Posts by Sam Murphy

It felt like Jesus was truly on their side 😁

Brian Doyle6 said:Man, I guess I’ve just grown used to this way of thinking because we're only a nation of 330 million people...
In smaller countries, the talent scouting process just doesn't function quite the same way it does in the massive powerhouses. Here, you might find someone who is incredible at one-on-one play or has a killer three-point shot, but they just don't have the natural physical conditioning required for the modern game, so they slip through the cracks in our system; however, if you were looking at players in places like Spain, Germany, or France, a player like that simply wouldn't make the cut...

I have to disagree with you there, because that logic doesn't really hold up when you consider that most of our top players are already playing for elite clubs overseas—clubs that wouldn't even look at them if they didn't possess that necessary stamina, since coaches would much rather pay for a guy who can dominate for a full forty minutes than settle for someone who burns out after fifteen...

Why?

- It starts with me; things just aren't clicking the way I want them to, or how I expect them to, especially within the club dynamics. As for why my defense is slipping... whether I'm putting too much pressure on myself, or if it’s some kind of sudden panic, I honestly don't know. My biggest regret is letting the guys down because I'm not providing the same level of support I'd give to someone playing for Memphis—it's as simple as that. I'm playing with everything I have, pouring my heart into every play, but things just aren't working out here right now. I really don't know what the future holds... - Kirk concluded with a heavy sense of finality, and I suspect we won't have to wait long for an official response.

It looks like Kirk might be eyeing retirement😁

Betty Martin15 said:And honestly, they were tearing him apart back then too.

People started coming for Červar the moment he stepped into the political arena to support the Republican Party, even though, if you actually look at his track record, he’s a true expert who operates on a completely different level than these amateurs...

Babić lost the game, and honestly, he needs to just admit he failed us... if he could just own up to half of what went wrong, maybe he’d consider stepping down already.

Paul Jones7 said:Of course he knows. And of course "the boss" has no clue...

But honestly, we manage to shut down one lineup and hold them to a three-point lead, only for them to sub in a completely different rotation that just throws us completely out of rhythm. That isn't on the coach; that’s on the players...

I mean, Garcia literally tore us apart. Once you throw in two fast wings, those aggressive drives toward a second pivot, Aguinagalde, and playmakers who actually understand the flow of the game, man... there was just no way we could stop their scoring run, and that's when they just pulled away from us. It was easy goals for them, and frankly, even Stevanovic wouldn't have been much better, regardless of how much of an obvious mistake Alilović was being...

And we simply had no plan for them—or if we did, it never made it past the theoretical stage...

A real head coach would have filmed the opponent and prepared a specific strategy for that exact variation; I'm sure the Spanish team was already using it elsewhere in this FIBA World Cup, and if you don't have a counter-strategy, at least have the decency to admit it instead of making excuses about fatigue in the 20th minute of the game, because that's just plain stupid...

George Ward7 said:They’ve got a coach who actually understands the nuances of the game, and you could really see the impact of that today. He always seems to have an answer ready, calling those crucial timeouts right when they matter most and rotating the goalkeepers perfectly... his tactical depth is honestly what won us this one.

That’s where the gap shows itself, isn't it? One of the biggest issues was Duvnjak, because he just didn't show up at all in this match. If you look at how we've been playing in this tournament, it feels like we can't string two wins together to save our lives—we beat Belarus, then dropped one to Norway, beat North Mexico, lost to France, beat Poland, lost to Spain, and now, following that exact pattern, we should be due for a win against Norway, though I suppose I'm forgetting about Iceland 😁

Stevanović has already pulled off two, maybe three massive saves, and I honestly have to wonder what on earth Babić is thinking...

We’re walking away with nothing but a wooden medal here, especially since we haven't had any real leadership on the coaching bench...

He decided to put both Stevanović and Horvat on the court, but they’re still sticking to that 5-1 defensive setup, which is just asking for trouble right now... and we're already seeing mistakes happen because of it.

Carol Harris64 said:what exactly is considered "normal" here...😵

just look at this ranking, we aren't even cracking the top 20 tournaments anymore!!!
http://handball.sportresult.com/hbem16m/PDF/TOPGK.pdf

If everything goes according to plan for the next big tournament, I bet Ivić will be out there defending the status quo while they field nothing but the absolute best players on the roster...

Now they’re starting to look pretty exhausted, so let's see how they hold up against the Norwegians, especially since those guys just came off an intense overtime battle...

What kind of absolute idiot thinks putting Alilovic in goal after that mess against Poland was a smart move, especially when it’s so obvious the Spanish aren't hitting anything from deep, so why on earth would you stick to a 6-0 defense instead of switching to a 5-1...

They’re getting carved up right through the middle, so we really need to tighten things up by running more of that 6-0 zone defense and putting Stevanovic in the net...

We really need to start putting more faith in Stevanović in the net, especially since our defense is looking absolutely shambolic right now... everything is just falling apart...

If we actually manage to make it to the finals, I think I’d honestly prefer facing Germany over Norway... our guys would probably get way more fired up playing against the Germans.

jadeseal7 said:Everyone is getting way off topic here....

I’m honestly more worried that our guys won't be able to make any saves tomorrow... ☕

To be honest, my bigger fear is that our own keepers won't be able to stop anything either, because it's incredibly hard to play two high-stakes games back-to-back with that kind of intensity, and Alilović just doesn't seem to have the consistency to pull off even one solid performance lately...

Thomas Harris97 said:Even though Stevanović played his heart out against the Pole, you can't ignore the reality that he's already 33 and sitting on the bench in Washington, D.C. I wouldn't go so far as to say we've suddenly discovered a superstar keeper, though I suppose he could always have one of those wild, brilliant moments tomorrow and be absolutely unstoppable...

Then there's Ivić, who really needs to be pushed more consistently moving forward, and honestly, we desperately need to scout and find another young talent to step up...

mellowfalcon9 said:Bumping this thread...

I honestly feel like I’m losing my mind over these headaches these past two days... I just don't know what to do with myself anymore... Is anyone else dealing with this kind of thing? How on earth are you all managing to get through it? Even standard over-the-counter painkillers aren't doing a single thing for me... 😢

I don't really deal with the headaches, but my bones and muscles have been aching constantly, and I've found that taking some Lyrica helps, though it seems to get much worse whenever there's a heavy wind blowing in from the north.

I’m running into the exact same headache with my wireless connection... it’s just incredibly weak on this specific desktop where I have the card installed, even though my laptop and phones are picking up a perfect signal everywhere else. I can't help but wonder if swapping out the current Linksys gear for something better would actually fix the issue, or if I really just need to hunt down a much stronger antenna to get things moving again...