Who wants to play Team USA?June 24, 2016

Cleveland Cavaliers made history on Sunday night, as no other NBA team rallied from a 1-3 deficit in the finals. This series would be remembered for the one-sided scores until the deciding game. Both Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors played to their strengths, but fans would still be left wondering about the following. Would the Warriors won the series if Andrew Bogut didn't injure his left knee? It might be possible, but LeBron James showed why he would be one of the league's greatest players.

â€œI kept that positive attitude. I don't know why we had to take the hard road. Against all odds," said the tearful forward moments after the victory.

Will James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love play together next season? It's hard to answer this question right now, as the Cavaliers are on a roller coaster of emotions. And then there's the Summer Olympics. (We'll go to that later.) Not a few think that James can leave the Cavaliers without animosity from the Cleveland fans as he's searching for another power group. After Dwayne Wade and James Bosch, NBA fans can see James playing along Kevin Durant. And why not? The Oklahoma City Thunders forward will turn 28 this September. He doesn't want to be one of the great players to retire without the NBA ring. As for the final member of the next trio, his identity will be revealed later this year. If not this fall, then next season. It will depend on the salary.

Last but not least, James deserve a well-deserved break. He hasn't committed to Team USA, but there's a possibility that he won't play in Rio. It will be an interesting summer for some NBA stars as they look for greener pastures. Let's not forget the fact that the others want to have an NBA title on their resume. Regardless of the outcome, the next batch of NBA players are the favourites to win the gold medal. (Klay Thompson may be stung by his team's loss to the Cavaliers, but he'll be ready for the Olympics. And it seems like he'll make it the final cut.)

The best of the rest of the world

The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournaments will be played on July 4-10, but the FIBA already divided the twelve qualified teams into two groups. It seems like no one wants to play the Americans in the group stage, as Argentina, Brazil, Lithuania, and Spain found themselves in the other group. Assuming France, Italy, and Serbia win their respective qualifying tournaments, then the Italians might slug it out in the group of death.

Group B is a very competitive group, where the top four teams have a slight advantage in the knockout round. It might not be the case with the team in fourth place, as they will likely play the Americans in the quarterfinals. But this is all about the jockeying for the best position. Fans still recall the London Olympics. (Nicolas Batum gave a vicious punch to Juan Carlos Navarro during the quarterfinal game between France and Spain.)

As for the Australian team, they'll likely miss Bogut. This won't affect their chances of advancing to the knockout round. (Australia will compete against China, the US, and Venezuela in the group stage. The other two teams will be known after the qualifiers.) But the knockout round is another thing. The Boomers might make their fourth semifinal appearance in the Olympics depending on the outcome of the group stage. Past results will suggest that Spain, the reigning EuroBasket champion, won't finish on top of their group. Brazil can count on their raucous fans. The Lithuania men's basketball national team have been known for consistent results. This Northern European country might play the Boomers in the quarterfinals.

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