Olympics: USA vs. France
July 29 @ 9:30 am EDT on NBC
Basketball Arena || London, England
Team USA: Team USA breezed through the exhibition games in a relatively easy fashion. They were not without their troubles however. Brazil showed their weakness in the paint. Argentina cut the deficit to four-points with six minutes left. At the same time the USA dominated Spain, a team many consider to be the only team capable of taking the USA down. It will be interesting to see if the United States makes a statement in their first game at the olympics in London.
France: France is like many of the teams in the Olympic Games. They have a half-dozen guys in the NBA. Some notable players are Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, and Ronny Turiaf. Of the three, Tony Parker is the only NBA superstar. Expect France to attack the paint similar to every other team attempting to beat the USA. Key word, attempt.
What to Expect: With the games beginning to count, the United States have a message to prove to people saying either they are not comparable to the dream team, or they could be upset in this Olympic tournament. Watch for an angry bunch coming out of the gate against France.
Matchup To Watch: Tony Parker will need to be the France catalyst for the Frenchmen to have any shot at Team USA. Chris Paul and Deron Williams will have to be at their best to take on Tony Parker. Throughout the exhibition matches we have watched players step up for their countries. Pau Gasol for Spain, Manu Ginobli for Argentina, and Anderson Varejao for Brazil have all played great games. Look for a back and forth matchup between the Paul/ Williams duo and Tony Parker.
2012 U.S. Olympic Men’s Team Roster
(as of 7/13/2012)
|
NO
|
NAME
|
POS
|
HGT
|
WGT
|
DOB
|
CURRENT TEAM / COLLEGE or HIGH SCHOOL
|
|
15
|
F
|
6-8
|
230
|
5/29/84
|
New York Knicks / Syracuse
|
|
|
10
|
G
|
6-6
|
205
|
8/23/78
|
Los Angeles Lakers / Lower Merion H.S. (PA)
|
|
|
4
|
C
|
7-1
|
240
|
10/02/82
|
New York Knicks / Dominguez H.S. (CA)
|
|
|
14
|
F
|
6-10
|
220
|
03/11/93
|
New Orleans Hornets / Kentucky
|
|
|
5
|
G
|
6-9
|
235
|
9/29/88
|
Oklahoma City Thunder / Texas
|
|
|
12
|
James Harden |
G
|
6-5
|
220
|
8/26/89
|
Oklahoma City Thunder / Arizona State
|
|
9
|
G/F
|
6-6
|
207
|
1/28/84
|
Philadelphia 76ers / Arizona
|
|
|
6
|
F
|
6-8
|
250
|
12/30/84
|
Miami Heat / St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S. (OH)
|
|
|
11
|
F
|
6-10
|
260
|
9/07/88
|
Minnesota Timberwolves / UCLA
|
|
|
13
|
G
|
6-0
|
183
|
5/06/85
|
Los Angeles Clippers / Wake Forest
|
|
|
7
|
G
|
6-3
|
187
|
11/12/88
|
Oklahoma City Thunder / UCLA
|
|
|
8
|
G
|
6-3
|
209
|
7/26/84
|
Brooklyn Nets / Illinois
|
|
|
Team Physician: Don Roberts, Portland Trail Blazers
|
||||||
|
Team Physician: Paul Saenz, San Antonio Spurs
|
||||||
|
Athletic Trainer: Joseph Sharpe, Oklahoma City Thunder
|
||||||
|
Athletic Trainer: Casey Smith, Dallas Mavericks
|
||||||
France Roster (NBA Teams)
- Ali Traore – PF
- Boris Diaw – PF San Antonio Spurs
- Charles Kahudi – F
- Fabien Causeur – SG
- Florent Pietrus – PF
- Kevin Seraphin – C Washington Wizards
- Mickael Gelabale – SF
- Nando De Colo – SG
- Nicolas Batum – SF Portland Trailblazers
- Ronny Turiaf – C Miami Heat
- Tony Parker – PG San Antonio Spurs
- Yannick Bokolo – SG
- Yakhouba Diawara – F
