Redeem Team earned its stripes
Aug 25th, 2008 by Bill Burt
Eagle-Tribune’s Mike Muldoon has a good read in today’s newspaper saying he’d take the Redeem Team over the Dream Team any day.
I’m not sure I agree, but the premise is these guys really wanted to win, had more pride than the two teams before them, and showed class.
I believe Coach K deserves a lion’s share of the credit. The fact that he could get Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade in the same room, all willing to relinquish their A-List roles to another at some point is amazing.
Most of all, what struck me about this group was its ability to remain composed. Trust me, I was not fond of the constant 3-point bombing at inopportune times, but this team never got flustered like the last few national teams have.
Personally, I like the international game. It is played at a faster pace. I also like the passing. It seems passing and shooting are as important as defending and dunking is here in the U.S.
What we have to realize is the rest of the world has caught up to the United States on the basketball floor. Gold medals will not be a formality. This will be good because we could use a boost of adrenaline when it comes to the basketball.
I would like to see more role players, like shooters, defenders and rebounds rather than complete superstars. But that’s an argument for another day.
2 reader comments to “Redeem Team earned its stripes”
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1Tiffany said:
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Thanks,
Tiffany -
2ketchup123 said:
Dream team over redeem team? I doubt that. Even in his decayed 1992 state, Bird plus Magic plus Jordan would be favorites over anybody. Throw in Stockton, Barkely and Robinson? Forget it. The Redeem Team isn’t mature enough to handle that.
