The USA’s 100-97 victory over France on Sunday was the third time in a row that the United States could not pull away for a big win.
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US escaped group play unbeaten on Sunday with a 100-97 victory over France.
Despite the strong offensive start, the French still found themselves behind six, with the USA shooting 75 percent from inside the arc in the frame, and the French defense without an answer for Kevin Durant (nine points in a very aggressive six-minute stretch to start the game), and DeMar DeRozan (seven free-throw attempts).
“Obviously, you want to win by as much as you can, but you have to grind out some games”, Durant said, addressing what’s becoming a standard postgame subject. “We’ve showed the last three games we can grind it out”. For a national program that had spent the past eight years winning FIBA games by an average margin of 29.4 points (34 games in all), and that has won 50 consecutive games in FIBA play (and 22 in the Olympics), this is surprising stuff.
Durant got there by the end of the first quarter in this one and finished with 17 points on 6-for-6 shooting, after he only saw enough of the ball against Serbia to get up four field-goal attempts Friday night. The final score wasn’t as close as it looks – France threw in a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer and was down 10 with 85 seconds to go – but it should never have been as close as it actually was. “But you start playing the better competition, and you see across the board that these teams are pretty good”.
“When we get on the court we can’t just watch them and be scared. We’re lucky to have him on our team”. “Even with [Thompson] going off and making all those tough shots, we still had a chance to win”. A vulnerability has been exposed compared to other big tournaments. Whether it’s been Anthony, Kyrie Irving or Klay Thompson, there always seems to be a star player that’s able to bail Team USA out in the end. Although a clutch of perennial powers have all creakily descended from their respective peaks – namely Spain, Argentina and the hosts Brazil – no longer is Team USA expected to roll like so many know-it-alls worldwide presumed when we got here. With depth at nearly every position, the French team was headlined by Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw. For France, San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker did not play as a precaution.
Facts can be valid excuses.
There was, after the close call against Australia, a temptation to chalk up that game as one that would jolt the USA into regrouping and playing with a sharper focus, that they would morph into the dominant group they were expected to be. Headed into the first round of knock-out games, however, the US certainly does not look invincible. Five games in, what’s it going to take?
France coach Vincent Collet broke it down. “If we live in that kind of age of when are we going to lose, you’re probably going to lose”, said Diana Taurisi when asked if a fear of losing motivates Team USA. “He’s one of the best players in the world”. When you know that you made it possible for one of your teammates to get an easy basket, that’s basketball.
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The United States will not know their quarterfinal opponent until after the final Group B matches on Monday but regardless will have to up their game considerably if they hope to make it to the final. “Maybe us”, he said. “It’s Game 7s from now on”.
