Australia versus Team USA - Olympic basketball preview

It is pretty obvious that my disappointment with how Australia played in their opening two group matches at the Beijing Olympics basketball tournament got read by the coaching staff over there, because they picked things up and won the next three matches.

Not only did they win, but they won with intensity and averaging 100 points each match. While beating Iran can be laughed at, beating (and therefore eliminating) the reigning European Champions in Russia and the demolishing Lithuania by 30 points are great results.

For all this hard work, the Aussie Boomers now get to face….TEAM USA! Sure basketball fans have hard of them! You may know a few players – LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh etc etc.

GREEEEEEEEAT!!!!!

Looks like it will be the playoff for 5^th to 8^th for Australia!

Forget about the pre tournament game where we just lost to the US by 10 points. It was the final game before the Olympics started! I am sure the US was looking ahead a bit to much and were trying out a few last minute things.

If Australia loses by less than 10 points I would consider that a moral victory. Actually given how they destroyed Spain and Greece, I think a loss of under 20 points is a victory.

If we win….well we can call it the “Miracle on Pine”, who know but I have to echo Australian coach Brian Goorjigan that this should be made into a Disney Movie.

But how can Australia win? Well we definitely won’t beat them athletically so a running game is not the idea. We can beat the Americans by pure hustle, good ball movement, good off the ball movement and shooting the lights out in the gym. We have to shoot like how we did against Lithuania with our big guys making their 3-pointers so it forces their big guys to come out, therefore opening up the lanes for our other players.

Australia also has more big guys that Team USA and we have to hope David Anderson, Andrew Bogut, Chris Anstey and Matt Nielsen get up and active on the boards to limit the fast break of the opponents and get a few offensive possessions for us.

Overall, for Australia to come close and even contemplate beating the USA there are a number of things that need to go our way. But the players in Team USA will not let this happen because they are too focussed on winning and will come into the game with all guns blazing.

I am just looking forward to watching the game.

Australian Mens Basketball at the 2008 Beijing olympics - so far, not good!

For many athletes, the Olympics present the pinnacle of their sport. Winning a medal in swimming, athletics, archery, equestrian, hockey etc signifies that you have reached the pinnacle of the sport. Personally I enjoy the hockey and basketball the most (I have also been intrigued by handball but that is something to discuss later).

Australia is a dominant force in world hockey and both the men’s and women’s team are expected to do well. In basketball, I expect the women to face the USA for gold in what will be a tough and tight match (and I am not talking about the Oplas bodysuits).

Even with the sporadic coverage for team sports on Channel 7, I have been lucky enough to catch a few matches involving the Australia teams and the Amerian men’s team.

However the play of the Boomers has left me disappointed. Looking at the team sheet and seeing names such as Andrew Bogut, David Anderson, Matthew Nielsen, Brad Newley – players who are in the NBA, been drafted by NBA teams or playing for top teams in Europe, I felt the team would do well.

Sadly, in their first two matches against Croatia and Argentina, the team has found itself in double digit deficits too quickly. This makes winning a game tough for anyone. You have to expand a lot of energy trying to get back in the game, energy that would be needed at the end of a close game.

What seems to be ailing the Boomers are the lack of scoring, and their inability to stop opponents scoring. In both matches, Croatia and Argentina got early outside shots to fall which put added pressure on the Aussie shooters to make their shots. When this did not happened, the oppositions lead grew and the Australian players confidence dwindled.

However, I get this feeling that there is no intensity by the Aussies. They do not seem to be pressuring the ball carrier intensively, and making the other four players work hard to get into open space. The Australian defence looks stagnant and a step slower which has lead to easy shots for their opponents.

Also when an opponent gets into the key, they seem to get to the basket area for a shot or assist, too easily. Remember, most coaches say – Defence wins!!

What is most disappointing is that Brian Goorjigan has always been a defensive minded coach and this team is disappointing. I am not blaming him directly because I think he is an excellent coach. I am just starting to question the “fire” within the Australian players. I know they all love to play for the Green and Gold, but they do not seem to be playing for each other and as a team.

On offence, it seems we are looking a bit confused and unsure. Maybe it was due to the various injuries before the games that robbed the likes of Andrew Bogut time to gel with his team mates.

But yesterday we seem to get on track my thumping Iran by 50 odd points. This is a good result as it indicates our offence has stepped up. But the tests are coming. To make the final 8, we need to beat Russia (who were the European champions) and/or an undefeated Lithuania. Talk about tough asks.

Before the games started, I thought we probably had our best team since the 1996/2000 Olympics. We had a great coach, an NBA centre, European All-Star players and a few up and coming guards.

Given the standard of play, the dominance and style of the USA team, and the number of NBA players playing for other countries, the Olympic Basketball tournament is an event to watch. I just hope Australia remains a part of it!

Coldplay - Viva La Vida and all His Friends

Coldplay first came to my attention with their massive hit "Clocks" back in 2002. After figuring out they were not a one hit single music artist, I determined that this was band I had to hear more often.

