Olympic Basketball 2012: Blowout Etiquette Rules for Team USA, Coach K

In the 2008 Olympics, Team USA outscored their opponents by an average of more than 40 points in the pool round. While there should be some tougher opponents in the pool round for the team this year, the issue of blowout etiquette still needs to be addressed—before the games with Tunisia and Nigeria, for example.

Some basic questions are:

• How large of a final score lead is socially acceptable?
• At what point should Coach K empty the bench?
• Should the team keep playing defense all the way to the end of the game?
• When does the team stop celebrating good plays?
• How should the team react at the end of the game?
• Should players do their very best until the final buzzer?
• Is this really a serious competition or a stage for the players to demonstrate their skills to the rest of the world?

A little advance preparation might avoid the team being tagged with the moniker "ugly Americans."

Never Show Up Your Opponent

I really don't think showing up your opponent is appropriate in any sport, especially in an international event like the Olympics.  I don't like it when a slugger stands in the batter's box and watches a home run fly out of the stadium. I hate it when a football player dances around after laying out an opponent with a hard hit.

I realize that there can be a fine line between celebrating your own good performance and your opponent's misfortune or error. 

Coach K is a classy, experienced and respected coach.  So I don't expect that there should be an issue with this during the Olympics. He will have his team under control in this area.

Empty the Bench

Playing everyone in a blow-out is not only a good idea from a sportsmanship perspective, but it is also smart strategy.

There are eight games scheduled in a short two-week interval.  So keeping the key players fresh and injury-free for the medals round is important. For example, the team might take on a different look if Kevin Love had to suddenly start at center rather than Tyson Chandler.

Limiting the Celebrations

Given the superior athletic skills of the Team USA, we can certainly expect to see awesome plays: alley-oop passes for dunks, flashing fast breaks and thundering slamdowns.

But how should these be celebrated during the game?

It's OK to:

• Point to the player who made a great assist for you,
• Clap a few times to cheer a teammate's play or
• Make a fist when you finish a play.

But it's not OK to:

• Chest bump during a game,
• Laugh at or tease an opponent's inability to stop you or
• Do an Ozzie-Smith cartwheel.

Should You Ever "Ease Up"?

This one is easy to address.

In my humble opinion, as long as you are "in the game," you should play to your best ability, without risking injury, regardless of the score. You don't have to make super-human efforts in the last minute of a blowout, but you need to play the game.

If this results in running up the score, so be it. That's part of the game. You can't expect any world-class athlete to just go through the motions and fake playing. As well as being an insult to the game, it is a sure-fire way to risk an unnecessary injury by letting up your guard.

After the Game

Always shake hands with your opponents after the game. Period.

LeBron James might need a little coaching on this issue. In the 2010 NBA playoffs, when his team was eliminated by the Boston Celtics, he rushed off the court without shaking hands with anyone. 

People remember these things. So naturally Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo left the court before the deciding game against the Miami Heat ended in this year's playoffs.

We don't need a repeat of this in the Olympics.

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