Look, you just can't run Stephen Curry in a 5-1 zone defense. I thought it was a questionable call back when he had his burst, but now? Now that he's lost a step and looks slower than ever on the court... I mean, seriously, why aren't the players speaking up about this?
And where on earth is LeBron James in the net? He saved that last penalty, for crying out loud. You don't just pull him out like that. It’s nothing but amateur hour coaching decisions at this point...
You’re right, Doug. You hit that kid right in the post, then straight to the head, and finally into the net just to show him exactly where he went wrong...
In my opinion, this is easily the most effective rule in handball: if they touch your face, it’s an automatic penalty.
Honestly, teams should just recruit some scrappy little guy whose entire job description is running around and intentionally letting people swing at his face...
Get Duvnjak out of there. Horvat is nailing everything right now, so why on earth is this guy even on the court?
Quit throwing emojis around and come back to me once you've actually crunched the numbers—specifically Curry's and Hovland's penalty percentages over the last three years in the league and during international tournaments. Then we can talk.
Here’s the blueprint for breaking them down. Their offensive rhythm is sluggish; they just can't manufacture a clean look if our defense holds its ground. Instead, they start forcing it inside to the big man, which leads to unforced errors. We punish those mistakes on the break and that’s game over...
Goluža is an interesting case. If this were some meaningless mid-season matchup, Dule would probably give him 55 minutes of floor time. But since we're staring down a high-stakes situation where every second counts, he brings in Jozo Valčić instead.🙏
He could have called a foul on LeBron James right there, but instead, he lets him drive even deeper into the lane just to guarantee a whistle—then he’s standing there taking a shot on the fast break...
They've got one of the best goalies in the world sitting right there on the bench, and he comes in and just starts shutting everything down, keeping them in it... just like that...
Good grief, man... if this monster starts sinking shots from the Polish perimeter, he’s going to drop twenty on us before we even realize what hit us. 🙂
What a joke of an analysis. At the end of the day, one group takes a loss, another takes an even bigger beating, and as for that last bunch... I won't even waste my breath on them.😬
We don't need some miracle play to beat those Poles without having a heart attack in the final minutes.
Our pace is just superior. We’ve got the transition game, the fast breaks, and then there's Dom Duvnjak playing center—those heavy-set Polish defenders struggle to slow him down once he gets momentum, unless they resort to fouling...
Honestly, given how high the stakes are, it might be safer if Goluza draws up a scheme that doesn't rely solely on that aggressive transition and the big man in the paint. It feels more "secure" that way. Even in a grinding 6-on-6 set offense, we hold our own, but in games like this, everything boils down to which goalie is having a career night or which shooters are hitting their marks. If things go sideways, it could easily slide in favor of the Poles...
Look at what happened to Austria; they completely choked against the Mexicans during the opening round. Instead of running circles around them, they tried to play a slow, methodical game and ended up losing, even though their whole identity is built on that high-speed style...