Personally, they album X&Y did not do a lot for me. It was their experimentation album and the songs were a tad too long.

However like Michael Jordan in 1996, Coldplay latest offering Viva La Vida and All His Friends, is going to be a hit and a special album at that. Definetly an album worth listening to in this day when the kids are just buying the singles.

When their first single "Violet Hill" came out, I at first thought they had not overcome their experimental urges shown on X&Y. But their latest single "Viva La Vida" screams HIT and is an instant classic.

Amongst other highlights are "Lost" which infuses hip hop beats with an church organ with some amazing lyrics. "42" starts quite melancholic with a tender piano but the lyrics just make it an engaging experience to listen to.

Overall, I would have to rate this album as a fine effort. It engages the listener and reinforces Coldplay as not only one of the biggest and best bands of the 21st century, but also interesting.

Jordan - The Music Video

Is art is in the eye of the beholder?

An interesting debate opened up in Australia over the past week.

Photos of the girl pictured above were published in an Australian art magazine. The furore that erupted was they were pictures of her naked when she was 6 years old by her mother.

Some people argue that the printing of these pictures is appropriate because they are considered "art". Others argue that this has collapsed over the line of morality because it has exposed an innocent child to the world and the pedophiles and perverts out there.

Even the PM has delved into the debate arguing that this was not the right thing to do and that he may strip funding for the magazine.

Personally, I think that this was bad call by the parents. Taking naked pictures of your kids when they are babies is seen as a sweet and cute thing, if they are being done for the right reason (which are pretty obvious to most sane people).

But to take pictures of a naked six year old and then publish them in an art magazine is questionable. As terrible as this will sound, my first thoughts was how could parents do this consider we live int he age where we constantly hear about pedophilia and child abuse?

How could you expose an innocent child to the perverts out there by claiming this is art?

Some may say that I am being a bit too prudish but am I?

I believe that art is in the eye of the beholder. I really get riled up by the people who claim they know everything about art because they are qualified on it. I think art is in the eye of the beholder because everyone is different and we all have different tastes. Some people like bright colours, some like weird shapes and patterns. Each person is different so not everyone will like the same type of art - no matter what a critic says.

I am sure you could say I am contradicting myself with the above, but this is outside the realm of "art" and raises a moral and ethical question. Should naked images of a small child be published in a magazine? I think not.

This blog neds some CPR

I never talked about Liverpool in the vain hope that this would lead to them winning a trophy. Since we lost the CL semi final to Chelsea....well......I shall reflect on the season that was.

Blog soon.

Yo Mama, Vote for Barack Obama

I really hope Barack Obama wins the American Democrats nomination and goes on to be elected president of the USA. He is the right person for the job.

America needs him and the world wants him as President.

Let me start by saying I am not anti-America. I like what America has brought us (except the overflow of reality TV C grade stars). I just have a sense of right and wrong and what I have seen over the past few years has not appeased me.

America’ reputation as the “good guy” of the world was, in my eyes, damaged by the actions of the current incompetent, I mean incumbent President. He redefined what “intelligence” was when he invaded Iraq based on them having Weapons of Mass Destruction only to find no such thing existed. I think we all saw that as a grab at oil which America and the world realise heavily upon.

But let us not look at the past but into the future.

Of the 3 candidates out there – the others being Hillary Clinton and John McCain, why do I believe that Obama is the right person?

Simply because he represents the future, not just of a country, but a world. These days, we are not just countries, we are a world wide social community. The world has become one giant FaceBook.

Hillary Clinton has history – she was the first lady not so long ago and that time is remembered with fondness. She was around at the death of major communist powers and when the iron Curtain was dismantled. She was around when the threat of a world war was begun. When freedom and expression was reigning through the world. When the world was at peace.

But I don’t trust her. She has changed her mind on a few issues so you wonder what type of leader she will be. I believe that she is one that bends to gain approval rather than one that will generally do the right thing.

(Take note that I am honest enough to know that no one will always do the right thing. There is no one like that in the world. But I hope for someone that who will have some form of moral compass).

Senator McCain is a good man but he is just too old. He will be too conservative at a time when conservatism will not be beneficial. He does not appease those young voters who want to see some sense of vibrancy with someone who will not look 4 years into the future but 10 or 20 years.

Obama is young so he can reach out the upcoming generation.

More importantly, the fact that he is not seen as a fat, rich white old man means he has immense appeal to the rest of the world, particularly Africa and Asia – up and coming areas that need guidance to ensure they function rightly.

Lastly, he may also appeal to the Muslim world. He does not seem as threatening as the other candidates and he is certainly an improvement on “Dubya”.

He is Christian yet as the middle name “Hussein”, he grew up outside of American and spent a few years living in Indonesia, a predominantly Islamic State. He has been witness to other cultures and this has shaped him. His mind is not closed and pro one country.

I believe Barack Obama is the right person to lead America and help shape the world at a time when qualities of strong leadership and an understanding of how the world works are truly needed.

So America, when you vote, vote 1 Obama.

The world begs you.