Other Olympic Coverage
By Marc D'Amico | September 1, 2008
Starting center of the 2008 gold medal Olympic basketball team.
How would you like to have that one on your resume? Well, someone does, and his name is Dwight Howard.
It’s been over a week since his broad chest first donned the gold medal, but not much has changed for the Magic’s star 22-year-old since then. He’s still the same old D-12, mingling with hundreds of kids at basketball camps and joking with the media.
It is clear, though, that as he may appear unchanged on the outside, Beijing was a life changing experience for him on the inside, and it’s something he’ll never forget. From his arrival in Beijing, to watching Michael Phelps dominate the water, to his own games on the court, these are memories to last a lifetime. But there is one that will always mean a little more than the others.
“When I got to the locker room, that was very emotional for me,” said Howard. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is a gold medal.’ And then coming back to the States, there were so many people who just wanted to touch the gold medal. And I was like, ‘Wow, I accomplished something that not a lot of people get to accomplish. I was a part of a great basketball team.’”
The greatest basketball team in the world, that is.
And even though this was the most emotional part of his trip, it wasn’t quite his favorite. His favorite moment came at a time in which when he realized he was representing you, and everyone else in America.
“I would say the opening ceremony [was my favorite],” Howard said. “You know, it was ridiculous. Walking in as the United States of America… it was just an unbelievable experience.”
So, since coming back home, what has he done to celebrate his great accomplishment? He’s been staying up all night, every night. But don’t get too worried, Magic faithful, it’s not because he’s been out partying on Wall Street.
“My body is doing great,” he said. “I tried to do the best I can for about a week to stay up at night, you know, so I could get accustomed to coming back to America.”
Upon his arrival back home in the U.S., Dwight was back to being an Orlando Magic player. He is back to being the star center for the Magic and the leader of the team. He learned a lot from his position on Team USA, but he realizes that his situation is much different with the Magic than it was in the Olympics.
“I think I did a good job of taking into my role for the team, the USA team, and knowing that when I got back to my team I’d have a bigger role,” said Howard. “So, I learned a lot, as far as being a servant or a follower, behind the leaders that we did have. But I’m looking forward to coming back [to my role] with the Magic.
As he returns to the Magic, he may just be poised for his best season ever. He believes his body is rested, and he learned a lot during his time at the Olympics. Playing with all-time greats like Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd will help out with that, but Howard sites the relationships and work ethic he developed with fellow big men Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer.
“We talked every day both on and off the court, and we were always learning from each other about basketball and, you know, more personal,” he said. “… I did get a great chance to work with Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer and we worked out every day just on the offensive end. Just being around those guys… we just developed a relationship that’s going to last a lifetime.”
This new knowledge is going to be used in Howard’s attempt to bring the Larry O’’Brien Trophy to Orlando for the first time. Over the holiday weekend, he spent his free time working at the RDV Sportsplex with kids of all ages who attended his first ever Dwight Howard Basketball Camp. That was how he spent his time off, and he’ll get right back to work next week.
He plans on working out all of next week at RDV with the coaching staff and some of his teammates, gearing up for a run at the championship. Last year was a big step forward, but that just wasn’t enough.
“My goal is going to be the same this year as always, to win the championship,” he said. “That’s always my goal, so it’s not going to stop until we get it. If you’re not trying to win… the championship, then why play? That’s our mission is to win the championship, so we’re not going to stop until we get it.
If we’ve learned anything in recent weeks, it’s that when a team is determined to win, and Dwight Howard is their center, they can do just that. And although twice while speaking to the media Howard said “gold medal” when he meant to say “NBA championship,” everyone knows where his head is at. He and his teammates want to win now.
With another year under their belt and a gold medal-winning center roaming the paint, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Howard won some more gold by the end of June 2009 -- this time in the form of a trophy.
For now, Howard is concentrating on an NBA playoff run here in Orlando.
As for the London Games in 2012?
“If they want me to play, I’ll play,” Howard said with a smiling grin on his face. “I’ll play ‘till the wheels fall off”
By Marc D'Amico | August 25, 2008
If you happened to tune in to ABC Sunday evening to catch Hawai’i win the Little League World Series Championship, you caught a glimpse of what it looks like to achieve a goal against all odds. Tears ran from eyes, players hugged and jumped on top of each other, and parents, friends and fellow Hawaiians watched in joy as their team celebrated being the very best in the world.
Flash back to 5 a.m. EST that morning and you would have seen the exact same scene taking place on NBC, as the USA Men’s Basketball team won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Eleven and 12 year old middle schoolers were celebrating the exact same way as 23 to 35 year old millionaires.
