Fearless Predictions™ by BallinEurope readers, contributors: USA, Russia, Argentina will medal

August 8, 2012

Right, things will be tipping off shortly in London with eight teams remaining in bids for a podium spot. And with the votes in and brackets fashioned, let’s see what BallinEurope contributors (including David Hein, Enrico Cellini and Sam Chadwick) and readers find in their own crystal balls…

Gold medal: USA (with 86% of votes)
So probably the only surprise here is that it wasn’t unanimous. Dissenting votes were logged for Spain and Russia, though the latter may carry a bit of an asterisk. The sole voice liking the Reds to take it all was commentator El Diablo from Australia (!) who took his home side to win the gold, then backed down, explaining “I still reckon that Russia will beat the US, assuming Shevd doesn’t lose his shit again…”

Silver medal: Russia (37.5%) or Spain (33.3%)
Apparently, BiE wasn’t the only one impressed with Russia’s matchups against Spain in game four – not to mention these Reds’ grace under pressure. El Diablo’s call of Russian gold and one pro-Spain bracket were the only two to prospectively award the silver to Team USA, while LG’s intriguing vision of an “all Group A semifinals” puts Lithuania in 2nd in those predictions. Argentina also got one nod for bronze along with one negative vote via the BallinEurope Facebook page: “A lot of people predict Russia in the final. There is no way this will happen.”

Bronze medal: Argentina (54.5%)
While the majority sided with Ginobili’s guys to finish third, brackets had all manner of alternative suggestions, including Russia, Spain, France (also BiE’s choice) and the USA. The last word here, however, should go to Aleksandras Svabas. In putting his home-nation Lithuania at the podium, Aleksandras comments simply that “Optimism is good.”

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2012 Olympic basketball: Rising and falling stock after the first round2012 Olympic basketball: Cold War clash to be repeated?
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Comments: 41
  1. Gabe
    11 years ago

    So people were mocking me for calling Argentina the 3rd best team in the world? For the 5th straight global tournament they have made the semis (not including 2010 when Ginobli didn’t play and they still placed 5th). So again Argentina in the semis while teams like Greece, Lithuania, France, Turkey, Italy and Serbia are not.

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  2. Gabe
    11 years ago

    USA looking great. Will any other team lose by less than double digits? In 2010 US beat Brazil by only 2 points in pool play but every other victory was double digits. Russia was the closest losing only by 10 in the quarter finals. I see the US running away with it now.

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  3. Vincent
    11 years ago

    Where is that James dude who insisted Australia would beat the USA? Yes, I thought Brazil would win today but it’s not quite the same thing

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  4. mike
    11 years ago

    The US will blow away Argentina. Minimum margin of victory: 20 points. Spain will beat Russia, and the US beats Spain by at least 15 points.

    I saw Schved for the frist time yesterday, and he is very raw. Yes, lot’s of talent(NBA caliber), but very undisciplined and he will get a lot of time on the Timberwolf bench, I predict. Adelman will have to do a job on him.

    Kirelenko looks re-born. What a great game by him. Who was that Euronut that argued in the past that you always need to be the first option on offense to have great impact? Kirelenko can affect the game in so many ways without being a go to player on offense all the time. Defensively, forget about ti. He’s Russia’s MVP, and now I know why he’s the Euroleague MVP also.

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    • El Diablo
      11 years ago

      All you need is one game with US not shooting the 3 well

      Lets not forget that this was an issue before the Olympics began

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  5. Phileus
    11 years ago

    I think the US will win in a tight, hard-fought and dreadful game that comes down to the final minutes. I predict at least one US technical as Argentina players continue little tricks like grabbing American players’ junk 😛 Even Australia was able to get into Westbrook’s head and they’re amateurs at that sort of thing compared to Argentina (and Spain obviously).*

    Next, I think Spain will exploit superior interior play and ride late-game guard heroics to a narrow victory over Russia.

    * Speaking of NT stereotypes, I have to say, refs have called traveling on NBA players pretty consistently throughout the tournament. Also, at least in the games I have watched, they aren’t falling for as many flopping shenanigans either. It seems like they were given specific instructions before this international season and have followed them fairly well.

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  6. mike
    11 years ago

    Did you guys see Batum punch Navarro down there? Batum was quoted after, ” I wanted to give him a reason to flop.” For me, the calls have been horrible and inconsistent. Ticky tack fouls called then suddenly hard shots aren’t called. Players, not just the NBA guys, are confused and always bitching.

