A lot of things are different in International basketball — the closer three-point line, the types of zone defenses, the overall style of play.
And the balls and the rims, if you ask Team USA players. Which the Star Ledger did to Deron Williams (via SLAM).“If you hit any part of the rim, it’s coming out. I learned that in Turkey, too: I had to put more arc on the ball.
“The ball. . . is the same size, but we’re playing with new ones, so they’re slippery. It takes a while to break a ball in. We don’t play with new ones (in the NBA), we use the ones that are worn in.”
Tyson Chandler echoed the comment on the ball, saying even in practice the USA used broken in international balls. We have seen this issue also come up in the NFL — quarterbacks and kickers want balls that are broken in and the leather is a little softer. Same with shooters. The new balls don’t grip the hand quite as well.
As for the rim, combine the extra bounce with the international rule you can knock a ball off the cylinder after it touches the rim and you just don’t get those four-bounce, shooter’s roll shots you see in the NBA.
You know what solves both of those problems? More dunks. That’s why you never heard Blake Griffin complaining about the rims.
