The Bucks' rough week came to a rough close Saturday night, as not even the return of Michael Redd and a night on their home turf could prevent the Bucks from dropping their fourth straight, 97-85 to the red-hot Cavaliers.  Redd came off the bench and shot just 5/16, but still led the Bucks with 20 points in 35 minutes.  Mo Williams was fairly quiet in his first game back at the BC, scoring 13 on just 6/20 fg, but LeBron James (32/7/5) and Zyrdrunas Ilgauskas (23/17) brought the goods for Cleveland.  As usual the Bucks hung tough for most of the game, but a late 11-2 run by the Cavs sealed it.

Three Bucks

• Ramon Sessions.  Though he shot just 6/17 from the field, Sessions generally outplayed his former mentor with 16 points, eight dimes, and just one turnover in a team-high 44 minutes.  Still lacking a consistent jumper, Sessions manufactured most of his points by making good cuts through the lane or knifing past defenders off his own dribble.
  
• Richard Jefferson.  It's difficult to expect anyone to contain LeBron James anymore, so the bright side of James' 32 points is that Jefferson (and Mbah a Moute) made him take a lot of shots (12/27 fg) to get there.  Otherwise Jefferson provided about what we expect from him: 19 points (7/14 fg), six board, three dimes, and a block.
• Luke Ridnour.  Starting next to Ramon Sessions for the first time, Ridnour tallied just one assist but made up for it with 16 points on just nine shots to go with six boards. 
  

Three Numbers

• 53-38.  Coming into the game the Bucks hadn't been outrebounded since November 8 against Phoenix, but Cleveland absolutely dominated the boards with a +15 edge overall and a huge 19-7 edge on the offensive glass.  Ilgauskas singlehandedly matched the Bucks with seven offensive rebounds, while Ben Wallace didn't score but half his 10 rebounds come off Cleveland misses.  Given the Bucks regularly score less efficiently than their opponents, those extra 12 Cleveland possessions gave the Bucks little chance.
• 0.  The best Buck in +/- terms was Joe Alexander, who played just 30 seconds and wasn't on the court for any points by either team.  In contrast, Mo Williams (+15) led three Cavs +10 or better.
• 5.  The Bucks totaled 18 turnovers compared to just 19 assists, with Luc Mbah a Moute contributing a whopping five of those in just 22 minutes.  In contrast, the Cavs turned it over just 10 times.

Three Good

• Redd's back.  Redd looked a bit rusty--most obviously in the second quarter, when a three point attempt from the left wing flew out of his hands as he was loading up, landing a couple rows behind him.  Still, Redd was aggressive (8/8 ft) and did a pretty good job of finding open teammates off his drives.  The final score tonight didn't show it, but the Bucks are at least inching back to health. 
  
• New ideas.  It didn't have much effect either way, but kudos to Skiles for trying to shake things up with a new-look starting lineup.  Luc Mbah a Moute has slumped a bit and Charlie Bell's shot hasn't been right all year, likely due in part to his bum leg.  They made way for Sessions and Charlie Villanueva, who was actually a question mark after reaggravating his hamstring injury last night.  Perhaps that was partly why Malik Allen saw so much more time than CV.
  
• (Pass).  Like last night, I'm boycotting my third bullet here.  I'm getting sick of looking for silver linings. 
  

Three Bad

• Shot in the dark.  After watching the Bucks suffer through another sub-40% shooting effort, I wondered when the last time was that they made 50% or better of their field goal attempts.  Answer: April 14, 2008 against the Bulls, making it 20 games and counting.  Yeah, it's been a rough year offensively.
• Outworked, for once.  It's not that Bucks weren't trying, but the Cavs' dominance on the glass translated into a 22-7 edge in second chance points--which happens to be the primary way the Bucks have been overcoming their perpetually cold shooting.
• Z's J's.  Ilgauskas did the dirty work with his 17 boards, but his silky smooth jumper set an early tone, capitalizing on the Bucks' collapsing defense to calmly nail jumper after jumper.  Though Ilgauskas' penchant for jump shots has translated into a not-great-for-a-big 48% career field goal percentage, he's up over 53% this year and made 11/17 tonight.

