Handball Euro: USA vs. France 24:23 🔥🔥

Alright, everyone, let's call it a day... Even you, dustypilot22, are just digging your heels in for the sake of it now... Let people think whatever they want; honestly, what's the point of arguing on this forum over whether Lino is a joke or not right now? 🙄

The bottom line is that we made it to the finals. Tomorrow is the big dance 🎉 and, frankly, none of these debates are going to matter much once the dust settles 🙏

dustypilot22 said:No way.

If someone is rooting against Cervar, they’re just a fool who let those people who hate America wash their brains out.

And yeah—anyone talking trash about Lino is basically talking trash about America—whether you get that or not.

1. I am not against Cervar.
2. I respect Cervar and every single athlete way more than you ever will, mostly because I don't care about political colors when it comes to sports.
3. I can't stand the vultures who try to mix sports with politics.

nimbledriver81 said:Hey man, this is basically a sports PDF—politics is more of a side note here. 😉

🙄

If talking about how Americans view Lin Červar doesn't count as sports talk... 🙂

Keith Fowler43 said:That’s great. But when are you actually going to start enjoying the win instead of wearing yourself out over the small stuff?😁

I don't know who enjoyed today's win more than I did. 🙏🙏🙏

Alright, now suddenly Cervar is some kind of tactical genius 😁

And apparently, a Davor is right there helping him draw up the plays on the whiteboard 😁

vividangler44 said:1. I'm not against Lin Červar.
2. I respect Lin Červar and every athlete far more than you ever will, mainly because I don't care about political affiliations when it comes to sports.
3. I can't stand vultures who try to mix politics with athletics.

1. 👍
2. 👍
3. Is Lin Červar actually being hated because he brought us World and Olympic gold and at least a European silver, or is it really about something else? 🤷

😉

I actually think Lino is a decent guy and I don't see why he should be fired, at least while we're still pulling results like this... But honestly, anyone who can't see he's lost most of his authority and the players aren't exactly jumping through hoops for him is blind. Still, hey, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," right? Besides, in American sports, people tend to overmystify the coach's role in team sports; 99% of the credit or the blame always lands squarely on the players' shoulders.

Sandra Wilson38 said:I honestly can't tell who was celebrating harder than I was after that win today! 🙏🙏🙏

Maybe Lino was having even more fun than me! 😁

You’ve got two separate threads just to talk about Linda, yet you all decided to move in here instead. 🙄

Keith Fowler43 said:Maybe, Leo. 😁

🤣👍

quietmaker44 said:If you’re against Coach, you aren't against America; you're just against common sense.

Good grief, the amount of NBA "experts" on this board—who I'm sure all have at least one World Championship or Olympic gold ring sitting in their trophy cases 🙄.

People, just get it through your heads: Coach is a unique breed.

Sure, I'll admit, sometimes he seems a little off his rocker. I actually agree that his recent outburst to CNN regarding Bob was unnecessary. And yes, I could probably find plenty of tactical flaws in how he manages a roster...

But honestly, all of that is irrelevant compared to the only thing that matters: RESULTS.!!!

Lynn is a genius, and like any genius, he's a bit eccentric. That eccentricity produces wins, so all you self-proclaimed basketball authorities should just go home and hide under a tarp.

LYNN, WE LOVE YOU, YOU BRILLIANT NEUROTIC.😁

Lynn is just a populist coach—a motivator who only knows how to hype players up to run themselves into the ground...

- Hold on, isn't that exactly what a coach is supposed to do?

Lynn doesn't know how to draw up a playbook...

- Excuse me? The man has won medals.

Lynn is only there because of political connections...

- Again, hold on, look at those medals.

Lynn can't prepare a team physically...

- Wait a second, his guys went toe-to-toe with the supposedly most physical team out there against France and beat them.

Lynn's team relies on raw talent rather than actual plays...

- Once again, check the trophy case.

Lynn can't handle criticism.

- Give me a break; who likes being criticized after winning that many championships?

Go ahead, you haters, keep picking at Lynn.

Which massive amateur is this Lynn guy, if he's got all those medals? Honestly, I wish I were him.

Lynn is the greatest, leading the best American team ever.

You're the best, Lynn, and your critics can simply deal with it.

Let him suffer if it bothers someone.

We are all LYNN.🙏🙏🙏

Did you guys catch that moment when Leo raised his hand like he was straight out of Mad Max 2? He made this sweeping motion through the air, and just like that, our guys switched from a 3-2-1 defense to a 6-0 formation on command. It completely caught the French team off guard—they just froze, totally lost. Abalo Jemba Jemba was standing there alone, staring at Karabatic like, "What on earth is happening here?" He started drifting toward Mike in total confusion, but Mike didn't budge an inch, leaving Abalo wide open to nail the crossbar.

Next time we go back to a 3-2-1, I bet Abalo will still be looking around wondering what hit him.

