“Obviously, everybody wants us to win by a lot of points, but it’s not how it’s going to go this time”, Kevin Durant said, via USA Today.
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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.
“We never saw that in any exhibition game or whatever”, Krzyzewski said.
Sharp-shooting Klay Thompson had 30 points as America’s National Basketball Association stars once again laboured to shut down an Olympic opponent but ultimately proved too much for France in a 100-97 win. It may have taken a game or three for that reality to sink in, but they have officially reached the point of reconciliation.
Playing without Tony Parker, France trailed 78-62 with 2:23 left in the third quarter.
They take on a France team hoping to move into second place in Group A. The French are now 3-1, bouncing back after losing their first game in embarrassing fashion to Australia.
“There’s no letting up in this kind of a tournament”, Thompson said. “No matter the opponent, we just got to stick to how we’re playing”. “We’re lucky to have him on our team”. For us, it’s just figuring out how we’re going to win. “We’ve got to lock up, and we will”.
France (3-2) finished third in Group A and will face the No. 2 seed from the jumbled Group B in the quarterfinals.
China on the other hand is all but eliminated from this tournament. 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. “You can’t play it any better than we played it in the first half”.
Team USA were heavy favourites against Serbia, however after giving up an 18-point lead the Americans were forced to fight to the bitter end, winning 97-94 in a high scoring affair.
Nicolas Batum (FRA) of France in action with Zhou Peng (CHN) of China and Yi Jianlian (CHN) of China as Boris Diaw (FRA) of France watches. “It’s so easy to guard us”, Paul George told NBCSN Friday night after the win.
But perhaps the USA’s shortcomings – even with talented individual defenders – should’ve been more obvious, given the lack of global experience and absence of continuity.
Australia proved to be solid medal contenders as they overwhelmed Venezuela 81-56 to finish second in the group.
“It felt good to see the ball go in, I’m not going to lie, but it felt better to get the win”, Thompson said. The only exceptions: Lithuania in 2012 pool play, Spain in the 2012 gold-medal game and this week’s scares against Serbia and France.
How do you view the rest of this Olympics for the team? Kevin Durant is the clearly best player on the roster, and he hasn’t even played his best basketball yet.
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France, playing without its injured top player Tony Parker, gave the USA about all it could handle, staging a 28-point fourth quarter to challenge the defending gold medalists down to the final buzzer.
