Well, Team USA survived. Their 99-94 victory over Lithuania was less than stellar but I don't think we should really be that surprised. Consider that Team USA was coming off two victories over inferior opponents in Nigeria and Tunisia and they play Argentina, the third-ranked team in the country, today. The fact is that Team USA isn't nearly as good as the 156-73 win over Nigeria and they aren't as bad as their performance over Lithuania showed.
Nigeria played into Team USA's hands in every possible way on Thursday. It was like their coaching staff didn't scout Team USA. They sent four players to the offensive boards, allowing Team USA to get countless transition opportunities. They did not rotate well at all on Team USA's on-ball screens. And while Carmelo Anthony's second half scoring binge was a sight to behold, Nigeria's interest in challenging his jump shots was negligent.
And Lithuania played extremely well against Team USA on Saturday. They shot well (38-65 from the field). They competed at a high level. Team USA did not play well. The Americans did not shoot well. They were 35-79 from the field, 10-33 from three-point range. And when they are not shooting well, and they won't shoot as well as they did against Nigeria, they need to be able to throw the ball inside. Carmelo Anthony is the only option.
In fact, if it wasn't for how well Anthony played again and LeBron's 4th quarter push (It is time to embrace LeBron as being clutch.), Team USA probably would have lost. Lithuania was particularly effective using on-ball screens to attack the basket. This is an area Team USA will need to improve. Chris Paul, in particular, had a difficult time keeping the ball in front of him.
I tweeted during the game Saturday that Team USA was not playing well defensively, but basketball fans need to keep this in perspective. Good defensive teams in the NBA have played together for seven, eight months when they are playing in the playoffs. That gives them a lot of opportunities to develop as a team. The Olympic team has been together for all of a month. We cannot expect them to be an outstanding defensive team in a month. I think the average fan thinks because they are the best players they should play at an other-worldly level. It just can't happen. The Olympic game is so much different than the professional game and teams need more time to improve.
I'll be interested to see how Team USA adjusts their defense in pick-and-roll situations against Argentina. The Argentines pose one of the best pick-and-roll players in the world in Manu Ginobili. Luis Scola is averaging 21 points in the Olympics, as well. The Americans will have to defend much better if they are going to be successful against Argentina.
The Argentines have been somewhat up and down in the Olympics. After starting the Olympics with a 22-point win over Lithuania they dropped their second against France. Incidentally, France's only loss was their first game to Team USA. But Argentina is the third-ranked team in the world and expect them to play at their highest level against Team USA. I would never count out a team with Manu Ginobili, especially if Team USA duplicates their Saturday performance.
The quarterfinals will begin on Wednesday. The brackets for the tournament will be available after Monday's games.
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