Bronze Medal Match: USA vs. Norway (31-24)

George Ward7 said:Maybe you're the only one who thinks Babic is the obvious choice here.😁

You’ve got a goalie who actually dragged us to a semifinal, yet you still opt for the biggest liability in the tournament. And I don't just mean this championship—this slump has been going on since the World Championships 2005 and Belgrade 2010. He burned through his chances a long time ago, but sure, let's keep trying; he's our "number one."

Maybe—god knows why—I trust the first-string keeper at Vezprem more than the backup over at the big club in New York. It’s like saying I’d trust Sulica over Marica.

Oh, and I almost forgot—yesterday, during those critical moments, it looked like the referees were practically handing favors to the opposition. That might have just tipped the scales of the whole game.

So yeah, looks like the medal is headed straight to that smug jerk.🙂

Peter Campbell said:Honestly, screw it. I’d trust the starting goalie for Vezprema over the backup for the LA Lakers any day of the week. It’s the same logic as trusting Sulica over Marica.

Oh, and I almost forgot—during those critical moments yesterday, it felt like the American referees were practically handing favors to the opposition on a silver platter. That might have been the deciding factor in the game.

So, looks like that medal is headed straight to that obnoxious jerk.🙂

Mikler isn't even playing for Team USA☕

Peter Campbell said:Honestly, I guess I’d trust the first-string goalie for Vezsprem over the backup for the Washington, D.C. squad any day. It's kind of like saying I'd trust sulica more than Mary.

Oh, and I totally forgot—yesterday, the US team got some seriously obvious help from those referees during a few huge moments, which probably decided the whole game.

So yeah, go ahead and hand that medal over to my favorite little jerk 🙂

Yeah, it's honestly ridiculous to compare one of the best pivots in the world to this total hole.

He should just nek uzeti mađarski državljanstvo and leave us all in peace.

Dennis Doyle3 said:Miller isn't even playing for Team USA ☕

Haha, whatever.

There’s this tired old myth that America would’ve walked away with ten more gold medals if we just had a better goalie.

Personally? I think maybe one more gold with a better keeper—but honestly, two more if we actually had a decent pivot (looking at you, Stevanovic - Sulic...).

Take that game in New York, for instance—if Balica hadn't been sidelined by that injury, we definitely would've been in the finals... But hey, you can't pin one tournament on him, just like you can't blame Cupic.

And what ever happened to that goalie Sunjica? Where's he playing these days?

George Ward7 said:Yeah, sure—comparing one of the best power forwards in the world to this absolute void.

He should just grab some Canadian citizenship and head for a quiet life in the Midwest.

Based on his career so far, comparing Alilovic/Stevanovic - Sulic/Maric is actually pretty spot on.

Peter Campbell said:Haha, whatever happened, happened.

There’s this persistent myth floating around that America would have snagged ten more gold medals if they just had a decent goalie.

Personally, I think we might have grabbed maybe one extra gold with a better keeper, but honestly, we could have walked away with two more if we had a powerhouse at pivot (like Stevanovic - Sulic...).

Take that game in New York, for instance. If Balic hadn't been sidelined—if he hadn't played through that injury—we definitely would've been playing for the championship. But you can't hold Balic responsible for one single tournament, and you can't pin it on Cupic either.

And what ever happened to that goalie Sunjica? Where is he even playing these days?

Look, this wasn't even the first time Cupic choked. He's done it before (back in London, for example). But this specific tournament was different because everyone was watching with bated breath, waiting to see if Mirko would be a total liability again and if Cupic would lose his nerve in a high-stakes game. Sadly, the answer to both questions was a resounding yes.

The blatant manipulation of judges during those critical moments was absolutely brutal. It’s the same old story with officials calling fouls just to suit their agenda. The Norwegians aren't going to let this slide anytime soon. They’re still playing under the influence of their buddies from Denmark, and there will be plenty of outrage and outcry about the lack of integrity shown. Of course, they conveniently forget how we completely outplayed them to secure that bronze medal.

Here comes the captain, Igor Vori 😂😂😂

And now we've got that arrogant Cement company from Canada rolling in ☕

Dennis Doyle3 said:Miller isn't even playing for the US national team☕

They’re circulating clips from the game in Veszprem... Alilovic was holding his own during the Final Four too. In fact, he actually got his contract extended because Antonia Ortege insisted on it.
But I suppose you already knew all that.

Mirko just hasn't been performing lately, and there's really no arguing with that. Cupic acts like a total Choker when the pressure is on, yet somehow Duvnjak always seems to get a free pass. It’s hard to wrap my head around it; he’s arguably the best player on the court, but he consistently falls short when it matters most.

If Duvnjak—literally the tournament's top playmaker—has an off night, our entire offense completely falls apart. He’s been stealing the show all tournament; he controls the pace, anchors the defense, and almost every goal from the wings or pivots comes off his assists. Even when we stumble through a scoring chance, it's usually his vision that sets it up. Honestly, alongside Karacic, he’s the only player on the roster with the pure skill to draw a double team and then whip a perfect pass to Kopljar, Sebi, or Sliskovica on the opposite side.

Against the Americans, he racks up 14 or 15 assists after just one basket. This guy is our MVP even when he isn't scoring because he is quite simply the best floor general in the world—yet people still find ways to criticize him! He’s basically the Magic Johnson of handball, but instead of being legendary, they act like he’s failing, while poor Mirko is left out there suffering. 😂 what a circus

Dule belongs in the same elite conversation as Horvat, Strleka, Marica, and Sliskovica—so hats off to him, nothing but praise.

