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Basketball

Date and Time: Sun 25 July 10:00 - 12:00

Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group A, Islamic Rep. of Iran vs Czech Republic

Date and Time: Sun 25 July 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group B, Germany vs Italy

Date and Time: Sun 25 July 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group B, Australia vs Nigeria

Date and Time: Sun 25 July 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group A, France vs United States

Date and Time: Mon 26 July 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group A, Republic of Korea vs Spain

Date and Time: Mon 26 July 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group C, Argentina vs Slovenia

Date and Time: Mon 26 July 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group A, Serbia vs Canada

Date and Time: Mon 26 July 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group C, Japan vs Spain

Date and Time: Tue 27 July 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group B, Japan vs France

Date and Time: Tue 27 July 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group B, Nigeria vs United States

Date and Time: Tue 27 July 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group C, Australia vs Belgium

Date and Time: Tue 27 July 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group C, Puerto Rico vs China

Date and Time: Wed 28 July 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group B, Nigeria vs Germany

Date and Time: Wed 28 July 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group A, United States vs Islamic Rep. of Iran

Date and Time: Wed 28 July 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group B, Italy vs Australia

Date and Time: Wed 28 July 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group A, Czech Republic vs France

Date and Time: Thu 29 July 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group A, Canada vs Republic of Korea

Date and Time: Thu 29 July 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group C, Slovenia vs Japan

Date and Time: Thu 29 July 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group A, Spain vs Serbia

Date and Time: Thu 29 July 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group C, Spain vs Argentina

Date and Time: Fri 30 July 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group C, Belgium vs Puerto Rico

Date and Time: Fri 30 July 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group B, United States vs Japan

Date and Time: Fri 30 July 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group B, France vs Nigeria

Date and Time: Fri 30 July 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group C, China vs Australia

Date and Time: Sat 31 July 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group A, Islamic Rep. of Iran vs France

Date and Time: Sat 31 July 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group B, Italy vs Nigeria

Date and Time: Sat 31 July 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group B, Australia vs Germany

Date and Time: Sat 31 July 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group A, United States vs Czech Republic

Date and Time: Sun 1 Aug. 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group A, Canada vs Spain

Date and Time: Sun 1 Aug. 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group C, Argentina vs Japan

Date and Time: Sun 1 Aug. 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Preliminary Round Group C, Spain vs Slovenia

Date and Time: Sun 1 Aug. 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group A, Republic of Korea vs Serbia

Date and Time: Mon 2 Aug. 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group B, Nigeria vs Japan

Date and Time: Mon 2 Aug. 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group B, France vs United States

Date and Time: Mon 2 Aug. 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group C, China vs Belgium

Date and Time: Mon 2 Aug. 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Preliminary Round Group C, Australia vs Puerto Rico

Date and Time: Tue 3 Aug. 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Men's Quarterfinal

Date and Time: Tue 3 Aug. 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Men's Quarterfinal

Date and Time: Tue 3 Aug. 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Men's Quarterfinal

Date and Time: Tue 3 Aug. 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Men's Quarterfinal

Date and Time: Wed 4 Aug. 10:00 - 12:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Women's Quarterfinal

Date and Time: Wed 4 Aug. 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Women's Quarterfinal

Date and Time: Wed 4 Aug. 17:20 - 19:20
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Women's Quarterfinal

Date and Time: Wed 4 Aug. 21:00 - 23:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Women's Quarterfinal

Date and Time: Thu 5 Aug. 13:15 - 15:15
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Men's Semifinal

Date and Time: Thu 5 Aug. 20:00 - 22:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Men's Semifinal

Date and Time: Fri 6 Aug. 13:40 - 15:40
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Women's Semifinal

Date and Time: Fri 6 Aug. 20:00 - 22:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Women's Semifinal

Date and Time: Sat 7 Aug. 11:30 - 13:30
Venues: Saitama Super Arena

Men's Gold Medal Game

Date and Time: Sat 7 Aug. 16:00 - 18:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Bronze Medal Game

Date and Time: Sat 7 Aug. 20:00 - 22:30
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Men's Bronze Medal Game
Men's Victory Ceremony

Date and Time: Sun 8 Aug. 11:30 - 14:00
Venues: Saitama Super Arena
Women's Gold Medal Game
Women's Victory Ceremony

Some big names are missing from the tournament, no Greece, Serbia, Lithuania, Brazil also didn't make it.

I was also disappointed by the omission of Serbia and Russia. They could have expanded the number of teams from 12 to 16. Serbia and Spain are without any doubt two of the strongest European sides and this time only one among them will appear in the Olympic games. Also an Olympic basket ball tournament without any of the former USSR teams looks odd for me. Because along with the US, they had dominated Olympic basketball for so long. Either Russia or Lithuania should have made it.

Olympic Men’s Basketball Odds Tokyo 2020
Team   Odds
USA   -305
Serbia   +800
Spain   +800
France   +1700
Australia   +2500
Greece   +2500
Lithuania   +2500
Argentina   +3000
Croatia   +5000
Slovenia   +5000
Turkey   +5000
Venezuela   +5000

I would like tournament expanded to 16 teams, but Olympics is too short event (just 2 weeks) for big tournaments).
I hope that USA will not win gold. Their squad is very solid this time, but results in preparation games shows that they aren't unbeatable.

+2500 on Australia?

I think the odds are definitely way too skewed in the US's favour. There is a lot of youth and inexperience on the US roster, and they have definitely shown weakness when it comes to exhibition games.

Serbia, France and Australia are all very good picks to win at such long odds.

by the way, we got the odds here. (top 12 only)

https://dknation.draftkings.com/2021/6/18/22539324/olympics-mens-basketball-gold-medal-odds-tokyo-2021-team-usa-serbia-spain-france-australia-greece

United States   -400
Australia   +900
Spain   +1,100
Slovenia   +1,700
France   +1,900
Nigeria  +3,500
Argentina   +4,000
Italy   +4,000
Germany   +10,000
Czech Republic   +10,000
Japan   +30,000
Iran   +50,000

Serbia, France and Australia are all very good picks to win at such long odds.

+2500 on Australia?

I think the odds are definitely way too skewed in the US's favour. There is a lot of youth and inexperience on the US roster, and they have definitely shown weakness when it comes to exhibition games.

No cap, USA is going to win this match definitely, I have seen the line up and it's close to an All Star line up and I don't think that anyone can probably play that good against USA. Plus I don't think that USA is going to be beaten for the gold anytime soon.

Not guaranteed, though as usual team USA is an allstar team, but teams like France, Italy, Spain, and Argentina has always had a chance at winning.
France might be the toughest opponent for the team USA in the first bracket, someone mentioned about what happened between the France and USA matchup in 2019.
Though I agree USA roster is looking great this year, but you can't take away the fact that France is also a good team.
Again, they (USA) have a huge chance and most favourite to win the Gold medal, but those teams I have mentioned will surely give them a good match.

Not guaranteed, though as usual team USA is an allstar team, but teams like France, Italy, Spain, and Argentina has always had a chance at winning.
France might be the toughest opponent for the team USA in the first bracket, someone mentioned about what happened between the France and USA matchup in 2019.
Though I agree USA roster is looking great this year, but you can't take away the fact that France is also a good team.
Again, they (USA) have a huge chance and most favourite to win the Gold medal, but those teams I have mentioned will surely give them a good match.

Not guaranteed, though as usual team USA is an allstar team, but teams like France, Italy, Spain, and Argentina has always had a chance at winning.
France might be the toughest opponent for the team USA in the first bracket, someone mentioned about what happened between the France and USA matchup in 2019.
Though I agree USA roster is looking great this year, but you can't take away the fact that France is also a good team.
Again, they (USA) have a huge chance and most favourite to win the Gold medal, but those teams I have mentioned will surely give them a good match.

Is it worth to make a bet in favor of the United States? The odds are -900 or -1000. Even if you put $1000 on them, at the most you will receive $100. But then there is always a chance of an upset. IMO, it is not worth the risk to make a bet in their favor. What if 2019 repeats? I would rather go for Australia, France, Spain or Argentina. Italy also looks good. The unpredictability is higher this time, due to the COVID 19 situation. Although the chances are very low, what would happen if some of the main players become unavailable all of a sudden?

Why is the rules saying FIBA when it's Olympics? It's stupid of me to ask that question but I feel that I am conflicted so I really want to know about it. I am on team USA just like my other friends, NBA really made the influence to make us believe that they're going to get this gold.

Why is the rules saying FIBA when it's Olympics? It's stupid of me to ask that question but I feel that I am conflicted so I really want to know about it. I am on team USA just like my other friends, NBA really made the influence to make us believe that they're going to get this gold.

Team USA displayed its offensive firepower in an 83-76 win over Spain, the squad's final exhibition before it heads to Tokyo for the 2021 Olympics. Damian Lillard (19 points, six assists, four rebounds, four steals, two blocks) and Kevin Durant (14 points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks) unsurprisingly led the way, but the Americans got a major boost from Keldon Johnson, who was promoted to the main roster after Kevin Love's withdrawal. The Spurs forward had 15 points off the bench and finished with the best plus-minus of any Team USA player (plus-18).

Team USA has shown signs of struggle so far in the exhibition games after two terrible losses and a win over Argentina. They will need some time to get the team chemistry that they need, also to adjust to the FIBA rules and more importantly how the games are being officiated, no easy fouls.

I think we are set for a great tournament!

Individually they are all great but basketball is a team sport and they have to blend their individual talents perfectly if they want to win a medal, they are up against teams who are all playing for years together and talent alone will not win you a medal, the coach now has a huge task of making them blend together, but we all know these are NBA talents they will not take a risk of getting injured compared to other teams where players can take the risk of injury, this is a very interesting event I have no idea who will win here, but the USA is my favorite.

...//...:

The pre-Olympic was exciting ... maybe coincided with the Euro and COPA America tournaments took away interest but there were exciting matches like Mexico's victory over Russia and the 2-point defeat against Germany (Ru 67).

On the other hand, the pre-Olympic (FIBA)  gavethe opportunity to more teams of 18, they went to 24 teams, that if it is without doubt a rude classification, since they only qualify 4 to complete the 12.

If we check the record from 1992, it can be seen that the United States has won gold 6 out of 7 times. That gives a probability of >83%. The only occasion when they failed to win a gold was in 2004 (Athens Olympics), when they finished 8th in the group stage, and then lost to Argentina in the semi-finals. The 2004 team was perhaps the weakest ever sent by the US, but even in that tournament they managed to defeat Spain. But looking at the squad they sent to Tokyo this time, I believe that the chances of an upset (similar to what happened in 2004) is minimal.

