FIBA World Cup - USA vs Poland 75:70

The fight for a semifinal spot is officially over, and now Guzman’s crew has a new mission: trying to scrape together a ticket to the Olympic Games, which currently feels like it's built on shaky ground. As I write this, the Poles actually did us a huge favor by edging out the Mexicans in those final seconds, which pretty much guarantees we won't slip below fourth in the group. That win doesn't mean much for the Poles, though—they’re heading into the final round holding the same bag of nothing we are. Denmark and Sweden have already locked up their semifinal spots, leaving everyone else to scrap for 3rd and 4th place, positions that lead directly to the 2012 Summer Olympics qualifiers. Based on the rules, the last spot going to qualifiers is usually 7th, but since the future European champion (or runner-up, if they also take the World Cup) will almost certainly be among those top seven, the ladder shifts down one. So, basically, six teams from 2nd through 8th go to the qualifiers—unless one of them skips the line by winning EuroBasket or taking silver.

Teams from the 2012 EuroBasket, which is being hosted in Mexico, could also grab spots in the Olympic Qualifiers. Theoretically, maybe even the 9th or 10th place finishers, because any teams that already punched their tickets at the World Cup won't be counted. The qualifier setup looks like this—it’s not 100% confirmed yet, but it should mirror the last Olympics.

Tournament 1

2nd (or 3rd) from World Cup
7th (or 8th) from World Cup
Rep from EuroBasket 1
Pan American Games

Tournament 2

3rd (or 4th) from World Cup
6th (or 7th) from World Cup
Africa
Rep from EuroBasket 2

Tournament 3

4th (or 5th) from World Cup
5th (or 6th) from World Cup
Asia
Rep from Pan American Games

Last time around, we landed in Tournament 3, and honestly, that seems to be the goal again. Two European teams will easily qualify through the other two tournaments, unlike these two where three European squads will be fighting for space.

Group II
1. Denmark 8
2. Sweden 6
3. Poland 4
4. America 3
5. Argentina 2
6. Mexico 1

So, we need to finish 4th or 5th at the World Cup. If the European champ lands in those top spots, we're looking at 5th or 6th. The math is simple: we have to hit 3rd in our group, and the only way to do that is to beat Poland. The Poles looked better than us, and even though they look just as demoralized, they're still the favorites. They played the Mexicans today knowing they couldn't make the semis, and they barely scraped by—maybe they'll be stumbling through their game against us too.

If we lose, we risk dropping to 5th in the group, which means fighting for 9th or 10th place—not enough to get into the Olympic Qualifiers via the World Cup route. The odds are slim, but not zero. If we drop to the Poles and the Mexicans beat Argentina, we and our neighbors would end up tied, and it would come down to point differential. Right now, we're at +9 and the Mexicans are at -13, so that's a tough hill for them to climb. The Argentines could mess us up, too; if they beat us and then beat the Mexicans, they'd jump ahead of us, but that's a long shot. If we lose, we'll likely stay in 4th, which hands us a brutal qualifying group for the Olympics. Maybe not *too* brutal, though—we might end up facing guys like the Swedes or Canadians, which wouldn't be a total disaster. Feel free to facepalm me for saying that.

If the absolute worst-case scenario plays out, our only hope is to claw through EuroBasket to snag one of the remaining spots for the Olympic Qualifiers. The competition there might actually be more manageable—think Canadians, Norwegians, Slovaks, Canadians, and that crowd.

We’re probably going to drop this one against Poland too. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but I have to be honest about it!

Honestly, seeing this score hurts.

It’s not about the national team or the players themselves; it’s about the incompetent hacks running the bench and those fatcat mobsters sitting up in the stands.

I hope they lose by ten and never even make it to the Olympics.

And if Balic decides to walk away from them in early February, I don't want to see any of them ever again. They can let Kopljar run the show in the next period for all I care—to hell with both of them.

That's it, just venting.

Seriously, who even gives a damn? 😢

frozentiger6 said:Personally, I couldn't care less about the score of this game.

It isn't because of the national team or the players, but rather because of the incompetent hacks sitting on the bench and those bloated mobsters lurking in the stands.

I hope to God they lose by ten and never even lay eyes on the 2012 Summer Olympics.

And if Balic decides to say goodbye at the start of February, then I honestly don't want to see any of them ever again. Let Kopljar run the show in the next period; honestly, screw both of them.

That's it, just venting.

Signed.

frozentiger6 said:Honestly, I couldn't care less about the score of this game.

It’s not even about the national team or the players—it's about the incompetent hacks on the bench and those fatcat mobsters sitting in the stands.

I hope they lose by 10 and never even make it to the Olympics.

And if Balic calls it quits in early February, then frankly, we're doomed. Let Kopljar run the show next period—honestly, screw both of them.

Just venting.

🙏

frozentiger6 said:Personally, I couldn't care less about the score of this game.

It’s not about the players or the national team; it's about the incompetent hacks on the bench and those bloated mobsters sitting in the stands.

I hope they lose by ten and never even make it to the London Olympics.

And if Balic tells them to get lost in early February, I won't shed a single tear. Let Kopljar run the show in the next period; damn them both.

That's it. Straight from the heart.

Exactly.

