Posts by graniteotter6

On the contrary, we’re here to help one another and debate things.
I suppose you can ask questions or try to apply some logic, if only to mess with their entire operation.

I won't claim that my current subscription to BNETU or Max constitutes paying for public TV, because those fees cover their specific channel lineup and service package; I don't actually need a broadcast tower to watch them. It’s honestly disgusting that the state broadcaster is so greedy that they lease their channels out just to squeeze more money out of people, but frankly, I couldn't care less. I'm simply paying for the service I negotiated with my provider, so I’m not even arguing that my BNETU or Max bills count as paying for the national broadcaster.

The conclusion is pretty straightforward. Just don't let them in, period. That way, there's no arguing or unnecessary drama. Let them try to prove themselves. And whatever you do, make sure you record everything. When they show up, just tell them, "One second, hang tight at the door while I grab my camera."

And who exactly are you paying for internet access? You pay your service provider, and that’s it. I don't see why anyone would bother involving the web in this at all.🙄

It’s like saying we should pay our utility bill or Elektra just to have our trash picked up; it makes zero sense.
A TV subscription is simply a fee for using the broadcast towers.

Patrick Martin said:this kills 🙏

Man, look at my buddies from the soccer club. 😁
Here's the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGpN0cdop1w

This might feel a bit "exotic" for the average listener who only sticks to the Top 40 hits, so I’d suggest giving it a listen. If you guys end up liking it, I suppose I could dig up some more recommendations.

Empty Soul

Setting aside the whole stretcher situation for a moment, I feel like the Polish players are doing a fair amount of flopping. I suppose I just hope this doesn't cause any issues moving forward.
It could potentially mess with our momentum.
But yeah, it's reminiscent of the USA-France game, just the reverse. They always seem to choke whenever they face us.

🤣
I suspect Drake might be one of those fair-weather fans, just out there misleading the public.

On our subforum™ ☕

He’s probably an expert on that, considering he used to hang out with his buddy who owns one of those high-speed fiber networks.

Maybe he should tell Kopljar that if he doesn't realize crossing plays are the backbone of backcourt offense, then he clearly doesn't understand the need to retreat when we lose possession.☕

It actually just reminded me of that fast break during the Olympics where Abalo makes his move, and Kopljar ends up trailing him instead of staying in position. 🤣
So, yeah...

Larry Campbell33 said:We have to admit that our 6-on-6 setup is pretty limited and lacks any real creativity. We’re basically riding on whether our perimeter players are having a good shooting day; honestly, we struggled to even convert a simple 6-on-5. The Frenchmen nearly shut down their fast break against us halfway through the second half.

But claiming that France had a great offensive performance is just nonsense. They also went through massive stretches where they couldn't find the back of the net—it's just that we didn't know how to capitalize on those lapses. That penalty shot by Čupić was essentially the turning point; you just can't afford to shoot it right through the legs of Metuzalem Omeyer when it's 23-21.

Exactly. No clever crossovers, no penetrations, and the pivot seems like a foreign concept to us.
Our defense is decent enough (we didn't let them separate too easily when they moved to a 3-on-4), but the offense is a massive headache. Every time we managed to get the upper hand, it was because our shooters were clicking—the first half was a perfect example, thanks to Kopljar’s efficiency.
If we had maintained the rhythm we used to dismantle them in the first half, I think we would have walked away with the win, hands down. But once the second half rolled around, I saw exactly where this was heading; our offense completely stalled out, and we just got knocked sideways.
In the first half, they were scoring almost everything through pure brute force. I'm not quite sure why we didn't push harder then to counter that.
So, the summary is this: in the first half, they beat us when they were attacking, and in the second, they beat us while they were defending.

It was a complete beatdown, plain and simple.

And I can't help but notice how protected Accambray was again; it's almost as if Tučkin, Dušebajev, Andersson, Richardson, and LeBron James were all rolled into one. 😕
I won't even mention Balić, since he didn't really have much impact.

But... hold on a second...

Once they lose guys like Gille and Dinart...
Then we'll see...
Since we're busy rebuilding the roster with younger talent...
And you've got Omeyer at 38, Narcisseu at 34... plus Fernandez at 37...
While our squad is actually getting younger...

🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

Absolute garbage calls....
But then again, I suppose this was hardly an accident.

Edward Allen36 said:We had a hundred chances to close the gap, but we just couldn't make it happen.