    The worst probably was Iguadala’s dunk the other day when he slammed it through the hoop, and then bounces on his head, and the refs don’t give the US 2 points. I can’t remember if it was the Lith game or Argen game. Also, traveling calls. I though you can’t stride with the ball at all without dribbling first after catching a pass? I’ve seen many players on the US team catch the ball, take a couple steps, and then dunk it, and the refs didn’t call traveling. So what’s up with that? What’s the real FIBA rule?

    Another thing, what’s up with players in the lane while the ball is still in the free throw shooters hand?

    BTW, Manu Ginobili was quoted after beating Brazil.” I give us a 5% chance of beating the US.” Tells you all you need to know.

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  7. Derek
    11 years ago

    Gabe says:
    August 9, 2012 at 2.30am

    USA looking great. Will any other team lose by less than double digits? In 2010 US beat Brazil by only 2 points in pool play but every other victory was double digits. Russia was the closest losing only by 10 in the quarter finals. I see the US running away with it now.

    No way in hell could Argentina beat Greece in a 7 game series.

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  8. Derek
    11 years ago

    mike says:
    August 9, 2012 at 4.48am

    I saw Schved for the frist time yesterday, and he is very raw. Yes, lot’s of talent(NBA caliber), but very undisciplined and he will get a lot of time on the Timberwolf bench, I predict. Adelman will have to do a job on him.

    I remember seeing some Europeans tell guys like you and Gabe that he was nothing compared to the top Euroleague guards and you BOTH went off on them. You both told them off big time and claimed he had to be better than any guard in Euroleague because otherwise he would not have gotten an NBA contract.

    One more proof that you and Gabe are indeed trolls.

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Funny cause I didn’t even know who Schved was until recently. As anyone whose been on this site a while can tell that Derek is just another sock puppet of that troll Apollo (who by the way as not used that name in a long time).

      All I can say I that the USA is heading to their third straight gold medal while Greece is not even in the competition. How miserable you must be. lol

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  9. Derek
    11 years ago

    The worst probably was Iguadala’s dunk the other day when he slammed it through the hoop, and then bounces on his head, and the refs don’t give the US 2 points. I can’t remember if it was the Lith game or Argen game. Also, traveling calls. I though you can’t stride with the ball at all without dribbling first after catching a pass? I’ve seen many players on the US team catch the ball, take a couple steps, and then dunk it, and the refs didn’t call traveling. So what’s up with that? What’s the real FIBA rule?

    How many times did Europeans here tell you idiot Americans that FIBA changed the rules to NBA dribbling rules back before the 2008 Olympics for any game that Team USA plays in?

    For about the 10th time, Team USA plays under its own NBA like FIBA rules since before the 2008 Olympics. How many times do you idiots have to be told this?

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  10. somedude
    11 years ago

    @Derek. Cause Sarunas Jasikevicius bitched about it

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  11. Gil
    11 years ago

    Unbelievable….Gabe is STILL pushing his racist against white people Afro supremacist bullshit here.

    Good god, someone please make it stop.

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Hahaha Just pointing out that Greece couldn’t make the Olympics? I think Kevin Love is one of the top power forwards in the game, so there.

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  12. Mario
    11 years ago

    Gabe, you have said about 10,000 times here that a team of 12 blacks beat a team of 12 whites.

    Personally, I too am really sick of having to read your racist trash every time I visit my favorite basketball blog.

    It’s despicable that you keep posting this racist trash here and you need to stop it.

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    • Phileus
      11 years ago

      Well, I can’t give you such a high score this time. There is good use of the reverse race card, a move so baffling that many Americans don’t know how to respond to its absurdity, but you get subtracted half a point because you’ve already over-used it on this site. I guess you also get a bonus for citing to something that Gabe never said, and also a point for steadfastly ignoring statements that prove you wrong.

      No Spanoulis reference, no reference to FIBA conspiracies, and no slandering of Team USA, though, prevent this from being a really noteworthy post.

      Final score: 6.0/10

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  13. mike
    11 years ago

    This Derek/Apollo guy is so bitter about the US dominating basketball that he has resorted to a world of delusion: a Euronut paradise where Spanoulis is the King and Greece rules. In this world, Gabe and his minions(Phileus and me) are hostages 24/7 watching the Greece-USA 2006 game again and again and again. After this, King Spanoulis and Apollo issue a decree that no one in the realm should ever discuss Olympic basketball, the 2010 Worlds, the Eurobasket, Ricky Rubio, and of course, the grestest curse to the Universe: NIGERIA.

