Handball EP - Norway 2008

I honestly think it’s high time a bunch of us on this thread—myself included—give a little reality check to this kid...
Let's just pray things actually stay on track like this...

As for the matchup between the Americans and the Norwegians, I caught the game on DSF... and man, I almost called it a total setup orchestrated by the refs... though, to be fair, the Americans were playing way below their usual standard too...

James Garcia22 said:I didn't even say he’s the core issue; he’s just a symptom of the absolute disaster that is USA Basketball right now. If Gobac and Kavran weren't the ones putting this national team together, honestly, we'd be out there winning everything there is to win.☕

Well, that’s a whole other layer to the mess, and you’re absolutely right about it. Unfortunately, I don't think any other coach would dare change things either—they’d just get kicked off the bench the second they tried to play their own way. You try to stick to your guns, you lose the support from the top, and boom, you’re out of a job by the next tournament. Nothing changes until the national program completely hits rock bottom; only then will the federations actually be willing to cooperate and give a coach some actual freedom to work.

James Garcia22 said:You’re forgetting about Vori on the left wing. I mean, seriously, who can actually stop him in that spot?
The only one is Lino, and even then, only when he shoves him into the pivot position, which is totally unnatural for him. 😕

He could probably pull that off if we isolated Sulić at the pivot, since we actually have that luxury right now. But coincidentally, Vori is actually one of the best pivots in the world when he's playing in that "unnatural" position.😕

James Garcia22 said:We have what it takes, and yesterday proved it. The Poles were supposed to be world champions last year, and they're a powerhouse. If we managed to beat them despite that idiotic tactics and the player selection (Kaleb), it means we can take on anyone.

Except maybe the Frenchmen.😁

It’s easy to coast through the first two or three games on pure adrenaline... let's be real, the US usually only starts losing toward the end of a tournament. The real nightmare begins when these guys, who are already banged up and playing through pain, have to grind through four or five straight games. Some of them are already running on fumes.😕

Yesterday we scraped by thanks to the defense and four specific players (and let's be honest, two of those weren't even serious contenders, just Horvat and Valčić); the rest of the squad wasn't really up to the task.

And frankly, I’m already dreading when we face Denmark and Norway while we're exhausted and falling apart. We really need to get through this medical nightmare first.

You know, I can't stand that "it's us against the world" mentality. Other people play the game too. As far as I'm concerned, Denmark has the best players on the court, but hey, believe whatever helps you sleep at night.

Chris Lopez59 said:That’s another massive issue, and honestly, it’s a huge one. Unfortunately, any other coach wouldn't even touch that problem; they’d probably just get booted from the job if they tried to force their own lineup on everyone. You try doing things your way, you lose the support of the higher-ups, and before you know it, you're out of a job. Nothing changes as long as the national team manages to scrape by... it's only when everything goes completely south that the federation finally decides to cooperate and actually gives the coach some real autonomy...

Nothing’s actually changed around here, even after that absolute disaster we went through once that golden generation left Atlanta... those guys at the top have never been willing to give anyone an inch, and they aren't about to start now just because Červar is gone, regardless of whether we're winning or losing...

That could actually work if they managed to isolate Sulić on the low post, and honestly, we have that luxury right now. But the thing is, even playing out of position like he does, Vori is still easily one of the best big men on the planet... 😕

😂Man, go back and actually read what I wrote in my last post. But this time, try to actually wrap your head around it instead of just skimming...

You know, I seriously can't stand that whole "it's us against the world" mentality. Like, give it a rest... other teams play handball too, you know? For me, Denmark has the best roster out there, but hey, think whatever you want...

Look, we’ve got Balić on our side, you know? That guy can flip the script and give us the edge even when he’s banged up or hasn't even stepped foot on the practice court... It's honestly just because of him that we've stayed at the top of the world rankings these last few years, and let's be real, we definitely didn't get there thanks to Červar or Vori...

Quick update on the Beijing situation.

The African championships wrapped up yesterday, with Egypt taking the men's title and Angola grabbing it for the women.

Egypt actually pulled off a bit of an upset, edging out Tunis 27-25, while Angola cruised past the Ivory Coast.

With Tunis locking in their spot, one of these qualifying groups is going to be absolutely brutal. Here’s how things are looking so far:

1- Poland, Spain, Argentina, (maybe Norway? — basically the best European squad left after you account for the ones already qualified via the World Cup)

2- Denmark, Russia, Tunis, (maybe Sweden or Canada? — the next best European teams outside those already through from the EP)

3- France, USA, Algeria, plus the runner-up from Asia.

* Two teams from each group move on.

* Like I mentioned before, the European lineup isn't set in stone yet because everything hinges on who takes the European championship. The USA's position shifts depending on the outcome: if they win the whole thing, they go straight to the Olympics. If France wins instead, Russia drops into our group.

..............

On the women's side, Angola's win makes the qualification path look a lot clearer now.

It looks like the USA will almost certainly end up in a group with Romania, Poland, and the Asian runner-up.