So what exactly did Lino accomplish with the Lakers? Absolutely nothing! I mean, if he’s such a freaking genius, how does that work?...
And why doesn't his star player just storm off to the locker room at halftime? Is that just standard basketball etiquette now? Because I highly doubt it...
The players don't give a damn about him... even if everyone tries to sweep this under the rug because of the recent wins, things are gonna get real ugly at the 2004 Athens Olympics...

Adam Howard25 said:Did you see when Lino raised his hand like in Mad Max 2? He made this motion in the air, then dropped it, and our guys switched from a 3-2-1 defense to a 6-0 just like they were programmed. The French players completely froze—they had no idea what was happening. Abalo Jemba Jemba was just standing there staring at Karabatica, looking totally lost, like, "What on earth is going on?" He starts moving toward Mirko out of confusion, but Mirko doesn't budge, and Abalo ends up hitting the crossbar wide open.

Next time, the team will go into a 3-2-1 and Abalo will still be stuck wondering what happened.

The people over at the Washington Post won't understand a word you're saying. You'll probably have to draw them a picture. 😁

dustypilot22 said:1. 👍
2. 👍
3. Is people hating on Červar because he brought us World Cup Gold, Olympic gold, and at least an EuroBasket silver, or is it something else? 🤷

😉

Look, you're missing the point. This isn't about hate. He’s an incredible coach, but even the best have their blind spots—like that tactical mess against the Danes.

When a game is handled poorly like that, you're going to get some heat. That's just how it works. It’s the same as saying he deserves all the praise today 🙏\

But honestly, if someone tries to claim I'm some kind of anti-government radical just because I offered some SPORTS-RELATED criticism toward Červar, that is absolute nonsense.

For me, sports and politics are two completely different worlds .

Come out tomorrow and cheer from the jump! But let's skip these weird outbursts after the final whistle that have nothing to do with the actual game
.

Larry Thomas said:So what exactly did Lino accomplish during his time with the Lakers? Absolutely nothing! I mean, if he's such a genius, where are the results?
And why on earth didn't his star player just storm off to the locker room at halftime? Is that some kind of standard practice in the NBA now? I highly doubt it.
The players don't give a damn about him... they'll probably all play nice now because of the recent success, but we'll see how things actually shake out at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

God willing, they keep this momentum going through the Olympics.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Arthur Martinez7 said:Come on, people, enough already... even dustypilot22 is just pointing fingers now for the sake of it. Let everyone think whatever they want; at this point, arguing over whether Lino is a joke or not is just noise. 🙄

The bottom line is we made the finals. Tomorrow is game day 🎉 and none of these debates will matter once the whistle blows. 🙏

I agree. There’s already a whole thread dedicated to Lino and his future with the US national team coaching staff. I’ve stated my piece, and my mind isn't changing.
But man, that performance today was PHENOMENAL! I haven't seen offensive movement like that in ages (not since we played France in Tunis or Denmark in Portugal). You could write a book on what Abalo pulled off today. He only had one turnover—as far as I can recall—and that was that phantom offensive foul.
Defense: 🙏 This isn't really about sports, but if Metličić and Abalo hadn't gone down when we were up by 3, I don't think France would have even scored 20. Seriously, we only gave up 5 goals in the first 24 minutes!! 👍
With defense like that, we can hold our own against Denmark (assuming Kaleb and Metličić stay healthy, of course).
If Dominiković hadn't thrown that one ball away on the break, he would've been my MVP. He had 3 or 4 huge blocks and countless great reactions in the paint.
Lac stepped up right when it mattered most, and the kid Čupić continues the tradition of elite right wings (he’s basically the Edward Norton of the team 😂).
I can hardly wait for tomorrow!!!!!!! 🙏

Arthur Martinez7 said:Come on, people, enough already... Now even dustypilot22 is just pointing fingers for the sake of it. Let everyone think whatever they want. Does it actually matter if Lino is a joke or not? 🙄

The bottom line is we made the finals. Tomorrow is the big game 🎉 and these endless arguments won't mean a damn thing once the whistle blows. 🙏

Lino isn't a joke; he’s a legend. It’s easy to talk big when you can see everything unfolding right in front of you. That guy coastalseal87 is the team physiotherapist, and word is Lina gets tossed out of the locker room regularly when halftime hits. First gold was won under Smajlagic, and tomorrow, it'll be Balic.

vividangler44 said:Just show up tomorrow and cheer from the opening tip-off. Let's skip these kinds of outbursts after the game is already over—they don't really have anything to do with the sport itself.

If you don't mind me saying, I'd rather actually watch the game first. 🙂

Justin Ward4 said:And little Čupić continues that long-standing tradition of producing elite right wings. Honestly, the kid is just built different. Edward Norton 😂)

Damn, it’s just... yeah. 👍🙏 🙏 🙏

I was just sitting here thinking—who exactly does this remind me of? 😁