During the remainder of the Olympic men's basketball tournament, FanHouse will give you 5 Things to watch for in each game.
It's Always Manu, Manu, Manu!: Yes, that's right. Your favorite Argentinian is here to join us. Manu Ginobili has been his usual spectacular self in Olympic play, leading all players in scoring at 19.6 points per game, and second in assists at 5 per game. Ginobili's likely to face a tougher defense tonight/tomorrow though, with the Greek swarming defense and tight zone. Still, Ginobili's been on quite the tear, and if you're looking for fireworks, look no further.
Welcome To The Danger Zone: Greece's zone has been very effective, holding opponents to 45% shooting (in the Olympics where everyone's percentage is high) and that's after the USA drubbing. Argentina is tied for the second best offense in the Olympics, so Greece will want to do everything they can to make it a knock down, drag-out affair. Even with Argentina's #2 defensive ranking, the Greeks have a much better shot if they can slow the game down and make it a physical scrap. Let the Argentinians get rolling, and this could get out of hand, fast.
It's Like A Glue-Guy All-Star Team: Manu Ginobili. Luis Scola. Andres Nocioni. Fabricio Oberto. Carlos Delfino. Yes, this is a game with players whose names you'll recognize. Don't sleep on Argentinian point guard Pablo Prigioni who's third in assists in the Olympics thus far. This team is stacked with talent. For all the discussion about team play and cohesive international schemes, Argentina's happy just to throw loaded talent at you from all over the floor. If Greece doesn't have someone step up and have a huge game against these guys, they could be in for a long night. Paging Vassilli Spanoulis.
An Outbreak Of International Vertigo: Come on. Manu, Scola, Nocioni, and Oberto on the same team? You know there's going to be an outbreak of flopping tonight/tomorrow. The ball boys better have dry rags, because there's going to be some Argentinian sweat and hair gel on that hardwood. You've got three of the best floppers in the league on one squad, versus a team that focuses a lot on drive and kicks. The refs could end up playing a part in this, depending on how they call the offensive fouls, which is a lot looser than the NBA.
So Three Big Argentinians And A Guy Named Schortsanitis Walk Into The Paint: And not surprisingly, the five guys walk out. "Baby Shaq" as he's called (along with Nathan Jawai and about seventeen hundred other guys who are not anything close to Shaq) hasn't been overly impressive in the Olympics thus far. And tonight/tomorrow he gets Scola, Oberto, and Nocioni playing him tough. The offensive rebounding alone should be enough to seal it for Argentina, unless Schorts or Fotsis can get active on the glass.