Suited to scout. (photo via www.nba.com)

Bucks (0-0) @ Bulls (0-0)

Gametime: 7:30 p.m. central time

Lineups:

Bucks: Luke Ridnour / Michael Redd / Richard Jefferson / Charlie Villanueva / Andrew Bogut

Bulls: Derrick Rose / Thabo Sefolosha / Luol Deng / Tyrus Thomas / Drew Gooden

Injuries:

Bucks: Luke Ridnour is questionable because of a sore back; Ramon Sessions could take his place.  The Bucks' PFs are healthy but Scott Skiles is staying mum on the possibility of starting Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and bringing Charlie Villanueva off the bench.

Bulls: Larry Hughes is out with a dislocated shoulder.

07/08 Series:

Nov. 3: Bucks 78 Bulls 72

Dec. 28: Bulls 103 Bucks 99

March 29: Bulls 114 Bucks 111

April 14: Bulls 151 Bucks 135

07/08 Advanced Stats:

Bucks: Offense 21st (105.3 points/100 possessions) Defense: 30th (112.8) Pace: 17th (91.3)

Bulls: Offense 26th (103.9 points/100 possessions) Defense: 14th (107.2)  Pace: 11th (103.9)

Three points:

• Michael Redd and Ben Gordon, eternally linked guards after combining for 100 points (Redd 52 + Gordon 48) in 53 minutes of basketball, are still playing for Milwaukee and Chicago, respectively. A hefty bulk of each fanbase assumed the shooting guards would find new addresses, but here they are, once again focal points of the only NBA franchise's they've known. Last season, both Redd (7th) and Gordon (5th) were top ten scorers per minute in the clutch, defined by 82games as "4th quarter or overtime, less than minutes left, neither team ahead by more than five points." Unlike fellow late-game heroes LeBron James and Manu Ginobili however, Redd (39.5 %) and Gordon (37.7%) didn't convert field goals at a pretty rate in the clutch. Nonetheless, they are good bets to have the ball at the end of a close game.
  
• First overall pick Derrick Rose, full of promise and youth, typifies the Bulls. At 27, Drew Gooden is the team's eldest starter, and Chicago has only one player out of his twenties on the entire roster: not very old friend Michael Ruffin, who checks in at 31. The Bulls are not only young, but deep. They're probably the only NBA team with a second unit (Kirk Hinrich/Ben Gordon/Andres Nocioni/Joakim Noah/Aaron Gray) as good as their starting lineup.  Rose tweaked his hip and hamstring when the Bucks and Bulls met on Friday, but practiced yesterday and is expected to start.  Still, his injury apparently incited a bit of tension between Richard Jefferson and Andres Nocioni, though Jefferson's involvement in Rose's injury was minimal.  It's just business as usual for the Bucks and Bulls--don't forget that Royal Ivey gave Aaron Gray a nutshot in the team's final meeting last year, a move that earned him a three game suspension.
  
• Scott Skiles should have a thorough scouting report on Chicago, whom he coached for 4+ seasons before his firing after 25 games (and just nine wins) last year. While the Bulls feature new players, such as Rose, they return plenty of faces familiar to Skiles, including Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, and the ever-satisfied Gordon. Meanwhile, Vinny Del Negro, former Buck, opposes Skiles on the sidelines. Nobody can agree on who should start for Chicago, so we'll see how Vinny's first lineup works. From the little-known facts vault: Per 36 minutes in their careers, Skiles and Del Negro both averaged 11.3 field goal attempts and 1.1 steals.
  

Coverage:

Gameday / Blog A Bull / Chicago Tribune

As linked to in Wednesday's Notes, Henry Abbott wrote a terrific piece about the future of Team USA. If you think it's too early to consider such things, well, it's quite simply not. The 2010 World Championships are just around the corner, and building a team, as we've learned, takes time.

The thought, competition, and scrutiny that goes into creating national soccer teams is incredible. Basketball is following that path.

There are plentiful questions, like whether the LeBron/Kobe/Wade troika will sign on again. James already said he'll only play if Kidd does, and Kidd should not and will not. Kobe, while not old, might want to save energy to win the NBA title without Shaq he wants so badly. Wade's all-out style also might not agree with four more years of intense summer ball.

Plus, they already accomplished the mission of restoring order in the basketball world with the gold in Beijing. There is a lot to lose in the next two tournaments, and only a little to gain.

That said, here are my roster thoughts going forward.

Return, pretty please

LeBron James: Some are holding off on anointing him the greatest player in the world. Not I. In 2010 and 2012, he'll absolutely be the most dominant basketball force, and the most important player to Team USA success.

Kobe Bryant: Recruited to save USA Basketball, and did just that against Spain in the fourth quarter of the gold medal match.

Chris Paul: Best point guard on the planet will be 25 and 27 years old in the next two major competitions.

