NEU » ecific heroes. Theres no Sniper or Tr

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Olympic officials were full of praise when they awarded the Olympics to Rio seven years ago, never imagining such things as the Zika virus and green water in the pools.Indeed, they declared that there was absolutely no flaw in Rios plans for the games.Many of those plans have since gone awry, as plans often do. The first Olympics in South America remains very much a work in progress, beset by myriad problems that organizers seem unable -- or unwilling -- to solve.Midway through the games, its time to give the Rio Olympics some grades:ATMOSPHERE: This isnt London with its iconic venues, but Rio has some things going for it as an Olympic host. Beach volleyball on the famed Copacabana sand looks good, and so does the sailing on Guanabara Bay, assuming you can ignore the raw sewage that pours into it. But the main Olympic park is barren and devoid of decoration, the diving and water polo pools are green , and most of the venues look like they were built without concern about whether they would stay up. Did we mention the sewage stench that greets fans at some venues? Take away the occasional samba dancing, and theres not much to get anyone in the Olympic spirit. GRADE D-plus.ATTITUDE: There has been plenty of it, from U.S. soccer goalie Hope Solo calling the Swedish team a bunch of cowards to an Egyptian judoka refusing to shake the hand of his Israeli opponent after a match. The best attitude of the whole Olympics, though, came from U.S. swimmer Lilly King, who called out her Russian opponent for doping and then backed it up by beating her for a gold medal in the pool. These are the best athletes in the world, and sometimes they have a lot to say, even if some of it is offensive. GRADE B.WATER: What is it about Brazil and water? The country just cant get it right. Guanabara Bay looks beautiful on television but dangerous up close, and the water in the rowing venue is filled with viruses, much to the displeasure of the pair of Serbian rowers who tipped over in it. Meanwhile, the worlds best divers plunge into a murky green pool, and water polo was played in a pool so full of chlorine that they finally had to drain and refill it. GRADE F.CROWDS: Theres a lot to like about fans who cheer loudly for underdogs and the home team, and enjoy taunting almost everybody else. OK, maybe they went a bit too far when chanting Uh! Youre gonna die! Uh! Youre gonna die! to the opponent of a Brazilian fencer, but it seemed to all be done in fun. On the flip side, there were lots of empty seats at many events because of high ticket prices or a lack of interest. GRADE C.SAFETY: A media bus had its windows shattered and stray bullets were twice fired into Olympic complexes. Two Australian coaches were robbed at knifepoint near Ipanema beach, and so was Portugals education minister. Gang members in a favela killed a Brazilian police officer who took a wrong turn while working Olympic security, and fans attending the opening ceremony passed by a man shot to death in the street. Rio was a dangerous city to begin with, but the incidents are even more disturbing considering there are more than 85,000 security forces deployed to protect the games. GRADE D.MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES: Every Olympics has some, even one as troubled as Rio. Michael Phelps won a bunch of medals once again, but its not like that hasnt happened before. Indeed, the best moments from the pool came when Katie Ledecky nearly lapped the field in the 800-meter for her fourth Olympic gold, and Simone Manuel became the first African-American woman to win a swimming gold. Not as well noticed outside Brazil was Rafaela Silva taking judo gold , the first win for the home team. Silva, who grew up in poverty in the City of God favela, was subjected to racial abuse from Brazilians after missing out on a medal in the 2012 Olympics. Today, Im not an embarrassment for my family, she said. GRADE B.DOPING: This has nothing to do with Rio, and everything to do with the International Olympic Committee allowing politics to mix with cheaters. Five more have been caught doping so far in these games, but if history is any indication a lot more will get away with doping in Rio just like they have in other Olympics. GRADE D.LOGISTICS: Traveling to different venues has been a nightmare at times, largely because Rio is separated by mountains and Brazils highways often look more like parking lots. Everyone seems to have a story about confused taxi drivers and lengthy bus rides, though for the most part the buses have run on time and theyve usually gone to the right places. That wasnt true Friday night when British swimmer got on an unmarked bus at the Olympic village and was taken to the Olympic Stadium 45 minutes away instead of the nearby swimming arena. Swimming officials had to push back the 50-meter qualifying schedule so she and two others could make it in time. GRADE C.OVERALL: Rio was always a disaster waiting to happen, and so far disaster has largely been avoided. Hysteria over the Zika virus has faded, there have been no terrorist attacks, and only one sailor has reported being sickened by polluted waters. More importantly, perhaps, the big television show that is the Olympics looks good on TV, even if NBCs ratings are down.Still, every Olympics has its problems and Rio has had more than most. If things dont get better in the final week, that is how these games will ultimately be remembered. GRADE C-minus.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. 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Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. The offseason held a lot of surprises for Complexity. After a long period of playing together, two players left to go compete in Sweden, and a third had to leave the demanding life of playing professional Dota 2 due to health concerns.As Complexity assembled a new roster and fought to hold its spot among a growing stable of competitive North American Dota squads, the midseries departure of Justin jk Rosselle from the lineup added to the pile. Weeks from the Boston Major, the team would need to find a new player and potentially shift roles within the team to stay five players strong for the first major of the 2017 season.You wouldnt know any of this talking to captain Kyle swindlemelonzz Freedman, though. The leader of Complexity, who is known for his candidness on panels, was frank about the teams determination to forge ahead, despite the stumbling blocks. In spite of everything, Freedman still has his sights set squarely on the Aegis.I kind of never stop thinking about [The International], Freedman told ESPN. Its just what you want to win. The majors are important for a lot of reasons, but you never stop thinking about TI.Talent vs. driveWhen discussing Complexitys recent roster difficulties, both Freedman and the organization avoided detailing the situation surrounding Rosselles departure.Youre not supposed to air each others dirty laundries and discuss any potential personality flaws, Freedman said of player departures. You just say, Justin quits, and