Running with Zaza

3rd Quarter—Coach K and I feel the same way with this start—very nervous. What would happen if the game is close at the end of the 4th quarter? There is the first awful shot by Kobe. Lebron is complaining to the official. Take the ball up and dunk it! Kobe called for traveling. Collins is cryptically criticizing Kobe for trying to do too much. Howard is 15-33 from the foul line in the Olympic tourney. That’s bad. Spain scores on another pick and roll. Marc Gasol sets solid screens. Clearly, he is an NBA ready player. NBA regular season is a long grind, so he would have to get in better shape. Coach K has to take a time out. Beckham is in the audience! Spain sits back in a 2-3 zone. Missed shot by Carmelo. Quick lay-up scored by Melo. Uh-oh, looks like Melo hurt his hand by hitting the backboard. Reyes and Jimenez hustle and get second and third shots. USA up by 4 points with 5 minutes left in the quarter. Kobe takes another bad shot. A couple of more lay-ups traded. Again, no defense is being played by either team. Great screen set by Marc Gasol, nicknamed “the Tank”, on an out of bounds underneath play. He is going to the foul line for two shots. Wade takes a questionable, guarded outside shot. USA is playing with a lot of energy and determination. Kobe finally passes (he was almost forced to by the defense) and Wade goes to the foul line. How is Juan Carlos Navarro getting to the basket? Spain scores on a pretty alley oop to Gasol. Spain back to a zone and Anthony hits a 3. I like the way Team USA uses the wing ball screen against the zone. Paul used the screen and found a wide open Melo. At the 3rd quarter buzzer, Navarro torches Deron Williams to cut the lead to 91-82.

4th Quarter—Deron Williams misses the lay-up. Lebron and Kobe have three fouls. Fouls are being committed on every possession. Kobe takes another guarded, bad shot. Spain cuts the lead to 5 on a Rudy Fernandez / Pau Gasol screen roll into an alley oop dunk. Bad shot taken by Melo. A 3 point make by Fernandez cuts the lead to 2 points! Krzyzewski calls another time out. Out of the time-out, high screen and roll leads to a forced shot by Kobe which goes in the basket. Kobe drives and dishes to Williams for 3 point make. Kobe for 3! Yes! Kobe gambled and Fernandez just ferociously dunked on Dwight Howard. Howard and Lebron have 4 fouls. Pau Gasol makes a jumper with no one around and it’s down to a 5 point game. Spain gets back in a zone. Wade drives and finds Kobe for a 4 point play. Wow, Fernandez has fouled out. I am glad I stayed up for this! Navarro runs a great curl off a down screen and scores. Jimenez nails a 3 point shot. Spain stays in the zone. Wade hits a 3! Yes. Spain down by 7 calls timeout. No Michael Red in this game, interesting? Kobe called for a foul. It is his 4th. Rubio out hustles CP3 to the loose ball. Jimenez misses a 4 point shot and Lebron rebounds. That should be the game with 1:30 left. Kobe pretty much took over in the last 5 minutes of the game by scoring and actually passing to his teammates. Happy Birthday, Kobe! Redeem Team is redeemed. Congrats Coach K! USA Basketball is back! And I am gone.