|
|
Post by phil on Aug 21, 2004 6:55:27 GMT -5
I do look forward to
Men's Artistic Gymnastic though ...ÔÔ...
Speedo swimsuit - no shirt should also be mandatory
for Men's Beach Volleyball competition ...
|
|
|
|
Post by Mary on Aug 21, 2004 12:35:04 GMT -5
All those events where you have to flash a stupid smile in order to win ... - Synchronized swimming - Artistic Gymnastic - Rythmic gymnastic ... you most certainly do not have to "flash a smile" to win in gymnastics, stupid or otherwise. M |
|
|
|
Post by RocDoc on Aug 21, 2004 14:44:50 GMT -5
YESSSSSS!!!!!!
Men : JASIKEVICIUS, Lithuania deal USA second shock
21 Aug. 2004
ATHENS, 21 August - Four years ago in Sydney, he missed a 3-pointer in the semifinals that would have marked the first win against a United States Men’s Basketball team of professional players.
On Saturday in Athens, Sarunas JASIKEVICIUS didn’t miss. Far from it.
JASIKEVICIUS stunned the USA and 12,000 fortunate fans at Helliniko Indoor Arena with a trio of 3-pointers in a span of 69 seconds near the finish to give Lithuania an unbelievable 94-90 comeback victory.
Basketball doesn’t get any better than the dramatic Olympic Men’s tournament unfolding in the preliminary rounds.
Lithuania is now 4-0 and will finish first in Group B, while the USA fell to 2-2. Before Athens, the USA had been 109-2 in Olympic basketball games dating back to 1936 and had not lost at all in the professional era started at Barcelona 1992.
At the same time, in Group B, world champion Serbia and Montenegro is just trying to survive with the last and final preliminary games scheduled for Monday.
JASIKEVICIUS made what had been an absolutely thrilling game unforgettable when, with 2:42 to play, he pulled up, got bumped by USA forward Lamar ODOM and let fly a 3-pointer that rattled in the basket to thunderous cheers from the Lithuanian fans. He completed a rare four-point play with a free throw to put Lithuania ahead 85-84.
Next time down the floor, JASIKEVICIUS ducked behind a screen and did it again, from almost the same spot. He had competition, however. USA forward Richard Jefferson, who had broken a tie with a 3-pointer of his own, now buried his second in a row to cut Lithuania’s lead to 88-87.
Now, it was JASIKEVICIUS’s turn, and he rocketed in another shot from the same wing. After a USA miss, JASIKEVICIUS then added two free throws for 12 consecutive points and a 93-87 lead. Jefferson wasn’t done yet, either, and blasted his third triple of the last four minutes with 46 seconds left.
Another USA miss was grabbed by Saulius STOMBERGAS of Lithuania, his 10th rebound of the game, and Ramunas SISKAUSKAS ended proceedings on a free throw with 4.6 seconds left.
JASIKEVICIUS finished with 28 points including seven 3-pointers. STOMBERGAS added 16 more, SISKAUSKAS 14 and Eurelijus ZUKAUSKAS 11.
The USA got 20 points from JEFFERSON, 16 from Tim DUNCAN, 11 each from Allen IVERSON and Lamar ODOM, plus 10 from Carlos BOOZER.
A fast-paced first quarter saw both teams trying to run, the USA with steals for fastbreaks and Lithuana to 3-point shooting spots. Lithuania got off the mark fast, with 3-pointers from two big men – Ksistof LAVRINOVIC and ZUKASKAUS – and another from JASIKEVICIUS that made it 13-8.
The US was driving and getting fouled, however, and soon Stephon MARBURY finished a fastbreak to tie 17-17. Lithuana went back ahead at 22-20, but the USA went to DUNCAN for consecutive post-up baskets off the glass to move ahead by 26-23 after one quarter.
The USA onslaught continued with the first seven points of the second quarter, five by BOOZER around the basket, good for a 33-23 advantage.
The margin held at 39-29 on a steal and dunk by IVERSON before Lithuania tightened its zone defence and started grabbing some rebounds. That led to a 7-0 run in which JASIKEVICIUS dropped a 3-pointer to bring Lithuania within 39-36. STOMBERGAS and Carmelo ANTHONY traded triples and Robertas JAVTOKAS got Lithuania within 46-44 before ODOM ended the half with a triple to leave the USA five points ahead, 49-44.