Dwyane Wade: Leaped back into the forefront of stardom. Wade played pressure defense and ignited transition offense, the places where Team USA differentiated itself in Biejing.

Deron Williams: Formed a dynamite two-headed point guard attack off the bench with Paul, and showed nice chemistry on the court with CP3 as well. Only will improve in next four years.

Chris Bosh: A relative unknown among superstars, Bosh established himself as the team's best post player on both ends of the court in Beijing. His 77.4 % field goal percentage was absurd, but his 86.2 % free-throw percentage was perhaps even more comforting.

Dwight Howard: Mobility makes him a nice fit on team that plays at breakneck speed. Strength separates him from competition.

Continue reading this post »

Five observations after Team USA's positively easy, 92-69 (recap/quotes) thumping of Greece:

• Team USA won each quarter against the Greeks. That might not seem like a huge deal, but it's indicative of frighteningly consistent play and a truly thorough win over a strong opponent. And accomplishing the feet is unusual. It marked one of just five games out of 18 in the Olympics so far that a team has won each quarter. The others? Germany over Angola 95-66. USA over China 101-70. Australia over Iran 106-68. Argentina over Croatia 77-53. Angola or Iran can suffer such a fate, sure, but it's just not something that happens to elite teams like Greece. For more perspective, consider that the Bucks outscored its opponent in all four quarters once in 82 games last season.
• Dwyane Wade is both a sixth man and the best player in the tournament thus far, though I won't bother arguing with someone who picks LeBron James, and Chris Bosh has been nothing short of brilliant. The Marquette product is leading the world averaging 18.3 points, and he's doing it efficiently, as his scalding-hot 76 % field goal percentage attests to. He burned Greece's vaunted defense for 17 points and five assists in just 20 minutes. Unreal per-minute production to be sure. And guess what? His defensive performance may have been even better. He finished the game with six steals, two more than the entire Greece team had. Next time someone talks about Americans not being able to defend, well... It's not that one Team USA guy off the bench is better at defense than the best defensive national team all put together, but yeah. Might want to hush that talk for a bit. And when I say a bit, I mean until further notice.
  
• So, is there anything wrong with this team after such a swanky performance? Yes. The team's starting point guard not only hasn't scored (or attempted a shot for that matter), but has more turnovers (5) and fouls (5) than assists (4). Fortunately, Chris Paul and Deron Williams are equally adept and are both getting almost twice as many minutes as Kidd. The more unforeseen problem is free-throw shooting. Team USA rank 11th out of 12 teams at 64.4 % at the line. Remember Wade's silly field goal percentage? Well, it's better than his 66.7 % mark from the stripe. That type of strange split is supposed to be reserved for guys like Shaq, not someone who won a Finals MVP at the free throw line (he made 58-71 in the Heat's four wins). James is an even more egregious culprit so far, converting on only 4-10. They are better shooters typically, so the numbers will improve. And more good news is Team USA ranks second in free throws attempted, even if it doesn't seem like they are getting to the line a ton. Thus, free throw shooting isn't a big worry, though I sure hope not to see Dwight Howard in at the end of a close game with the way Chris Bosh is playing, and can shoot from the line.
• Speaking of a hypothetical (because that's all we have right now) close game late in the fourth quarter, will Michael Redd be on the floor, as many assumed before tournament began? Despite ranking 10th in minutes played with just 33, his four three-pointers are the most on Team USA. But his role has been sharply reduced since last summer's FIBA Americas tournament, when he was fourth on Team USA in scoring with 14.4 points.
• The Redd question is even more salient because similar to the free throw issues, Team USA has shot a woeful 29.2 % from beyond the arc, good enough only for last. This is particularly baffling not only because of the short line and collection of excellent shooters, but because of the team's hot outside shooting in the FIBA's a year ago, when Team USA hit 47.0 %. For that reason, I'm not really buying that Kobe and company are having problems adjusting to the short line. The teams are far better defensively at the Olympics than the FIBA's, so that certainly plays a part in the decline, but mostly, it's an aberration based on a small sample size. As such, the numbers are only going to go up, just like with the free throw shooting. That's good news for Team USA and bad news for the rest of the world.

Americas champs defeat European champs in China.

