AI Technology: 51 Point Explosion!

Last night there was a pretty decent West Coast showdown on ESPN. It pitted Kobe's Lakers against AI, Melo and the Denver Nuggets. It stayed close through out and had an almost playoff feel to it. Kobe and Melo both hit the deck on different plays and came back from minor injuries to compete in the game. Kobe's team got the win 111-107, but Allen Iverson had the impressive stat of 51 points. He was having a "can't miss" kind of night as everything was falling for him. He'd hit shots as he fell back near the scorer's table, layups that looked easy for AI and hard for the rest of humanity, and jumpers from various spots all over the court. Iverson's total is the highest scoring mark for a player so far this season as he surpassed the feats of T-Mac, Kobe and Lebron James.

It goes to show this isn't just a big man's game. Iverson's already been a league MVP at such a short stature. He brought his Sixers team to the Finals one year against the Lakers and helped pull off a Game 1 upset. What is perhaps most impressive is he is the 3rd all time leader in NBA Scoring Average for his career. Above him at 1 and 2 are MJ and Wilt respectively. Now that's some amazing stuff for a little guy.

Now you also have to be curious about how far the Nuggets can go when they make the playoffs. They have 2 players who definitely want a title and who have the ability to completely take over a game. A Nuggets vs. Celtics finals perhaps? It would make for a nice treat, but the Celts already blew Denver out earlier this year..Time will tell.

USA's Mission Almost Complete

Team USA continues to dominate all competition at the FIBA Americas Tournament, as they should. Lead by Kobe, Lebron and Melo, opposing teams are simply being left in the dust as the US players dazzle the crowd. The latest victory came over Argentina, and had one of the closer margins of victory. However, Argentina was considered the toughest competition for the US team in the tournament.

From ESPN.com:

"Kobe Bryant's strong start quickly took the drama out of the most-anticipated game of the FIBA Americas tournament.

Now comes the only one that matters.

Bryant scored 27 points -- 15 in the first quarter -- and the United States cruised into the semifinals of the FIBA Americas tournament as the No. 1 seed by beating Argentina 91-76 Thursday night.

Carmelo Anthony added 18 points and LeBron James had 15 for the Americans, who will face Puerto Rico in Saturday's second semifinal game. A victory there gives them a berth in the 2008 Olympics.

"It was a little stagnant at the start and I came out and got hot early and we rode that for a little bit and helped us get off to a quick start," Bryant said. "We're close to accomplishing our goal."

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Time to be proud to be an American basketball fan again as Team USA keeps rolling. Hats off to Jerry Colangelo for assembling this group of talent who are basically steamrolling all competition. A win in the Finals will qualify the US team for a spot at the 2008 Olmypics in Beijing.

Weekend Schedule

Saturday, at Las Vegas
Game 1: Brazil vs. Argentina, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN360)
Game 2: United States vs. Puerto Rico, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN Classic, ESPN360)

Sunday, at Las Vegas
Bronze medal game, 4 p.m. ET
Gold medal game, 7 p.m. ET

Team USA Squares Off

I caught a repeat of the Blue vs White Team USA scrimmage on FoxSports today. Many have called the game better than recent All star games, and they just might have a valid point there. On one squad you have J Kidd leading the troops into battle, and his favorite assist target; King James. On the other side you have the up and coming Deron Williams and his point man, Kobe Bryant. Then throw in sharpshooters like Michael Redd and Mike Miller and newcomers with loads of potential and talent like Kevin Durant.

Jason Kidd definitely shows his veteran leadership skills out there and he should by all indications continue to be the main point guard for Team USA into the Olympics. Kidd had some sweet alley oops and no look passes to Lebron for serious rim rattlers. Mike Miller showed a hot shooting hand and Kobe showed that he's still Kobe. One baller who I haven't seen much of up til now was Kevin Durant. And from what I saw it looks like he could definitely be the real deal in the NBA. Durant had a sweet dunk put back out of nowhere, while the veterans were just standing around.