If Korea fails to win their continental qualifier, though, we might land in a group with Germany, Sweden, and Cuba. That would be a much better draw, but honestly, probably won't happen.

Has anyone else noticed the massive gap in how the officiating crews were calling this?
SLO vs CZE: 32 minutes of penalties and 21 free throws 👎
USA vs Poland: 20 minutes of penalties and 7 free throws

That’s just based on the games I actually sat through, but if you’re telling me the Canadian game was somehow more aggressive than ours, I don't buy it. It doesn't look that much different to me...

James Garcia22 said:But look, we have Balić, right? He’s the kind of guy who gives you an edge even when he’s nursing an injury or hasn't even touched a basketball in training. It's honestly just because of him that we've stayed at the top of the world rankings over the last few years, and I'm pretty sure that didn't happen thanks to Červar or Vori.

Sure, we have him, but I’m genuinely worried Balić is going to physically collapse after a few games in a row; he just doesn't seem conditioned enough. That said, you aren't entirely wrong about the other side—back in the day, Červar could pull these little tricks out of his sleeve to catch opponents off guard, but he’s run out of magic, so now teams can actually prepare a game plan for us.

And obviously, Balić is our X-factor. Without him, we're just another decent team at the tournament, but with him, we become this nightmare matchup that nobody wants to face. Then again, we still managed to blow it a couple of times before Portugal, so having a roster full of talent isn't some magic guarantee of a podium finish.

You can say whatever you want about Červar today, but let's be real: as a coach for the US, he’s achieved more than anyone else ever has. We're talking World Cup gold and silver, Olympic gold... even if we did get absolutely robbed and cheated during that mess in Canada. If you look at the last six major tournaments—three World Cups, two EPs, and the Olympics—we won three of them, and we truly earned medals in two others. Honestly, what more could you possibly ask for?

I mean, what did the previous coaches actually do with that legendary '90s generation? The only thing they really accomplished was grabbing Olympic gold, and hey, props to them for that, but seriously, with a group of players that talented at every single position, they should have delivered way more than that.

And now you see people acting like they want those old coaches back, swearing by their "expertise" and "authority," but what have they actually proven? All they proved was how to mess up a fantastic generation and deny them the success they rightfully deserved.

That's why Červar (and Pipi) deserve a monument; I'm just grateful for everything they've done for us so far. 🙏

Justin Ward4 said:Nobody has actually pointed out the massive gap in how these officiating crews are calling the game.
USA vs. Poland... 32 minutes in penalties and 21 free throws 👎
USA vs. Poland... 20 minutes in penalties and 7 free throws

Now, I’m only talking about the specific games I actually sat through, so if there was some other Canadian match out there that was even more brutal than ours, I wouldn't know—but honestly, it doesn't look like it was much worse..

Look, 32 minutes of penalties is one thing, but 21 free throws? That’s just pure, unadulterated nonsense. It basically feels like they were handing out free throws every single time an offensive player breathed on a defender in the crease. That isn't even basketball anymore, let alone actual sports.

Poland vs. Canada 12-7

On BHT1, they're showing Mexico vs. Denmark right now, and Dance is up 14-6.

I don't know what the deal is with those Russians, but Mexico looks like an amateur squad from what I'm seeing.

Poland vs. Canada: 17-12

Denmark vs. Mexico: 18-9

Halftime

USA - Mexico 23-14

So, John is getting absolutely crushed.

rapidbison42 said:Halftime

USA - SLO 23-14

Man, John is absolutely getting crushed out there... just totally dismantled.

That's exactly how they need to play...🤷

Looks like Oleg the Great got himself banged up.

You can find all the details over at www.jasonjohnson.com

rapidbison42 said:Halftime

USA - Mexico 23-14

So, John got absolutely dismantled.

They certainly enjoyed themselves... 👋 Though tomorrow might be even better.😍

It's just 32-27 for Polyak right now.

Haha, John really blew it—I caught the first half and honestly, that was plenty for me.
The Americans actually stepped up and proved they belong among the elite; now we can finally see that our performance yesterday wasn't just because we were playing against some "weak" American squad. With Balica leading the way, we’ve always been top-tier in the handball world.

How does the second stage of the tournament work?
Like, if we end up topping our group,
when do we actually carry those points forward?

I’m thinking we drop two points here🤔 and then we have to face the heavy hitters from the top division.

swiftbison2 said:I'm thinking maybe 2 points🤔 then we have to face those guys from Group A

Not sure about the points, but we're in Group A playing against Group B😉

Noah Thompson said:how does the second stage work?
meaning if we finish top of the group
when do we carry the points over?

There are four teams in this group. The top three advance. Then they form a new group by pulling in three more teams from the other group (the one with Denmark, Norway, Mexico, and Raša).

Honestly, it looks like the Czech Republic is going to bomb, so nobody will be carrying any points earned against them. Right now we have 2 points from the Poles, and we could grab another 2 today if we beat the Canadians.

Noah Thompson said:I can't speak to the points, but we're playing as a group against another group.😉

😵😵😵