we just went with whoever we could find that would want to win and play real hard. Theres more to it, of course, but end of the day, Justin quit and we needed to find somebody else on short notice.The player the team turned to in a pinch was Jaron monkeys-forever Clinton, an American player the team was familiar with and trusted. It did, however, throw a wrench into the mix, with an uncertainty about whether Clinton would take Rosselles role in the one-role, or if offlaner David Moo Hull would take the reins. When asked, Freedman was ambiguous about who would take which lane, saying its kind of up in the air and whatever works is what [Complexity] are probably going to try next.When asked what he looked in for a replacement, Freedman cited a drive to win as being more important than talent.Talent -- everyone has talent. Its more about finding people that want to grow, and become the best, and work within any specific team, Freedman said. Take a player like Miracle, and he looks like a god on OG, and then he plays with Liquid and they dont look good at all. Is that because Miracle is suddenly worse? I dont think so. Its just that theres more that goes into teams than just existing. Its how you work within the team, how you communicate, the role you fill.Rocket manWhen we last talked with Complexity, the team was coming hot off a win against Evil Geniuses and looking strong for the Manila Major. Half a year later, the team struggled in Manila and failed to make it through the TI6 Wild Card qualifiers.As Freedman tells it, it has been a series of what-ifs while seeing teams like Digital Chaos and Evil Geniuses dominate.We were really close the whole year, Freedman said. We lost the tiebreaker to EG, then we lose to DC 3-2 in an 80-minute game we should have won, then we watch those teams finish second and third [at TI6]. You see yourself and youre like, that could have been us pretty easily if we had just come through. If we had won the one game we should have won instead of losing it again.It was a sore spot, but Freedman seems determined to forge ahead with Complexity, pushing to make those close losses turn the other direction. He says the team plans to work smarter, not harder. In an esport that demands so much of its players, between travel, playtime and myriad tournaments, burnout has been a frequent topic of discussion for the past couple years.When all you do is play Dota and being at it is your job, whenever you lose, youre in a pretty poor spot, Freedman said. Because now, in order to get better you want to continue playing. But at the same time, now its just going to be a source of stress, a reminder that maybe you dont have anything to play because you lost.Taking time off becomes a tricky concern for players as well. When discussing the offseason, many have said that while they took the month or so of downtime to relax, they still played the occasional game, inn pubs and ranked stacks.dddddddddddd As Freedman describes it, if you step away from Dota for a few weeks or a month, you often need to dedicate that much time just to get back to where you were prior to the break.Its a cruel mistress, you know? Freedman said. The more time you give to yourself, the more youll need to make up for it due to your neglect. Its sort of just finding a balance. I think its a weekly balance, more so than this massive binge of being on or off. I think that can actually be potentially more harmful.The advice Freedman had for burnout solutions was to find ways to relax. Making time for yourself on a weekly basis can mean the difference between being wound tight or feeling fresh.Make sure you get out of your own head, because Dotas always going to have to be a really main part of your life, Freedman said. Probably priority one, in truth, as a pro Dota player, but you just have to make sure you dont let it take over all your other priorities. You still need to do things that make you relax every day.The state of the unionAs for Complexitys headspace going into the major, the team seems passionate and ready. Theres a tacit drive in Freedmans speech, and as the team comes together to boot camp for the coming tournament, that drive might well carry over into results for Complexity. Theres a lot on the line with a performance at the major, as well. North America has been growing as a region over the past year, with new teams challenging the old guard and making a name for themselves.I think Americas always had really good teams at the top, Freedman said of NAs growth in the past year. We just havent really had the depth of other regions, and a lot of thats just because our good players in America are too lazy to even try.Freedman cites pros who decline to compete -- in America and in the open qualifiers for Boston -- based on feelings of not being able to make the cut.Theyd rather just not even play, Freedman continued. Theyd rather just not even try, because otherwise they might lose. If I consider myself a good player and I had a thought, or even a hope, of being a pro Dota player, Id be trying to compete in every event I could.As for Complexity, the team continues to compete with the best and play to win. Though Rosselles departure from the squad was sudden, Clintons assimilation into the squad has been surprisingly easy, according to assistant manager Josh Schmidt.His first message to me was something along the lines of my schedule is yours, and tell the team if they need to me practice anything specific I will, Schmidt said.Dont patch what isnt broken?When looking past the major, one of the major topics was the impending patch. With 6.89 all but certain to launch post-Boston, an interesting question is posed: Does Dota need patching?I think right now, what people are most looking for is just change, Freedman said of potential patch adjustments. The game itself is in a great state, and I expect that the changes will do more to change and add complexity to the game, versus just nerfs and buffs.The fluid meta of 6.88, which Freedman refers to as a revolving door of strategies, has seen more concepts rise in and out of favor than specific heroes. Theres no Sniper or Troll Warlord, but rather general strategies: Shadow Demon illusion sieges, Chen and Drow compositions and teams-specific drafts. Freedman says hes sure Wings has things we havent even seen yet. Despite that, theres no real worry that one patch could wreck the long period of balance Dota has been enjoying. According to Freedman, the Dota community has faith in its enigmatic developer-behind-the-scenes, IceFrog.The communitys faith in [IceFrog] doesnt just come from nowhere, Freedman said. Its always been good. Theres always been changes, things people complained about, but the game is good and its always been good. Doesnt matter what gets changed.Though changes come and go, it seems that both Dota 2 and Complexity will endure. As the scrappy North American squad gears up for Boston, it looks like a long road ahead, facing down many teams that have bested Complexity in the past. Working smarter, and carrying ahead with its current attitude, Complexity might just have a chance to best its demons this time around. ' ' '