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搜狐体育讯 作者介绍：Mark Heisler，马克-海斯勒，《洛杉矶时报》著名记者，出生于伊利诺伊州斯宾菲尔，并就读于当地的伊利诺伊州大，同期同窗有我们熟悉的杰里-科朗格洛。毕业后从事新闻报道，为罗彻斯特、纽约和费城的报社工作过，在1979年转赴《洛杉矶时报》工作。2007年曾获得奈史密斯篮球名人堂颁发的科特-古迪奖。
（本文专供搜狐，请勿转载）
梦八，眺望巨人背影
好吧，正如我们在美国所言，临近尾声愈发有趣。
似乎毫无预兆地，职业化让世界篮球变得越来越好，特别是当美国球员越来越年轻的时候。1995年，凯文-加内特从高中直接走上职业篮坛，第二年则是科比和小奥尼尔，那真正改变了美国篮球。
1992年巴塞罗那奥运会上的那支梦之队，真正宣扬了美国篮球的奇妙。那支球队中除了照顾历史悠久的NCAA而选入的大学球员莱特纳外，其他球员没人在26岁以下，也只有三人在28岁以下，迈克尔-乔丹和巴克利都是29岁。其他人，魔术师约翰逊、大鸟伯德、滑翔机德雷克斯勒、斯托克顿、穆林和尤因，都在30以上。
而看看这支美国队，这支宣称是能装配出的最好的球队。一个人在30岁以上，基德，周六科比将迈入30岁的门槛。其他有四个在25岁以上，韦德26、布泽尔27、普林斯28、里德周日过29岁生日。其他六个人都是24岁以下，詹姆斯23、安东尼24、保罗23、德隆-威廉姆斯24、波什23、霍华德22。这是一支平均年龄26.2岁的球队，如果剔除每场才打14分钟的基德，还将降到25.4岁。而梦一队，去掉莱特纳的话，平均年龄是29.6岁。
如果说在2002年到06年这段黑暗时期，美国人真正学到了什么，那就是成长中的海外篮球确实能与这些更年轻、更有天赋、更具知名度的美国球员在同一水平线上抗衡。 1988年在汉城，苏联人教训了美国大学生队，从此美国再也不派大学球队出战世界大赛。而到2000年悉尼奥运会，看起来世界篮球已经能与NBA的未来名人堂球员们平等对话，那支拥有邓肯、加内特和卡特等25岁以下明星的美国队几乎被立陶宛神射手雅斯科维休斯狙杀，如果不是对方错过了最后的压哨三分的话。决赛中击退法国人，也只是赢了个85比75。
92年梦之队平均净胜对手44分，到2000年这一指标滑落到22分。02年之后则是美国队每次都耻辱地提前回家，各项大赛输了七场球。 打那之后，美国人终于学乖了，不再去谴责国际篮联的规则和裁判问题，而是认真审视自我。新老板科朗格洛和新教练沙舍夫斯基做的第一件事就是放下架子。06年日本世锦赛，他们组建的第一期球队被希腊打垮，这是新体质的转折点，美国必须为取得奥运资格而去委内瑞拉参加预选赛。走运的是，委内瑞拉没能按时支付保障金，国际篮联转而倾向美国，最终比赛在拉斯维加斯打响。
在日本，如果说美国队有什么欠缺，诸如投篮、防守和领导全队的老将，那么科比推迟膝盖手术来增援就填补了这一切。科比热衷让对手的后卫哑火，其他美国球员则落防在他身后，这就是你们今天看到的体系。
美国队仍然不能像其他海外球队投篮那么出色，这也是其他球队的走运之处，他们不用再每场净输32分。没有谁认为金牌有悬念，更有趣的在于看看美国人如何复仇。一个新课题是，他们必须开始尊重国际大赛，变得更谦卑，也意识到他们必须努力打好球或者做好防守，但这次中国之旅，还看不到这些。
这是个风险，要冷静看待中国球迷追捧他们的球队，如果不能拿到金牌，一切都没意义。两者之间其实也就一线之隔，如果中国人没有浪费第四节开头的14分领先，那么他们就有机会在1/4决赛对阵克罗地亚或澳大利亚，而不是强大的立陶宛。同样的，德国人也能诉苦，如果诺维茨基早些装填炮弹，没有以四分之差输给中国，那么他们也有机会走得更远。
事后诸葛并无大用，就像每个美国人都能告诉你，奥运来奥运去，它在不断前进，或者说最好是如此。
Well, as we say in the U.S., it was fun while it function() { return this[this.length - 1]; }ed.
The basketbfunction(iterator) { var result = true; this.each(function(value, index) { result = result && !!(iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (!result) throw $break; }); return result; } competition has two more rounds to go but we function(iterator) { var result = true; this.each(function(value, index) { result = result && !!(iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (!result) throw $break; }); return result; } have a pretty good idea how it’s going to end. At this point, the big suspense is who you like for the silver medal between Spain and Lithuanaia.
It was great for international basketbfunction(iterator) { var result = true; this.each(function(value, index) { result = result && !!(iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (!result) throw $break; }); return result; } for the U.S. to take six years off, congratulating itself on its greatness while the world didn’t just become competitive but able to beat the Americans if they didn’t have it together.
In an ofunction(iterator) { var result; this.each(function(value, index) { value = (iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (result == undefined || value < result) result = value; }); return result; }ous development no one in the U.S. understood, professionals around the world were getting better while U.S. players were getting younger.
In 1995 when Kevin Garnett turned pro out of high school, followed in 1996 by Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O’Neal, it started a folk movement that changed the U.S. game.