And that’s the beauty of it all.
Yes, this version of the Olympic basketball tournament was different because the United States wanted to win gold for the first time in eight years. Yes, it was different because these players sacrificed three summers of their careers to prepare for Beijing. But if you were able to watch the final minute of the gold medal game and the medal ceremony, you know that these Olympics were different because they meant
so much more than they ever had to our American players and coaches.
In his version of the Gatorade dump, LeBron James poured a bottle of water over the head of Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K spent the next five minutes trying to fix his hair as he coached the final minute of the game, while trying to hold back a smile as best he could before the buzzer sounded.
Krzyzewski sent Carlos Boozer and Michael Redd into the game with 26 seconds left so that they could say they played in the clinching game of these 2008 Olympic Games. They gladly jumped up, ripped off their warm-ups and checked into the game, smiling and hugging their teammates as they entered. When was the last time you saw a professional athlete accept this as a compliment rather than an insult?
The crowd in Beijing, half a world away from home, chanted “U-S-A! U-S-A!” loud enough to hear on the television as the grandfather of the team, Jason Kidd, hugged Coach K and spun him in a circle on the sideline.
Kobe Bryant, the Derek Jeter of interviews in the NBA who always acts happy and says the right thing, had a smile on his face that was more genuine than any I’d ever seen. This wasn’t acting; this was true emotion.
Lastly, and maybe the most symbolic of any of these events, a tear fell from Carmelo Anthony’s eye as the national anthem blared from the speakers and the stars and stripes were raised, just inches above the flags of Spain and Argentina.
Oh how important those few inches were.
When players win NBA championships, we often see the feeling of accomplishment flowing from their bodies. After this game, it was so much more than that. It was redemption. It was fighting through adversity. It was winning a game that they could have easily lost. It was representing a country as best they could, both on and off the court. It was a team of young and often immature players growing up before our very own eyes. The list goes on and on.
But this moment could have easily never happened. If it weren’t for Coach K, Jerry Colangelo, the three year commitment and these players growing up in that time frame, it probably wouldn’t have happened.
Spain lost to the USA just eight days before by 37 points. After that game, Spain’s star player, Pau Gasol, said the following: “I think this is a good lesson for us to know what we need to do to play at the highest level and to compete. Hopefully we’ll learn and we’ll move on from this result and leave it behind us. Hopefully we’ll meet Team USA again if we earn that opportunity.”
They took that lesson as well as they possibly could have, learning from it, moving on from it, and eventually earning the right to play Team USA for gold. Then
they played at their highest level and pushed the Americans as hard as ever.
Spain led by six in the first quarter, the largest deficit Team USA had faced in the entire tournament (the previous high was a four point deficit). Rudy Fernandez, of the Protland TrailBlazers, had the game of his life, netting 22 points in 18 minutes. He had two of the highlights of the game. In the first quarter, with Spain playing so emotionally, he dribbled back and forth between his legs for about five seconds at the top of the 3-point line, took one dribble to his left and threw up a step-back, fade-away 3-pointer that hit nothing but net. The Spain bench jumped up in celebration and the electric crowd loved the play. In the fourth quarter, he got the same reaction, sparking a roar in the crowd and from his teammates when he made a running slam dunk on the baseline.
In that fourth quarter, Spain pulled to within two points of the Americans, the closest a team had been to Team USA in the fourth quarter for the entire tournament. Once again, as Team USA did throughout the game, they responded with big plays. With 3:10 remaining in the game, Kobe Bryant silenced the Spaniards by making a 3-pointer while being fouled. After adding the free throw, the American advantage had nearly been doubled, bringing the lead from five points to nine.
Spain then scored five consecutive points to bring them back to within four, at 108-104. At the 2:03 mark, LeBron James found Dwayne Wade wide open behind the 3-point line and there was no doubt about that shot. Wade had been on fire the entire game, scoring 21 points in the first half, but these three points were by far the biggest. The USA squad was again up by seven, and after a runner in the lane by Bryant, Spain began to foul and lose their cool.
Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant were a combined 5-for-6 from the line in the final 47 seconds to ice the game and secure the gold for the USA. Two of those free throws came as a result of a Spain technical foul. That foul not only allowed the US team to put two more points on the board, it also allowed Coach K to get Boozer and Redd into the game.
And with those substitutions, the celebration began. A celebration that will forever be remembered by the United States of America and the entire basketball world. Because there may never again be a more passionate and fulfilling victory for USA Basketball. This game meant that much, just watch the celebration.
Click here to watch the medal ceremony.
By Marc D'Amico | August 21, 2008
Six down, two to go.
