Kind of.
12:12: My mom calls me to tell me the game is on. I respond in a befuddled rage, expecting it to be on in the morning. I wonder if I can recover mentally?
12:13: Rudy with a ridiculous fade-away three over Tayshaun Prince. He dribbled between his legs three times and just jacked it up. To say this was a “bad shot” would be an understatement. If this was a pickup game and he took that I would have been cussing him out the whole time the ball was in the air. I still don’t know how I feel about Rudy’s gunner-ship. He can score but he loves jacking it. I might start calling him Jack in the Box if it was funny.
12:14: Judging from the score (65-56) no defense has been played. Took a gander at the box score and D-Wade has 21 points. Hot. Damn. Remember when people thought he fell off? Y’all were wrong. I want apologies and I want them now.
12:15: Doug Collins – “Toronto could be a good team in the Eastern Conference.” Really? Haven’t been to the playoffs back to back or anything..didn’t add Jermaine O’Neal. Doug Collins + Beijing = Stupidity. 67-58 Team USA.
12:18: Doug Collins and Mike Breen are really over-analyzing right now. CP3 with two free throws to put USA up 69-61.
I’m still pretty mad I missed the first half. I feel like I’m trying to watch Lost, starting with the last season. I’m dazed, confused and completely overwhelmed. I mean what can I say? Everyone was in foul trouble? D-Wade was on fire? Chris Paul really needs to get back to the States and get a haircut and shave? Just judging from the box score it looks like Team USA’s fouling is keeping Spain around like it did against Argentina. Spain has made 18 free throws in the first half. In the first game against Team USA they shot 20 for the whole game. You combine that with their ability to shoot the three and the fact that Team USA has depended on the three…and you have to have a smidge of worry. That ‘what if’s’ could float around, until you remember that Team USA has done an excellent job of making the right adjustments in the second half. No way Spain scores 61
12:32: Finally they show video of the 1972 debacle in Munich. I mean if Collins was going to reference every 2 seconds they might as well show it.
12:34: Jason Kidd (WITH SHAVED HEAD) told Collins they had to play better defense without fouling. Even I said that and I didn’t see the game. Me = genius.
12:36: Kobe apparently forgets this isn’t the NBA and goes for his ‘pump-fake jump into the guy’. No call. Airball. Then on the next time down Kobe dumps it to LeBron who somehow botches the layup and wants a foul call. Redeem Team?
12:37: Reyes drives through 4 US players to get a layup. Kobe then turns the ball over. Three turnovers by the US in 2 minutes.
12:38: Gasol with a left hand layup to cut the lead to 71-67 Team USA. The defensive edge is missing right now. How can I tell? Everyone looks stagnant. Also, Kobe almost helped off of Rudy to double Pau.
12:39: Carmelo, everyone’s least favorite Olympian with a huge play to tip-in Dwight’s missed free throw and got fouled by Frank The Tank. I mean Marc Gasol. And then Kobe stupidly picks up his 3rd foul. How is he so dang bi-polar.
12:40: Juan Carlos Navarro just took it to the cup and hit a floater. I didn’t even know he could dribble like that. Pick and roll with Dwight leads to a big dunk and not a foul. 75-69 Team USA with 6 minutes left.
12:41: Another floater from Navarro. He’s eating Kidd up right now. 75-71 Team USA. Spain is shooting 61 percent and 56 percent from the three-point line. Can’t spell Gold without the D.
12:42: Spain in the 2-3 zone. Melo misses a three but gets a block and then a layup. 77-71 USA.
12:44: Kobe missed a three (good look). You can just feel the tension mounting. Team USA looks more nervous than anything like they are playing not to lose almost.
12:45: Navarro is killing the USA on the pick and roll. I seriously have never seen him get by people like this. He looks like Chris Paul and Paul is guarding him.
12:46: Kobe blocks a shot and drops a few four letter words. Unfortunately Spain gets it right to Marc Gasol on an inbounds play and he gets fouled. He makes 1 of 2 and it’s 81-76 with over 3 let in the third.
12:48: I’ve never seen this much passion and fire from LeBron James. Ever. You can just see he is not going to let Team USA lose. The keys are him and Kobe resisting trying to take the game over. Everytime Kobe touches it I cringe a little inside. 84-76 Team USA.
12:50: D-Wade with a fadeaway to push the lead back up to 10. Paul rips Navarro and keeps the ball in the fast break. Well that’s rare. He misses the layup. Could be a big play.
12:52: Almost was as Marc Gasol got fouled and scored but they called it on the floor. Navarro just drove to the bucket and scored with Bosh riding him. What the hell is going on? Deron Williams responds with a smooth fadeaway in the lane. 88-78.
