Yeah, you should think I am crazy or mad. You should think I didn´t see the match, you should think I didn´t know that the final score has been USA 102 - Spain 94, you should think that I don´t know Spain has lost.

But you would be wrong. For me, for the spectators in the field, for the people around the world, we have won the match.

We have won in honour, we have won in basketball, we have won in everything, we have been the best national team during the whole competition of basketball, we are not a dream team, we don´t need the help of the referees to win a match.

We have lost, we have suffer a robbery from the referees, is not fair that after winning our five regulars matches we won´t go directly to the semifinal like other competitions, we have suffered the bad ways of playing basket of the USA team, we have suffered their hits, their slaps, their faults not seen by the referees.

USA Dream Team is a good basketball team, but I must be agree with my idol Larry Bird, they don´t know how to play basketball. Basketball is not this, basketball is not winning a match hitting, doing faults, and winning thanks to a referees robbery.

You should think we have lost, but... you know, today Spain has won Usa, Spain has been the best team in this Olympic Games.

And you know, we are not a drem team... SPAIN IS THE BEST TEAM.

I am very proud of my team, for me, and for all the world... Spain has been the winner of this match.

All the best magic,

Pablo Tejero

This is no dream team, Pablo. They have already been beaten in this tournament (unlike Spain). I'm not sure that Spain are the best team in it either though but you are right to be proud of them.

I think it would be tough to find anyone else who thinks the US team is the best team in the tournament.
A gold medal in b-ball for Spain would be great. I wish them luck.

I agree with Jonesc2ii, especially the fact that you should be proud of your team. We all should be proud of our teams and individuals who are representing our respective countries.
One thought though. I thought that only amateurs could compete in the Olympic's. I thought that Profesionals were not allowed to compete. ????
Iven

Iven...you are experiencing Sleepy Hollow Syndrome...Rip van Winckle had it....


They alowed PROS in the Olympics years ago...which basically castrated the point of the olympics in the first place...how ever it was argued that the old Soviet(Eastern Block)teams were in effect actually Professionals who were paid by the state so what's the diff.

The real USA Dream Team was the original. It retired along with Magic Johnson and Hakeem Olajuwon among others.
This USA team is good, I guess, but not great. And probably not good enough to win the gold. But keep in mind that a lot of superior players are not on this team, it doesn't represent the best USA has to offer.

I felt exactly the way you do, Pablo, when the Lakers were not allowed to play tight and close defense like their opponents were allowed to play. Because they (Pistons) were a "defensive" team they got away with murder and the Lakers were hit with fouls whenever they tightened up their defense. It was a horrible display of very bad officiating. So I feel your pain but what can you do?
Better luck next time.

USA's BB team was not happy after the beating they took from Lithuania and Italy, also Puerto Rico.
more like in'a dream team.

Not exactly sleeping here, I just don't have an interest in sports so I am not up to date with all of the latest news.
While I believe that sports has many important aspects to it ie: maintaining good health, recreation for both participant and spectator and most important of all, the generation of MONEY, I just wish that more people would take an equal interest in politics. Most of the people that I know can't name ANYONE in Federal office except for the President and Vice President. When a local television station came to my town and asked people on the street (at random and many ages) I was shocked at how many could not name our Senator's, Governor, and even our Mayor or one single person on City Council but these same people could name many different sports "Hero's" and singer's and actor's. I think this is sad.
I may have sleeping Hollow syndrome when it comes to sports but I at least am reasonably up on Federal, State, County and local Government and THAT I think is much more important.
I must get back to sleep now, raving really takes it out of me.
Iven

Well-said Iven.

We place way too much emphasis on sports. I was down south for a while and the local school district was having a problem with the budget so they announced cuts. They cut all music, foreign languages and some of the art classes. They did not touch the sport teams at all. So if your kid needed a language to get into college, Good Luck.

Sorry it just annoys me. I played soccer and lettered in Rifle team at my school. I also received a letter in Choir and theater. I had a very well rounded education. I think if all the kids do know is think about making 10 million a year to play basketball they are missing the best part of life.

Just my 2 cents

John B

You must have been in Arkansas! I know they have been talking of budget cuts and all that around here for years. They talk of cuts to music, arts, and such...or asking parents to pay an extra fee for these, but oh no, we can't touch the athletics program! I don't care for sports that much, although I must admit my kids have gotten me interested a bit in NASCAR, and I get looked at like I'm from another planet because I don't know "who's playing this weekend."

Margarette

I'm with you, Margarette. To me, sports has never been all that interesting. When people get a little too fanatical about some big sporting event, I'll purposely miscall the sport to express my lack of interest. For example, if I hear someone say, "What about the big game this week? It's the Yankees vs. the Mets," I look at them and reply, "I'm sorry. I don't really follow football."

What was really funny was my first job out of college...I worked as a lab tech in a soils lab, and during football season, they had a football pool. Well, they asked if I wanted in on it, so I figured what the heck, I'd give it a try. After the fourth time I won, all these guys who knew all this stuff about football asked me about my methods in picking the winning team. I told them that I simply picked the more aggressive sounding team. They couldn't believe it. Then one day, one of my co-workers tried my little technique, and he was surprised when he won the pool for that week!

Margarette

Iven...you need to read some of Noam Chomsky's stuff,especially about media control.
The reason the majority of the "populus" are more knowledgeable about sport, sitcomes, junk food, banal quiz shows, reality tv etc,etc is because that is what the Governments want!!! the last thing they want they are people who take a interest in "what they are up to" and who are bright enough to query their policies and actions.

Howard

I agree . . . he's hilarious! My favorite thing about him is that he writes like you're supposed to take him seriously, which makes everything he says even funnier!

Scott..with due respect, being an American you would say that wouldn't you? Both he and Gore Vidal say some pretty ***ing things about the US Administration most of it seems to hit a raw nerve.

Howard

The so called dream team should be replaced with college kids, like in the past . leave these hot shots at home....
vinny

To all of you with no interest in sports...
Look at the TRIATHALON for what a real athlete is about.
All other sports pale into a light form of shame when held up against the triathalon.
And those tridudes don't get $$ or fame and fortune. Yet they work the hardest.

Yes, we say that just because we are American. We all think and act in perfect unison.

Scott..Exactly..just how Goverments want everyone to react..as Chomsky calls the populus..The Bewildered Herd.
You might also read Robert Cialdini's excellent book Influence...particularly the chapter..Social Proof.

"We all think and act in unison"..

Quote from Walter Lippmann..

"Where all think alike, no one thinks very much"


By the way Scott, I am not just referring to Americans , I mean the populus of every Country.

Howard

I really didn't mean to get this post so off track from what Pablo Tejero was saying. I don't hate sports, this year was my Daughter's second year playing baseball and I support any sport that my Daughter wants to play. I think that sports are very important, just not so important that sports becomes the total focal point of one's being. We have some local schools that are talking about getting rid of the Music deptartment in order to save money or to drop the Drama class or cut back on their Science programs or Art classes but no talk about touching the all important Sports.
With that said, Pablo Tejero has much to be proud of and so do all of the Countries that are in the Olympics. It takes hard work and dedication to make it into the Olympics and as far as I am concerned there are no loser's in the Olympics, they are all Winner's some just do a little better at that time and place and go home with a medal. Just to be a participant makes them a Winner in my book.
Here's to all of the 2004 Olympic Athlete's
Iven