Cement is staying silent now, after they absolutely torched Miha Horvat. I guess we were being a little too cocky. Just get out of the national team already—the bench at Veszprem is waiting for you ☕

Oh, please... I couldn't care less about Alilovica, but Dule has stepped up and delivered in every single high-stakes game since 2010, including that crucial matchup against Austria.
It’s not even about whether he’s aggressive on defense; as I’ve mentioned before, someone like Karabatic plays that same physical style while picking pockets and dishing out assists. Unlike Dule, who offers much more dimension in the offensive set because you simply can't guard him one-on-one—something that was always a bit of a theoretical concept for Duvnjak—he is incomparably better, not to mention his shot selection.
Only a complete handball illiterate could give him a passing grade just because he tallied a few assists, which is essentially all his game has boiled down to in this tournament since he can't seem to find the back of the net; he either hits the block or just hits the advertisements on the sideline.
When the defense is set and our opponent starts pressing us, he completely disappears. When we’re running wild and things are going our way, sure, you see Dule racking up those assists, but that happens exclusively on fast breaks and semi-fast breaks.
Even a player like Hansen, who should be more limited due to his positioning, managed to rack up a mountain of assists against a settled defense.
Which single standout game of his has actually been good? Was it against Mexico in the semifinals? Against the Frenchmen in London? Or against the Danes in Spain? It would be fascinating to pull his stats from those specific matches just to see how he actually performed.

Magic Johnson🤣..
It seems a bit strange that Magic had to fight for that spot on the left wing when he’s clearly such a force... It reminds me of how Palmarsson played similar to an Eric Snow type when he stepped into that point guard role..
I'm referring to last season.

George Ward7 said:Cement has gone completely silent. They’ve basically written off Miha Horvat. Honestly, maybe we were a little too arrogant. Get out of the national team already—your spot on the Veszprem bench is waiting for you. ☕

The press at Cement is staying dead silent. 🙏

@Feenian
I’m with you on the Duvnjak situation—he really should have stepped up more. To be fair, I don't have any major beef with how he played during this tournament, but your point stands. Given his reputation, he really needed to deliver more in those high-stakes, big-game moments. And honestly? That comparison to Karabatić is spot on.
It doesn't matter how you look at it—there is absolutely no way to put them in the same category as Cementar and that Choker. They just don't belong in that conversation.

Finally! 🙏 🙏 🙏

@Dennis Doyle3/">@@Dennis Doyle3..Perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic regarding Duvnjak, but the reality is that he is the foundation upon which everything else is built; without him, we simply don't have the tools to win championships. It’s much like a championship team relying on its star quarterback—if Dule plays at his peak, the whole American squad follows suit, a pattern we've observed countless times before.
He is a cornerstone player, truly one of the elite talents on the global stage. You won't see him merely padding his stats during those final fifteen minutes of a blowout when the outcome is already decided, a tendency we saw in previous tournaments. It is almost impossible for a player of his caliber to struggle in high-stakes games given how many crucial moments he has navigated.
If the goal is to hoist the trophy, Duvnjak has to dominate every single matchup on the schedule.

Jonathan Barnes5 said:Mirko is just off today—there’s really no debate there. And Cupic? Total choker. Yet somehow, Duvnjak is going to get another free pass. I don't get it. He's supposedly the best player on the floor, yet he always seems to underperform when it actually matters.

But look... I wouldn't say it's entirely on him. Maybe he just struggles to produce when the defense decides to zero in on him. I mean, who are you going to shadow most closely during a championship game from our perimeter lineup?

To me, he just seems low on energy overall—like he’s burning too much fuel trying to cover both ends of the court, which leaves him without enough gas to actually execute his offense. It's the same story with Kopljar. These guys just can't play relentless defense and high-octane offense in a continuous loop without paying some kind of price.

The real difference between him and Karabatic is that... animalistic... raw physical strength and conditioning Karabatic possesses. Though, even then, I saw Karabatic hitting his own physical limits during this tournament—he wasn't exactly flying through the offense like he used to back in the day.

I mean, I'm pretty sure Janes is drunk or something. Look, winning is what matters here, 🤦

What an absolute joke of a welcome

Jonathan Barnes5 said:@Dennis Doyle3/">@@Dennis Doyle3..Look, maybe I'm overreacting about Duvnjak, but the reality is everything starts and ends with him. Without him, we aren't winning anything. If Dule plays his usual game, then the US team plays too. We've seen it a hundred times before.
He’s a cornerstone player... one of the best in the world. There's no way he just pads his stats in the last 15 minutes of a blowout when the game is already decided—which actually happened in previous championships. He can't have this many high-stakes games and play below his level.
If you want to win a tournament, plain and simple, Duvnjak has to dominate every single game.

It was the same story with Balic—remember when he started for the first time in Belgrade? It wasn't bad at all (not by a long shot).

I think Karacic adds a whole different dimension to the offense. He’s a different breed than Duvnjak—more like Balic, a real 1-on-1 specialist—and he can completely shift the tempo when Dule isn't the primary option. They just need to support him better, especially the guards.

Duvnjak is pure class, but when he gets shut down or forced into tight spots, you've got to feed Karacic.

The US welcoming party for 👍👍

George Ward7 said:Seems like Janes might be drunk... winning is what matters... 🤦

Terrible, my friend... 🤦