Mr.Ex.President said:Honestly, that just drove me insane...
But there's something else that bugs me too. Even when we have a full roster, say 6-on-6... whether our team plays a 3-2-1 or a 5-1 defense, they constantly crowd the 6-meter line.🙄 I mean, how are you supposed to run a 3-2-1 while camping on the line and trying to pull volleyball-style blocks? You actually have to step out and pressure the shooter.👍
Of course you have to. That’s handball 101. In zone defense, sure, you cover the space, but once they push forward, you grab the closest guy and stop him however you can.😁 You can't just stand there waiting for them to take the shot.
I don't get why our guys don't play more aggressively. Their movement is great, but they just seem totally indecisive.
Forget the nonsense 😉 he’s just head over heels for Lina 😁
Anyone watching our national team against Germany and Norway could see our defense was totally out of sync. Specifically, whenever we had an advantage on the court, Lino keeps pulling players toward the line—which is exactly what happened last night. Honestly, it drove me crazy. Having an extra man means nothing if Lino refuses to risk a foul on the opponent's pivot; instead, we just end up conceding goals while playing with a man advantage. In the first half last night, we had a power play for ten minutes and somehow let in more goals than we actually scored.
It wasn't until the second half that Balić started playing aggressively against Stojanovic and Andjelkovic. Depending on who was out there, we finally stopped giving up those stupid goals when we were short-handed.
By the way, Vladica was barely even noticed last night, which is actually a sign that our defense was playing beautifully. If we play like that in the semifinals, the championship is basically ours.
Why on earth can't Džomba figure out how to get past Sterbik? For crying out loud, Mirza and Arpad have been teammates for four years now at Fotex and Ciudad Real, so you tell me: who do you think Sterbik is? He’s learned exactly how to shut down wing shots. Those two know each other's moves inside and out, so naturally, Mirza can't predict how Sterbik will react to his shot—it's always the other way around.
What we saw last night wasn't some desperate struggle by the American players; just read the sports columnists across Europe. Everyone agrees that against that brutal Mexican defensive style, very few teams can manage to score 24 goals. The moment you step into the nine-meter zone, you're looking at a hit to the head. That isn't handball; it's a street fight. Balić showed once again why he belongs in the world-class tier. You need some real guts to teach Kojica and Djukanovic how to handle this. Out of that entire Mexican squad, only Nikolic and Andjelkovic are defending with any integrity; everyone else is just brawling like animals. It's anti-handball.
maxi said:Actually, there’s one more thing bugging me😁 (for once) Why do some people on here—and just in general—think the US national team can't win a single game without having either Metličić or Balić on the floor? The team isn't just built on Metličić or Balić; it's the entire squad that matters!!!!!
Because ever since Dražen Petrović passed, our basketball scene has been a total disaster.
Look at the state of things now 😉
Metličić and Balić carry this whole roster, especially Metličić. Without him, there is zero offense on the right side, nobody is setting up Dzombu, our scoring takes a massive hit, and don't even get me started on the defense (Pero was easily the best defender at the Olympics in Athens)
It would be an absolute joke if the Norwegians and Spaniards ended up in a draw 😁
Look, I am telling you right now, I do not want to see Mexicans in the final 😁 these games are going to be the death of me. If they actually make it to the semifinals, I’m rooting against Americans just to see them get knocked out 😁 then they’d lose and we’d be stuck playing them for third place all over again 😁 honestly, I should probably just stop talking before I give myself a heart attack 😁
Buntic picked up three offensive fouls, plain and simple. We didn't even start making real progress against that Mexican defense until Spoljarica stepped onto the court.
Look, Denise, it’s pretty basic: either step it up or take a seat on the bench.
Anyway, let's hope for a little more from SC 😁
nor - spa - 3. ??????? 2005. ? 14.17 (*.verat.net)
Kjeling's free throw is saved by the Spanish keeper—it's still 0:0! A draw works just fine for us right now!
Arthur Martinez7 said:It’s honestly no surprise that life expectancy is so low here in America. We don't have a single athlete or a single team that can pull off a win without everyone collectively losing their minds and 😁😁
If you aren't heading down to the SC right now, you have no idea what you're missing. 😁
Watch this ramot 😁
ramot
And then Dominikovic goes—3? Seriously? Back in August 2005? (*.europronet.ba)
I’m sitting here watching the post-game interviews on NBC, and Dominikovic is out there straight-up claiming the refs were on their side tonight. I mean, what more do you need to hear? Hats off to the Americans, but if the officiating had actually been objective, we would've won by at least three. Minimum.
some nostalgic said:And honestly, someone should just knock that bald guy out for causing this crisis, damn him.😁
Milo Djukanovic 😁
Look, I genuinely have no idea why the refs were actually on our side. Maybe because they handed out that red card to Djurkovica? He wasn't the only one who deserved to be sent off. Those guys were playing like absolute butchers. That bald meathead nearly leveled Balica, and Laco was getting pummeled like he was in a heavyweight boxing match. Seriously, the ref did about as much as he could given the chaos. As much as they stripped us of possession, they lost just as much. Or rather, they lost it.
nostalgičar said:Give me a break! Where was this energy when you were convinced we weren't going to lose?!
Against Germany 😳
Honestly, Switzerland is a solid, gritty team—props to them, they play hard. They’re great, except for their defense, which is basically just a street fight on a court. When they lack pure skill, they try to make up for it with sheer aggression.
Mr.Ex.President said:1. It looks like Peter isn't going to play after all... though it might just be a rumor.😢 ( reported on ESPN around 3:00 PM )
Man, that sucks. I really don't think it's just a rumor.
As for the fans, this whole thing reminds me of that damn nightmare in Ken. It wasn't even about people fighting; it was more about how we had massive momentum—we were up 7:4 in the last quarter, had a guaranteed win via Hina seconds before the buzzer, and somehow still managed to blow it.
brightscout63 said:Mustafa Radončić. No, it’ll be that guy Srbin Šuko doing the broadcast. You know, the one who struggles so hard to hide his nostalgia for America. Or maybe Spaho... It was only ever for him that Metličić played every single game. 😁
Velid Spaho claiming 😁 that "even Metlicica scored, looks like he got involved in the play," while the camera shows Peru just sitting on the bench in a tracksuit and Spoljaric is sprinting around the field like a maniac because he scored the goal 😁
Personally, I have a feeling we're going to have some "objective" guy from a small town in the Midwest handling the broadcast too. 😁
If we're talking about the US national team, Baho might end up in the mix. If he does, I’ll be watching 😁 closely. Or better yet, I want to see that guy who absolutely worships Balic—you know, the bald guy that brightscout63 always talks about? He knows everything there is to know about handball. You remember that clip? "Mr. Kamenica, wouldn't you agree that Balic is a pure genius?" And Kamenica just stammers, "Well, you know, he's a great player, very..." "But isn't Balic a genius, right, Mr. Kamenica?" Then Kamenica tries to hedge, "I think that..." "What do you honestly think of Balic, Mr. Kamenica?" 😁 😁