I am planning to bet on Nigeria against Australia. Is it going to be a nice bet? The odds is around 3.55. If the team was able to beat the number one rank which is the United States, it is also possible they would defeat Australia right? I haven't watched the US vs Nigeria game just recently. So even if it was a really an unexpected upset, I don't know whether the game was really close or it was just a stroke of luck that Nigeria turned out a winner. Will watch some highlights later if schedule permits.

I’ll give them a pass on the exhibitions because they probably weren’t giving it their best effort while their opponents likely considered it the game of their lives. The bottom line is that the US team has Kevin Durant so anything less than the gold would be upsetting. I think the next year could lead to a Durant gold medal, NBA MVP, and Finals MVP.

I’ll give them a pass on the exhibitions because they probably weren’t giving it their best effort while their opponents likely considered it the game of their lives. The bottom line is that the US team has Kevin Durant so anything less than the gold would be upsetting. I think the next year could lead to a Durant gold medal, NBA MVP, and Finals MVP.

...
It's funny but the USA team always stands out in almost all sports, it is a matter of waiting for the teams from other countries to see how their level is.

...//...:
It's just basketball and maybe baseball. They are only popular in other sports because of sponsorship or marketing but they are not that dominant.

I am planning to bet on Nigeria against Australia. Is it going to be a nice bet? The odds is around 3.55. If the team was able to beat the number one rank which is the United States, it is also possible they would defeat Australia right?

Yes there's a big possibility that they can win the gold medal here, it's unfortunate that Greece failed to get in the Olympics they could be the biggest threat if Antekoumpo will lay in the Greece national team so far I don't see any team that can be the biggest threat on the US campaign, once their talent blended they will become unbeatable.

Spain is always a tough competitor, they are the silver medalist in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics behind the US team and they could meet the US in the finals I hope the US team got their act together here in the Olympics after those bad exhibitions games they've shown, the US is still the gold medal contender because they are the defending champion.

Well, Australia won against USA too :). Australia are heavy favorites in this game, but there is always chance for upset. And I kinda like Nigeria roster. It will be difficult to take 1-2 place, but I think they have good chance to qualify as 3rd placed team.

For group A I picked the US team for B it's Australia and for C it's Spain, this is based on their showing in the exhibition games and their history, again US will be the favorite to win the gold here because they are fielding a very talented team here, even though they suffer losses in their exhibition they are still a team to beat this Olympic.

For group A I picked the US team for B it's Australia and for C it's Spain, this is based on their showing in the exhibition games and their history, again US will be the favorite to win the gold here because they are fielding a very talented team here, even though they suffer losses in their exhibition they are still a team to beat this Olympic.

With a squad that comprises of the top NBA players such as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bam Adebayo, the US are almost impossible to beat. For the other teams, an outside chance will be presented only in case there is any lack of team coordination from the US. But the chances of that is very remote, as the Americans are being led by Kevin Durant of Brooklyn Nets, who is representing the United States in his third Olympics. He is quite experienced as far as the Olympic Games are being concerned.

I really don't think that way as the other teams have better chemistry than the NBA. They only have few players to represent their country so they really know each other compared to the NBA where they are busy with the NBA season. A team that has a better chemistry will win, and we've see how other teams beat the USA in an exhibition match that says they are unbeatable.

but many of the NBAs best players opted out of being on the team ( Lebron, Curry, Harden, Thompson etc etc).

I have seen Nigeria beating the US but it's an exhibition match and it's non bearing I still see the US team the team to beat here and most likely to win the gold medal, they are going to blend their talent when the events start, the best contenders are Spain and Australia to me and Nigeria is the dark horse, this is going to be exciting to watch looking forward to seeing these matches.

With the absence of Serbia, Spain will be the strongest opponent of US, the US team was beaten by two teams in the exhibition match, but I doubt if they are so serious about their game, their talents are not yet fully sync, but once the Olympic, they are up against France in their first preliminary match we'll see if they can hurdle France, who is also a strong team.

For group A I picked the US team for B it's Australia and for C it's Spain, this is based on their showing in the exhibition games and their history, again US will be the favorite to win the gold here because they are fielding a very talented team here, even though they suffer losses in their exhibition they are still a team to beat this Olympic.

The American national team was very bad at the last World Cup and now they are looking for redemption.
The NBA season just ended, a few days ago, and because of that, the American team struggled in the preliminaries, but with each new game, they will be more ready and better.

Does anyone beleive that France can make an upset? Why not?

I was going going to all-in on Philippines but I realize they didn't qualify.  :'(

But still USA will gonna dominate them with a perfect nba all-star roster.  :D

I really don't think that way as the other teams have better chemistry than the NBA. They only have few players to represent their country so they really know each other compared to the NBA where they are busy with the NBA season. A team that has a better chemistry will win, and we've see how other teams beat the USA in an exhibition match that says they are unbeatable.

Anyone seen this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaC3LEygCLU

KD somewhat wanted to send the message across as to who is the man in the US team.

"That's my ball" should be the team's slogan moving forward, LOL.

But still USA will gonna dominate them with a perfect nba all-star roster.  :D

Men's tournament is officially underway with Czechs leading Iran at the half 46:30 in the opening game.

https://i.ibb.co/9bxdx8d/hhjkhjg.png

Lucked on my very first bet with a few made 3s in the final minute of the first quarter. Kinda boring match but twas to be expected, funny seeing Hamed Haddadi still playing, dude looks like 50+ (he is in his 30s, by the way, lol), maybe some of you remember him with his stint with the Grizzlies years ago. Nothing surprising so far, Czechs are handling their bizz and will likely win by the double digits at the end and cover their spread (-18.5). They had an incredible qualifier, defeating the super-stacked team of Canada and Greece in the finals to make the trip to Tokyo, interesting how far can they go...

France is not that solid as before so I don't think of an upset win. Team USA is better today as Bucks Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Suns Devin Booker will now be back to the lineup. These Bucks players are not just specialized in offense but also on defense as we have seen in the NBA Finals. Devin Booker is not good in defense that much but his handle and shooting are getting better like a Steph Curry 2.0.

Maybe France can do a close game but not a win.

We don't know if Gobert, Batum and Fournier will able to handle the all star cast of NBA selections.

Tough assignment for team France knowing that team US is there to prove something after those upset from the exhibitions games,

they wanted to prove that they still dominate this sport, we will see that later 5 mins more before the game start, betting for ML @ 1.11
seems not interesting, better to take the  handicap -11.5 @ 1.75.

In case anyone needs a stream - https://stream.nbcolympics.com/basketball-mens-prelim-game-4-france-usa

Edit: durant w/3 fouls already is not good at all. The US lacking size is hurting them quite a bit right now too.  This US team is not even close to as good as it could be, but they still should without question win this game.  Prop to France coming out to play today, making it a fun game so far.

France win against USA is surprise, but not something sensational I think.
It was great match. Maybe 2:30 minutes remaining, France was down by 8, but they managed to make amazing comeback. But offcourse, there was some luck when USA missed maybe 4 open 3pt shots.
Seems that losses in pre-tournament friendlies was real alarming signal.

It's not that I am disregarding other teams but the players in the USA is just too good that I feel like they are unstoppable and that they might be able to demolish all the other teams all the way through the finals. I just hope that there's no doping or any funny business happening, I just want these people to have fun and me watching their matches.

I'm not convinced that USA came to play as a team as a saw so many mistakes between the players but I don't know if the players are tired after the NBA season or this team really struggles to have some chemistry and play like a full team or they had just another bad game. All 3 of this possibilities can be true but personally I think the players are kinda tired after NBA season but they will try their best to take the gold to USA.

It's a sorry loss for the US team 83-76 they are leading most of the game but cannot keep up,  the two missed free throws of the US in the closing minutes of the game spells the difference, and a missed three points shot by Durant put the US team in big trouble

France showed cohesiveness and aggressiveness in the last 3 minutes they've been playing for a long time, compared to the US, I still hope they can still get into the finals.

I'm not convinced that USA came to play as a team as a saw so many mistakes between the players but I don't know if the players are tired after the NBA season or this team really struggles to have some chemistry and play like a full team or they had just another bad game. All 3 of this possibilities can be true but personally I think the players are kinda tired after NBA season but they will try their best to take the gold to USA.

France win against USA is surprise, but not something sensational I think.
It was great match. Maybe 2:30 minutes remaining, France was down by 8, but they managed to make amazing comeback. But offcourse, there was some luck when USA missed maybe 4 open 3pt shots.
Seems that losses in pre-tournament friendlies was real alarming signal.

Still have the chance if I get it right, if they can win all the games that left for them which is very possible after losing this one.

Sucks seeing them lose but it's not shocking.  There are only two super stars on the team as most US super stars decided not to play this time around ( Lebron, Leonard, Curry, Thompson, George, Irving, Davis, Zion, Westbrook, Paul, Harden) and I'm probably forgetting one or two others.  So while it was certainly an impressive win, they were playing a USA "B-Team".  Obviously if the US had all it's stars playing they would destroy everyone like they normally do with ease.  Still hope for Gold though of course.

Sucks seeing them lose but it's not shocking.  There are only two super stars on the team as most US super stars decided not to play this time around ( Lebron, Leonard, Curry, Thompson, George, Irving, Davis, Zion, Westbrook, Paul, Harden) and I'm probably forgetting one or two others.  So while it was certainly an impressive win, they were playing a USA "B-Team".  Obviously if the US had all it's stars playing they would destroy everyone like they normally do with ease.  Still hope for Gold though of course.

Still have the chance if I get it right, if they can win all the games that left for them which is very possible after losing this one.

Sucks seeing them lose but it's not shocking.  There are only two super stars on the team as most US super stars decided not to play this time around ( Lebron, Leonard, Curry, Thompson, George, Irving, Davis, Zion, Westbrook, Paul, Harden) and I'm probably forgetting one or two others.  So while it was certainly an impressive win, they were playing a USA "B-Team".  Obviously if the US had all it's stars playing they would destroy everyone like they normally do with ease.  Still hope for Gold though of course.

Yeah and they really have no center presence.  Couple bad shooting games and they are out of the games.  I hate when they build and entire team of shooters.  When time comes to bang down low they can't against certain teams that are beefy down there.

I'm not so familiar with the rules.

Let me ask, is this the first time the USA has lost in the competition? if they win in the succeeding games, do they still have a chance to win that gold medal?

