“We all know what it takes to grind it out”.
Advertisement
The United States, especially their starting unit, has allowed a parade of cuts to the rim for layups. The U.S. lead remained around double digits most of the second quarter, and by halftime the U.S. was still ahead, 55-46.
These may not be fixable issues if the team is (understandably) avoiding full-tilt practices and opting for walkthroughs instead.
Prior to the tournament, it was believed that the Rio squad was among the best defensive teams that Coach K had ever led in an Olympics.
Nene scored 19 points, Marcelinho Huertas had 11 assists and Brazil kept its chances of advancing to the men’s basketball quarterfinals alive with a 86-69 win over Nigeria on Monday. He started at forward and played 30 minutes.
The level of competition has been especially surprising for Paul George and Kevin Durant, who both expected to come to Brazil and wipe out the competition easily.
“The luxury (their opponents) have is that they’ve been together for so long”, George said. Contrary to what Durant and George are prepared for, they should be dominating these Olympics. They were expected to blow through pool play and breeze through to the finals, where they would likely encounter a hard Spanish team with a size advantage – Spain being the only team seen as having a shot to take down the U.S. But pool play has shown otherwise.
Tony Parker sat out this game with a toe injury, which is even more concerning from Team USA’s perspective. As any sports fan can tell you, keeping a game close against a powerhouse is huge for players’ confidence.
While there were some positive signs for the United States in the game, they still enter the quarterfinals facing big questions about their team’s ability to play as a contiguous group.
A “now” that suddenly looks a lot more like 2008 and 2012 than it does 2004.
The Boomers are the Cinderella story in Rio to some extent. One could argue that the loss is looming, and every close call only adds more pressure to the dam.
Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills have Australia’s offense humming. Draymond Green is out here recording near-trillions on the box score.
Krzyzewski made an adjustment against France, deciding to bring George – who is known as one of the best perimeter defenders in all the National Basketball Association – off the bench.
Rounding things out are Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes, who have scored with reasonable efficiency and helped out on defense. France became the first team of the tournament to outrebound the US, 35-29.
Serbia (2-3), playing in the final pool game, thumped winless China 94-60 to finish fourth and grab a spot in the knockout round.
Defense is supposed to be this team’s calling card.
So does France have a few tricks up its sleeve?
Ultimately, there are two scenarios at play here. Serbia might very well lose, but it won’t be without a fight.
Advertisement
So there is concern, despite the numbers and the obvious talent. De Colo finished with 18 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. His 12 assists also tied an Olympic record. Serbia’s big man, Miroslav Raduljica, dominated inside and got Nikola Jokic involved.