    LOL. Hey Derek, didn’t you understand what I said? They took 2 points away from Iguodala with that slam dunk? All those notoriously inept FIBA refs have been consistent: they’ve been consistently bad for all teams. What’s worse is that they always seem to fall for flopping Euros who don’t like to play straight up hard nosed defense.

    They also seem(the refs) to like to go out of their way to show everyone that they are not impressed with these American superstars by calling every type of borderline infractions on them. This is why the US has taken this into consideration and tries to win with a good margin every game.

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  14. Gus
    11 years ago

    when are people gonna realize that gabe and his ilk claim afro supremacy is because the american media and basketball fans have surrendered to the afrocentric thus becoming fat average joes who sit in front of a computer or tv with the clicker in their hands all day.they no longer play basketball . it used to be because joe lewis defeated max schmeling and they were greatfull to the black athlete for this but know its just flat out surrender and whats worse they expect all europeans and south americans to lay down and wave the white flag like their obese selves and when we dont they get mad because they feal we should be as pathetic as them . you tell scola, saras,spanoulis, manu,kirlenko to lay down? no true winner in life surrenders .

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  15. Gus
    11 years ago

    as someone who has played competitive basketball all my life i can tell you this. no matter who u put infront of me i compete and play to win . i dont put my tale between my legs and lay down and surrender. weather he’s black,white or whatever , tall,short, fat,skinny i dont quit and that is why i appreciate teams like argentina,greece,lithuania. teams americans hate because they can defeat them. they rather play the mouses like nigeria,france,phillipines etc.. teams that play everybody tough but give up the a$$ for the usa. these teams will never have my respect and i will always root against them because they are cowards who give up before the game starts.

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  16. Phileus
    11 years ago

    So if I’m following you correctly, American media (controlled by whites) have brainwashed white Americans (but not blacks, who watch TV too) into being lazy and obese, which is the only reason white Americans are not well-represented in the NBA. So these white people are expecting other athletes to do the same, and hate countries (only white countries, of course) that don’t surrender?

    Dude, what in the actual fuck are you talking about? :

    Look, your competitive spirit talk is admirable. But you’re just throwing together a bunch of stereotypes about Americans into a theory that makes no sense at all. Philippines is not a relevant country to basketball fans; why did you even mention it? If anything, basketball fans like the Philippines only for the same reason they like Lithuania: because their people are obsessed with basketball (just not as good at it ;)). Did you miss the huge love-fest over the past week in US media for Lithuania and especially Argentina? It doesn’t surprise me, because you obviously are not familiar with the US at all. And why have white Americans been brainwashed and surrendered only in basketball, but not in more popular sports like football and baseball, or the next-popular sport, hockey? 😛

    I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you’re a troll, so here is my review: you use very good flame techniques of earnestly pretending to believe an outrageous conspiracy theory that no rational person would believe, then go on to characterize an entire country of people based on that theory. You too played the reverse-racism card (but still, this is over-used on BiE these days) but explicitly mentioned Greece and Spanoulis, which gives you bonus points. Subtle racism by grouping France, a European team with lots of Afro-French players, with “lesser” teams despite performing better than Greece and Lithuania this year gives you another troll point for being different from the normal “Europe vs. the US” talk. The “competitiveness” slant is also original, so that also gives you an extra point. Well done all in all.

    Final score: 9.0/10

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  17. Gus
    11 years ago

    lol, i wouldnt use the word brain wash because that would mean that they have beaten you over the head for years that u cant compete in an athletic field with african americans . it would be like african americans beaten over the head for decades that they cant compete in the academic field, banking or intellectual field. or that they dont represent beauty . how many top models do u know that are black? not as much as they should be? the media feeds these stereotypes and promotes it . i dont think u got my point instead u broke down what i said and became obssessed with small points rather than tackle the subject. typical american . truth is you and ur fellow americans like certain teams because they are weak and beatable. horray for nigeria!!! we can beat them by 85, yeay for france , they take the game off and focuse on beating the other teams. damn argentina,spain,greece,lithuania,serbia they can actually beat us and are not afraid of us

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    • Phileus
      11 years ago

      Wait, are you being serious? Then, like a typical anti-American, you’re refusing to listen to the facts that prove your stereotypes to be incorrect. You have an image of the US you want to hold, and you refuse to let that image change. Just quickly:

      Americans do enjoy playing “real competition.” We don’t like losing, but we look forward to the games. Before and after the Lithuania game, there were loads of posts on ESPN and the blogosphere saying how much US players respected Lithuania and the typical “they’re only 3m people, but have made the semi-finals a billion times! Sabonis was from Lithuania! Woo-hoo!” stories. There was no similar chatter about a weak team like Australia.