The USA Men’s Basketball team stands one win away from playing in the gold medal round of the Beijing Olympics, where their female country-mates are already waiting for them, and two wins away from achieving their goal. If the men’s team can defeat Argentina Friday night in Beijing, America will have a chance to sweep the Olympic gold in basketball this weekend.
Wednesday brought the sixth consecutive blowout win for the USA, as they defeated Australia by a score of 116-85 in their quarterfinal match-up. Again denying those predicting close games, the Americans used a 19-0 run to officially end any hopes the Aussies had of winning.
Many thought this would be USA’s toughest game thus far, and it probably was for the first 15 minutes. But as the old adage says, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. These games are 40 minutes long, and all the US team needs is a two minute spurt to turn a close game into a laugher.
They did just that against the Australians, finishing the first half on a 5-0 run and beginning the second half on a quick14-0 run. That’s all they needed to put the game well out of hand. At halftime the Australians were down by only 12. After three quarters, they were staring at a 28 point deficit.
Kobe Bryant played a large role in that USA run, as he scored nine of the 14 points to start the second half. For the game, he scored 25, which eclipsed Dwight Howard’s 22 points against Germany for the USA’s top scoring performance of the tournament. Howard got off to a quick start in this one with eight points in the first quarter, but was given the opportunity to rest when the US squad pulled away. He finished the game with eight points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes.
The USA’s third win of the tournament came against Greece, avenging a 2006 American loss to the Greeks in the World Championships. Now, the US has another opportunity at revenge when they take on Argentina at 10:15 a.m. EST Friday morning. The Argentina squad shocked the world in the 2004 Athens Games when they defeated the United States and knocked them out of gold medal contention, a result many thought was impossible. Argentina went on to win the gold medal and the Americans took home the bronze. That was a result that changed the entire landscape of USA Basketball.
Since that point, Jerry Colangelo has taken the USA Basketball reigns and demanded a three-year commitment from anyone interested in representing their country. The present roster is now in the final four days of that three-year commitment, and a gold medal is right around the corner.
To join the USA Women’s team in the gold medal round, though, the Americans will have to knock off quite a team. The Argentina starting lineup boasts four NBA players, the most of any team the US has played thus far. Manu Ginobili is the biggest name on the roster, followed by Luis Scola (Rockets), Fabricio Oberto (Spurs), Andres Nocioni (Bulls) and Carolos Delfino (recently left the Raptors). It will definitely be the most accomplished team the USA has faced, both individually and as a team. After all, they are the defending Olympic Champions.
If the USA comes out on top Friday morning, they should give Argentina extra praise in their post-game hugs and hand shakes. After all, if they didn’t beat the Americans in 2004, the US team might not even be playing right now.
By Marc D'Amico | August 19, 2008
“The USA basketball team will face their toughest task in their next game against…”
How many times have you heard that in the past week?
First, it was China’s frontline of Yao Ming and Yi Jian-Lian, two solid NBA players, who were supposed to give the Americans trouble. The United States team has only one true center on the team, so Yao and Yi were supposed to have big games. They had 22 points, combined, and USA defeated China by 31.
Next, it was game three of the qualifying round in which the USA took on Greece, the team that defeated the red, white and blue and knocked them out of gold medal contention in the 2006 World Championships. The USA won that game by 23.
Then came the showdown with Spain, the 2006 World Champions and only other undefeated team in the United States’ qualifying group. Pao and Marc Gasol, another frontline combo of NBA players who can shoot the ball from deep, were ready to have big games. The Spaniards’ backcourt, which combines speed, athleticism and shooting ability, was supposed to take advantage of Jason Kidd’s deteriorating speed and the USA’s inability to defend the pick-and-roll. What did the USA do in that game? Oh, they just won by 37.
Now, after finishing off qualifying play with a ridiculous 49 point win over Dirk Nowiski and Germany, the largest win in men’s Olympic play since the 1992 Dream Team, the Americans will take on Australia, the team’s next “toughest game.”
If this toughest game is anything like the previous three, expect the only challenge to be Australia keeping themselves within 20 points.
At the same time, like the previous games mentioned, there is reason to believe this could be the USA’s toughest opponent thus far. During the Americans’ short trip through China prior to the Olympics, they played an exhibition game against Australia. Australia was within seven points of the Redeem Team in the fourth quarter and wound up losing by only 11. That is the closest game the USA has experienced since the 2006 World Championships. Australia managed to do this without their top player, NBA center and former number one overall pick Andrew Bogut.