A 3-point play by DUNCAN helped boost the USA lead to 57-50 after halftime. Arvydas MACIJAUSKAS stepped up for Lithuania with back-to-back 3-point shots to cut the difference to 60-56. The USA went to the foul line for six free throws and a 65-56 advantage, but JASIKEVICIUS now put up the threes for Lithuania, a pair this time. SISKAUSKAS ended the quarter two free throws to put Lithuania within 69-67 after 30 minutes.
The first shot of the final quarter, a layup by Mindaugas ZUKAUSKAS, tied it 69-69. Two more ties ensued before SISKAUSKAS drove for Lithuania’s first second-half lead, 75-74. IVERSON answered with five straight points, and then a DUNCAN turnaround had the USA ahead 81-77. The triple by Jefferson soon had the USA up 84-79 with 3:24 to play.
JASIKEVICIUS time was just starting then, and in little more than a minute, he turned world basketball on its head once again with another heroic Olympic performance.
|
|
|
|
Post by maarts on Aug 21, 2004 15:52:07 GMT -5
RocDoc- I was watching the highlights of that match this morning and thought immediately of you.
DreamTeam? NightmareTeam more likely!
Please don't gloat too hard- you know how some Americans react when their institutions are being mocked ;D
I think men should also do the Beam in artistic gymnastics.
Talk about high stakes performances then!
|
|
|
|
Post by koolkat on Aug 21, 2004 16:46:03 GMT -5
Here's my list of events that should be banned from the Olympics: Table Tennis Badminton Men's Beach Volleyball (the thongs save the women here) Several of the way too many shooting competitions Handball Baseball Trampoline Women's wrestling (unless they plan on wearing the Beach volleyball thongs and some mud is thrown in the ring)  |
|
|
|
Post by RocDoc on Aug 22, 2004 7:26:23 GMT -5
Oh, I'm gonna gloat!
;D
;D
;D
I loooove seeing this happen to this so-called 'superior' team...who IMO have simply become a group of rich boys to whom money, bling, the big buckeroos...are THE thing, the only thing and with no notion whatsoever(or barely)of the consuming joyous pride these smaller poorer nations acquire when they play their BEST in international competitions.
They've got their money and, mostly, that's THEIR pinnacle.
"What, we lost against a bunch of Lithuanians? Huh. So what, ya think THEY got a Hummer like mine? Chumps."
Yuh, dealing in broad stereotypes, but I do believe this is the case here...where they've been amazed that all their 'natural ability', NBA style couldn't whip European-style finesse...
...and we all know this isn't anywhere near the caliber of THE Dream Team with Jordan and Magic and those...basically because the 'best of the best' couldn't be bothered to play...
I do hope this lights a fire under their asses for the next one...tho for the next one, many of these SAME players might have matured into the ability of a Jordan...LeBron James for one.
|
|
|
|
Post by maarts on Aug 23, 2004 5:58:51 GMT -5
Good victory from Lithuania over the Aussies too tonight, RocDoc!
They were just cleverer and more accurate than the Boomers- well done!
|
|
|
|
Post by RocDoc on Aug 23, 2004 8:10:06 GMT -5
REALLY?? That's fantastic!
Wow, I just got into the office....watched the morning news here, but if it don't involve the U.S. they mention NOTHING...which for this particular thing bugs the shit out of me.
But...I already knew this and still haven't had a chance to go to the Athens2004.org site like I've been doing for my 'Lith fix'.......
We gotta go all the way...if JUST to make the fucking U.S. pay frigging ATTENTION!
Where's the journalism aspect of people WANTING to know about seeing this underdog tiny nation whip some ass?
|
|
|
|
Post by maarts on Aug 25, 2004 15:45:16 GMT -5
The number of doping cases is off the chart though...every day the medal table is being reshaped thanks to some dummy testing positive....
Wish I could say that the Aussies have a clean sheet though- there was a big doping scandal surrounding some of the members of our cycling team just before the Olympicsd started. Two of the team were charged by authorities on shooting up illegal substances (a hormone normally administered to horses to make them grow) at one of the State's Insitutes Of Sport and were dumped from the team, a third was reinstated after an appeal.
Thing is that everyone's innocent until proven guilty but the numerous cases of doping in the Olympics and in particular cycling over the last few years has made me almost believe the reverse. I must admit that the Aussie gold medal haul in the track cycling looks a bit suss because of it.
