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Olympics Xing
Xing (pronounced shing or sing) means journey in Chinese — fitting for this blog, which is all about the journey of the U.S. men's basketball team and N&O staff writer Luciana Chavez at the 2008 Beijing Games. She is covering her first Olympics and making her first trip to China. Check in here for Olympic news and for Luci's impressions getting to and being at the Games.
James guarantees gold ... kinda
Submitted by lchavez on 07/25/2008 - 03:03
Now this is more like it.
USA Basketball star LeBron James, speaking to TIME magazine, guaranteed that the U.S. would complete it's three-year quest and bring home the men's basketball gold medal from the Beijing Olympics.
Seriously, was anyone expecting that the U.S. could hold its collective tongue long enough? Props to LeBron for saying what he feels, though he more agreed with the reporter as opposed to coming right out and saying that he guaranteed it.
Still, that's confidence. That's cocky. Folks, that's American.
Let's keep it in perspective: This Olympics is personal for James. Remember that he was the late addition, and an underused one at that, when the U.S. looked unprepared and mediocre — led by Tim Duncan of all people, how did that happen? — while winning bronze/losing gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Then James helped captain the 2006 World Championship squad that didn't win gold. Then buddy and U.S. teammate Carmelo Anthony had to cajole James into playing last summer when the U.S. finally qualified for Beijing. James did and the U.S. ran over some Western hemisphere teams, gaining a taste for gold but knowing the competition wouldn't pop off until Beijing.
In between all of that, James has merely been carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers and becoming a global brand. The guy is a tad eager. If he wants to talk like the U.S. wants a gold medal badly and says it like an American would — letting the Spaniards, Greeks, Russians and Argentinians get all geeked up about if they must — so be it.
James also later explained what he meant, which Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News discussed in a column,
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Comments
Cocky and STUPID
Fri, 07/25/2008 - 10:31 — itzjoeymacTim Duncan did not LEAD that awful, arrogant and WEAK team. It was led by shoddy gaurds like Iverson and Andre Miller along with perimeter playing ball hogs like Paul Pierce. Duncan is an inside player who cannot do jack without help getting him the ball. They were too dumb to do it properly. They, like this team, think they are sooooooo much better which is hilarious considering the results. Sure, they are much better at ONE ON ONE, but they are only above average as a team until PROVEN otherwise in the Olympics against the true best teams. I got such a laugh out of the USA commentators and players last time who constantly stated the USA was 'more talented'... AT WHAT? Track and Field? They need to keep their mouths shut.