With the United States looking vulnerable, the fourth ranked Argentines came into the quarter-final thinking “upset”. Argentina borders Brazil, and thousands of fans wearing sky blue and white supported the team with their songs and chants.
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If you can’t beat ’em, jeer ’em.
The United States basketball team is on top 33-21 after having an 8-0 run with 8:27 in the second quarter.
Back-to-back silver medalist Spain is a 5.5-point favorite against France in the matchup that will decide who faces the U.S. -Argentina victor in the semifinals.
The United States celebrates after defeating France 100-97 in a Men’s Preliminary Round Group A game between the United States and France on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1 on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It seems that Durant may have a point considering the slim margin of the past few contests for Team USA. “And as fierce a competitor that as a coach I’ve had to face in my entire time in global basketball”, Krzyzewski said. “The effort defensively was outstanding tonight”. “The last three games we played in pool play were very beneficial because they showed us our weaknesses”.
For the first five minutes or so, it looked to be a repeat of the last three games for Team USA, but the Americans were quickly able to overcome another sluggish start to blow out Argentina 105-78 and advance to the semifinal round in Rio. With defensive miscues and poor communication, the United States seemed out of sorts, struggling to build any offence beyond Kevin Durant, their best player at the tournament. However, the Americans quickly turned the tables on Argentina thanks to a red-hot Kevin Durant, dominant Cousins and stifling defense from guys like Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry. The forward played 13 minutes off the bench.
Chris Paul said earlier this week at one of his foundation’s events basketball used to be America’s game but has now become the world’s game, which is evident in the number of worldwide players in the NBA.
“I know what he means not just to basketball in Argentina but to the country as a whole”, said Anthony, a four-time Olympian.
For years, basketball purists have bemoaned the Americans’ flaws in worldwide competition, from the isolation offense addiction to the rotating cast of Olympians. That may be different for other players, but for me, I’m more free and more aggressive in the games if I don’t care about the outcome. “I just tried to play and be free out there and not worry about anything”.
The Argentines jumped to a 19-9 lead on the Americans, who then went on a 27-2 run to take control.
“People keep talking about the end of a generation”, the 36-year-old Scola said. “I thought our defense was OK, but we couldn’t hit a shot early”.
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“There has been some teams that put them in trouble”, Argentina’s 39-year-old star Manu Ginobili said. Both teams are coming in with all kinds of momentum. “It’s a great environment to play in”.