Bogut’s impact will be largely determined by Dwight Howard’s play. Other than Yao Ming, who scored 13 points against the US squad, the quality of centers the United States has faced has been relatively low. That is not the case with Bogut. He is Australia’s best player, and has even been putting up (and making) 3-pointers in the Olympics. He made three in Australia’s win over previously unbeaten Lithuania in their final game of the qualifying round.
Howard, however, had his own performance in the fifth game of the qualifying round. His 22 points and 10 rebounds were both tournament highs for the United States. It was the first double-double notched for the USA in Beijing. Howard also managed to toss two assists and grab two steals, all while playing only 19 minutes.
So the big showdown at 8 a.m. (EST) Wednesday morning will be between the two big-name centers. Howard made it clear Tuesday that he and his teammates refuse to look past Australia and settle for what they’ve done. After all, they haven’t accomplished anything yet.
The remainder of the tournament is single elimination. Whichever team can win its next three games will return home with the gold. If the United States can knock off Australia Wednesday morning, they will then face the winner of the Greece vs. Argentina game in the semi-finals. If they were to advance to the gold medal game, it looks as if their opponent would be either Spain or Lithuania, who went 4-1 in the qualifying round and won the top seed in their side of the bracket.
By Marc D'Amico | August 14, 2008
The USA Basketball team has been working together for three years now in an attempt to redeem itself for their poor showing in the 2004 Athens Olympics. They’ve taken it one summer at a time, one practice at a time and one play at a time.
Now, they’re taking it one Olympic game at a time. That’s why their performance today wasn’t about redemption - it was about revenge.
Playing against Greece, the team that defeated the United States in the 2006 World Championships and knocked them out of gold medal contention, Dwight Howard and the Americans came out with energy from the start, playing hard-nosed defense and forcing numerous turnovers. They made a statement in this game early and often that every team in this tournament might want to pay attention to: this USA team is a lot different than it was in 2006.
In a game that many pegged as their toughest competition thus far, the USA team dominated the Greeks from start to finish, winning by a score of 92-69. They forced Greece into 25 turnovers and held them to just 41.3 percent shooting from the field. This is a far cry from their 2006 meeting, in which Greece committed only 11 turnovers and shot an incredible 62.5 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point territory.
Much of the problem in 2006 was the United States’ inability to defend the pick-and-roll. As many are aware, this is a play in which one offensive player (usually a big man) sets a pick on a smaller offensive player’s defender (usually a guard), leaving the ball handler with numerous options to lead his team to a bucket. He can drive to the hoop. He can drive and kick the ball out for a 3-pointer. He can take on both defenders, leaving the man who set the pick open for a jumper.
The reason this was so tough on the Americans is because European big men are different than American big men. Europeans can shoot the ball from deep and dribble to the hoop, no matter how tall they are. In the NBA, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer don’t usually have to worry about leaving their man open for a deep jump shot off of a pick and roll. Here, it’s a different story.
So, coming into today, Howard and his fellow big men were ready for the test. The problem, or maybe not a problem, was that they never really got to take that test. The reason? Well, the USA guards were too busy stealing the ball and taking it in for dunks before Greece got into their offensive sets.
Even when Greece did set up their offense, nothing was effective. Not the pick and roll, or the drive and kick or the three ball.
So, if this was the first “test” for the Americans, they did pretty well. Well enough to let the starters get some rest for Saturday’s big game against Spain, the only other undefeated team in the USA’s qualifying group.
Dwight Howard played only 12 minutes but still managed to pull down six rebounds, block a shot and grab a steal. He committed his fourth foul with 6:25 left in the third, which forced Coach Krzyzewski to take him out. He was able to rest for the remainder of the game as Greece never got closer than 16 in the second half.
This is the third consecutive game the US has won by 20 or more points. They defeated China in their opening game by 31 and followed that with a 21 point drumming of Angola.
Dwight Howard is fifth on the team in scoring with a total of 29 points, fourth on the team in rebounds with 11 and third on the team in field goal percentage at 70.6 percent. He has managed these numbers while playing only 48 minutes, which is tied for seventh on the team with Chris Bosh.
Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m. EST, the USA will face by far their toughest opponent prior to the medal rounds. Spain is 3-0 and has outscored their opponents 238-200. They are very athletic and can match up much better than the USA's first three opponents in the quickness category. They have five NBA players, including the two 7-foot brothers, Pao and Marc Gasol.
This will surely be another test of Howard and his teammates’ ability to defend the pick-and-roll. Both Gasol brothers are very good shooters and the Spaniards’ guards are very quick.
