This Nigeria game

[HoustonCuse]

This is what happens when the prince can't get his money Western Unioned back to him fast enough. Damn shame.

 

[4evaOrange]

Most explosive player in the league right now.

Definitely in league with LeBron.

 

[4evaOrange]

That was incredible (even though Westbrook almost booted it). The other camera angle is equally impressive - Westbrook covered 30 or 35 feet of court in the time that his lob to Love was in the air. And he elevated like Blake Griffin.

I'm thinking those two have tried this in Pauley more than a couple times.

He is just a crazy athlete...

 

[NineOneSeven]

Definitely in league with LeBron.

Athletic ability I give it to Lebron. By explosiveness I mean quickness, leaping ability, and agility.

 

[PoppyHart]

I guess what I am saying is not every nation that wants in, gets in. There are typically qualifying tournaments, so why aren't they set up such that a team as weak as Nigeria gets bounced in the qualifying rounds.

It's the Olympics. Just like other sports (as we saw in gymnastics with Wieber, for example) the organizers don't want an overly homogenous talent pool. They want a representative from all the governing bodies, to the extent possible. Tunisia, as winner of the FIBA Africa tourney, got the continent's sole automatic qualifier slot. The second and third place teams, Angola and Nigeria, went to a predetermined qualifying tournament in July to decide the final 3 slots (8 auto qualifiers, 3 wildcards, and the host nation). Nigeria made it out of this tourney, along with Lithuania and Russia. They legitimately survived a 12 for 3 tourney, beating Lithuania (yep) to make the knockout stage, and then beating Greece to reach the semis. In an all or nothing 3rd place match, they beat the Dominican Republic.

I suppose teams like Canada, Serbia, and Slovenia could have a beef, as they were not eligible for the wildcard tourney, but I hardly think that's an injustice. I doubt they are vastly superior to Nigeria, and may not even be superior at all.

 

[4evaOrange]

Athletic ability I give it to Lebron. By explosiveness I mean quickness, leaping ability, and agility.

I can agree with that.