Handball World Cup: America vs. Norway 25:28

Mark Harris3 said:We gotta lock down the defense just like we did against the Spanish and slow things down—run the clock, take long possessions, don't rush... they aren't even that tall, so Coach and Maminjo should be able to tear them apart like kids at a pop concert...

Actually, their defensive job is totally different than what it was against the Spanish. The Spanish are monsters in the paint but have basically zero outside shooting, whereas the Norwegians can shoot from anywhere and don't rely nearly as much on the pivot. Against them, the goal is to intercept as many passes as possible because they move the ball lightning fast from side to side. With the Spanish, they looked lost sometimes just because we shut down their center and they couldn't shoot from out there. Plus, the Norwegians are lethal on the break—they fly across the court—so we have to prep for that style, which is pretty fast and physical.

It’s actually a good thing that, like you said, breaking through the middle should be easier than it was against Spain. That's huge since our wing play is basically non-existent here in the States. I don't know what kind of defensive scheme the Norwegians will cook up to stop us, but the Germans already showed them the blueprint. Our game relies way too much on individual talent, and the Norwegians are gonna exploit that. They've seen what Mamić is capable of now; the goal is to shut him down so he doesn't shred them like the Spanish did—and those guys were actually surprised themselves. Whatever, I'm no expert.

All I know is that the fact we crushed them in the last two games has nothing to do with how we—or they—are actually looking in this tournament. History and experience are on our side, sure, but current form favors them. They haven't looked as pathetic as we did against Germany, not even against France when they lost—and man, they fought hard and gave the French a real run for their money.

So it’s no wonder that despite all our veteran experience and the wins we've had in past championships, this game feels like a toss-up. It’s not just me. A lot of people are saying the Norwegians are legit in this tournament, and I think it'll be a fatal mistake if we underestimate them by thinking, "Whatever, it's just Norway, we've beaten them before." Yeah, we beat them just like the Spanish beat us a few games ago, so who cares? One good thing is they're the new kids on the block and we're the old vets fighting for medals—that might just be the deciding factor to pull off the win.

neonfalcon16 said:We can turn things around.

Have they faced anyone truly intimidating so far? Sure—the Germans—and they handled them just fine. Everyone else—Canada, Mexico, Chile, Belarus, Egypt—they’re basically second or third tier when it comes to handball...

Did we play them last year with almost the exact same roster during the second phase and underestimate them? Did we? Yeah, we did.

So, you can take those delusions about last year's matchups and all that nonsense about "second and third tier" teams and keep them to yourself.

Of course, everyone conveniently forgets the toughest, most critical match... it just "happened" to be 🎉

And good luck thinking that medal matches and the Olympics are somehow on the same level as a random group stage game. 🍿

Chris Fisher3 said:They’re actually facing a completely different defensive challenge here compared to when they played the Spaniards. The Spaniards are powerhouse players in the pivot position but have almost zero perimeter shooting—whereas the Norwegians can shoot from basically anywhere on the court and don't rely nearly as much on the pivot. Against them, the goal should be to intercept as many passes as possible because they move the ball incredibly fast from one side to the other. With the Spaniards, there were moments where they looked totally lost just because we shut down their pivot and they had no outside shooters to bail them out. Plus, the Norwegians are lethal on the fast break—they just fly down the court—so we really need to prepare for that style of play, which is pretty high-tempo and aggressive.

It’s a good sign that, like you mentioned, breaking through the middle should be easier than it was against Spain—and that’s huge since our wing play is pretty limited, given we practically don't have any real threats there. I’m not sure what kind of defensive scheme the Norwegians will cook up to stop us, but the Germans already showed them the blueprint. Our game relies way too heavily on individual brilliance, and the Norwegians are going to try to exploit that. They’ve seen exactly what Mamić is capable of now, so their main mission will be stopping him from tearing them apart like he did to the Spaniards—who, by the way, admitted they were caught off guard. Then again, who knows what they’ll come up with? I’m hardly an expert.

All I know is that the fact we crushed them in our last two matchups doesn't mean much regarding how we—or they—are actually performing in this tournament. History and experience might be on our side, but current form is definitely on theirs. They haven't looked as helpless against anyone as we did against Germany—not even against France, where they lost but still fought hard and gave the French plenty of trouble.

So, it’s no wonder that despite our massive history of beating them in past championships, I’m looking at this match as a total toss-up. And it's not just me. A lot of people are saying the Norwegians are genuinely playing great in this tournament, and I think it would be a fatal mistake if our guys underestimate them by thinking, "Oh, this will be easy, it's just Norway, we've beaten them before." Sure, we beat them, just like the Spaniards beat us a few games ago, so who cares about that? One silver lining is that they’re relatively new to this level while we’re the old guard fighting for medals—that veteran edge might just be the deciding factor in getting the win.

I’d love to see how those Norwegians handle our 6-0 defense when we set up a wall with Stepančić, Mus, Gojun, and Dulet... let them run and cross patterns all they want, but they’re going to have to shoot right over our giants... and if things get messy, we've got the 5-1 setup with Dulet ready to go...

