The Russians are coming
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time.
It's been quite a few months since Becky Hammon announced she would suit up for Russia in the Olympics. Since then, a lot of women's basketball fans have talked about what would happen if she led another country against the good ole' USA with a medal on the line.
Russia plays the United States sometime this morning in the semifinals. The winner plays for the gold medal.
I watched the USA team dominate the competition. Maybe even more than the U.S. men, the U.S. women are heavily favored to claim gold in these games. I watched Russia's past two games, a win over Spain and a loss to Australia.
Let me say this, the big showdown is likely going to be a big blowout.
Hammon herself said her Russian team needs to play perfect to stay in the game against the Americans. What she didn't say is her teammates need to play hard and with heart for 40 minutes. That's something they hadn't done until Spain, when they rallied for a victory.
Hammon leads Russia in scoring but I believe her presence has affected the team's chemistry. She's not sure what her teammates are going to do and they still don't know how to play with her. I watched her passes bounce off their hands and I've seen them miss her when she's spotted up for a wide-open shot.
Chemistry is the most important ingredient for a team and Russia just doesn't have it.
I still want to see the game, though. The American players have said she's just another Russian enemy to them, which is exactly the way they should look at her.
If Russia happens to stay close for a half, don't be surprised if there are some extracurricular activities from the Americans, who wouldn't dare let Hammon lead the hated Russians past them to the gold medal game.
Personally, I'm rooting for Hammon to play well and make the game competitive. Wouldn't it be great if it came down to a final shot and she had the ball in her hands?
It's been quite a few months since Becky Hammon announced she would suit up for Russia in the Olympics. Since then, a lot of women's basketball fans have talked about what would happen if she led another country against the good ole' USA with a medal on the line.
Russia plays the United States sometime this morning in the semifinals. The winner plays for the gold medal.
I watched the USA team dominate the competition. Maybe even more than the U.S. men, the U.S. women are heavily favored to claim gold in these games. I watched Russia's past two games, a win over Spain and a loss to Australia.
Let me say this, the big showdown is likely going to be a big blowout.
Hammon herself said her Russian team needs to play perfect to stay in the game against the Americans. What she didn't say is her teammates need to play hard and with heart for 40 minutes. That's something they hadn't done until Spain, when they rallied for a victory.
Hammon leads Russia in scoring but I believe her presence has affected the team's chemistry. She's not sure what her teammates are going to do and they still don't know how to play with her. I watched her passes bounce off their hands and I've seen them miss her when she's spotted up for a wide-open shot.
Chemistry is the most important ingredient for a team and Russia just doesn't have it.
I still want to see the game, though. The American players have said she's just another Russian enemy to them, which is exactly the way they should look at her.
If Russia happens to stay close for a half, don't be surprised if there are some extracurricular activities from the Americans, who wouldn't dare let Hammon lead the hated Russians past them to the gold medal game.
Personally, I'm rooting for Hammon to play well and make the game competitive. Wouldn't it be great if it came down to a final shot and she had the ball in her hands?
posted by Tony at
2:53 PM
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