• Team USA downed defending Euro champs Russia 89-68 (recap / photos) early Sunday morning. Facing its toughest pre-Olympic opponent yet, Team USA won comfortably but not quite as thoroughly as in previous games. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 19 and Michael Redd added six points on 2-3 from outside in just 11 minutes. LeBron James delivered his least superhuman effort, with more turnovers (4) than assists (2) and fouling out (remember, it only takes five) in 24 minutes. Up next for Team USA is Australia, airing live on ESPN2 at 7:00 a.m. central time on Tuesday.
• Draft Express ranks the Olympic basketball field 1-12. Team USA stands on top, but is not without its imperfections.

  Potential weaknesses might arise because of the lack of size this team possesses, with Dwight Howard as the sole true center presence in the middle. Defensive rebounding might eventually become an issue, especially with so many guys giving up the defensive glass to run the break. Besides, gifted low-post teams could potentially cause some damage near the basket, which should be addressed with defensive team activity. Although this team seems more committed on the defensive end, we’re yet to check the quality of their defensive rotations and defensive transitions on the big stage.

• Upside and Motor provides a well-done Team USA Blogger Roundtable with familiar names like Henry Abbott, Matt Moore, and Ryan McNeil adding their thoughts.

• Charles Gardner confirms reports that Andrew Bogut sat out most of the second half of Australia's narrow loss to Argentina on Saturday.

• The Bob Boozer Jinx speculates about Bogut's chances of playing against teammate Redd and Team USA, and talks Olympics.

• ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan theorizes about Jason Kidd's second-half benching against Russia, believing the starting point guard's lack of minutes is worth reading into. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are superior players by virtually every measure. It hardly should be surprising that Coach K is picking up on this, though it sort of is. BrewHoopsters were ahead of the game on this one. A couple months before these games started we ran a poll asking who should be cut from the team among Kidd, Paul, Williams, and Billups. The answer was to keep the kids, and cut Kidd.

• Dime, meanwhile, isn't reading much into Kidd's benching, and previews Team USA versus Australia.

• Chad Ford at ESPN.com rates the Bucks among free agent winners. So, we're 1-0?

Close your eyes (not yet though) and imagine for a moment that you're a world-class basketball player. Is it really that much of a stretch to believe already? At 13 years old, you probably had perfected being the announcer counting down the shot clock, thousands of screaming fans filling a packed stadium, and Mookie Blaylock swishing a game-winner at the buzzer -- all at the same time. I had, and I'll call more than a couple slabs of blacktop as my lead witnesses. 

With your imagination sparked, think about what stage your ultimate backyard last second shot took place on. The NBA Finals, in Game 7 perhaps? I surmise that's the most common answer, at least for those growing up stateside.

Others, who grew up in the 1990's in Europe, South America, and other basketball hotspots may also have mimicked MJ, Pippen, or Clyde the Glide, but perhaps not so much for their NBA exploits. Rather, the original Dream Team is often cited as the key inspiration for millions of future cagers born outside the United States. The degree to which the Olympics inspired, as opposed to the NBA, is debatable, but certainly the summer games 16 years ago in Barcelona opened many wide eyes to the game of basketball.

Meanwhile, some years after the spectacle of the 1992 Olympics, international basketball became an afterthought to many Americans, and arguably to some of the country's elite players, who preferred to rest the rest of the summer to representing the stars and stripes.

By 2003, the program was on a verge of a mini-renaissance, but aside from the hardcore minority, basketball fans in the United States remained far more interested in the NBA than any international tournament. The different rules, unfamiliar opponents and regulations, and time zone issues still work together against international basketball.

The latest edition, dubbed Team USA's second coming, combined with the ever-increasing visibility of international stars such as Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Manu Ginobili, has without doubt prompted renewed interest from fans as we close in on USA-China in the opening game on August 8.

More interesting is how straightforward American stars including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and your very own Michael Redd have prioritized winning gold. The quotes curiously registered nary a blip in the basketball blogosphere, but they loudly indicated one united belief: winning Olympic gold beats winning an NBA title.

Mildly surprised? Utterly shocked? Absolutely thrilled? Eyes open yet?

I'm just the messenger, and an indirect one at that. Check out USABasketball.com's Quotes of the Day from June 28 for the full dish.

The following is merely a sampling. Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd, and others sang, in enthusiastic, varying baritone pitches, the praises of USA Basketball too .

Kobe Bryant: It would be the most special thing to happen in my career. Winning an NBA championship is incredible. But you're playing for a particular market. With a gold medal you're playing for your country. I don't think there's any greater honor as a professional athlete that you can have.

