The core is still there if they can pour in some fresh talent around them.

4. Colombia -- Impressive.  No problems against Ivory Coast (Africa), Greece (Europe), Japan (Asia) or Uruguay (South America).  Really deserved better against Brazil (I bet Colombia would've given Germany a game in the semi-finals).  James Rodriguez was THE breakout star of this tournament and that is something to build on.  If Brazil stays in disarray, Argentina suffer a post-Messi letdown, and Uruguay continues to search for talent, these could be heady days for Colombian soccer.  (Yup, even though they lost I'm putting them higher than Brazil if for no other reason than Brazil deserves a downgrade based on that performance against Germany)