This article might be able to help you, try to read it.

 Olympic basketball bracket, explained: How group play, standings work for 2021 tournaments
 (https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/olympic-basketball-bracket-group-play-standings/1ay26ypi8s7yo1q6l1t1dec8ed)

USA still has a chance though, and I think they can still win the gold medal.

The fact that there will also be two best third placed team selected among the 3 groups would increase their chances of making it through, but crashing out early would be nothing short of an epic failure.

I'm not so familiar with the rules.

Let me ask, is this the first time the USA has lost in the competition? if they win in the succeeding games, do they still have a chance to win that gold medal?

Yes it's the first time they loses since 2004 in the olympic competition, to continue they need to win against the Czech Republic or Iran because only the 2 first teams of each group, and the 2 best third teams of all groups are selected for the quarter-finals.

They still have a chance but wow this is a big blow-up for the US team they are leading on the first three quarters until they falter on the last five minutes of the game, this is heartbreaking for the US team, they are still not blending well and will have to catch up and play as a team, Durant can't carry this team alone, I hope this team will not end up as a weaker team.

Yeah and they really have no center presence.  Couple bad shooting games and they are out of the games.  I hate when they build and entire team of shooters.  When time comes to bang down low they can't against certain teams that are beefy down there.

Yes it's the first time they loses since 2004 in the olympic competition, to continue they need to win against the Czech Republic or Iran because only the 2 first teams of each group, and the 2 best third teams of all groups are selected for the quarter-finals.

I confess that, I was surprised with the US defeat, despite not having their best players, the US has a good team, maybe even better than France, (if we look at the team roster)

But I still believe the US has potential to win in 1st place.

Still confident the USA will make it to the semis. Well, loving the statement by Evan Fournier that they may be tough or something but with team effort from them they make to win against the former Olympic gold medalist. We're not seeing a high caliber USA team this time around looks like USA hasn't consider a good contender team.

France winning against the Team USA really surprises everyone. What's the odds by the way for the Team France here?

And just to clarify to others, Team USA still has a shot at the Gold medal. They just need to settle a win the next time as every win is necessary at their group.

Seeing them losing is kinda rare but I agree with what Fournier said in the interview that "They are better individually but they can be beaten as a team" LINK (https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2021/07/25/bostons-evan-fournier-comments-on-how-france-was-able-to-upset-the-us/)

Its their first loss in Olympics in 17 years that is why we are in a state where we are shocked whenever we see US team losing in the Olympics. After all, they are just like other players in other countries. They have good games and at the same time bad games. After what happened, I believe that US will bounce back in their next games. I believe in Coach Pop :).

I confess that, I was surprised with the US defeat, despite not having their best players, the US has a good team, maybe even better than France, (if we look at the team roster)

But I still believe the US has potential to win in 1st place.

Oh, they will win this, I don't think that 1 defeat is going to be a problem for them. It's a surprising defeat but it's not a damning one since they can still play another game.

Luka made history.
Luka Doncic scores 48 points in Olympic debut, Slovenia crushes Argentina
 (https://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/article/luka-doncic-scores-48-points-olympic-debut-slovenia-crushes-argentina/)
He has oozing confidence, he is a superstar in the NBA, still a superstar in the Olympics. How good this guy is?

Anyone here thinks that Slovenia has a chance to win the gold medal?

I confess that, I was surprised with the US defeat, despite not having their best players, the US has a good team, maybe even better than France, (if we look at the team roster)

But I still believe the US has potential to win in 1st place.

Despite his very young age (22 years old), Luka Doncic became the second highest scorer in the Olympics. Congratulations to Doncic. The current record was broken in the 1988 Olympics, when Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt scored 55 points against Spain. If Slovenia beat Argentina 118-100, the top contributor is Luka Doncic. The Olympics have just begun. Will he be able to break a record with Slovenia?

Luka still did his magic in the Olympics. He is really legit, not only in NBA but in international competitions as well where defense is really hard. Congratulations to him, he will continue to earn fans all over the world and the NBA stars are tweeting about Luka, they are happy with his achievement.

"They got more freedom, and the comfort level is obvious. So we put ourselves in a dogfight, and they made plays to win it."

However, this defeat once again showed that the American team is not untouchable, that they are vulnerable and that they can be defeated.

Obviously, the American players did not come fully prepared for this tournament and it will be difficult for them to win the gold medal again.

Luka still did his magic in the Olympics. He is really legit, not only in NBA but in international competitions as well where defense is really hard. Congratulations to him, he will continue to earn fans all over the world and the NBA stars are tweeting about Luka, they are happy with his achievement.

Not surprising the Luka's magic is still thriving in the Olympics. I do hope that they can advance in their groupings.

Anyone on betting though?

https://i.imgur.com/64mUNrz.png

Was looking at some good odds and seen the game between the two countries, so I might as well pull the trigger and win.

Score is 77-88 in favor of Spain vs Japan.

Good thing you bet on the total, and with that you win. What was the point spread of this game? I'm sure it's over 10 points for the Spain.

Japan to win with a handicap of (+18.5) with odds of about 1.922;
Total over 152.5 for 1.909;
Spain to win for 1.02.

That means Japan covers because Spain only won by 10 points.

both NBA players lead their respective teams.

https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/basketball/results-men-gpc-000200-.htm

RUBIO Ricky 20 points (Minnesota Timberwolves)
HACHIMURA Rui 20 points ( Washington Wizards)

That was actually quite good margin to play with, Spain was favorite and better side but there were no big differences like 20 points. Japan played competitive and stayed in the game until last minutes. Hachimura and Watanabe carried Japan. Spain is a complete team on the other side, Rubio, both Gasol, Rodriguez, Llull and Abrines played good, everybody did their part. Rubio made the difference.
This Japan team may be a trouble for Argentina and Slovenia. I can already see that third place of this group will advance to next round. It's the toughest group.

If Argentina and Japan will face, most probably the handicap will be close, so it's either I'm betting on the Japan to win straight up or take the handicap if they will be the underdog.

Odds are already available and we are not seeing a close odds, kindly check one of the bookies I'm using.

https://sportsbet.io/sports/event/basketball/international/olympic-games/argentina-japan-60fd2972c4bb8ae07b5bdd4a
https://i.imgur.com/RsK7idT.png

If you will take Japan, you got a sweet odds.

Of course, the American team is still the main favorite of this Olympic tournament and this defeat will not change that.
However, this defeat once again showed that the American team is not untouchable, that they are vulnerable and that they can be defeated.
This means that in the continuation of the tournament, everyone will try to repeat this feat of France and will not enter the matches with America with the fear of a big defeat, but with the desire to try to win.
Obviously, the American players did not come fully prepared for this tournament and it will be difficult for them to win the gold medal again.
The difference between America and the rest of the world in basketball is getting smaller every year and this can be seen in the performances of the American national team in recent years.
I think Spain, France and Australia will be America’s main rivals in the fight for gold.

The current roster of Japan is very strong. IMO they could really beat down argentina. They have the right people for their positions, they have 2 NBA players too which really made them strong.
I'll bet on Japan team this year over Argentina.

Anyone here thinks that Slovenia has a chance to win the gold medal?

Looking forward to seeing them winning their first gold medal in basketball in the Olympics even chances might be slim to others.

Anyone here thinks that Slovenia has a chance to win the gold medal?

Anyone here thinks that Slovenia has a chance to win the gold medal?

Odds are already available and we are not seeing a close odds, kindly check one of the bookies I'm using.

https://sportsbet.io/sports/event/basketball/international/olympic-games/argentina-japan-60fd2972c4bb8ae07b5bdd4a

If you will take Japan, you got a sweet odds.

To answer your question... I'll be honest, being champions I don't know, but I strongly believe that they have a chance of getting a medal (probably bronze).
Slovenia is an excellent team, Luka Dondic carried the team on his back against Argentina (48 points, 6-14 - 3 points), let's see if Luka will continue with that same performance! I will follow the next games.

Luka Doncic is the biggest advantage and disadvantage of the Slovenian team.
Sometimes it seems to me that Slovenia is ''one man show'' when I watch their matches which is not very good.
Slovenia depends too much on Doncic and whoever stops him stops Slovenia.
Yes, Slovenia has a chance for a medal but they are not the main favorites of the tournament.
Apart from the USA, I prefer France and Spain as more experienced and better balanced teams.

After Euro 2020 I am not trusting the French again, they were clearly favourites and choked in the end. It came down to historic matches and how the teams performed in the past. In my opinion USA is going to be strong favourite. They won so many Gold medals in the past that I wouldn't count them out this year. I lost quite a lot of money in EM 2020 so instead of just betting on some short term performers, I will go this time with the opposite strategy and bet on the best performers in the last Olympia.

...
although they let him run the play most of the time, that's different.

I think this is also the case. It's normal to have a star player in every team and Slovenia doesn't have the same individual talents as the USA. It only makes sense for the coach to let him loose and score when he's probably in the best form of his playing life.

Luka made history.
Luka Doncic scores 48 points in Olympic debut, Slovenia crushes Argentina
 (https://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/article/luka-doncic-scores-48-points-olympic-debut-slovenia-crushes-argentina/)
He has oozing confidence, he is a superstar in the NBA, still a superstar in the Olympics. How good this guy is?

Anyone here thinks that Slovenia has a chance to win the gold medal?

And the discussion now turned into NBA. :D

Anyways Giannis represents Greece right but his nationality by blood is Nigeria?

Does that mean we might see 3 Antetokoumpo's playings for Nigeria in the future?

Iran, meanwhile, fell to the Czech Republic in its first Olympic game despite a valiant comeback effort in the fourth quarter. Behnam Yakhchali totaled 23 points, four assists and three rebounds in the loss.

It's clear Team USA is far superior to Iran in terms of overall talent, but that was also the case for previous matchups that ended in defeat. If the Americans want to get back on the right track, they must treat every opponent with the proper amount of respect, regardless of what the world rankings say.

4 more games tomorrow. Do or die game between Germany and Nigeria. According to bookies, Nigeria is favorites there.
USA - Iran. Well, I'm already sorry for Iran players. If they will lose by less than 30 points, it will be good achievement already.
Australia - Italy and Czech Republic - France. Favorites is clear here, but IMO Italy and Czech are underrated too much.

Not worth betting on USA as the odds is just like 1.01,

Nigeria vs Germany is live now, good game as it is very close and I'm not seeing anyone leading as much as 5 points in this game.