Obviously, this won't be a walk in the park; they’ve clearly stepped up their game. But it’s all on us—play some lockdown defense, rely on a strong performance from Steve, and utilize our advantages on offense. It's always easier to play when the defense is clicking...

Mark Harris3 said:I’d love to see how those Norwegians handle our 6-0 defense when we set up a wall with Stepančić, Mus, Gojun, and Dulet... they can run and cross patterns all they want, but they're gonna have to shoot right over our giants... and if we need a backup plan, we've got the 5-1 setup with Dulet...

Obviously, it won't be an easy game, I mean, it's pretty clear these guys have stepped up their game, but honestly, it's all on us. If we play tight defense, stay composed, and if Steve plays well, we're good. Plus, we have our own advantages on offense, and everything just feels easier when the defense is solid...

Well, they were shooting over the big guys before too, I guess. That's basically their whole thing—outside shooters, just enough pivots to fill the gaps, and their goalie is actually pretty decent.

Mark Harris3 said:Oh, naturally, the most crucial, high-stakes game of all just slipped your mind... purely by accident, I’m sure. 🎉

And thank goodness those medal rounds and the Olympics are treated with the exact same level of importance as a random group stage match. 🍿

It feels like you're completely missing the point here.

I guess we should just assume Olympic matches carry the same weight as an ESPe semifinal.

Walter Hughes53 said:I’m looking at a third-place finish, honestly. Anything more than that would be a total shocker.

So, according to you, our "big expert" here, the Norwegians are actually favorites over us? Haha, okay.
I mean, sure, they’ve had a couple of decent games during this tournament, but let’s be real—they’re a national team that has never even touched a medal. Only clueless people or die-hard fans of some random underdog team would claim they're favored against us.
Don't get me wrong, they are good, and I guess it won't be an easy ride for us, for sure... but still, anything other than an American win would be a massive surprise, I think.

Andrew Hayes6 said:So you think these "world-class experts" see the Norwegians as favorites over us? Haha...
They’ve had a few decent games this tournament, sure, but they’re a team that has never even touched a podium. Only total amateurs or die-hard fanatics would claim they have the edge over us...
They are solid, and I'm certain it won't be an easy ride, but anything other than an American victory would be a massive upset...

The betting odds say otherwise.

Claiming anything short of an American win would be a shock just shows how little you actually know about our opponents...

Andrew Hayes6 said:So, according to you, this "great expert," the Norwegians are actually the favorites over us? Haha, give me a break.
Sure, they’ve had a couple of decent games in this tournament, but let's be real: they are a national team that has never even touched a medal. Only complete idiots and those die-hard Yankees would claim they have the upper hand against us.
They are certainly playing well and things won't be easy for us, no doubt about it, but anything short of an American victory would be nothing more than a massive upset.

Why don't the Vegas sportsbooks just hire you?
The bookies are clearly Yankees supporters.
They just can't seem to get rid of those old-school communists and American royalists.

Joseph Clark37 said:The odds are saying something else entirely.

I mean, if anything other than an American win would be considered a surprise, then you're basically just admitting how little you actually know about our opponents.

The betting shops had the Spaniards as massive favorites against us, and well... we all saw how that turned out for those favorites.
It seems kind of glupo to claim a team that has never even touched a podium at a major tournament is the favorite when facing us—we're the ones who walk away with a medal almost every single time we compete.

Kyle Campbell4 said:Why haven't the betting houses hired you yet, since you know so much about odds?
The bookies are just a bunch of scammers
There's just no way to shake off those old-school partisans and loyalists

On DraftKings and FanDuel, they’re giving us the exact same shot at winning as them, so I don't get why everyone's acting like our odds are a million to one

From what I can tell, the Vegas oddsmakers have this one sitting at basically 53-47 for a Norway win. Basically a toss-up. Honestly, who gives a damn what the bookies say? It’s one of those games where anything can happen... You could argue back and forth about whether we or the Norwegians have a slight edge, but frankly, who cares about "objective advantages"? All that matters is who actually shows up and wins tomorrow.

Mark Harris3 said:I’d love to see how those Norwegians try to play against our 6-0 defense when we set up a wall with Stepančić, Mus, Gojun, and Dulet... they can run and cross screens all they want, but they're gonna have to shoot right over our giants... and if things get messy, we've got 5-1 with Dulet ready to go...

I'm just curious to see what the actual vibe is going to be like on both sides of the court...👍

Andrew Hayes6 said:So you think these "big shot experts" see Norway as favorites against us? Haha having fun
They had a couple decent games this tournament, sure, but they’re a squad that’s never actually grabbed a medal. I guess only total rookies or die-hard Yankees would claim they’re favorites over us.
They’re solid, though, and it won't be easy, for sure. But honestly, anything other than an American win would be a massive upset.

