Battle For Gold: Teams That Can Challenge USA In Olympic Basketball

Some say that the current version of the USA basketball team might be the weakest one since 2004 when the red, white, and blue took home just the bronze medal. It would be hard to argue after hearing of the non-participation of superstars like LeBron James, Steph, Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Davis.

Image source: si.com

But even without those sexy names, no one can bet against Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and company winning it all in this year’s Olympics. Coach Mike Krzyzewski even lauds the overall balance of this year’s USA team.

So the question most fans are probably asking now is which country would provide the greatest challenge for Team USA?

France: Probably the only team that can offer a bit of a fight for the USA in their preliminary group, the Les Bleus is currently ranked fifth by FIBA. With an experienced roster led by Tony Parker and many other NBA players, good coaching, and the team’s ability to impose its pace can stifle Team USA. But maybe only for a quarter or two.

Spain: Everyone has got to face it, the battle for the Olympic gold will be a showdown between USA and Spain. La Roja is loaded in every position which can arguably keep up with the depth of the Americans.

Their players, piloted by the legendary Pau Gasol, have been together for about a decade now, so the experience of playing with one another is an advantage the current iteration of Team USA does not have.

Image source: spanishfootballsports.blogspot.com

Unfortunately, though, Spain’s second best player, big man Marc Gasol, is unavailable to play due to injury, which reduces the team’s already minute chance of upsetting Team USA.

For more basketball news and updates, follow me, Tim Eckersley, on Twitter.

The 3-Point Happy Cavaliers: Cleveland’s Scary Efficiency Beyond The Arc

Image source: inquisitr.com

Things are definitely looking good for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they swept the Atlanta Hawks under the rug. In the postseason, the Cavaliers have yet to lose. It also seems that they are just cruising through the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Detroit Pistons and Hawks, Cleveland’s first and second round opponents, respectively, were truly hopeful that they could beat the Cavaliers this time around. However, Cleveland responded with a totally different offensive strategy: take a lot of threes. Cleveland now holds the record for most 3-pointers during a single game in the post-season at 25. This is definitely a shock to most because this is the first time that they have done a feat as massive as this. In the past, their offense revolved around Lebron James and a lot of isolation plays. Now, however, they are moving the ball in the hopes of getting an open three-point shot. They are dangerously efficient beyond the arc as most of their attempts go in. The question that lingers in everyone’s minds including mine: Where did this 3-point happy time come from?

Image source: thisiscleveland.com

According to veteran James Jones, it was due to their personnel that catalyzed the drastic transformation of the Cavs postseason. General manager David Griffin had a vision of surrounding James and Kyrie Irving with an abundance of shooters. He acted on it and is now reaping the fruits of his labor. The game of basketball is continuing to evolve as spacing is becoming more and more paramount. The Cavaliers are riding their coattails much to the dismay of other teams.

I’m Tim Eckersley, a freelance sports writer and basketball fan from San Francisco. I mostly cover the NBA, FIBA, and Olympic basketball. Please follow me on Twitter.

San Francisco: The Golden State Warriors Go Back Home In 2019

Image source: latimes.com

The Golden State Warriors have called Oakland, California their home since 1972. The Warriors franchise was established way back in 1946, as one of the founding members of the Basketball Association of America. In 1962, the franchise moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, adopting the moniker San Francisco Warriors until 1971 when the geographic name was changed to Golden State. A year later, they relocated to Oakland. 

Image source: chasecenter.com

In 2019 however, the Golden State Warriors, will be returning to San Francisco. Their new home will be a $1 billion, state-of-the-art, 18,500-seat arena that will be called Chase Center. 

The Warriors already have one of the loudest and most passionate fan bases in any sport. Opposing teams dread playing in the Bay Area, where the Dubs have lost just 4 out of 82 regular season games the past two years. A chunk of the credit is due to the support of the home crowd.

Imagine then how much more successful the team can be when it finally relocates to Mission Bay. San Franciscans cannot wait to fill the arena up and cheer for their champions. 

Hi, Tim Eckersley here, I am a freelance sportswriter, passionate about the NBA, and an avid supporter of my Golden State Warriors. I was born, raised, and studied journalism in San Francisco. Follow me on Twitter for more articles about basketball and sports, in general.

A Tribute to Classic PlayStation Games

It’s been more than 20 years since PlayStation changed gaming forever. I remember dealing with the first version of the controller, the one without DualShock as I played what would become iconic games. Since we’re on the topic, here’s a throwback to classic PS games that shaped a generation. 

Tekken

If the SuperNES had “Street Fighter” and “Mortal Kombat,” PS had “Tekken.” This Namco-produced game became the console’s flagship battle game and went on to have several versions. As of the moment, we’re at “Tekken 7” and the game gets more interesting with each character having a distinct fighting style from all over the globe.

Image source: Fightersgeneration.com

Resident Evil

Before it went on to become a film franchise, “Resident Evil” started as a PlayStation game. Rebecca Chamber, Jill Valentine, and the rest of the gang went on to have horror-survival adventures that still captivate players even up to this day. 

Crash Bandicoot

The adventures of Crash as he tries to escape Cortex and Brio made up for missing out on all the violence and horror from the two games mentioned above. “Crash Bandicoot” is wholesome and fun enough to be enjoyed by all ages.

Image source: Technobuffalo.com

Aside from these three, other games that took much of our time were “Final Fantasy,” “Tomb Raider,” and “Gran Turismo.” There was also a phase when dance battle games like “Bust A Move, Bust A Groove” and “Dance Dance Revolution” were in demand. There’s just so many great PS games that it might take me days talking about them. But maybe next time. 

Hey there! Tim Eckersley here, freelance sportswriter and ardent follower of basketball. Among my other passions are artistic carpentry, traveling with my family, and videogames. Follow this page for more interesting stuff.