The United States has only one player in the top five of scoring in the tournament, with Dwayne Wade leading all players at 18.4 ppg, and zero players in the top five of rebounding in the tournament. They do, however, have two of the top five assist leaders in the Games, with LeBron James dishing out 4.7 apg (third most) and Chris Paul averaging 4 apg (fifth most).
Look for the Americans to continue their unselfish and well rounded play Saturday morning, while turning up the defensive intensity in the backcourt in an attempt to continue forcing their opponent into turnovers. Spain has already averaged 14.6 turnovers per game against teams with much less defensive ability than the United States. The Americans have forced their opponents into an average of 22.6 turnovers per game.
Saturday’s match-up will be a critical factor in the seedings for the medal rounds. If the USA team can defeat Spain, they will have a chance to finish the qualifying round with a perfect 5-0 record on Monday when they face Dirk Nowitski and his German teammates at 8 a.m. EST.
By Marc D'Amico | August 4, 2008
Florida’s Superman should be used to blue and white, right?
Well, for Dwight Howard, the jersey he’ll be wearing next week will be of a whole new breed. This time the blue will be a little darker, the white will mean a little more, and some red will be tossed in. Instead of Magic script running across his chest, he will be boasting three letters that represent more than 300 million people and everything they believe in. Howard will be the starting center for the USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and he completely understands the enormity of that statement.
“It’s a great honor for me and I was glad I was one of the guys selected,” said Howard. “There are a lot of great players in this league and for them [the coaches] to pick me, I feel honored. It was just big, knowing that I get a chance to represent my family, my organization and the United States.”
Howard and the other 21 members of the 2008 USA Men’s Olympic Team roster all have their eyes set on one thing. They understand that the bronze medal their country brought home from the 2004 Olympics in Athens was unacceptable. They don’t want to be awarded the silver medal, symbolizing the second-best team in the world. No, they want gold. They want to win the gold medal not for themselves, but for their country.
“Winning a world championship for the USA team is for everybody in America,” said Howard. “It’s not just you taking it back home and saying, ‘I got a gold medal,’ it’s, ‘We got a gold medal, we all did it together.’ It’s like everybody is at peace, everybody is there to watch their team win. You are basically representing something bigger than yourself. You are representing Orlando, the whole state of Florida, you are representing L.A., and everybody is just representing the United States of America.”
The United States has won 12 Olympic gold medals in 15 appearances (they did not participate in the 1980 Games), but with the sport’s rapid expansion throughout the world, competition has recently picked up.
Since winning the gold medal in the 2000 Olympics, the Americans have won bronze in both the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Although many of the players and coaches remain the same from 2006, their focus has shifted to a more modest stance.
“The biggest thing is respecting the other team,” Howard said. “Everybody has put us on a pedestal and sometimes people or teams can get too confident and they end up losing. One of the things he [Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski] said was to stay humble and know what we are playing for. We are playing for respect around the world, and to get the USA back on top.”
After a brief injury that forced Howard to miss June’s two-day training camp, he has made it clear that he is fully healthy and ready for Olympic play. A healthy Dwight Howard may actually be the most important piece of Team USA. He is the only true center on the roster and possesses defensive abilities that can completely alter games.
In the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, Howard dominated the paint against international competition, averaging 5.3 rpg, blocking 18 shots and shooting a staggering 81.5 percent from the field. He led the USA in all three of those categories. Coincidentally, or maybe not, the United States routed their competition and went undefeated in the tournament, securing their qualification for the 2008 Beijing Games.
A year later, Howard has continued his foreign dominance. The USA basketball team has played a total of four tune-up games thus far in preparation for the Olympics. In those games, Howard has averaged 10.5 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, blocked five shots and stolen six passes, all while shooting 72 percent from the field.
Howard and his teammates will take on Australia Tuesday in what will be their final 40 minutes of live game action before their quest for gold begins in Beijing. Team USA will take on China, the Olympic host, at 10:15 a.m. (EST) August 10 in their first game of the qualifying round. This will probably be Howard’s toughest task in Beijing, as he will be defending Houston Rockets center Yao Ming. Angola, Greece, Spain and Germany will be the next four teams the USA will face in the qualifying round.
To make it to the gold medal game, the USA must advance past the qualifying round of five games and then both a quarterfinal and semifinal game. Counting the gold medal round, the two finalists will play a total of eight contests. With their goal set in stone, the Americans and their country will be hoping for a perfect 8-0 record.
Many have named this USA squad the “Redeem Team” as they attempt to bring their country back to the top of the international basketball world. If their performances in the past week have been a sign of things to come, Superman might be getting used to another new color decorating his body, while his flying act might hit a little bit of a dry spell – I’ve heard those gold medals can really weigh you down.
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