-
Tips for becoming a good boxer - November 6, 2020
-
7 expert tips for making your hens night a memorable one - November 6, 2020
-
5 reasons to host your Christmas party on a cruise boat - November 6, 2020
-
What to do when you’re charged with a crime - November 6, 2020
-
Should you get one or multiple dogs? Here’s all you need to know - November 3, 2020
-
A Guide: How to Build Your Very Own Magic Mirror - February 14, 2019
-
Our Top Inspirational Baseball Stars - November 24, 2018
-
Five Tech Tools That Will Help You Turn Your Blog into a Business - November 24, 2018
-
How to Indulge on Vacation without Expanding Your Waist - November 9, 2018
-
5 Strategies for Businesses to Appeal to Today’s Increasingly Mobile-Crazed Customers - November 9, 2018
On guard: US team locking down on defense for Rio gold
A luxury cruise ship called the Silver Cloud is anchored in Rio de Janeiro, serving as the temporary Olympic home of the USA basketballers, and as a reminder that the team outshines its rivals in every aspect. “Anything I get, I’m looking at it like, ‘Wow, Olympic national team.’ That’s insane just to look at it and put it on and be like, ‘I’m DeAndre and I’m representing our country along with 11 other great guys'”.
Advertisement
The last time the US men’s basketball team failed to win gold at the Olympics was in Athens in 2004, and that was the only time.
In his final Games on the bench of the United States, the win improved Mike Krzyzewski’s Olympic head coaching record to 17-0.
Diana Taurasi scored 13 points and Elena Delle Donne added 12 to help the Americans beat Spain 103-63 on Monday in women’s group play.
With the opening ceremony to the Olympic Games in Rio tonight [Friday, August 5] it’s time to get excited about U.S. athletes/teams that are going to bring home the gold.
Things went much better in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, when Anthony established himself as one of the leaders on the squad, averaging 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and helping Team USA to reclaim the gold medal.
Could that happen again to Team USA with James, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis and many others opting to stay home rather than spend their summer vacation in Rio?
And it’s already apparent that Thibodeau’s message has gotten across as the USA players, some of whom are not exactly known for their defensive skills, are being more vocal on the floor. “We realise that individual numbers and performances don’t really matter unless you win a gold medal, so we all put our egos aside and we just really wanna take the gold back to the United States”, he said.
Before you get too excited, China isn’t a very good team.
Tougher competition might come later, but it should be an easy start for the Americans.
The Americans beat the Chinese twice in exhibition play by scores of 106-57 and 107-57, and this one was even less competitive. Led by Olympic veterans Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant, the Americans played with a level of comfort and cohesiveness that’s rare this early in a tournament like this.
China features former National Basketball Association center Yi Jianlian and 2016 second-round draft picks Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin. “Thinking about watching the Dream Team play, watching these other teams, you have an opportunity to play, you figure, ‘Wow, this is where other teams did it and where we could possibly do it.’ It’s mind-blowing”. They had 31 assists on their 38 baskets.
“I felt good, I kind of was surprised that I did”, Bogut said.
Spain (1-1) led 8-6 before the US closed the quarter on a 23-6 burst.
High-flying DeMar DeRozan provided a spectacle for the fans on hand with two monster dunks. In their exhibition match against China, the USA scored 34 fast break points to China’s 13.
Advertisement
Too much offense, too much defense and too much talent propelled the US to its 46th consecutive victory in worldwide competition and its 18th consecutive Olympic victory.