That certainly was not the case Friday, when a 94-91 win over Serbia allowed the USA Men’s Basketball Team to clinch the No. 1 spot in Group A and advance to face France on Sunday, but did nothing to suggest it is ready for a Rio Olympics takeover.
Advertisement
“I’m really proud of my team and my teammates, that’s the way we need to play if we want to win the next game against China”, said Serbian captain Milos Teodosic, who scored 18 points.
Serbia had a chance to tie the game with 5.2 seconds remaining, down by three, but Bogdan Bogdanovic missed his mark and United States of America secured the rebound as time expired. Shrugging off the slow starts off the first three games and the defensive breakdowns of the Australia near-miss, the Americans produced more oohs and aahs in the first quarter against Serbia than they had their entire time in Brazil. Serbia outscored United States of America, 29-22, in the final period but it ran out of time for the Americans to capture the win. It was that they hadn’t even been tested, winning nine games by an average of 33 points with a group that was considered a “B Team” in the tournament that many countries consider even more important than the Olympics.
Paul George expressed concern after the US narrowly escaped Serbia with a 94-91 win at the Rio Olympics on Friday. In their previous game, they struggled against the likes of Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova.
DeAndre Jordan scored 13 and Carmelo Anthony 12 for the US, which will close pool play on Sunday against France.
“Today we played our game”, Teodosic said.
At times, it looked the US did come to play. Bigger, faster players can easily stop inferior ones if they’re just going to the basket against them one-on-one: their physicality gives them an overwhelming advantage. This was the second straight game that Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Team USA struggled against a team with far less talent. France, which just beat Serbia, is next. Serbia center Nikola Jokic, who also plays for the Denver Nuggets, scored 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting.
“RIO DE JANEIRO “ Team USA”s narrow victory over Australia on Wednesday was considered a scare, then Friday”s game against Serbia was a full-length Hitchcock feature. “Defensively”, says forward Paul George, of the Indiana Pacers, “is where we have to man up”.
Green only took two shots and did not score.
There’s a saying – credited to high school basketball coach Tim Notke and made famous by Kevin Durant – that “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”.
George off the bench was able to play as the #1 option, and is a better lead option when compared with Jimmy Butler and Thompson. Team USA was knotted up 18-18 with Venezuela before pulling away. Team USA did a lot of damage at the charity stripe, going 33-of-42 from there.
“It’s great that we’re getting challenged”, George said.
While it was closer than they wanted, the Americans still won their fourth game in as many tries in Rio.
They were connected on defense and they put on an early offensive exhibition, flashing the firepower no other team can match.
Advertisement
“It took us to another level relationship-wise”, Irving, a good friend of George’s, told me about George’s injury that night of the gold medal game.