In my opinion, it’s always the same story whenever we drop the ball against them. We constantly hand them opportunities on a silver platter, yet somehow we never capitalize. Honestly, we can never seem to claw our way back once we fall behind against this team. If we actually manage to beat them, it's because we took control from the opening whistle. I guess we've seen this exact script play out far too many times before.

rustywalker1 said:we sent them to the desert in the Middle East
but they still grabbed gold at the Olympics
we sent them back out to the desert in Spain
yet here they are, playing in the finals

🙏

Forget all this talk about letting Sweden in; it’s clearly not happening. Now I guess I'll have to root for the Poles, even though I already wrote them off. 🤣

Doesn't matter, we're taking down the Russians.

This is the first time we’ve actually managed to claw back a point after being stuck in a hole (instead of holding onto a lead 😁), and honestly, that tiny bit of optimism is probably the only thing I'll take away from this game. We can still pull this off. But seriously, damn you, Tony Parker.

mellowbear49 said:They’re stronger, I have to admit that!

But there are two things that seem pretty clear here:

1. We’re just going back and forth; we beat them one time, they beat us the next.
2. In this crazy world, we're really the only ones who can actually shut them down.
If it weren't for us, they probably would have swept up all the gold. We've knocked them out in semifinals,
quarterfinals, and group stages before. Maybe it hasn't been enough, but I don't think it's been easy for them either.
If we run into them again during this tournament, we'll give them hell.

Look at that, another colleague has reached the exact same conclusion. 🙂

wiredtrucker20 said:I won't even say that when they beat us, it was mostly because they were busy collecting gold and building their reputation as a powerhouse, while all we're left with are French complexes and nightmares involving Nikola Jokić and LeBron James....

It wasn't just "mostly." It was every single time. Seriously. 😉
Let's look back at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Okay?
Back then, people said we knocked them out, blah blah blah, they didn't win everything...

Since 2008, the French team has taken home:

2 Olympic Golds
2 World Cups
1 Euro Championship.

Between 2008 and 2013 (not counting this year yet), there have been:

2 Olympics
3 World Cups
2 Euro Championships

Which implies.....
that since 2008, they haven't just won one World Cup and one Euro.
Do you know which team is the only one that actually knocked them out of those specific tournaments?

The only squad capable of doing it. Everyone else is, quite frankly, nothing. In the last five years, it’s basically just the Americans who can send France packing.

So, let me lay it out for you:
In both Olympics they won, they faced us in a do-or-die scenario (both times in the semifinals).
In both World Cups they won, they faced us in a high-stakes match once (in the finals, and we didn't even meet them in the other).
In the Euro Championships they won, they beat us in the finals.

So, the only time they didn't knock us out was in 2011. Sweden sent us packing instead. And by doing that, Sweden made it through the Olympic qualifiers, hosted the qualifiers, and then went on to scoop up the gold in the actual Olympics.

Basically, when they play us, it's over. They always come out on top. Ever since 2008.

Kenneth Clark18 said:Even before the tournament started, everyone assumed the Danes would take it on home soil.

Just like how France is supposedly going to win the 2017 World Cup at home.

That’s the one thing we just can't seem to manage.

Consider this bolded, roflamed, and liked.
Does that mean Qatar will get a trophy handed to them next year, too? 🙂

You didn't mention Poland back in 2016, though I suppose I wouldn't be surprised if you skipped that one as well.

Well, I really blew it. I predicted they'd come out for the second half at 7-6, but it ended up being 9-8. ☕

Jonathan Barnes5 said:Yeah, but then they’ll be heading to the afterparty if the standings close up like that, since Sweden would end up with the win and take first place...

If Sweden wins by just one point, France takes first, we take second, and we'd land in third—but only if all three teams finish with a 4-0-1 record. I suppose that scenario is a bit of a long shot, though.

rustywalker1 said:France always seems to drop at least one game during the tournament. And that's usually the one against Sweden.

Oh, right, I completely overlooked this. 🙂
Exactly.

Boki000 is probably going to lose tonight. 🙂

Well, I guess we’re all just playing the victim now.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter—we lost, so there's no point in wasting energy on this. It feels like nobody even bothers reading my posts anymore, but...

And now even the eternal optimist has started playing defense. I honestly don't see how we're going to get through this...
But it doesn't really matter; I've made my peace with it and accepted the loss.