Interesting. There are some, like MJ and KG, to refer to them by their bland nicknames, who have won both, and could rightfully compare. Kobe's got the NBA hardware, and the odds are he'll come back from Beijing golden.

LeBron James: It would be the ultimate. I've definitely put in a lot of time, I've sacrificed a lot of time as an individual. But the experience that I've had has been unbelievable. This is something I can tell my kids' kids once I get older. This is a great experience and to be able to tell them about a gold medal that I won in 2008 would be the icing on the cake.

The King's not exactly faintly praising what the Olympics mean to him. Just another genuinely prideful American baller.

Michael Redd: It would mean everything. Everything. Obviously the NBA championship is awesome, it's the pinnacle, but this is even higher than an NBA championship. This is a whole other level. It would mean everything.

Again, not mincing words. The phrasing makes it sound like he already won an NBA title as the third best player on a great team six years from now led the Bucks to a championship, but you get the point: an Olympic gold medal is truly it.

Chris Paul: Don't get me wrong. I would love to win the NBA Finals, but this right here is about representing your country. All of us represent different teams, different organizations, but there's no greater feeling than to represent your country, to have U-S-A across your chest.

Don't get CP3 wrong, he obviously gets the ladies because of his virtual Blogger MVP status, but not even that can top what is about to happen over in the Eastern Hemisphere, if all goes well for the red, white, and blue.

Add Carmelo Anthony to the list, who was forthright in a recent interview with ESPN.com's Scoop Jackson:

Anthony: That would be the best thing that ever happened to me. The best thing ever, period. Winning that gold medal … [takes a deep breath] … look, I won in high school, I won a national championship in college, I want to win one in the NBA. But winning a gold medal, I don't think anything can top that.

It's pretty obvious I'm not taking anything out of context either when I tell you some of these guys rate Olympic gold above all else. Understand also though, that we're dealing with preeminent talents, but also workday warriors. It doesn't take many November nights to see that Kobe and co. earn their NBA paychecks. Even if they claim one game or competition is slightly more important, that doesn't mean they don't try equally and completely. With very few exceptions, they do. Sure, Kobe might play more aggressive defense when he loses the purple and gold, but that's only because of the nature of the brief international competitions. He's going all out, no matter. 

Nonetheless, some of the quotes are quite striking to me. Particularly because I don't predict that many American fans would pick Team USA bringing home gold over (insert favorite team here) winning an NBA title, though I suspect fans cheering on any club other than Team USA would be just the opposite in this regard. The underdog factor can't be overstated.

Then again, you collectively admitted that the NBA champs aren't on Team USA's level. So if your country, say, puts together the best team in the world, in the most prestigious international competition, why wouldn't that rank as top priority? Still worried about "losing" your club star to national duty perhaps? True, this isn't always simple stuff, even for players, and in different sports.

You're encouraged to either back up my hypothesis (I predict more will pick an NBA title) or prove me wrong (I shudder to think) with this here poll at the bottom of the page. Your choice, really and truly.

Postscript: The poll is designed to represent your preference from your actual (fan) perspective. Would your answer change if you were a player? I'm also particularly curious to hear what fans think who are pulling for a team other than Team USA. Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Nate Robinson gets no respect.

• As detailed by the intrepid Matt Watson over at FanHouse, the most confusing moment of the weekend came Sunday afternoon when the Vegas organizers mocked honored summer league veteran Nate Robinson with a straight-faced jersey retirement ceremony.  Robinson only played two games this time around, but he won the Vegas MVP award in 2007 and has now made the trip to Sin City four times.  Which apparently makes him the Reggie Jackson of July or something.
  
  So now that his #4 jersey is hanging from the cinderblock wall of the Cox Pavilion, Nate's been forever immortalized, right?  Um, not exactly.  A couple hours after the jersey was unveiled with much pomp and circumstance, a maintenance guy showed up with a ladder and took it down. As Matt so adeptly narrates in the video above, "It took four years to put it up there...20 seconds to take it down." Sorry, Nate. 
  
• With 21 NBA teams involved, there was no shortage of familiar faces roaming the Thomas & Mack Center.  Aside from the lottery picks on the court, Chris Paul, Carmelo, LeBron, and Brad Miller were among those making appearances in the stands, while coaches, GMs, and other front office-types milled around for scouting, small talk, and interviews. 
  