And it's a high scoring ball game, I thought this could go not over 165 points but it seems that I'm going to lost my bet. Still in the 2nd quarter score currently 50-47 Nigeria.

Edit: half-time now 50-50.

I couldn't watch USA - Iran game because it was too early but there were no surprises here. USA won with 54 points difference. If I could make a bet I'd choose at least 30 points margin for USA win.
Now we will watch Czechia and France game, while everybody expect France to win comfortably I wonder what would be the handicap to make bets. By the looks of odds 9 points difference is average expectation, though I expect France to lead at least by 10 points.

Nigeria vs Germany is live now, good game as it is very close and I'm not seeing anyone leading as much as 5 points in this game.

And it's a high scoring ball game, I thought this could go not over 165 points but it seems that I'm going to lost my bet. Still in the 2nd quarter score currently 50-47 Nigeria.

Edit: half-time now 50-50.

The game went over 165 points and it's one of the most exciting games in the Olympics.
Though Nigeria went short on this one, but Jordan Nwora who just won a ring in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks has displayed amazing performance with 33 points of 65% fg percentage. I honestly don't know he's a member of the Bucks until I've search his basketball background.

Just 2 games on Monday, but one is definitely worth to watch - Argentina - Slovenia. 2019 World Cup runners-up vs Euro 2017 winners. One of the best European players Doncic vs 41 year old grandpa Luis Scola who is still good at such age.

Their next opponent is Iran - weakest team in whole tournament without any doubts. So, I expect big win. Then, Czech Republic. Good team which can give fight, but IMO they aren't capable to beat USA.

It's excuses. Almost in every major tournament USA have missing some superstars, buti even with B-Team they were destroying all their opponents by 30 points at least. But times had changed. With all superstars probably they would win gold, but I doubt that they would have easy life and would destroy Nigeria by 80 points liker they did in London Olympics.

Anyone can say whatever they want about their GOAT candidate, but if this kid keeps this up and doesn't get like a horrible injury or anything like that, plays this way for another 10-12 years then I am pretty sure he will be at the top of most GOAT lists. You may think he hasn't shown anything and he doesn't even have a proper playoff success yet, just some wins, but dude is 22 years old with basically no one around him and he still plays quite well, remember Lebron didn't even make it to playoffs on his first year, that is the difference we are talking about here.

I feel like he is going to slowly take all of his team into finals gradually, sort of like how Giannis did it, we may end up seeing some Giannis vs Luka finals if both teams do end up putting decent players around them, Bucks obviously did but Dallas doesn't have much to offer for any trade so it is a bit harder.

Same here, I don't even recognize his name, with that points, I think if he is only given enough minutes and exposure by the Bucks, he could be a big asset to the team.  His average on the Bucks is only 5.7 points, with very limited minutes. He is just 22 years old, still more room for improvement.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nworajo01.html

Same here, I don't even recognize his name, with that points, I think if he is only given enough minutes and exposure by the Bucks, he could be a big asset to the team.  His average on the Bucks is only 5.7 points, with very limited minutes. He is just 22 years old, still more room for improvement.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nworajo01.html

I guess the spread was below 50, so it's an easy win if you could have put a bet on the USA to win, they loss against France, so it's expected that they'll bounce back strong, sad for me too, I have not thought of betting on the USA, that game was lost in my mind.

The team USA have finally put on the A game mode, but I don't think it's still all a perfect game until they get tested by better sides. The win should already guarantee them a place in the next round, I guess.

By the way, the teams in first and second place of each group and the two best teams in 3rd place will qualify for the next round.

Of course, it's great that the USA won by 54 points, but they were playing against the weakest team in this tournament. By the way, the teams in first and second place of each group and the two best teams in 3rd place will qualify for the next round. So it looks like the USA guaranteed a place in the next phase.

To answer your question... I'll be honest, being champions I don't know, but I strongly believe that they have a chance of getting a medal (probably bronze).
Slovenia is an excellent team, Luka Dondic carried the team on his back against Argentina (48 points, 6-14 - 3 points), let's see if Luka will continue with that same performance! I will follow the next games.

Totally unexpected for USA to even lose to France in the first match. But this was expected for them to crush Iran. They are by far the worst team on the olympic games. But USA will have to play much much better to even get a medal on this olymipic games

To answer your question... I'll be honest, being champions I don't know, but I strongly believe that they have a chance of getting a medal (probably bronze).
Slovenia is an excellent team, Luka Dondic carried the team on his back against Argentina (48 points, 6-14 - 3 points), let's see if Luka will continue with that same performance! I will follow the next games.

With all of that said, I still think that Slovenia has a big shot at this title, I know everyone thinks USA will win but after such a horrible display against France and seeing how Luka can bring so much to the table, I feel like as long as Luka can will his team to wins, there is still a "chance", not saying it will happen, but it is at least possible.

Now let's see if Japan could at least prevent it to become a blowout game against Slovenia. I am betting for them at +18.5.
Spain won against Japan last time with just 11 point lead. I hope the performance will be the same or better. Betting against Luka may not be wise but that's +18.5 which is a good deal.  ;D
https://i.ibb.co/R4Gm1pq/japan.png (https://imgbb.com/)
Lose - ergh!

~snip

Maybe it's not a good idea to bet against Slovenia, Luka is too hard to handle.

ctto
[..]

It was a blowout win, sorry man, just bounce back next time.

Slovenia has proven that they are too much against Japan, and Luka still had another great game in this run.

Maybe it's not a good idea to bet against Slovenia, Luka is too hard to handle.

Yep, even the host country, can't take the heat out of Luka, I also thought that it will be a good game and not a blow out one. But Luka, has torch team and if I have to bet, I will also tail @danherbias07  because after all it is their home court.

Unfortunately, Luka's experience is really showing in this Olympics, I mean he has played a great game in the playoffs and still carrying in this Olympics.

Looks like the other national teams have more impact than the current USA team. Just look how Luka making names in this tournament where they dominated every opponent that comes on their way. Another good basketball play we are seeing here is if we are just focusing on one team. A lot of greatness especially for the recent wins of Slovenia, Luka Magic still continues.

Luka's sensation is still felt, lol.. The USA now is not anymore a dream team, they are not composed of the best players in the NBA so other national teams has a big chance of beating them. They lose against France and we know France is not even the top favorite to win, so will see with their upcoming games.

If Luka's teammate will step up, there's a possibility that they can beat the USA even by 50/50.

Team USA already knows how Luka played, obviously because of lots of meetings in the NBA, and they already have tactics to contain him if ever they will face each other.

That's the time now for Luka's teammates to adjust. But before thinking that possible scenario, let's see who wins first on their respective stages.

This thread just caught a virus from Luka's magical smile. Ain't there anything else?
How about Luis Scola with his silvered-haired grandpa look making the 4th rank of all-time total leading scorer in the Olympics Men's Basketball with 548 points
Above him at 3rd place is Pau Gasol (Spain active) with 623 points. 2nd is Andrew Gaze (Australia) 789 and Oscar Schmidt (Brazil) at the top 1093 points.

Tomorrow team USA will play again and to be honest it is the only team besides Italy I care about.
Still shocked at how they lost their 1st game, now they need to win the last game or they will be out it is most unlikely but who knows.

Still mad at them since we can't see Lebron >:(

I think he never played in the games while some other athletes do everything they can to be there.

It was a blowout win, sorry man, just bounce back next time.

Slovenia has proven that they are too much against Japan, and Luka still had another great game in this run.

Maybe it's not a good idea to bet against Slovenia, Luka is too hard to handle.

The USA now is not anymore a dream team, they are not composed of the best players in the NBA so other national teams has a big chance of beating them. They lose against France and we know France is not even the top favorite to win, so will see with their upcoming games.

Still mad at them since we can't see Lebron >:(

What do you think about the level of the teams in these Olympics? I realize at these olympics in Japan, the teams are very balanced.
Do you believe the USA team level dropped a lot? Or was it the level of the other teams that increased?

They just beat Iran, and they showed power by beating them with a wide margin but this team already have three losses including the exhibition games, we will only know this if they face another strong team again like the Czech Republic, Spain, or Slovenia, they have the momentum now they are now blending well but well only know if they can handle the pressure against a strong team from other groups.

July 31, 8:00 am EDT
USA Men vs TBD (Saitama, Japan)

They just beat Iran, and they showed power by beating them with a wide margin but this team already have three losses including the exhibition games, we will only know this if they face another strong team again like the Czech Republic, Spain, or Slovenia, they have the momentum now they are now blending well but well only know if they can handle the pressure against a strong team from other groups.

Yes, the biggest test for US is to face a good team with NBA players. Not discounting Iran, but they are only good in the Asian region, so it's not a good yardstick to say how good team USA because they have lost already. In their group is Czech Republic, so this is a good test for team in the next game to see if they really blend already. And this is a make or break for US, they don't have the luxury to lose this one.

Yes, the biggest test for US is to face a good team with NBA players. Not discounting Iran, but they are only good in the Asian region, so it's not a good yardstick to say how good team USA because they have lost already. In their group is Czech Republic, so this is a good test for team in the next game to see if they really blend already. And this is a make or break for US, they don't have the luxury to lose this one.

They are still composed of the best players in the NBA. That's the issue as always as because it's "TEAM USA" they are expected to always win.

It's not with the USA itself but other countries are improving. Can we just give credit to those countries that beat the USA (2 in the exhibition, 1 in the preliminary) instead of saying the current US team is not the same as before why they lose? That was discrediting the effort of other countries.

Understand that, but sorry I just have to be biased as I really believe that the old lineup is better than the current. Of course, we give credit to those who can beat the team USA, but we cannot hide our opinion regarding the current roster. I also have the same feeling when a good team loses in the NBA playoffs, like, the Lakers loss because Davis was injured.

Understand that, but sorry I just have to be biased as I really believe that the old lineup is better than the current. Of course, we give credit to those who can beat the team USA, but we cannot hide our opinion regarding the current roster. I also have the same feeling when a good team loses in the NBA playoffs, like, the Lakers loss because Davis was injured.

Iran vs France later.

Iran is clear the underdog here. I placed a fun bet for them as they are eager to get a win before being eliminated.

France already secures a slot next round so they don't need to force a win against Iran. It's expected that they will sideline or minimize the playing time of their stars to keep them healthy the next round. A "slight advantage" for Iran as France bench players are also good.

They just beat Iran, and they showed power by beating them with a wide margin but this team already have three losses including the exhibition games, we will only know this if they face another strong team again like the Czech Republic, Spain, or Slovenia, they have the momentum now they are now blending well but well only know if they can handle the pressure against a strong team from other groups.

