Another Slow Start
Team USA got off to another slow start against France on
Sunday but heated up behind Kevin Durant’s 22 points as they won 98-71. It was
nice to see Kevin Love have a nice 14-point effort, as well. With Tyson
Chandler in foul trouble, which is a given at this point, Love’s size and
ability to stretch the floor becomes more important to Team USA. Team USA had
some difficulty guarding Tony Parker early in the game but their depth
eventually wore France down.
It’s a Simple Game
Team USA looked very selfish in the first quarter. There
were several occasions when the ball stopped when it got to certain guys. You saw a lot of one-on-one play and turnovers,
particularly from Deron Williams, which led to a sub-par quarter. So it was no
coincidence they were only up one after the first stanza.
Coach K went to a flex offense for a few possessions to get
the team and the ball moving. That is all they needed. Get guys moving and get
the ball moving and the game becomes much simpler. The game is really pretty
simple, and it should be when you have the best players in the world, but ball
movement and people movement is the key on any level.
Once they got things going, they were really good. They
assisted on 27 of their 31 field goals. That is an amazing statistic. I have no
reason to think they will beat themselves for four quarters yet but, at this
point, they are the only team that can beat them.
LeBron is the Best
I was one of LeBron’s critics over the last couple years. But
LeBron is simply on another level than everyone else right now. I told some
friends the other day that LeBron gets criticized sometimes for not being
selfish enough. Not taking the big shot on the big stage. And maybe that’s
fair. But he can afford to be unselfish on this team.
Passing to anyone who is open on this team is a safe pass.
Making a pass to the eighth or ninth player off the Cavaliers’ or Heat has not
always been the wisest play for him. But he is making the game so much easier
for his teammates. He can dominate a game in the Olympics, much like he did on
Sunday, without scoring.
I’ve been reading Dream
Team, by Jack McCallum (I’ll have more on it in a future blog.) I equate
where LeBron is in his career with where Michael Jordan was in 1992. LeBron is
coming off his first championship. Jordan was coming off back-to-back titles.
They’re on top of the basketball world.
And how about this pass from LeBron...
No Zone
I tweeted yesterday that I think zoning Team USA is the
wrong way to go. I think when you get LeBron into the middle of the zone or
along the baseline, you’re looking for trouble. He is so good at finding other
people and finishing around the rim. You’re better off taking your chances that
Team USA will play those one-on-one games. They just seem to pass it so well
against the zone.
Next Up
Tunisia is up next for Team USA on Tuesday, 5:15 p.m. Team
USA is an overwhelming favorite. Tunisia is ranked #32 in the FIBA world
rankings and they are making their first Olympics appearance. They lost their
opener to Nigeria 60-56. Tunisia only
has four players under 6-feet-8, but I wouldn’t expect Team USA’s lack of
interior play to be challenged.
By the way, I’m finding the Olympic Basketball Chanel
fantastic. I’m watching every chance I get.
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