franc11s

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?cnn=yes

Hiro11

This has actually really pissed me off, but it's not really surprising. The US side haven't won the World title since 1994 and placed sixth at the last one. Greece are current European champions and play almost exclusively as a team together.

The key difference in the international game is the lack of illegal defenses. NBA ball doesn't allow a the much tighter zone defense prevalent in international ball. That makes outside shooting more important. For some reason, the US team has always sucked at outside shooting (there are plenty of good US shooters, they just don't make the team because the coaches are idiots). The US' performance last night from three point range was unbelievably bad last night, Greece was absolutely deadly. QED.

Having said all of that, the big reason for all of this is that the rest of the world has simply caught up to the US in basketball. That's clearly been the case for the past several years. Having said that, if the US fielded the NBA champion team rather than the collection of stars they currently use, bolstered outside shooting and practiced zone defense, I still think they'd win.

Thydney

fu king girls game anyway! 'Please sir I'm 7'10" can I play netball instead of a proper game?'

Scouse Express

It's official!

The US is shit at every sport now, then.

There is not 1 game, which they invented, where a player stays on for the duration of the game either.

What a joke!

Jim.

britvic

LOL your so right there

paddingtongreen

Bullshit, you should play some street ball some time and then tell us it's for cissies. Netball was never like this.

gruffbrown

The Chicago White Sox did win the Baseball World Series.......oh wait.

Thydney

So you played netball then?

Scouse Express

NFL - World Champions
Baseball - World Series

It's all marketing Bullshit! The only foreign team that plays in either of those two sports is the Toronto Blue Jays.

Hey, if they want to go on lying to themselves......so be it!

Jim.

anotherlimey

There was the Baseball World Classic...

gruffbrown

Won by Japan.

anotherlimey

The US' only bastion of hope is the NFL... maybe they should stop exporting that to Europe.

Hiro11

I can think of a few sports we're still pretty damned good at. Unlike the absolute suckage that is British sport at this moment.

anotherlimey

One word - Darts!

Bob

rugby and cricket hasn't been to shabby lately...