12:53: Juan Carlos Navarro lobs it to Pau. Honestly…where was this last year in Memphis? Melo answers with a big three to make it 91-80.
12:55: Navarro gets by Deron Williams and hits a left hand layup as the buzzer scores. Am I in Bizarro World? 91-82 Team USA at the end of 3.
12:57: The 50,001th ‘Team USA enjoying as much of the Olympic experience as possible’. Although I could watch Kobe’s jumping up and down at Phelps for a while.
12:58: Deron Williams botches another fast break with a missed layup. Collins correctly points out that we’ve botched three fast breaks. Also…they’ve sicked the Doberman on Navarro. If he scores on Kobe he’s a golden god.
12:58: Kobe blocked his three. Spain got it back and scored on a Pau tip-in to make it 91-84. We may not see Dwight Howard back in. Also…Rudy comes in for Navarro.
12:59: What’s wrong with you Kobe? He snags the ball, jabs, dribbles backwards and then shoots a pull up three. Clank. Rudy with a sick lob to Pau who knocks it down. Then Rubio with a bounce pass to Rudy who nails the three-ball. 91-89 Team USA with 8:13 left in the game. By the way I am not a Rudy fan and if Spain wins I won’t be able to cheer for him.
1:01: The pressure is building for Team USA. The crowd is clearly rooting for Spain. Kobe responds with a ridiculously tough runner in the lane. Huge basket. I cringed big-time. Still huge though. Is this what its like to be a Laker fan?
(Of course not, to be a Laker fan you can’t have a brain)
1:03: Kobe with a huge play. Could have taken a wide open three in transition, hesitated and kept driving before kicking to Deron Williams who nailed a big three. 96-89 Team USA.
1:04: Kobe dumps it to Dwight Howard who has a monster slam. USA chant! 98-89 and Bipolar Mamba has been in the center of everything.
1:05: Rudy made a three but Mamba responds with one of his own. Team USA holds on and Kobe’s legacy goes up 10 fold. I think he knows it too.
1:06: Rudy just posterized Dwight Howard. Seriously, watch out Martell. And-1 to make it 103-95 Team USA.
1:07: Bipolar Mamba’s bad side came back out, shooting a deep three-ball. Clank. But then he knocks a way one of those crazy Spanish lobs. He could give me a heart-attack.
1:08: Dwight Howard at the free throw line in a late situation should be the next horror movie. He misses the first one. He makes the second one. 104-95 with a little over 4 minutes left. Dwight fouls Pau and we’re in the penalty.
1:09: Navarro is back in for Spain and Bosh is back in for the US. Dwight Howard….unhappy. I haven’t seen him scowl this much ever. Pau makes both to cut the lead to 7.
1:10: Spain…in the 2-3 zone. Chris Paul takes a three from the corner. Clank. Go shave. Marc Gasol almost punches Bosh in the face. He was guarding Pau. Pau with a midrange jumper to cut it to 104-99 with a little over 3 minutes left.
1:11: Spain….still in the 2-3 zone. Wade penetrates, kicks it to Kobe who jabs and sticks a three-ball with the foul from Rudy. Rudy fouled out and Kobe told the crowd to shush. Literally he made the motion. The range of emotions I have had towards Kobe Bryant have been amazing. As of right now he’s my hero.
1:12: 108-99 after that four point play. Navarro answers with another runner.
1:13: Navarro with more penetration and he kicks to Jiminez who nails the three. 108-104 with over 2 minutes. LeBron kicks it to D-Wade who nails a huge three. 111-104. What. A. Game.
1:15: The Doberman is back on Navarro. He fouls him and sends him to the line. I wonder if the fact that he gives himself so man freakin’ nicknames is why he’s so bipolar. Navarro makes one of two. That’s the good news. The bad? Ricky Rubio saved it off Chris Paul.
1:16: Jiminez bricks a wide open three. Damn. Kobe penetrates the zone and nails a runner to extend the lead to 113-105. A minute left. Far from over. Spain wastes about 11 seconds before fouling.
1:18: Paul makes both free throws to push the lead to 115-105. Marc Gasol with a bucket but Team USA gets the ball back. Unsportsmanlike foul and then a technical foul on Ricky Rubio. I thought he was so poised?
1:20: Team USA calls timeout and they are soooo happy. Kobe has scored 13 of the 24 points but he’s had a part of at least 18-19 of them. Is this the new Kobe Bryant game?
1:22: Rubio tries to ruin the moment with a steal but he misses the layup on the fast break. Ha. Ha. U-S-A chant. Where’s Hacksaw Jim Duggan?
1:23: Redemption.