The game wasn't without its inconsistencies. The commentators noted at one point that players were being too unselfish, as several passes sailed past players. You could also make a case that having some of these guys on the same team could hurt Team USA (Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo) because those 3 want to be the leader, but they can't all fill that role together. Overall, whoever makes the final cut out of these guys is going to make for one tough team to beat and for some exciting basketball to watch.

The game was won by Kobe Bryant, but Lebron took the last shot and missed. Now the question is if Lebron will allow Kobe to take that last shot while they are both on the court..?

Check out NBA.com's "Roster Math" where they examine the depth of the final Team USA roster. Team USA has 2 days of practice left.

Team USA Needs a Trim

As of right now Team USA is faced with a 32 man roster, of which only 17 players will make the final cut and be involved in tournament play, starting August 22 in Las Vegas. The US will try to qualify for a spot in the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing. Here's the 32 names on the list right now:

Carmelo Anthony, Forward
Gilbert Arenas, Guard
Shane Battier, Forward
Chauncey Billups, Guard
Carlos Boozer, Foward
Bruce Bowen, Forward
Elton Brand, Forward
Kobe Bryant, Guard
Tyson Chandler, Center
Kevin Durant, Guard/Forward
Kirk Hinrich, Guard
Dwight Howard, Center
Lebron James, Forward
Antawn Jamison, Forward
Joe Johnson, Guard
Jason Kidd, Guard
Shawn Marion, Forward
Brad Miller, Center
Mike Miller, Guard
Adam Morrison, Forward
Greg Oden, Center
Lamar Odom, Forward
Chris Paul, Guard
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Tayshaun Prince, Forward
JJ Redick, Guard
Michael Redd, Guard
Luke Ridnour, Guard
Amare Stoudamire, Center
Dwyane Wade, Guard
Deron Williams, Guard

There you have it. As you can see it may come down to some tough cuts. But for starters, take Elton Brand out of the list. Then remove JJ Redick, Adam Morrison Luke Ridnour and Mike Miller. I believe at this point in all of their careers there is at least one better player on the list than them. The toughest choices would seem to come at who to keep/remove in point guards and centers. I'd keep Kidd, Paul and Billups around. Eliminate Hinrich, as much as I am a Bulls fan he doesn't compare to the 3 aforementioned. In terms of Centers, Id keep Stoudamire, Oden and Howard. Take Miller out of the list, I believe he's been injury prone at this stage in his career. The other 3 names, even Oden will own Miller in a 1 on 1 matchup, and can take on the likes of big men from other countries. While Miller has been considered a defenisve gem, Howard, Oden and Stoudamire give a nicer intimidation factor in the lane.

Here's my final roster, based on basically eliminating guys who don't measure up to the talent of the other names. You can argue this player or that based on minor aspects. Reddick, Ridnour, Morrison, Durant and Chandler I eliminated based on they have talent but are still expanding on that talent. Deron Williams, who had a breakout season is going to be great in the league. However, comparing him to Kidd, Billups and Paul, I think many would take those names first. Other guys like Brand who is injured and Miller/Odom, who are recent injury questions are easy to decide as well.

I think this final 17 is tough to argue against. It's a team full of the best the NBA has to offer and that's what the original Dream Teams were all about. The past few times around there seemed to be guys looking for individual notoriety. I feel having the big 3 in Melo, James and Wade is great, but you have to believe these guys each want the spotlight and are competitive amongst themselves. But having leadership of guys like Kidd, Billups and Pierce will most likely help with that. There wasn't much at the point guard position before and now its fully loaded. With J Kidd, Paul and Billups at point and guys like Kobe, Melo, Redd, Johnson to shoot as well as the inside presence of the big men on this list, we should be playing in the 08 Olympics.

Love & Basketball's Final 17 Man Roster:

Carmelo Anthony, Forward
Gilbert Arenas, Guard
Chauncey Billups, Guard
Carlos Boozer, Foward
Kobe Bryant, Guard
Dwight Howard, Center
Lebron James, Forward
Antawn Jamison, Forward
Joe Johnson, Guard
Jason Kidd, Guard
Shawn Marion, Forward
Greg Oden, Center
Chris Paul, Guard
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Michael Redd, Guard
Amare Stoudamire, Center
Dwyane Wade, Guard