Picking up with 4:55 to go in the 2nd.

4:55 – Iran just had a nice move to the basket. Looks like they weren’t scared on that one. 28-16.

4:28 – Enough with the contested 3s by Iran. Kirilenko’s ugly.

3:58 – Nice move to the basket by Iran. Missed, but cleaned up by Hadadi. Maybe he will get picked up by the L.

3:40 – AK47 just posterized the entire Iranian nation. Missed the bonus, but tipped in on an own-goal by Iran. 4 point play the old fashioned way.

3:09 – Russia magically scored. My brother predicts Russia will blow it open in the third.

2:51 – Iran has no offense. None. They stand. They dribble the ball up, then stand.

2:39 – They also have no defense. Russia’s killing them inside. Thank God for missed free throws.

2:25 – Seriously, no offense. Heaved a horrible 3 then got a loose ball foul.

1:40 – Iran got a defensive rebound, which is nice. I wish they had a play to run.

1:18 – They luck out and get fouled going to the rim. 1 of 2.

0:55 – Russia’s missing gimmes. Which Iran turns into a ballsy 3. Nice. 36-22.

0:00 – Iran misses a bunny which Russia tries to convert into a cross-court layup by Holden, but he misses at the buzzer. Potentially pushed, but I’ll trust the refs on this one…

Iran wins the second, 17-14. Too bad they lost the first 24-5…thank God for that layup and 3…

At halftime they’re down 38-22. Better than anyone expected. We’ll chalk the first quarter up to big-stage jitters.

3rd Quarter

9:05 – Holden’s pretty good. Iran’s also good. At not getting rebounds.

8:28 – Hadadi draws a lot of attention in the post. Iran hits another open 3.

8:05 – Russia responds with a wide open 17-footer. 40-25 Russia.

7:41 – Iran’s making more of an effort o drive the ball coming out of halftime. Good to see. Not leading to much, though.

7:08 – Iran hits a nice layup, cutting it to 13.

6:25 – Nice. Hadadi just blocked a Russian drive. Weak block. But still a block.

6:05 – Poor offensive strategy: trying to drive past AK47.

5:46 – Wow. An actual legitimate defensive stop by Iran. Followed by a Hadadi tip-in. 40-29.

4:51 – Nice spin move, jab and fake by Hadadi. Gets fouled and sent to the line for two. Misses the first. And the second. Nice stroke, though.

4:39 – Holden hits a nice floater off a nice lead pass, then steals the ball and assists on a layup. When you count Hadadi’s missed free throws, it’s a six point swing. Instead of being down 9, they trail Russia 44-29. Iran time-out.

4:00 – Iran hits a three out of the time-out. Holden tries to answer but fails. Redeems himself on defense by stripping a layup.

2:47 – Hadadi misses a layup, but grabs the board and dishes to a teammate who gets fouled on the drive. Hits one, 44-33.

2:24 -Missed another defensive board. Second chance for Russia. Holden capitalizes.

1:50 – Not a bad drop step by Hadadi. Gets fouled and hits one. 46-34.

1:28 – Hand of God basket by Hadadi. Cuts it to 10 in the third. Iran has a legitimate chance to win. My brother was wrong.

It’d be great if they won this. It’d boost their confidence, decimate Russia’s, and ratchet up the intensity for the rest of the tournament. Let’s not forget Russia’s the Euro champ. It’d be crazy if they lost this.

1:10 – Nice, Holden loses the ball off his leg out of bounds. Can Iran cut it to single digits?

0:47 – Gorgeous drive, dish, and basket by Hadadi. Followed by Iran forcing a shot clock violation! They’ve got momentum, people.

0:21.3 – Crowd’s into it, cheering for Iran, it seems. He holds for the final shot. Drives, dishes to Hadadi, who catches it but can’t get a grip. Iran recovers and gets off a 3 that misses at the buzzer.

46-38 after 3, with Iran outscoring Russia 16-8 in the third. Is there an upset on our hands? I hope so. Great way to start the Olympics. Ahmadinejad wouldn’t shut up, though. It’d be fun to see what Putin would say if they lost.

4th Quarter

9:48 – Iran tries for an oop out of the break. Ballsy.

They’re playing with way more confidence. Russia’s not aggressive enough, though. They should be dominating this game. I’m surprised Kirilenko’s not crying, yet.

8:34 – Iran gives up the second of two layups. 50-38.

7:50 – Nice transition 3 by Iran! Boys can shoot!

7:12 – Hadadi tries a drop step fade-away from 18 ft. Loses the ball, instead. Funny, that.

6:30 – Iran hits another 3. Cuts it to 10 – 54-44.

5:49 – Holden answers with a 3 of his own. Games getting out of reach. 57-44.

5:19 – After Iran misses a layup, Bykov hits a second 3 for Russia, making it 60-44. Takes the air out of the Iranians.

The game looks like it’s out of reach. Regardless of the 8 minute difference with NBA games, it’s a much faster-paced game than NBA games are. Far fewer time-outs. Fewer isolation plays, too. It’s kind of nice.

4:50 – Hadadi finally gets a board. Doesn’t lead to much, though. Russia’s definitely more poised than Iran is.

The crowd’s randomly cheering. Oh, looks like it’s the wave. It’s really too distracting, if you ask me.

60-46 after two free throws.

3:50 – Nice rejection by Hadadi at the hoop.

Patriotism is odd. I’m not emotionally attached to Iran by any means. I’m embarrassed by their team, actually. And yet I still want them to pull through with a win.

2:10 – Russia’s dominating. Getting all the loose balls, playing great defense, executing well on offense. 64-46. Iran’s mailing the rest of this one in.

1:40 – Holden hits a nice floater. I wonder how he’d do in the NBA. It’s different with Russia because he’s clearly the man on his team. Wonder how he’d do as a sub in the League.

0:50 – Kirilenko comes out with Iran at the line and the score 66-49.

0:05 – Russia pushes the ball up court and heaves a 3 with a second left that swishes through. Poor form, Russia. Poor form.

0:00 – Game over. A victory for both teams. Russia gets the W. Iran gets the confidence.

Final score: 71-49. The game was won in the fourth quarter with excellent execution and patience by Russia.

Player of the game: JR Holden

Great start to the Olympics – I can’t wait until tomorrow’s USA – China game! It should be a barn burner…or something.

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USA vs China, Men’s Basketball – Live blogging the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China
USA Men’s Basketball roster for the 2012 London Olympics
Movies for Men: Summer 2008
Calderon’s deal in the summer.
Most optimistic and naive statement ever?