6 Questions Raised By USA vs. France

"Did Granger just foul out?"

"He has to learn there are consequences for his actions."

The above exchange was just one of many questions that had to be addressed during No Regard's field trip to Sunday's exhibition game between USA and France. The game was great, but for some reason, the afternoon spent at the culmination of the World Basketball Festival's takeover of New York City raised more questions than it answered. Here are a few of them.

1. Is Team USA's lack of bigs going to hurt them beyond repair during the tournament?
Don't think so. The Gasol brothers will surely prove a tough match-up, but that would be the case even if the US trotted out two or three all-star caliber big men. Instead, Coach K is going to champion this team's outrageous athleticism until he's hoarse. Using Sunday's match as a barometer, this tactic should work well against every team not named "Spain."

2. Have Rudy Gay and Andre Iguodala always been this good?

They both looked spectacular on Sunday. Gay appeared settled and steady with his jumper, and threw down a few monsterous dunks that would have placed well in either of the dunk contests Harold Miner won.



Igoudala's defense and transition game was cartoonishly effective; he's just insanely long. (Pause?) If they can both play like this in the regular season, they may almost be worth those massive contracts they each have.

3. Has Rondo's signature behind-the-back ball fake become the most satisfying move in the league?



Probably. Seeing it in person for the first time on Sunday was magic. I know this is blasphemy, but it's approaching Iverson crossover territory. But while Iverson's go-to move was the uncoiling of infinite potential energy in a single, brief moment, Rondo's ball fake takes the scenic route and seems to unspool for minutes. Both make defenders weep.

4. Can Eric Gordon shoot his way onto the final roster?
There's one more cut to be made, and it's most likely to be a guard. Gordon's a smart cat and knows that long range shooting is key in the international game, and the U.S. can always use more of it. So, Gordon has used his minutes to prove his worth as a specialist, hoisting up 12 three-pointers in his 29 minutes played in Sunday's game and Saturday's scrimmage against China—he made a pretty respectable five. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook still has a mohawk and loves Cheetos. So it's a tough call.

5. Can The Bongo Cam replace The Kiss Cam?
It's so strange and goofy that it's got a shot. We're all familiar with The Kiss Cam, a staple during sporting event timeouts, but none of the No Regard staff had ever experienced The Bongo Cam before Sunday. And we're all pretty excited about it. For the uninitiated: A mess of bongo drum noises are pumped through the arena speakers; the jumbotron displays illustrated bongos at the bottom of the screen, so when random crowd members are shown furiously air-drumming, it looks like they're the cause of the raucous music.

But The Kiss Cam flexed its muscle on Sunday, when it finished an uncharacteristically tepid segment with a courtside smooch between Tony Parker and Eva Longoria. The Garden erupted. Tough to imagine The Bongo Cam garnering such a response, but it's got cult possibility for sure.

6. Is there a better place than Madison Square Garden to watch basketball?
New York City is hungry for highlights. Though the arena got awkwardly quiet (except for the lone vuvuzela in our section) once the game got out of reach for France, the sell-out crowd was quick to show it's enthusiasm. When Rudy Gay unleashed those two ferocious breakaway dunks late in the third quarter, Madison Square Garden exploded with an avalanche of cheers that sounded like they'd been bottled up for years. Or at least since the Eddy Curry trade.

You see, New York loves basketball, and that's what was most on display during the game, and really all weekend at the World Basketball Festival. No matter the skill level, age, gender, or nationality of the players at hand, New Yorkers really just like watching hoops.