      Right now, the same thing is happening with Argentina. On TV, in blogs, on ESPN, etc., all prominent commentators are looking forward to an exciting match. Would we be relieved by a blow-out? Of course, as any fans would be, but these games against quality competition are the games we look forward to. You wouldn’t understand, but total dominance in the sport is boring.

      The US-Nigeria game wasn’t even televised (on replay, either) on the main networks here. The only game that will be televised from Team USA is the bronze or gold medal game, simply because the networks assume that casual fans won’t be interested in blow-outs (fair or not).

      Lastly, I don’t think I mis-characterized your post at all. I think it’s a pretty good summary, actually. You said that whites are at some general social disadvantage in sports because of conditioning, and apparently your only proof is that there are not a lot of elite white American players; I say, “What about baseball, football, and hockey?” Race conditions in the US are far more complex than you seem to understand. Sports is the strange part of American society where race matters far less than it does elsewhere. Americans just love supreme athletic talent regardless of race, from Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps.

      You apparently don’t follow American sports media very closely, which is why it’s surprising you are so confident to say “All Americans think blah blah blah.” I’m not impressed by your half-baked theory of American culture. Give me proof of what you’re saying, or else I will just keep you on the “trolls to be fooled around with” list 🙂

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  18. Gabe
    11 years ago

    You don’t get it Phileus, Apollo is obviously a racist. His post lumping France with other “mouse” teams like Nigeria and the Philiipines (??) because France has majority black players shows it. Yes the same France that won Eurobasket’s silver medal and did better in the Olympics and Eurobasket than Greece and Lithuania is a mouse. Just because the US had a good game against them starting in the 1st they still played the US tighter than other other country so far except Lithuania, losing to the US by 27 when Argentina lost by 29. The only difference between the Argentina and France game is that in the French game the US pulled away in the 2nd while in the Argentinian game the US pulled away in the third. But the French are cowards who give up against the US before the game starts. Then the Greek are cowards too because the last time they played US in a game that mattered (2008 Olympic pool play) the US pulled away in the 2nd quarter. Aha! Now it makes sense. The mouse Greeks were so afraid of the US, that’s why they lost to NIGERA!

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  19. Mike
    11 years ago

    Gabe, mike, and Phileus are all black guys. I don’t care what the hell they say, but no white person is going to talk so much trash against white people as those three do here almost every day.

    Only black guys that have the Afrocentric superiority belief will talk this way about whites on a daily basis.

    Newsflash, you can say you are not racist all that you want to, but the things you guys say here ARE racist. You don’t have anyone fooled.

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    • Phileus
      11 years ago

      Is this how you imagine us in your fantasies? Are we all also wearing Spanoulis jerseys?

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  20. John
    11 years ago

    I’m not black, the NBA is the best basketball league in the world and you sir, are retarded.

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  21. mike
    11 years ago

    Whew! Unbelievable these people. They completely and utterly miss characterize Americans, especially the American sports media. For them to say we are looking for patsies or teams we can easily beat.
    Hey Euronuts, get this clear: the only reason we keep mentioning Nigeria is because it completely destroys your self delusions about your Greek basketball program and the quality of the Euroleague. Other than that, I don’t care for Nigeria, and we do know they cannot possibly challenge the US at all. By the way, you better hope Spain puts up a fight in the Gold medal game, because Gus’ prediction of Argentina beating the US is now completely laughable.

    By the way, I am not black, but would be proud to be African-American, if I were. Europeans,in general, don’t understand that immigration and the many races in the US have been one of the secrets of the rise of the US to the world’s premiere power, and this is also the source of envy among many Euros.

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  22. Euroleague > NBA
    11 years ago

    “Euronuts” = a person that deals in reality and that is not a racist.