I still can hear Robin Millar, the great British cyclist who admitted of taking illegal substances to enhance his performance: "You'd be a fool not to do it if you want to win".
Seems to me that it's not the strongest that win but the cleverest.
|
|
|
|
Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on Aug 26, 2004 5:41:53 GMT -5
Yeah, Millar's doping case 'shocked' Britain apparently, but fuck knows why. You don't get on the major tours without a little EPO booster now and then ;D I reckon road cycling is a level playing field though... 'cos they're ALL at it. US Postal probably just have the best chemist. Once again Britain has turned out to be a nation of sailors, rowers and (just about) cyclists at these games, carrying on the great work from Sydney Harbour four years ago. I wish we had a fit female beach volleyball team though. Then we might see a bit more of it on the BBC.  |
|
|
|
Post by phil on Aug 26, 2004 8:26:09 GMT -5
Maart ~ Doping in cycling events ... ??
Naaahhhh ! Nobody does that anymore
The racers are all clean now
and running only on pure clean spring water !!
A few years back in the Tour de France the peloton did the stage between Laval and Blois at the average
(AVERAGE !) speed of 50 KMs/hour !!
A 200 KMs SPRINT !!
The fastest stage in the Tour de France history ...
Only on pure clean spring water. Yes Sir !!
The racers were so fresh when they arrived in Blois
some of them said, Putain ! on va manger à Paris !
So they put some more clean water in their bottles and went to eat a mutton kidneys' fricassee "Chez Marcel" at "La Porte d'Italie" ... Another 150 KMs !!
Many others who were not hungry went to the Bois Castle(very nice BTW)and they kept cycling around the big water fountain there. At midnight, the cops and the Tour's doctors finaly told them they had to stop and it was time to go to bed !!
The Tour de France officials said that those strange events were caused by the "stupefacient" amount of pure, clean, fresh spring water the racers were ingurgitating since the beginning of the Tour ...
|
|
|
|
Post by maarts on Aug 26, 2004 15:06:06 GMT -5
Fresh water, yeah.....to wash away the special little breathmint that the 'coureurs' had received from the 'soigneur'....
Personally I think that all those top speeds are because the lycra suits the racers are wearing are so tight that they deprive the upper bodies and legs of oxygen and, in a desperate attempt to revive the blood circulation, they race as hard as they can to get out of the bloosy things.
|
|
|
|
Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on Aug 27, 2004 1:29:47 GMT -5
I was really disappointed in this year's beach volleyball (female) competition. As the standard of play has risen, the standard of the competitors has gone down. There's an inverse correlation between how athletic they are and how shaggable they are.
This year's finalists (Brazil and USA) weren't even worth a token hand shandy. The glory days of '96 seem a long way off.
|
|
|
|
Post by phil on Aug 27, 2004 7:18:36 GMT -5
There's an inverse correlation between how athletic they are and how shaggable they are.
Not to mention that sand and certain body parts
don't mix very well ...!Ö!...
I saw the Synchronized Swimming Canadian team costumes last night ...
I had nightmares all night long !!
|
|
|
|
Post by maarts on Aug 27, 2004 18:43:16 GMT -5
The Dream is over...I am stunned to see the USA slump to defeat against Argentina this morning.
Ginobili was outstanding again for his team.
You'd almost think that the influx of great overseas basketballers in the NBA has left its toll on the US-players in the same vein as all the foreign soccerplayers invade the competitions in England, Spain and Italy and leave the host nations with a depleted talentroster for their natiional teams, as the local talent doesn't have a chance to perform at that top level?
RocDoc- too bad the Lithuanians lost against Italy too in the semi- Argentina-Italy in the final of the men's basketball, who'd thought that? Now your team has a chance to send those yacht-dwelling millionaires home with headaches, a fat bill and no medals to show for it.
Same goes for Marion Jones...tough to win if you don't take your food supplements every day, innit?
Somewhere in the background I hear hundreds of former Eastern European athletes laugh their heads off....
I'm stunned to see the Dutch hockeyteam slump to defeat against Australia after being so dominant- done in golden goal overtime.
Aussie revenge for 4 years ago- good on 'em. They played well.
Also read that the two Kiwis who won gold aren't allowed to take their wreaths into the country as quarantine laws won't allow any plant material from being taken into the land of the long white cloud.....
...nuff for this update....
|
|