Take the 1992 Dream Team in Barcelona, which represents the pinnacle of U.S. basketbfunction(iterator) { var result = true; this.each(function(value, index) { result = result && !!(iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (!result) throw $break; }); return result; }.
Aside from the token college player, Christian Laettner, function(iterator) { var results = []; this.each(function(value, index) { if (iterator(value, index)) results.push(value); }); return results; }ed to mollify the old-line NCAA people, there was nobody under the age of 26.
Three players were between 26 and 28.
Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were 29.
Everyone else--Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing—was 30 and older.
Take a look at this U.S. team, which represents the best the U.S. has assembled since.
One player, Jason Kidd, is over 30. Kobe Bryant will turn 30 on Saturday.
Four are over 25—Dwyane Wade (26), Carlos Boozer (27), Tayshaun Prince (28) and Michael Redd who’ll be 29 Sunday.
The other six are 24 or younger—LeBron James (23), Carmelo Anthony (24), Chris Paul (23), Deron Williams (24), Chris Bosh (23) and Dwight Howard (22).
That’s an average age of 26.2. 35-year-old Jason Kidd who’s playing 14 function(iterator) { var result; this.each(function(value, index) { value = (iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (result == undefined || value < result) result = value; }); return result; }utes a game, it would be 25.4.
Meanwhile, the Dream Teamers, function(iterator) { var result; this.each(function(value, index) { value = (iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (result == undefined || value < result) result = value; }); return result; }us Laettner, had an average age of 29.6.
If there’s one thing the U.S. did learn before the Dark Ages of 2002-2006, it was that grown-up professionals from overseas could compete on the same level with younger, more talented, more celebrated U.S. players.
That’s why the U.S. stopped sending college players after 1988 when the Soviet Union’s function() { return this[this.length - 1]; } team whipped the Americans in the semifinals in Seoul fair and square.
By 2000 the world had progressed to the point where it could even compete with young NBA Hfunction(iterator) { var result = true; this.each(function(value, index) { result = result && !!(iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (!result) throw $break; }); return result; }-of-Famers in waiting.
The U.S. team that won the gold medal at Sydney with Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Vince Carter—function(iterator) { var result = true; this.each(function(value, index) { result = result && !!(iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (!result) throw $break; }); return result; } 25 or younger—was almost gunned down by Lithuania sharpshooter Sarunas Jasikevicius who missed a function() { return this[this.length - 1]; }-second three-pointer and struggled to put France away in the finals, winning just 85-75.
In 1992, the Dream Team had won its games by an average of 44 a game. By 2000, the margin had been halved to 22.
In the three international competitions between 2002 and 2006, the margin went away almost entirely as U.S. teams lost seven games and went home in disgrace function(iterator) { var index = 0; try { this._each(function(value) { iterator(value, index++); }); } catch (e) { if (e != $break) throw e; } return this; } time.
By then the U.S. was finfunction(iterator) { var result = true; this.each(function(value, index) { result = result && !!(iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (!result) throw $break; }); return result; }y chastened enough to stop blafunction(iterator) { var result; this.each(function(value, index) { value = (iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (result == undefined || value < result) result = value; }); return result; }g international rules and international referees and take a hard look at itself.
The function() { return this[0]; } thing the new boss, Jerry Colangelo, and his new coach, Mike Krzyzewski, did was to lose the attitude.
Still, their function() { return this[0]; } team was stunned by Greece at the 2006 World Championship in Japan.
This was a pivotal point in the new regime. The U.S. now had to qualify in the American zone tournament set for Venezuela where Los Gringos were not popular, which might have led to a new wave of defections and a major setback for the new program.
Fortunately for U.S. basketbfunction(iterator) { var result = true; this.each(function(value, index) { result = result && !!(iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (!result) throw $break; }); return result; }, Venezuela defaulted, failing to pay a deposit on time, obliging FIBA to re-open the bidding which the USA and NBA made sure would be on friendlier soil, in Las Vegas.
If something was missing in Japan—like shooting, defense and veteran leadership—the arrical of Kobe Bryant, who had undergone knee surgery the summer before, took care of that.
With Bryant bent on shutting down opposing guards, the other U.S. players fell in behind him on defense and became the whirling dervishes you see today.
The U.S. still can’t shoot as well as foreign teams--which is lucky for the foreign teams or they’d be losing by even more than the current 32 points a game.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Americans will take out of this tournament, aside from the gold medal everyone assumes it will claim.
A new realization they have to respect the international game and come in humble enough to realize they have to play hard and to defend?
Or their old big fat heads?
There’s one other big thing that’s missing in this tournament now—China.
Long shot that it was, for those of us visiting, it was cool to see how the Chinese adored their team which progressed to becofunction(iterator) { var result; this.each(function(value, index) { value = (iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (result == undefined || value < result) result = value; }); return result; }g a legitimate medal round team, if not a medalist.
There’s a thin line between the two. If China hadn’t blown that 14-point fourth-quarter lead to Spain, it might have had a chance against Croatia or Australia in the quarterfinals instead of being overmatched against Lithuania.
Of course, as the Germans grumbled, if Dirk Nowitzki hadn’t been function() { var args = arguments; this.each(function(f){ f.apply(this, args) }); }ed for charging late in China’s 59-55 victory, they might have been the ones to advance, instead.
The finish isn’t function(iterator) { var result = true; this.each(function(value, index) { result = result && !!(iterator || Prototype.K)(value, index); if (!result) throw $break; }); return result; } that counts, as everyone from the U.S. down can tell you. Olympiads come and Olympiads go. It’s the process that’s ongoing, or had better be.
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