Another loss for me. Nigeria cannot handle the strength of Italy. They are 0-3 in Group B. USA hammering Czech Republic now with 24 point deficit and the game is not over yet. They need this win to qualify and I think they will. Tomorrow, Spain versus Slovenia. This is going to be a fun game to watch live.
Who will you bet for? The Gasol brothers or to the new kid in town Luka?  ;D I'll bet for the new kid of Slovenia with -3.5. @2.00
Update: USA won, 35 point lead against Czech Republic.

Good underdog here as Iran had nothing to lose and most likely will go all in. On the other side , France has the necessary points as far as I know so they won't go hard tonight.

I only saw a couple of games and I must say that for me , Slovania looks the team who could snatch the gold from USA Team because Doncic kinda looks like an Gold Medal Olympic Athlete right ? and most certain he plays like one.

So what happens here?

I just saw the scoreboard, the game is over and France won by 17 points,  the final score was 79-62.

What's the point spread of this game?
I'm guessing France still covers the spread here.

No, the initial lines open as France -27.5, how do I know? because I bet on it and obviously I lost. I thought that France can cover it because the US just blow Iran by more than 30 points if I'm not mistaken.

And with that France win, they still lead their group, but with US winning against the Czech republic, both teams now advances to the quarterfinals. Australia and Italy also advance.

Tomorrow Spain and Slovenia will face each other - it should be epic game, you can't miss it.

It should be a great match-up, I checked the odds and Slovenia are the favorite here at -4.5, I think the hype is on, I love Luka but the consistency of Spain in the Olympics cannot be discounted, so I'm going with the underdog this game.

Czech Republic gave good fight for 25 minutes, but then their main players become tired and weren't able to respond to USA intensity. Quality of Czech starting 5 is good, but it's difficult to play when you don't have decent replacement for them on the bench.

It should be a great match-up, I checked the odds and Slovenia are the favorite here at -4.5, I think the hype is on, I love Luka but the consistency of Spain in the Olympics cannot be discounted, so I'm going with the underdog this game.

Doncic is undefeated in 15 games playing for his countries Senior National Team.

Yeah, Slovenia should be the favorite, considering that Doncic looks unstoppable in this tournament. However, I also hope that Rubio and the Gasol brothers might be able to surprise us. Anyway, both teams are already guaranteed places in the next round.

I do think Slovenia will win too. Doncic is on fire , he's feeling great playing in Asia and especially in Tokyo where he has a lot of fans so I wouldn't not be surprise at all if Slovenia takes the gold home.

If it's up to me to chose , I would like to see USA vs Slovenia but I don't know if they can reach final before they can face with each other but no matter what this is the most anticipated game perhaps that everyone wants to see happening.

The match between Spain and the US team is very interesting whoever wins here is a strong contender on Gold, Spain right now is playing great they are always in title contention and they can exploit the US team weakness because the US team is not what you can consider a great team compared to all the past team, they are not a dream team and beatable.

The match between Spain and the US team is very interesting whoever wins here is a strong contender on Gold, Spain right now is playing great they are always in title contention and they can exploit the US team weakness because the US team is not what you can consider a great team compared to all the past team, they are not a dream team and beatable.

It looks like Spain is not lucky, considering that they will play against the USA in the quarter-finals. Regarding other teams, I guess France and Slovenia might be playing against each other in 1/2 finals. So the USA vs Slovenia match in the final is quite likely.

They should play the USA, they have to prove that they are a good team, USA is not that good as they were in the past Olympics, they lose their opening game and loss a couple of games in exhibition matches, so there's a chance that they'll be eliminated by Spain.

They should play the USA, they have to prove that they are a good team, USA is not that good as they were in the past Olympics, they lose their opening game and loss a couple of games in exhibition matches, so there's a chance that they'll be eliminated by Spain.

It looks like Spain is not lucky, considering that they will play against the USA in the quarter-finals. Regarding other teams, I guess France and Slovenia might be playing against each other in 1/2 finals. So the USA vs Slovenia match in the final is quite likely.

Spain drew the short straw and will face Team USA in the quarter-finals, here's rest of the matchups:

https://livecenterimagesnorth.azureedge.net/lc-images-2021/lcimg-d65a0106-2d57-48be-8477-63040001cec5.jpg
image source: https://www.fiba.basketball/olympics/men/2020/live-blog

Doncic is still undefeated with Slovenia, 16-0 now, and not so crazy path to the finals imo. 👀

Hmmm, I don't know, but I'm thinking the finals will be USA vs Slovenia

What do you think?

Yeah unliky for spain they will face usa which after the loss against france i dont think they will repeat that mistake again plus that was the first game they lose in their last three olympics so i think the only capable team to beat them are slovenia.

Spain drew the short straw and will face Team USA in the quarter-finals, here's rest of the matchups:

https://livecenterimagesnorth.azureedge.net/lc-images-2021/lcimg-d65a0106-2d57-48be-8477-63040001cec5.jpg
image source: https://www.fiba.basketball/olympics/men/2020/live-blog

Doncic is still undefeated with Slovenia, 16-0 now, and not so crazy path to the finals imo. 👀

Upsets do happen in Olympics as well, the fact that USA can be beaten by a lower ranking than Spain, I think Spain here also has a chance to upset the USA. Spain is currently +12.5 and +540 on ML in my sports bookie, I guess we will see lots of bettors here backing Spain.

So what happens here?

I just saw the scoreboard, the game is over and France won by 17 points,  the final score was 79-62.

What's the point spread of this game?
I'm guessing France still covers the spread here.

France has the chance this time so I think this will be hard battle for Slovenia if they are able to move on semi-final and face USA in the finals. These team for this Olympic is amazing, they all exceed my expectation and seeing the top countries in the quarter-finals, can't wait to watch them. I'll go for USA vs FRANCE in the finals!

Hmmm, what you said makes a lot of sense, I didn't think about that possibility, France have a chance of going to the finals.

It will be a competitive game, but I still believe Slovenia will to the finals.

Hold on, guys. Before that possibility of France vs Slovenia, they need to settle things first on their respective matches in the next round.

For Italy vs France, the former isn't a team that can be taken lightly. Their only 1 loss against undefeated Australia is a close match and ended up in just a 3 point lead. That's why even France is considered one of the tops as they beat the USA, people should expect that Italy will able to give a good close game against them.

For Slovenia vs Germany, I will be biased for Slovenia lol because of Luka being on my long-time fave team in NBA, Dallas Mavericks (I'm with Germany before when Dirk Nowitzki, still on Dallas Mavericks, is actively playing). But technical analysis-wise, Germany is also a team that can't be taken lightly.

And aside from that, the next round is a knockout round so no room for bad and worst performance so players will surely give their all. All teams on the next round are exciting to watch.

Ohh, I almost forget, with France's victory against the US, the confidence of the French players increased, and they proved that the US is a beatable team

Upsets do happen in Olympics as well, the fact that USA can be beaten by a lower ranking than Spain, I think Spain here also has a chance to upset the USA. Spain is currently +12.5 and +540 on ML in my sports bookie, I guess we will see lots of bettors here backing Spain.

It happened before and it can happen again if team US will relax, Though for sure that last lost from France gives them the wake call that it's their country's pride that in stake,

And yeah you are right Spain is also a good contender here, might bring much emotions trying to extend their chance for a possible semis.

All in all, we have to wait for all those games and see who will advance. Good luck!

Spain drew the short straw and will face Team USA in the quarter-finals, here's rest of the matchups:

https://livecenterimagesnorth.azureedge.net/lc-images-2021/lcimg-d65a0106-2d57-48be-8477-63040001cec5.jpg
image source: https://www.fiba.basketball/olympics/men/2020/live-blog

Doncic is still undefeated with Slovenia, 16-0 now, and not so crazy path to the finals imo. 👀

It happened before and it can happen again if team US will relax, Though for sure that last lost from France gives them the wake call that it's their country's pride that in stake,

And yeah you are right Spain is also a good contender here, might bring much emotions trying to extend their chance for a possible semis.

All in all, we have to wait for all those games and see who will advance. Good luck!

I think Italy will play well again, but France will reach the semi.

It happened before and it can happen again if team US will relax, Though for sure that last lost from France gives them the wake call that it's their country's pride that in stake,

And yeah you are right Spain is also a good contender here, might bring much emotions trying to extend their chance for a possible semis.

All in all, we have to wait for all those games and see who will advance. Good luck!

Spain drew the short straw and will face Team USA in the quarter-finals, here's rest of the matchups:

https://livecenterimagesnorth.azureedge.net/lc-images-2021/lcimg-d65a0106-2d57-48be-8477-63040001cec5.jpg
image source: https://www.fiba.basketball/olympics/men/2020/live-blog

Doncic is still undefeated with Slovenia, 16-0 now, and not so crazy path to the finals imo. 👀

We see an early final game in basketball. Spain-USA match will be such a match. While the USA is seen as the favourite, Spain is not a team to be taken lightly. Most likely, the winner of this match will be the champion. In other matches, my predictions are that France, Slovenia and Argentina will win.

It's true but it's still a long way. Although Germany, Italy, and Argentina are on the bad position at preliminary, they cannot just mess with them.
Italy especially who defeated 2 teams in their preliminary bracket and will face the France team now. Argentina also has a big chance to defeat Australia.
They were in the strongest bracket with Slovenia and Spain that is why their record went bad at 1-2. Australia could be at a good record at 3-0 but they cannot relax in this quarter Finals.
All games will be tomorrow at my time, I guess there will be no turning off the television.  ;D

So attractive.
https://i.ibb.co/BzcCjrH/not-bad.png (https://ibb.co/7Yj1VRx)
From sportsbet.io

Attractive indeed but not gonna bet on that one as I'm a big fan of the US basketball team and I expect them to win this one.

I don't expect a blowout win from them so I'm betting for Spain with HC, hope this will works hehe.

https://i.imgur.com/gKMlup7.jpg

Yeah not a bad bet.  I don't expect them to lose either they are starting to play real well together but at those odds it's not a bad punt.  I'd hate to straight up play the spread because the US can blow them out for sure.  But with 7.0 odds that would be worth a ML bet in case of an upset which has happened throughout the years.

Agree with that, and that's the reason why I'm betting on Spain against the USA, both point spread and a chance to upset the USA. Spain is one of my favorites to win a gold medal here, so if they'll lose, my prediction is wrong, so I'll be sticking with my prediction.

