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DUAN!
Larry Brown's 9/11 Memories Darken The Redeem Team's Triumphant Gold Medal Victory
As a Philadelphian, I will always forgive Larry Brown for many of the egotistical brainfarts he's committed in his loooong and well-traveled coaching career for the rejuvenation period he brought to the Sixers when he coached here .(His 2001 Sixers team will always be one of the most revered ones in Philly sports folklore — blood, guts, Iverson, et al.) But then, of course, there's the other side of Larry Brown. The curmudgeonly, single-minded tactician whose basketball universe only populates one planet, most likely called Brownanus. That guy showed up to talk to the New York Daily News' Mitch Lawrence about why this year's gold medal-winning Redeem Team succeeded more than his 2004 squad. More »
Beijing Olympics 2008
Dream A Little Redeem With Me
Heading into the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the United States men's national basketball team had two goals. First and foremost, they wanted to win a gold medal. That is, after all, the primary mission of any Olympic quest. The secondary objective, though, was no less important to the psyche of everyone involved with the program, from the director to the coaching staff to the players to the fans: To redeem the very idea of American basketball and reestablish our national dominance of the sport. Now that they have succeeded in both goals, a bigger question remains: What does it all mean? More »
beijing olympics 2008
Nike's US Division Defeats Nike's Spanish Division at Company Picnic
Jesus H. on a medal stand. While you were sleeping, the United States and Spain put on an offensive show that impressed the inventors of fireworks themselves. Both teams combined for 225 points in a mere 40 minutes of action that moved so quickly that the paint on the hardwood melted. The United States won 118-107, but this game didn't reach safe ground until the final minute. More »
duan
Why Does That Chinese Tattoo Look Like a Bar Code?
We don't want to throw a cold bucket of confetti on the proceedings late tonight, but could it be that all of the perceived new focus by USA Basketball and its players on preparation and presenting a warm face to the public has an awful lot to do with the 1.3 billion consumers the shoe companies (and others) want to reach in China during these Games? (Not that we would suggest corporate interests influence national sporting efforts. Sorry, Liu Xiang.) More »
NBA
Tell Me How My Sass Tastes: Woman Gets Restraining Order Against Shaq For "Stalking"
Just as things started looking up for Shaquille O'Neal (a rejuvenation of his NBA career in Phoenix, a rejuvenation of his rap career, making up with his estranged wife) he might be in store for some troubling times due to the allegations of one Atlanta-based lady who claims The Diesel is "stalking her." A judge found her claims legitimate and granted a restraining order against the big guy. More »
DUAN!
Those Redeem Team Players Just Can't Help Being So Damned Charming
This smartly dressed-looking woman is named Stephanie Stricklen, a reporter for KGW Northwest News 8 in Portland, Oregon. For the past couple weeks, she's been assigned to traipse around Beijing and add a friendly, familiar face to her station's Olympic coverage. And just like track star Kara Goucher, Stricklen had a pleasant run-in with some of the Redeem Team's finest lady scoundrels. Although she doesn't tell the world if one of them tried to pick her up...ah who are we kidding? More »
NBA
Charles Barkley Like You've Never Seen Him Before
Make sure that you're well stocked on chips and beer, because if this isn't appointment TV, I don't know what is: Charles Barkley is going to undergo a televised colonoscopy. It's all part of part of a "Stand Up to Cancer" special being aired Sept. 5 by NBC, CBS and ABC. Let's just be glad that it's a one-shot thing and not a reality series, I guess. More »
NBA
Who's You Haddadi? Iranian Basketballer Banned From NBA
If any of you pro basketball fans were watching Iran play in the Olympics and thought to yourself that Hamed Haddadi might be a good addition to your team, you can put those dreams to bed. Haddadi, who has averaged 16 points in four games in Beijing, has been advised that the NBA office has forbidden teams from entering contract talks with him. Because he's obviously a terrorist. I'm kidding, I'm kidding! More »
