Achilles' Heel?

The way he limped off the court, the author and everyone else who was watching the game between Argentina and Greece knew that Manu Ginobili was in BIG trouble. The author even thought that Popovich must've choked while watching the NBA star in pain. The cause for his limping was the same ankle that got him into trouble during the postseason.

What's troubling the entire San Antonio Spurs is that the MRI showed that the 6th-man-extraordinaire needs a foot surgery. With the looming preseason of the NBA, Ginobili's injury could mean that the Spurs need a more reliable backup [the 7th man, I must say]. As far as the author could see on the current roster of the Spurs, the only possible player to fill in the job of Ginobili is Ime Udoka. There is one problem, however, Udoka is not offensively consistent. So, literally there is no one in Pop's lineup, who could play as aggressive and as good as Ginobili.

The foot surgery is scheduled next week and after that the team will determine when can Ginobili return.

I Really Can't Miss This

Vamos Argentina!

Apart from the fact that they are the defending Olympic Gold Medalists, the Argentines prove to be one of the teams to beat in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Basketball. After throttling the Croatians with their defense, the Argentines finished off Iran to 97-82. The top scorers of the night were Manu Ginobili, with 32 points, and Luis Scola, with 20 points and seven rebounds. Despite the efforts of Iran particularly Hamed Ehadadi, with 21 points and 16 rebounds, it wasn't enough to pull out a win against the Argentines. The Argentines are IN in the quarterfinals but still they have to continue winning. What Juan Pedro Gutierrez have to say is, "Every game is important. We play Russia on Monday and it is important to win that game and avoid finishing fourth. They are European champions and it will be a tough game."

So, what's the fuss about being fourth in Group A in the quarterfinals? Well, it has something to with team USA who is currently on top in Group B. If in case they win against Spain who remains undefeated in Group B, they'll be the ones to face the fourth placer of Group A. I think teams from Group B should also worry about Greece, who lost against USA and Spain. And if the current standings don't change in both groups, Argentina will be the likely foe of the Greeks and that's the match that I really can't miss. Vamos Argentina!

Lithuania is Feeling Good

Whoa! That was one terrific game for Lithuania. And as for the Croatians, they simply didn't have enough power in defeating an undeniably good team. The Lithuanians thrashed the Croatians, 86-73, with Mindauqas Lukauskis pouring 20 points and Linas Kleiza of the Denver Nuggets finishing with 18 points and setting the 3-pt arc a hotspot for the Lithuanians.

The game was pretty tight during the first half and continued to the third quarter. But as soon as last quarter began, Kleiza began shooting three's and the Croatians were in their heels trying to make up for the large deficit that the Nuggets' star has done. And it was soon too late for the Croatians to defeat the Lithuanians, which remains undefeated with 4-0 in the record and clinching a sure spot in the quarterfinals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Basketball. But let's not get too excited, the Lithuanians still has another tough team to beat and that's the Aussies. =p