So attractive.
https://i.ibb.co/BzcCjrH/not-bad.png (https://ibb.co/7Yj1VRx)
From sportsbet.io

It happened before and it can happen again if team US will relax, Though for sure that last lost from France gives them the wake call that it's their country's pride that in stake,

Attractive indeed but not gonna bet on that one as I'm a big fan of the US basketball team and I expect them to win this one.

I don't expect a blowout win from them so I'm betting for Spain with HC, hope this will works hehe.

[..]

France has a better FG%, 3pt%, and FT% than Slovenia, they may not have a player like Luka on their team, but their roster is exceptionally well-rounded with a good half-court offense. Not to mention that Batum got the better of Luka in the West first-round GM4 with a couple of steals and blocks against him, which is when the Clippers decided to go small. Luka can surely be slowed down by Batum, at least a little bit. Well, enough talk about possible semi-finals and the such, let's see what happens in the 1/4 first.

Gl, everyone!  ;)

^^ But it was not that easy for the US, Spain jump on an early lead, if I'm not mistaken, Spain has double digit at one point in time. But the US team slowly grind very hard and then tie the score and eventually lead and then it grow.

Italy vs France now,  Italy leading by 7 points in the 3rd quarter.

In fact, Spain finished the first quarter leading 21-19. They finished the first half in a 43-43 draw. Then, Kevin Durant's effective play made the difference. Even though Ricky Rubio scored 38 points by himself, he could not prevent Spain from being eliminated. We can say that the USA won the gold medal in these Olympics.

Rooting for Australia tonight.

Argentina is definitely a strong team, but the top two players on the team are probably Campazzo and Scola.

Australia simply has more youth. Scola definitely can't run full court as well as he used to, even though he can still dominate the paint.

Even at 1.26, it would back Aus. Although I'm 100% biased, that's for sure.

Exactly, we have the same thoughts, so I'm going with the +14.5 @1.92 boosted odds.

Spain will really stick with the US here so I'm also not expecting a blowout win by the US.

And then wait for the result of this match, before I bet on Italy vs France and Australia vs Argentina, I'm smelling some upset between that two games.

We didn't get surprising results today in the quarter final games. The results were like this:

Slovenia - Germany : 94-70
Spain - USA : 81-95
Italy - France : 75-84
Australia - Argentina : 97-59

I'm happy to see that Slovenia won the game easily. And it wasn't surprising though. Dragic and Doncic had a quite decent performance and carried their team to the semi finals.

The semi-final draws are like this:

France - Slovenia
USA - Australia

The semi-final draws are like this:

France - Slovenia
USA - Australia

During the first half of the game, the bigs of Spain were so effective inside the paint but with their age, they can't endure the 40 minutes of play that is why in the second half, the US squad bounce back.

I think most of the users here have won their bets, may it be they are for the US or Spain as the former has covered the spread of -12.5.

Looking ahead on their game in the semi-finals against Australia or Argentina which both have defeated the US in the Vegas exhibition, I think they will have some trouble with Australia but I think the confidence of the US players are high at the moment so I think they can overcome this hurdle and go to the Finals as expected of them.

Kevin Durant led the Americans with 29 points in 31 minutes, but he got plenty of help. Four other players (Jrue Holiday, Zach LaVine, Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum) hit double-digits in the scoring department, and Team USA shot 48 percent from the field overall with 28 assists.

The USA came to the Olympics with a squad that was strong enough to beat both Australia and Argentina. USA will go to the final no matter who their opponent is. I was thinking of Spain as the strongest competitor. They passed this hurdle easily. They will get the gold medal without any problems, as in the previous Olympics.

I am pretty sure that USA will beat Australia, not saying it is guaranteed since we have seen weirder stuff happen before but it looks like it is basically highly favorite. What I am intrigued the most is that this Doncic fella keeps on beating everyone, won the eurobasket as well right? And he is showing how awesome he is on NBA as well, France managed to beat USA so they are definitely a great team but if Slovenia manages to beat France and then beat USA as well, both of which are incredibly difficult, that will make people question Dallas a lot, like Doncic would win a ring easily if Dallas didn't suck as a general whole, but I think that won't happen.

I am guessing Slovenia will beat France, USA will beat Australia and then USA will beat Slovenia, that will be the way I bet but let’s see what is going to happen, anything could happen.

Dominating win for the US, they have to be the hands down favorite to win this year.  Durant has been looking great.  Would never bet on them since the odds are so slim but these games looks like a good time to bet on them.  Haven't looked but what are the odds of them taking the whole thing, anyone know what the curre t odds are?

I also think France can beat Slovenia. The USA and France will probably meet in the final. We know that France beat the USA in the first match. This can be counted as a rematch. The USA will probably win this time. Of course, everything is a possibility, it would be a big surprise if the USA is defeated.

Dude, them not winning in this sport is a bit humiliating if you ask me because that's like their flagship sports plus, I think that they will probably continue to dominate the whole tournament, I have high hopes that other countries will be able to make a good fight against them.

You are lucky to get that odds, right now the odds is only 1.14 and Australia is -8.5.. I think I will take the spread instead because that 1.14 is very small and too risky to put a big amount of bet although I'm so confident they'll win. Anyway, good luck to us, I hope Australia will win and cover.

Compare to their last games, this is not a dominant game with USA after all, the score is not that far and Spain is a good team. Luckily, Durant want able to carry the whole team or else they’ll face an early exit. Anyway, USA will face Australia and this is not an easy one, I hope they work more as a team to make a more convincing win, many still believes on USA.

Australia is not an easy opponent and we know that team USA is not that strong because only Durant plays the best game so far and if they didn’t step up, Australia will have a chance to win though of course USA have more pride here after defeating a world champion Spain team, this is an exciting game. My prediction would be USA and FRANCE in the finals, that could be more fun.

Australia is not an easy opponent and we know that team USA is not that strong because only Durant plays the best game so far and if they didn’t step up, Australia will have a chance to win though of course USA have more pride here after defeating a world champion Spain team, this is an exciting game. My prediction would be USA and FRANCE in the finals, that could be more fun.

I agree, Australia will be a tough battle for the US, I think they are also one of the favourites to win in this  Olympics. They are lead by Patty Mills, so this will be an interesting battle. They've so far covered the spread, they are -8.5 against Argentina and we all know by now what the score is. So for basketball fans, this is a must see games, USA vs Australia.

I agree, Australia will be a tough battle for the US, I think they are also one of the favourites to win in this  Olympics. They are lead by Patty Mills, so this will be an interesting battle. They've so far covered the spread, they are -8.5 against Argentina and we all know by now what the score is. So for basketball fans, this is a must see games, USA vs Australia.

I agree, Australia will be a tough battle for the US, I think they are also one of the favourites to win in this  Olympics. They are lead by Patty Mills, so this will be an interesting battle. They've so far covered the spread, they are -8.5 against Argentina and we all know by now what the score is. So for basketball fans, this is a must see games, USA vs Australia.

My predictions for the semi final games are like this:

USA - Australia
France - Slovenia

I don't think that Australia would be able to resist to USA. Durant would probably be the player of the game again and USA would win it easily.

When it comes to the other game, it's going to be really tough as both of these teams are very powerful. But I see Slovenia as one step ahead. I think that we will watch a very close game but Slovenia will be the winner at the end. I expect another great performance from Doncic and Dragic.

Yes i think so the usa and slovenia are both the favorable to pass but still australia team might cause them problems they are good and passed easily against argentina as for slovenia and france it will be tough for both but i will go with slovenia and i have a feeling that they can win even the gold medal.

Let's see, but the biggest opponent of the USA now is France as they lose in the opening, so if USA will win and France will win, this will be a good battle for the Gold and personally, I would put my bet on France as I'm looking for an upset.

It's a different USA team now unlike how they played with France the first time.
I would not put that kind of history basis if you are really trying to bet for them.
First, they will have to go thru Slovenia and it will be a hell of a fight for that team ain't weak. Even if they try to defend Luka hard, the other players are stepping up like Dragic and Cancar.
If I am lucky I might win my bet for Slovenia as winners minus USA.

Found nice image on FIBA page:
https://i.imgur.com/PT650k6.jpg
End of era of two legends. We enjoyed watching them playing for maybe 20 years. It's sad that this day come, but that's life

Yes i think so the usa and slovenia are both the favorable to pass but still australia team might cause them problems they are good and passed easily against argentina as for slovenia and france it will be tough for both but i will go with slovenia and i have a feeling that they can win even the gold medal.

Team USA, whenever they play they will always be the favorite to win no matter how they played against Australia in the exhibition match. Australia will create some problems for KD and company but i expect US to win but not a lopsided one so my bet is Australia +11.5 @2.02 odds.

In the match between Slovenia and France, IMO the latter should be the favorite on this match but the bookies see the opposite maybe because Slovenia is on the roll with Luka on fire but still I'm putting my bet on France ML.

This morning, we are going to have a wonderful game between USA and Australia. If it wasn't too early in my local time, then I would really like to watch this one. But I see it as very obvious that USA will just destroy their opponent with a big effort. I'm curious about Durant's performance. I guess he would score 25+ points.

I'm not sure if US can "destroy" Australia here. Australia is a very good team because it also boosted with NBA stars. So if ever US will win, it's going to be a close match, so I'm not sure if US can cover the odds of -11.5 currently. Sharing my bet on the US vs Spain last game:

https://i.imgur.com/Jh0Z8gU.png

So I will go with the same bet, +11.5 @1.94.

For me, they can. I will take the highest risk at -13.5 for USA.
It's not that I don't trust Australia but in terms of backup players, we know the USA has a lot of players available that they can use while their best players are having their rest.
Matisse Thybulle will be assigned with KD but no one can really defend that dude.
Jrue Holiday will try to stop Patty Mills with his speed and height advantage. Australia's high-performance game will be their clutch to win the semis. 

..//...as very obvious that USA will just destroy their opponent with a big effort. ...//...:

Hi,

I do not think it is the most appropriate adjective but, Yes, the USA wins its right to dispute the "assured" gold medal even if in the other game a surprise happens and it has to face the Ghost of France...

Anyway, Australia is going to playing  a good game because it has good team and two players who play in the NBA, one that I do not forget never "Ingles"

So I think everything is written, only to watching good encounters, no surprises, please teams, thank you.  :)

I'm also the opinion that USA will remain unstoppable in today's game vs Australia, and it's going to take more than just a bad day in the office for Australia to cause an upset, KD would probably set the pace of the game.

