THE AMERICAN BASKETBALL team at the Beijing Olympics is being treated shabbily by the media. I’ve had trouble finding when their games were being played and which NBC channel was televising them. Yet this is one of the greatest teams ever assembled in any sport. It’s only a slight exaggeration–and maybe not an exaggeration at all–to say the U.S. team is to basketball what Michael Phelps is to swimming.
In sports, individuals and teams are encouraged to take their game to a higher level. The U.S. basketball team is doing something above and beyond than that. In routing four teams so far–two of them among the world’s elite–the Americans have created a new dimension of the game of basketball itself. It’s a faster, wide-open style of basketball that’s played full court and never slows to catch its breath. It’s basketball on steroids and it’s exciting to watch.
No other team is capable of playing basketball this way. The European teams especially can’t match the speed, quickness, intensity, and athleticism of the Americans–or the sheer talent. The aggressive defense played by the Americans disrupts their more plodding offensive style. In each American victory, the game has been essentially over by midway in the second quarter. Monday’s game with Germany was over the first several minutes.
In international play, the 3-point shot is the key weapon. Make enough 3-pointers and you can beat anyone, even the U.S. But in Beijing, the Americans–notably guards Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul–have taken that shot away. On defense, they’ve pushed their opponents back nearly to half-court and out of 3-point range. And they’ve gotten steal after steal.
Steals lead, of course, to fast breaks. The U.S. players have scored far more fast break points than their opponents by a lopsided margin. But the Americans don’t need steals to create easy baskets. Time after time, they’ve raced down the court–the full court–before their opponents could set up on defense. Foreign teams simply can’t keep up. By the end of games, they look tired and ragged. The U.S. players appear ready to play a few more quarters.
Not only that, but they are playing smart basketball. Their shooting hasn’t been anything special, but their passing has been superb. When LeBron James leads a fast break, you know it’s going to result in a basket. His passing is that good.
I had three worries about the team, which calls itself the Redeem Team (rhymes with Dream Team, the U.S. squad at the 1992 Olympics regarded as the greatest team ever). Its task is to redeem American basketball in the eyes of the world after the U.S. teams faltered in international competition in recent years, notably in the 2004 Olympics.
I feared, for one thing, the team would be too young and immature. It turns out the team is young but quite mature, thanks to James more than anyone else. He’s the team leader. When he talks, the players listen. When he’s on the court, he’s in charge. Off court, he’s the spokesman for the team. James, by the way, is 23.
Another of my fears was that the team wouldn’t have enough 3-point shooters. That fear has been realized. It doesn’t have enough. But to my surprise, it doesn’t need them. The full-throttle game the U.S. is playing doesn’t require many 3-point baskets. Even so, James, Carmelo Anthony, and Tayshaun Prince have proved to be effective 3-point scorers.
My third fear was that the American team would be too small. Not a problem. The foreign teams have more bulk, but they’re too slow. And Chris Bosh, who’s a thin 6 feet 10 inches, has come on as a powerhouse rebounder.
Then there’s Dwyane Wade, the single most dazzling player in basketball today. In Beijing, he’s everywhere on the court, blocking shots, making steals, and dunking. No one has come close to stopping him.
Could the Redeem Team lose? It’s conceivable but highly unlikely. They’re not only playing great basketball, but they’re highly motivated. There’s another incentive. James and Bryant have told interviewers how proud they are to be representing their country and how determined they are to bring the gold medal in men’s basketball back to its rightful home court, America.
Fred Barnes is executive editor of THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