• Having done a more typical Vegas trip in February, I ended up having a very basketball-centric weekend hanging out mostly with the FanHouse Matts: Mr. Watson of Detroit Bad Boys fame and Mr. Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm/Ridiculous Upside fame.  Fellow SBNers Dave and Ben from Blazer's Edge and Stan from Bright Side of the Sun also made the trip.  It seemed like the media ranks had largely thinned out by the league's final weekend, though J.A. Adande, David Aldridge, and Chris Mannix were among the notables hanging around until the bitter end.  
• The most interesting game of the weekend had to be the Blazers/Suns game Saturday night, where Vegas MVP Jerryd Bayless erupted for 36 points including the eventual game-winner.  Bayless seemed to be playing angry all weekend (Vengeance for his draft night tumble?  Some bad Chinese?), which apparently worked for him. 
  
  But even more impressive than Bayless was the Blazer fan presence.  For whatever reason a huge contingent of rowdy Blazer fans made it to the Saturday/Sunday games, which added another dimension to the normally bland atmosphere at the Cox Pavilion.  Things got especially loud everytime Arkansas rookie big man Steven Hill touched the ball.  However, I'm sad to report that Hill didn't look quite as scrubby as he did in college, nor was he rocking his famous white socks, opting instead for a more discreet ankle-high black pair.
• You might remember Henry Abbott's story last year about the inexplicable love that NBA players have for the Cheesecake Factory, so I'd be remiss not to link to Matt Moore's Vegas follow-up.  That picture came from my camera, folks.  I'm quite proud.
• While Vegas always has its share of guys who don't belong anywhere near an NBA court, it also struck me how many reasonably talented players don't ever make an NBA roster. While most of these guys are light years behind the NBA's best in terms of overall skillset, the line between the 13th-15th men on an NBA roster and the guys who are perpetually dominating the D-League is decidedly blurry.  Watching Pops Mensah-Bonsu run, dunk, and generally dominate all aspects of Vegas life, I have a hard time believing he's not good enough to be on the end of an NBA bench.
  
• Speaking of guys fighting for respect, the dunk of the weekend for me was from Minny point guard Blake Ahearn.  The 6'2" Ahearn looks more like your company's IT guy than an NBA player, but that didn't stop him from driving through the lane and throwing down a somewhat vicious one-hander out of a halfcourt set on Sunday.  Too bad the gym didn't have a replay board, because we were all having a hard time grasping what had just happened.

The dust is ready to settle on the hardwood floors now that the NBA season is officially over, though someone ought to clean up that red stuff on the court in Boston because Tuesday's Laker bloodbath was downright unpleasant. Dwyer neatly provides perspective on the season's final game.

Speaking of final games, remember how the Buck bid 2007-08 farewell? Considering it was two months and two days ago, and only memorable for Ramon-reasons, we'll forgive you if you can't recall.

KG's old buddies (okay, old team) went out with a win just like The Big Ticket's current team, admittedly with a tidbit less fanfare, as the Bucks dropped a 110-101 decision to the Timberwolves.

That game merely served as a sour cap on a final ten weeks of the season that were spent with the draft already on our minds. Now we (and hundreds of our friends... vote, pronto) are positively draft crazy.

With no more NBA action, it's all we have. For a month and change anyway.

In early August,  the Olympics start, so mark your calendars and set your clocks and then make your time zone conversions, because Team USA opens against China on August 10 at 10:15 p.m. Beijing time.

Yi Jianlian is expected to play for the hosts and Andrew Bogut for the Aussies while Michael Redd is considered by some a Team USA roster lock (Ed: it's now official). That means at least three players on the 26-win Bucks should suit up for the game's ultimate international tournament.

And correct me (or virtual slap, take your pick) if I'm wrong, but that's three more Olympians than the Celtics, looking at the new NBA champs' roster. You'll also notice that the Celtics all call the same country home, but none of them are going to have the opportunity to bring Gold back to the USA. In a sport gone global, it's almost shocking that the world's best club team is, well, All-American. 

This sparks an intriguing question: Who would win if Team USA faced off against the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series?

We don't know Team USA's final roster, but it'll surely feature the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Chris Paul. Game, set, match, right?

Consider however that the Celtics are something of a machine, one that has been wrecking teams for more than a half dozen months straight. And do you think if Team USA had to worry about facing KG that 'Melo would still be the chic starting power forward pick? We'll put off our hypothetical series until August, but that doesn't give Dream Team 2008 much time to create chemistry or define roles, if you're into that kind of thing.

By the way, Celtics fans, please think this through before voting. Yes, your team beat Billups, (update: Billups won't be there, but you get the idea) James, and Bryant, but not all at once. Just sayin'.