I'm going with Team USA -11.5

Exactly, I will also go with Team USA here, Durant is just peaking at the right time, during the eliminations many has question the team, specially Durant with his bad shooting. But now him and other team USA is on the peak, and we all know that if they blend, it's hard to stop this stars. One might have a bad night, but there could be someone that can spark the team. No one can guard KD on the Australian side. They really need to have a perfect plan to beat Team USA.

Slovenia vs France about to begin
cant decide
i see 2019 WC was bad for Slovenia while France was doing good
current session both are great

Why not go for the favorite which is Slovenia unless you are from France?

Slovenia are the odds favorite because of Luka. I put a small bet on Slovenia -2.5 and hopefully they can cover the spread. I know that France is very strong as well, but Luka has been taking his NBA style of play into the Olympics. But Slovenia's offense is very fluid thanks to Luka. France though has Gobert, the reigning defensive player of the year, but I think Slovenia will opt more on outside shot in this game.

Nice game, this should be a close game, France has proven that they are a strong team by beating the USA, so I think even if they are the underdog here, I will still on them to win. No need to take the point spread for me, I'll go with France for straight-up win, I have 2.38 them winning, good luck.

Slovenia started well but France was able to come back and cut the lead to only 2after the first half.

France is +3.5 now in my book, they might win here or cover the spread, good luck to us guys.
I'm happy watching this fight as it turns out as what I expected it to be.

placed bet on France moneyline on HT break
i liked numerous blocks of France in game stats

What a sad moment for the Slovenia team. They did great and the game was really tight that they had the chance to win it.
But Batum, he won it with his specialty, his defensive awareness and a game winning block. We don't see it happen a lot of times, mostly in NBA only.
i.e. Lebron block, Iguodala, Ginobili.
That was fun though, real exciting game. Slovenia still has a chance to win the bronze medal and that will be their first medal in Basketball Men.

It was a really close game, but it looks like Doncic had a bad performance during this match, considering that he scored only 5 out of 18 field goals. Anyway, congrats to everyone who bet on France to win this match. So France and the USA are in the final, and I guess the USA will win gold medals again.

That was really close. Betted on Slovenia here, no hard feelings though as I only betted small. More than likely, the odds for USA is very low so don't know if it will be worth to bet on them. Let us see what odds will be given to France by bookies. If you are a risk taker, you can bet on France, who knows for some reason, they will beat USA?  ;)

That block was the highlight of the game, Slovenia could have won that game despite having an injured Luka. This FRANCE vs USA rematch is interesting, I'm sure France will still be the underdog, if we can't trust them to win, I think it's good to gamble on them through the handicap.

Almost regret why I did not take spread by fortunately that block save the day for me lol. Good game though as both teams deserve to be in the Finals, it's just that the breaks of the game went to France.

Team USA is a more dangerous team now in the Finals, not like in the exhibition match so i will be rooting for them whatever the spread.

https://i.imgur.com/cvICwXt.jpg

Congrats, that's a good win, big odds.

Luka was 16-0, now the streak is over. It's France vs USA.

There are no betting odds yet but most likely the spread will be -10 to -12 for team USA, and I think it's still a good handicap since USA has been winning by big margin in the past games.

~snip

There are no betting odds yet but most likely the spread will be -10 to -12 for team USA, and I think it's still a good handicap since USA has been winning by big margin in the past games.

it is hard to beat same opponent two times on the same competition, even if you are better, and it is especially hard, if you are a weaker opponent, as France obviously is, compared to USA, so the gold will probably go to USA, and silver to France
great match, Slovenia gives their best, but simply was not enough to win over France team, congrats to both teams for reaching semi-final
Doncic needs one more player in their team, that could decrease pressure on him

Luka Doncic shows his admiration for Nicolas Batum after France defeats Slovenia to advance to face off against USA and calls Batum a ‘class act’.
Luka Doncic and his perfect streak of being undefeated in international play has officially ended after Slovenia fell to France, 90-89. France will now advance to face off against Team USA in a bout that will decide who wins Gold at Tokyo 2020 while Slovenia will square off against Patty Mills and the Boomers in a game that will settle who wins Bronze.

The entirety of the Slovenia-France game saw Luka Doncic dominate in an extremely Luka-eque way. Though he merely shot 5-18 from the field, the shots he made were reminiscent of the ones he drains while on the Mavericks: step-back, high arcing shots from beyond the arc. However, the story of the night for Doncic was his playmaking.

Even though he did everything, the golden dream is over for Luka Dončić and co. It was such a dramatic finish and a lot of controversies happened in the game. Officiating was pretty bad for both sides. I was expecting a close game but not that close. ;D Batum blocked Prepelič when 2 seconds left, who would've thought an ending like that? Feels bad for Slovenians but France end up in finals and they will have another game against USA.
USA reached finals effortlessly as expected. This finals will be too hyped, as France beat USA in group stage. This time it will be very different though, this is gold medal combat.

That moment:
https://i.imgur.com/T9f0qim.jpg
Photo Source: Reuters / Charlie Neibergall

USA -11.5 = 1.83
ML = 1.12

Nicolas Batum showed good sportsmanship.

 “Nicolas Batum told me he hates playing against me”: Luka Doncic calls the France star a ‘class act’ following Slovenia defeat at Tokyo 2020 (https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-nicolas-batum-told-me-he-hates-playing-against-me-luka-doncic-calls-the-france-star-a-class-act-following-slovenia-defeat-at-tokyo-2020/)

Luka feels bad but with this kind of opponent, it will ease what he feels and the entire team as well.
They will come back next Olympics, Luka is still young, hopefully he is fully healthy that time.

Congrats, that's a good win, big odds.

Luka was 16-0, now the streak is over. It's France vs USA.

There are no betting odds yet but most likely the spread will be -10 to -12 for team USA, and I think it's still a good handicap since USA has been winning by big margin in the past games.

Is this the same odds when they first played and USA lose?
I'm wondering what sportsbook you are using, I like to verify the odds and might my bet as early as possible on France to cover the point spread and probably to win as well. Why I'm doing it? because ML odds for USA is boring, I can't risk my $100 for $1.12 only. 

Agreed betting US at those odds just aren't worth it.  Will they lose, probably not but waste a possible hundred with just getting $12 in return.  Risk reward just isn't there.  The point spread might be the best thing to bet here.  If I had to bet one side with the current odds I would bet on the US tough to bet against them right now.

^^ Chase down blocked,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc97zwVgzfk

It will be a good show for the finals, although France beat USA, but that doesn't mean anything.

USA has blend so well now, Booker finding his range and so is the two NBA champions, Holiday and Middleton, and of course Kevin Durant as their leader.

USA -11.5 = 1.83
ML = 1.12

Guys, I can't believe it, I was convinced Slovenia will beat France.
We cannot deny that it was an excellent and disputed game. In my opinion Luka doesn't play very good, including 2-9 (3 points) I'm surprised!

I don't know, but I believe the USA has more chances to beating France in the finals than Slovenia, Luka is one of the few players in these Olympics who "can dominate" some USA players.

Guys, I can't believe it, I was convinced Slovenia will beat France.
We cannot deny that it was an excellent and disputed game. In my opinion Luka doesn't play very good, including 2-9 (3 points) I'm surprised!

I don't know, but I believe the USA has more chances to beating France in the finals than Slovenia, Luka is one of the few players in these Olympics who "can dominate" some USA players.

This is expected actually, France is indeed a good team who played very well against Slovenia, and as expected they'll face USA in the finals. Doncic did his best but still fell short, they can still have a match between Australia for the Bronze medal, they'll surely win.

France already won against USA on their first meet up so they have a better chance to beat USA again but we should not under estimate USA because they are a good team as well and they are more veterans who always played for the gold over the past Olympics. This is an exciting match, I'll still go for USA this time.

I have doubts about the US team campaign early on but after their good showing after their loss to France, and how they blend I think the US team can match France talents, it's going to be a very good match in the finals and it can go either way, for me, their first match has no bearing anymore on their coming match, the NBA veterans hopefully will blend their individual's talent and comes out with a good play.

They are more composed by now unlike the first time that they've met, the rotations and the aggressiveness of each players inside the court is more sronger now.

But like both of you taking ML is not good risking huge amount of money  in hope of increasing it by 12%, handicap might work but waiting for the live event may give some better looks betting against this two countries.

The quest for gold still near for US squad, it depends now from how they'll going to complete it.

Guys, I can't believe it, I was convinced Slovenia will beat France.
We cannot deny that it was an excellent and disputed game. In my opinion Luka doesn't play very good, including 2-9 (3 points) I'm surprised!

I don't know, but I believe the USA has more chances to beating France in the finals than Slovenia, Luka is one of the few players in these Olympics who "can dominate" some USA players.

Yeah, I thought that it will be Slovenia vs US in the finals, and I take a L on both games.

The thing with Luka though is that he has a bad shooting night because France defenders put a physical on him. Nevertheless, the finals between USA and France will be good, Gobert and Batum will have to carry France in both defense and offense. But we all know that team USA has a lot of players that can shoot and take the game so it will be very though for France to win against USA.

This is expected actually, France is indeed a good team who played very well against Slovenia, and as expected they'll face USA in the finals. Doncic did his best but still fell short, they can still have a match between Australia for the Bronze medal, they'll surely win.

France already won against USA on their first meet up so they have a better chance to beat USA again but we should not under estimate USA because they are a good team as well and they are more veterans who always played for the gold over the past Olympics. This is an exciting match, I'll still go for USA this time.

Guys, I can't believe it, I was convinced Slovenia will beat France.
We cannot deny that it was an excellent and disputed game. In my opinion Luka doesn't play very good, including 2-9 (3 points) I'm surprised!

I don't know, but I believe the USA has more chances to beating France in the finals than Slovenia, Luka is one of the few players in these Olympics who "can dominate" some USA players.

France defeated USA in a group match, 83-76. This proves that they are capable of doing it again in the final game also. USA should play the game being aware of that.

We will never forget that, but it seems the odds provider are still making USA the favorite to win the gold medal. Everyone wants to see a good finals and this one is going to be exciting as USA will have to avenge their loss in the opening and their one and only chance to do it is in the final match.

Though the USA lineup is full of superstars, but the France team also has a lot of NBA players and their main advantage is the chemistry.

The opening lost for US was a big news for the basketball world as questions have been raised whether they can win the gold or not. But here we are, they are already in the finals, so that lost was somewhat forgotten already by the media because it didn't have an effect on their performance there after.