The bottom line.🙏

Terry Fisher2 said:Well, looks like we blew that shot at the semifinals—tough break, right? Guzman Now we’re looking at a whole new challenge—fighting for a spot in the Olympics, which is currently feeling pretty shaky. As I'm typing this, the Poles just pulled off a massive win for us by edging out the Mexicans in the final seconds—so that basically guarantees we won't drop below fourth in the group. That win is huge for them though, especially heading into the final round... Holding that thing in your hands is basically like holding... well, you know—a giant nothingburger? Just kidding—but seriously, it’s like holding total crap..

🤣

Totally blanked on Terry Fisher2's intro—man, he’s always solid, isn't he? 🙏🙏🙏

frozentiger6 said:Personally, I don't really care about the final score of this game.

It’s not even about the national team or the players themselves... it’s more about that incompetent administration sitting on the bench and those corrupt guys running things from the stands.

I honestly wouldn't mind if they lost by ten points and missed out on the chance to play in London entirely.

And if Balic decides to say goodbye to them in early February, well, I guess we won't be seeing much of anything worth watching after that. Maybe let Kopljar run the show in the next period; honestly, they both deserve it.

Anyway, just venting a bit.

That's my two cents, big time.☕

frozentiger6 said:Personally, I couldn't care less about the score of this game.

It’s not about the national team or the players; it’s about the incompetent hacks on the bench and those fatcat mobsters sitting in the stands.

I hope they lose by 10 and never even make it to the London Olympics.

And if Balic tells them to get lost at the start of February, I won't miss seeing them for a second. They can let Kopljar run the show in the next period for all I care—to hell with both of them.

That's it, just venting.

Short and sweet. 🙏 🙏

Taylor Bailey said:🤣

Forgot to include the intro, good as always 🙏🙏🙏

🙏🙏

We might pull off a win, but we'll be completely demoralized; I wouldn't be surprised if we get absolutely crushed by Poland in the FIBA World Cup - USA vs Poland 80:70. Regardless, we’ll see what happens—the game is tomorrow after our rest day, though I suspect our guys would prefer to play today just to end this agony here in Sweden. All things considered, hats off to the team; it isn't that they didn't give it their all, it's simply that things didn't click this time. That doesn't mean they won't find their rhythm next time, but in my view, the absolute priority is resolving the "Goluza situation." If we don't settle that matter, I fear we won't see any meaningful improvement in our performance, and by extension, our results in the next tournament!

Man, I’m seriously missing Kopljar from the first minute of the game 🙂

Terry Fisher2 said:The Poles—who’ll be holding nothing but air in the final round, just like us.

I'm dead 🤣🤣

frozentiger6 said:Personally, I couldn't care less about this game's score.

It's not about the team or the players—it's about the incompetent hack on the bench and that fat mobster in the stands.

I hope they lose by ten and never see New York City again.

If Nikola Karabatic told them to pack it up at the start of February, I wouldn't want to see them play ever again. Let Kopljar run the show in the next period—to hell with both of them.

Just speaking my truth.

Exactly.🙏 🙏 🙏

Henry Roberts80 said:I’ve been wishing we’d seen Kopljar on the court since the first minute.🙂

Look, everyone needs to just take a breath—they basically have to hype up Kopljar just to make sure he fetches a decent price when he moves on.
Word on the street is the offers are already starting to pour in; honestly, the most realistic ones seem to be coming from Kiel and Real Madrid, though FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich aren't exactly trailing far behind! 😁

frozentiger6 said:Personally, I couldn't care less about the score of this game.

It isn't about the national team or the players themselves; it’s about the incompetent hack sitting on the bench and that corrupt, bloated suit running things from the stands.

I hope they lose by ten and never even see New York City again.

And if Nikola Karabatic decided to say goodbye at the start of February, I honestly wouldn't want to watch them anymore. Let Kopljar run the play in the next period for all I care; they both deserve nothing but trouble.

That's just my honest take.

...man... when even Vanjushka is feeling this cynical 😁then everything really has gone completely to hell. It's a total disaster.
...go ahead, tear into Slavens' brother however you want. I have a feeling that, just like before, the referees will be blamed for everything—whether it's a missed call on those 4 or 5 goals, posts, corner kicks, fouls, or whatever other nonsense they come up with.
...the joy and the fun have been sucked out of the game. Everything feels manufactured now, devoid of any real order or true authority...
...Vanjushka's sentiment is basically the consensus here...🙏🙏

frozentiger6 said:screw them both.

just speaking my truth, I guess.

🙏🙏🙏

frozentiger6 said:Personally, I couldn't care less about the score of this game.

It’s not about the national team or the players; it's about the incompetent hack on the bench and that corrupt fat cat sitting in the stands.

I hope they lose by twenty and never even make it to New York City.

If Nikola Karabatic told them to pack it up in early February, I wouldn't blame him. Let Kopljar run the show next period; honestly, they both deserve it.

Just speaking my mind.

🙂 There isn't much else to say, and I suspect most Americans feel the exact same way.

swiftbison2 said:🙂 There isn't much left to say, really, and I suspect most Americans feel the exact same way.

I can't help but feel a little bad for some of these players, though. It’s not their fault they're being led by people who don't have a clue what they're doing. I truly wish I could see someone like Duvnjak make it to the Olympics instead.

dustyridge3 said:Facts.

Double signed.