    American NBA only fan = black people that are racist towards all white people and that are totally delusional.

    That’s what the code words being used here mean.

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      You know at fist I had fun messing with this crazy Apollo and his sock puppets because he was just a delusional Euro with an inferiority complex. But now that his world his collapsing around him (Greece getting embarrassed by being eliminated by Nigeria and the US cruising towards their 3rd straight gold medal) he has finally lost it and is showing his true colors which are a lot less benign. With these right-wing rants about reverse racism all we are really missing is some anti-semitism and we’ll have a full blown Nazi in our mist.

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  23. mike
    11 years ago

    A person who is delusional is a person who doesn’t deal with reality. You thought Argentina could beat the US, correct? I thought the US would win by at least 20 points. So who is more delusional now?

    You thought Greece has a great basketball team, right? Well, they lost by a point to Nigeria. If you are the better team, i don’t care about the refs, you should spank Nigeria to the tune of 20 points like what the US did winning by 80plus points. So ask yourself, who has been more right over the last few years predicting things, you or us?

    The answer will be obvious if you have a fair mind. Oh wait, I forgot, you’re part of the Flat Earth Society! The ultimate delusional organization.

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  24. Euroleague > NBA
    11 years ago

    mike = psychotic.

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  25. John
    11 years ago

    Is this multiple name person a 5 year old or is he just in the depths of schizophrenia, because after reading some of this I have come to the conclusion that those are the only two options.

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    • Phileus
      11 years ago

      He’s been doing this nonsense for over six years on other forums (he’s been banned under multiple user names but always resurfaces), so I’m afraid your second answer is correct 🙂

      I’m actually not joking, either.

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  26. Gus
    11 years ago

    gabe is a full fledge card member of the new black panther party. yes, that antisemite,antieurope,anti white hate group that associates itselves with barrak hussein obama , reverend of hate jeramiah wright , nation of islam founder louis farakahn, antisemite amadinajhad, spaniard hater and president of venezuela chavez, black supremacist the carribean union and african dictators like idi amin and joe kone!!! he hides behind basketball to preach his afrocentrisim .

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Hmmm…Very interesting post. I have accused this person (people) of being a right-wing European Nazi and was just waiting for the anti-semitic rhetoric but he comes out and surprises me by calling me an anti-semite. Also with his Barrak Hussien Obama and Jeremiah Wright reference he comes off as a crazy American righter winger. The thing is that the American right is, I don’t want to say anti-Europe, but definitely not pro-Europe. In fact they criticize Obama for being too popular in Europe and see Europe as too “left” and use comparisons to Europe as a putdown.

      It’s interesting how the troll (or trolls) here have morphed from a delusional Euro to a racist delusional Euro into know what seems like a crazy American tea-bagger troll that one would encounter on any American political/news site like cnn or yahoo or something. Very strange.

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  27. Zoran
    11 years ago

    Gabe, you lower my IQ by about 50 points every time you make a post and I have to read it. Please, show mercy on the rest of us here and take a vacation.

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    • Gabe
      11 years ago

      Let’s see, I lower your IQ but the person who posts that Barack Obama is anti-white and anti-Europe is perfectly okay. You must have not had such a high IQ to begin with. lol

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  28. Goran
    11 years ago

    If Team USA loses to Spain in the gold medal game, then Gabe, mike, and Phileus must not post here for ONE YEAR.

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  29. Gabe Is Scum
    11 years ago

    For YEARS I have to read Gabe’s bullshit here about how Argentina was the “third best team in the world” and it was was a fact simply because they won bronze at teh 2008 Olympics and that is “the only thing that matters”.
    Meanwhile, any loss by ANY European team “proved they are worse than Argentina”.
    Well, Argentina was 5th at the 2010 World Cup and 4th at the 2012 Olympics.
    And they got beat by the THIRD PLACE EuroBasket team.
    I don’t want to ever fucking EVER see Gabe say again that Argentina is the third best team in the world.
    I am so SICK OF THIS FUCKING GUY’S BULLSHIT.
    Argentina would be very lucky to even qualify to the Olympics if they had to go through EuroBasket every time to do so.
    GOD DAMN THIS GABE IS A MOTHERFUCKING IDIOT.

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  30. Euroleague > NBA
    11 years ago

    USA only beat Spain by 7 and Lithuania by 5.

    A team of 12 Euroleague all stars would beat Team USA by 30-40 points.

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