Look, I'm no expert or anything, but one game doesn't really mean much. Someone feel free to prove me wrong, but hey, we've got at least a silver medal coming our way. Still, those Norwegians play fast—they've got shooters from deep and they don't waste time on offense. I hope you've watched some Norwegian games besides just the ones against the US. Their goals look almost too easy sometimes.
Anyway
USA:
http://www.ihf.info/files/Competitio...f/CROTOTAL.PDF

Norway
http://www.ihf.info/files/Competitio...f/NORTOTAL.PDF

Shot Percentage:
USA 60%-Norway 64%

Goalkeeper Saves:
USA 29%-Norway 34%

7m Throws
USA 65%
Norway 67%

We're better on the break if we don't mess up, and we're only about 2% behind on wing shots.
If you look at the pattern, someone always knocks out the favorite. We're basically the Spaniards here, then there's Canada, then Denmark, and Norway hasn't really taken anyone down yet 😉, but maybe our turn is coming.

Andrew Hayes6 said:On ESPN and DraftKings, they’re giving us and them exactly equal odds to win, yet you all act like we're some massive underdog with a 500-to-1 shot.

Essentially, this means even the oddsmakers expect a toss-up where either side could walk away with the win. If you insist on claiming a loss would be a shocker, or if you're acting like die-hard Dallas Cowboys fans because you think the Vikings are more likely to take it, you clearly have to be a registered Republican voter. That is quite literally the only explanation for that level of bias.

Andrew Hayes6 said:So, according to you, some "world-class expert," the Norwegians are actually favorites over us? Haha, please.
Sure, they’ve had a couple of decent games this tournament, but let’s be real—that’s a squad that has never even touched a podium. Only total clueless amateurs or those die-hard fanatics would suggest they have the edge against us.
They're good, don't get me wrong, and it won't be a walk in the park, but honestly, anything other than an American victory would be a massive upset.

Amateurs? Fanatics? What kind of nonsense are you spewing?

Look, this is sports—it's handball, not a political debate...

You love to mock everyone else's expertise, yet you haven't contributed a single intelligent thought regarding the actual game...

And what does their past medal count even have to do with this?

How many medals have the players from Katro or Canada ever grabbed? How about the folks from Denmark or Germany?

Adam Collins4 said:Just a bunch of clueless hacks, honestly... what are you even rambling about?

Look, this is just sports. It's handball, not some political debate...

You love acting like an expert on everything else, but I don't think you've actually dropped a single smart comment about the game itself...

And honestly, what does it matter how many medals someone's won...

How many have the players from Katro or Canada brought home? Or those guys from Denmark and Germany?

I mean, yeah, sure, they might be the favorites, but people act like we don't stand a chance against the Norwegians. If you actually read the news lately, you'll see our former players talking about tomorrow's game, and everyone seems to agree that while we're ahead, it's going to be a real grind.

Kyle Campbell4 said:Basically, they’re expecting a toss-up where either side could walk away with it. I mean, if you’re out here claiming a loss would be some massive upset, or acting like everyone is a die-hard Republican just because they think the Vikings have the edge... man, you must be a hardcore GOP voter. That’s really where your head is at, I guess.

I just said it won't be an easy ride for us, which basically means anyone's game.
I don't vote for anyone. 😉

If we start playing games with them and they catch us out in a loop, we’re toast...

The transition play, those quick offense-to-defense switches—not the other way around—and having the bench sitting on the far side during the second half when the score starts breaking wide open and everyone's energy inevitably dips... that's where it'll go south.

Look, handball is all about defense, but if you've got a fast ball moving through the zone, it cracks any defense wide open. Right now, the backs can't break out to the wings, and the center just keeps feeding the ball down the line constantly... it's relentless.

Andrew Hayes6 said:I mean, yeah, sports is unpredictable and favorites lose all the time, but people are acting like we don't stand a chance against the Norwegians. If you actually read what our former handball pros are saying in the papers lately about tomorrow's game, everyone agrees we're the favorites—it’s just gonna be a total grind.

Is it really necessary to start linking news articles right after we beat Spain in soccer, only to get hit with a reality check against some guys from the Pyrenees?
And man, the media was hyping us up so much that if a foreigner picked up an American newspaper, they'd think we were world champions instead of just a team fighting for the top spot in the group.

Walter Hughes53 said:USA:
http://www.ihf.info/files/Competitio...f/CROTOTAL.PDF

Norway
http://www.ihf.info/files/Competitio...f/NORTOTAL.PDF

Killer files right here. You can really see how much more diverse the Norwegians are compared to us. We just force everything through the middle or settle for outside shots—it's predictable. But they? They shoot from everywhere. Their wing players actually get involved way more than ours do. Man, if you don't shut down those perimeter shooters, you're dead... they absolutely smothered us. That’s what the games feel like, but seeing it laid out in these stats is eye-opening.

Andrew Hayes6 said:Look, yeah, sports is all about favorites, but people are talking here like we don't stand a chance against the Norwegians. If you actually bother to read what our former handball pros are saying in the papers regarding tomorrow's game, everyone seems to agree—we’re the favorites, even if it's going to be a total grind.

From what I can tell, most people in here are convinced it's going to be a struggle... and they're right.

We aren't favorites by any stretch of the imagination; at best, it's a toss-up.

The Norwegians have arguably the best transition game in the whole tournament—at least from the matches I've watched.