NBA
Shaunie Loves Shaqie
A couple months ago, Shaq was in New York jokingly (but bitterly) freestyle rapping about Kobe Bryant, asking his former teammate to comment on the savoriness of his gluteus maximus. The source of Shaq's ire was apparently revealed in the freestylin' line: "I'm a horse, Kobe ratted me out, that's why I'm getting divorced." Well, maybe the Big Angry can finally turn that frown upside down and forgive the Mamba/Doberman/Whatever: He and his wife Shaunie have called off their divorce. More »
2008 beijing olympics
Jason Kidd Calls Out NBA "Double Standard" For Failure to Speak on Spain Photos
The NBA's love affair with China—and vice-versa—has been well chronicled by the national media. But in the wake of the Spanish team posing with slant-eyes or slit-eyes (I'm still not sure why there are two names for this), NBA players are starting to take note that the NBA is much quicker to penalize American players for their actions than they are foreign ones. At least that's what Jason Kidd told Yahoo Sports. More »
Beijing Olympics 2008
Team USA Reenacts Battle Of Thermopylae, Massacres Greeks
This was supposed to be the first true test for the Redeem Team: Facing off against the Greek team that Clubber Lang'ed them in the semifinals of the 2006 FIBA World Championships. How big a deal was it to the American players? Carmelo Anthony said he's had this game circled on his calendar for two years. Turns out that revenge is pretty good motivation for a "flawed" team that can't hit the three, struggles in halfcourt sets, and has - made that had - a struggling superstar. More »
olympics roundup
Redeem Scream: U.S. Cooks With Greece
Greece: You're the one that I want (Oo Oo Ooo ...) Stopping their vaunted phalanx, I mean, pick-and-roll offense, the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team got their revenge against Greece, 92-69 ... mmm, rolls in Greece ... to improve to 3-0 and clinch a spot in the medal round. Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh each had 18 points for the United States, which goes on on to a matchup of Group B unbeatens Saturday night against world champion Spain. The winner will earn the group's top seed for the quarterfinals. More »
Beijing Olympics 2008
Can The Redeem Team Win The Gold With Kobe Playing Like Pete Myers?
Judging by jersey sales alone, the Chinese people love Kobe Bryant. But those enthusiastic fans can't be very impressed by what they've seen from him so far. His first two tournament games have been the Olympic basketball equivalent of going to see The Dark Knight but being forced to sit through Batman & Robin (otherwise known as "the one with George Clooney and the Bat-nipples"). In other words: An epic disappointment. More »
Beijing Olympics 2008
Which NBA Player Was Hitting On Kara Goucher?
The sinewy young lady in this picture is Kara Goucher, who will be representing the U.S. in both the 5,000m and 10,000m in Beijing. She's a pleasant, friendly woman, who's been "writing home" about her Olympic experience for the Duluth News Tribune. She had an amusing little anecdote in her entry on August 10: More »
NBA
Lakers Agree to Terms With "Chinese Magic Johnson"
The Chinese Magic Johnson's name is Sun Yue and he's a 6'9 Chinese point guard who is also fond of colorful sweaters, creating his own words that don't exist while speaking, and smiling no matter how serious the occasion. The Lakers drafted Sun in the second round of the 2007 draft, and the Eastern Magic will be playing for China's team in the Olympics. Kobe Bryant is reportedly excited to teach his new teammate all sorts of NBA tricks. More »
kobe bryant
Kobe Bryant Says He'd Go to Italy For $50 Million
Not content to allow LeBron James to sweep up all the attention for his leaked interest in going overseas for $50 million, Kobe Bryant stepped into the fray yesterday from Beijing. Telling The Boston Globe that he'd go to Italy for $50 million a year. You know, sooner or later the NBA brass might have to acknowledge that Europe is a legit threat to their league. Or maybe they'll claim that Bryant was misquoted. Kind of hard when you see this quote: More »
beijing olympics