USA is slowly blending up, initially it was really difficult for the coach on how to manage each and every superstars, but they understand their roles and what it was needed for them to contribute and achieved that gold medal. So I think USA will win the gold medal and the streak continues.

To the gamblers who lose their bets for Slovenia, there is still a chance. They want a medal so bad because this will be their first in this division.
So Bronze will be their goal and they will need to defeat the Boomers first. The odds are not that far so I think there is a chance we could win this.
I will lock my bet early for Slovenia -3.5. On the other hand, it's difficult to decide how much handicap to put in betting for USA. High chance they will win but there's a possibility of a close game. They are still the favorites even after losing to France at preliminary so history will not help much.

Don't rub it in mate,  ;D I have Slovenia -2.5 against France,  :(.

Anyhow, yeah, there are still games that we can bet and at least recoup some losses. -3.5 for Slovenia against Australia is a good bet already.

Yeah, I'm still torn on the USA vs France, we know that the chances of them winning against France is big, but the question is the handicap, I think sport bookies have overlook France team capability to beat USA.

Well ...there goes my favorites Slovenia. I had them to win the Olympics but Luka really playing alone in that squad and his teammates should be ashamed of them for letting a kid carry them trough all the games. Against France he made a triple double and he away 1 point away from tie the game and make it to in OT but like I said , Luka was playing alone and no one had a bit of ego in him to uplift his game style and try to help him.

I disagree with that, when Luka was struggling against Spain, his teammates bailed him out and they have a win. They did everything as a team, everyone contributed but France is just the better team and lucky as well. a 1 point loss is not something to be ashamed of.

Don't rub it in mate,  ;D I have Slovenia -2.5 against France,  :(.

While with US and France, value for ML ain't enough for your risk money, handicap though is really hard to decide yet, knowing that France already beat US but once pride take over, I expect team US will beat them with a high leads, convincing that they are still superior with this sport.

I heard on the radio this morning that my local Book Maker has the United States as a 12 point favorite over France this evening.  I know that France has already beat the United States but I don't think that there is any chance that they end up beating them again.  I think Kevin Durant is as motivated as he's ever been to be honest, as he knows all the glory has been going to him and will help cement is legacy if he brings home the gold.  Cant wait!

It looks like all bookmakers consider the USA favorites in the upcoming match. I also think that they will win, but France was able to win the current roster of the USA in the first game. So we can expect that it will be a close game, and the USA might be able to win only by 5-10 points. At least it won't surprise me.

USA is still the defending Olympic champion so the bets will be in favor to them but since France beat them, there’s still a higher chance that France will win again this time. Though the momentum is good with USA because after that defeat, they was able to win all their remaining games and was able to reach the final again. This will be an exciting match, and hopefully USA can work as a team and win against France.

USA is still the defending Olympic champion so the bets will be in favor to them but since France beat them, there’s still a higher chance that France will win again this time. Though the momentum is good with USA because after that defeat, they was able to win all their remaining games and was able to reach the final again. This will be an exciting match, and hopefully USA can work as a team and win against France.

How the France momentum, I think they have no lose a single game yet, so it's really a big threat for the USA although some people may still get hype by the performance of the USA and we cannot take that from them. The odds are really attractive for France, anyone who thinks of risking the ML, now is a good time.

One thing I have a beef with Olympics basketball is that, they put the finals game in a good hour for Americans to watch and that makes no sense to me at all. I get that USA is at finals, and they are a big market, but France is the other half and it is in the middle of the night for them, people need to wake up and watch that game and go back to sleep, it is a horrible time for them. Plus the game is a worldwide game, it is not just NBA game, it is Olympics, every other nation will be watching it too.

And with all of that in mind, they still put it at an hour only the Americans would watch ideally, and all others would have to sacrifice sleep, that makes zero sense. It is obvious that USA is favorites and they will not repeat their mistake and they will win this game for sure, but I will not even watch the highlights because I am super mad about the hour, just gonna see the result and move on.

Is it just for me it looks strange that 3rd place game will be played after final?
I would like to see France win, but chance for it is very little. Beating USA twice in competition sounds mission impossible. That loss in first game was good kick into ass for USA and they started playing more seriously. They had slow start in some games, but they start to play with higher intensity after halftime. And it's almost impossible to stop Durant.
In 3rd place game bookmakers are giving advantage to Slovenia, but I think it's 50/50 pair. Australia played in many Olympics, but they never won medal. While for Slovenia it's chance to take medal in the firrst Olympics in their basketball history. Value of game is huge for both teams.

It's over now, US beats France 87-82 to win the gold. It was very close but at the end, the talent of USA won that game for them, unfortunately, for bettors, US didn't cover the spread.

Slovenia vs Australia, I might go for Australia as they are the underdog so ML is very attractive @2.24. I know that Luka will really try to bring at least a bronze medal, but Australia can pull some upset here.

Well, it's over now for some regrets Luka will be greater than ever with this experience and loss. He may have lost but he made history for the Slovenian soil and he averages triple double in the Olympics. I don't know over the edge of domination over team USA but they may have more chance I guess.

It's over now, US beats France 87-82 to win the gold. It was very close but at the end, the talent of USA won that game for them, unfortunately, for bettors, US didn't cover the spread.

I have no doubts about that. Luka is already an allstar player in the NBA and I believe he will soon be NBA regular season MVP.
These Olympics were a learning experience for him, and I'm almost sure that he will come better and more prepared in the next Olympics.

Well, I believe several people were already expecting this result.
And I was wrong again, a few comments ago I said the US could win with 15 points (or more) against France. (I was really wrong lol)

I was looking at the player stats for France vs USA finals, I can't believe it. Draymond Green played 16:07 minutes and didn't score, Booker played 22:24 minutes and scored only 2 points.
How is this possible?

One question, guys, what are the reasons you think this happens?
Green and Booker are good players and now then manage to stand out in some games in the NBA...but during the olympics they don't perform very well, why does that happen? Not inspired to play in the olympics? Because of court, ball and other things are different compared to the NBA?

https://i.imgur.com/Bq7bdKm.jpg

This is USA forth consecutive Win for United States men’s basketball team. That's an achievement in itself to sustain the title and remain on top for last sixteen years.

Congratulations to the USA for winning the gold medal, Durant was spectacular, he carried this team, and thanks to Tatum and Lillard who also showed their support when Durant was in foul trouble. It was a big effort, they have a good lead, France comes back but they hold on.

Also, congratulations to those who bet on France as they cover the spread.

I second. Cheers to all those courageful gamblers who put their bet for France with a spread. The lowest was +10.5 and it should be enough. Big loss for me. I really thought USA could cover the -10 spread but they are sloppy on the offensive end and losing the big lead a lot of time.
A little sad for Gobert when I saw him cry but he knows the outcome will be like that when you dont have enough players to help you out.

He should not crypto, USA is the top favorite so he does not have to expect a gold medal, save that tears if they'll win a gold medal, and as long as they will continue next Olympics, they will have a great chance but probably team France will have a lot of new players to compete. Booker was not really playing well, I can't count how much he scored but I'm sure it's not double digit.

Congratulations to the USA for winning the gold medal, Durant was spectacular, he carried this team, and thanks to Tatum and Lillard who also showed their support when Durant was in foul trouble. It was a big effort, they have a good lead, France comes back but they hold on.

Also, congratulations to those who bet on France as they cover the spread.

France stood no chances against the USA from today as they played high basketball. I still believe they had luck to not play with Slovenia but now after I saw that only Luka played on that team , I'm sure they would have beaten SLovenia as well.

Massive congrats to them as Duran just became the top scorer of USA at the Olympics and also he has 3 Olympics title just like Melo. Once again , congrats USA.

But this time he is the one who lead the team, and it seems like his injury was fully healed as he also have a big attempt to dump over Gobert, but that did not succeed though.

Boomers won!
It's the first time in their whole Olympic competition to have a medal.
I have high expectation for Luka but Patty Mills (42 points) and Joe Ingles was just dominating the game.
But this is a good sign for the Slovenian team, maybe at this point, more players in their home country will have more passion for basketball.
This is also their first time to go that far at 4th place.

I had doubts about the performance of the US team when the tournament started, but they proved the opposite with each game. By the way, Lavine made between the legs dunk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf564eemaoU) in the last seconds of the fourth quarter, but it wasn't counted. Anyway, I guess that this moment became a good final point of this match.

Boomers won!
It's the first time in their whole Olympic competition to have a medal.
I have high expectation for Luka but Patty Mills (42 points) and Joe Ingles was just dominating the game.
But this is a good sign for the Slovenian team, maybe at this point, more players in their home country will have more passion for basketball.
This is also their first time to go that far at 4th place.

This is exactly why I honestly believe that Euroleague needs to grow bigger and bigger. If we could get euroleague to grow bigger, and have a lot more games, then they can grow a lot bigger as well.

Think about it this way, only 18 teams in a euroleague season right? What if you added more teams to that? Make it 30 teams? That way they will be able to actually increase the game count as well, even if you make it twice against everyone league method, that would allow teams to have 58 games, plus playoffs just like NBA would mean that every team could have as much as 87 games, that would mean 7 game series for 4 rounds which is hard, but anything in between 75 to 87 basically, and that is seriously amazing profit making.

With that they could get team planes for nearly every team, or at least euro league could have some planes for teams who do not have it and can charter. That will allow some good players to grow there, get paid a lot there and maybe not leave for NBA, or at least give them a chance to fight against USA a bit more because they have some huge league there as well.

USA - France game was really exciting to see. Just as I expected, we saw a very close game. France were the only team which can put up a great fight against USA. And they didn't surprise me by doing so. At the end of a very good competition, USA were able to win the game 87-82 and won the gold medal. Durant also didn't surprise me by his great performance (29 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast). He had a big role on the win.

The other game between Slovenia and Australia for the bronze medal was also great. I was expecting to see Slovenia winning it. But Australia really surprised me. They defeated Slovenia 107-93. Doncic had a really good performance actually (22 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast). But I assume that they weren't expecting P. Mills to play this good. He literally won the game by himself. He got 42 pts, 3 reb, 9 ast.  He wasn't playing that great until this game. But he was the player of the game in this one for sure.

I had doubts about the performance of the US team when the tournament started, but they proved the opposite with each game. By the way, Lavine made between the legs dunk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf564eemaoU) in the last seconds of the fourth quarter, but it wasn't counted. Anyway, I guess that this moment became a good final point of this match.