Team USA gave their country some tense moments but a big fourth quarter allowed them to pull away for a 119-86 win over Australia, advancing them to the Olympics semifinals against Argentina.
LeBron James was outstanding again, earning what is believed to be the second triple-double in Olympics history (11 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists).
I though Kevin Love was outstanding again. Fran Fraschilla said in the pre-Olympic television coverage that Love was a perfect fit for the international game. Coach Fraschilla was absolutely correct. I continue to be amazed at Love's rebounding. His effort and footwork are off the charts. He had eleven rebounds in twenty minutes on Wednesday, eight of them offensive and several of those were converted into second-chance points for Team USA.
I had been extremely disappointed in Kobe Bryant's play in the Olympics, in particular the first half on Wednesday. But Kobe responded with a couple steals and went on a Carmelo Anthony-like shooting binge in the second half, scoring twenty points in the game.
Team USA was particularly aggressive at the offensive end. Rather than settling for jump shots they attacked the basket as well as they have while in London.This was evident in the thirty fouls called on Australia and 32 free throws attempted by USA.
The Americans were better on the defensive end but still not great. They have particularly struggled with on-ball screens in transition, or dribble-drag screens. I think Coach K even used a timeout after they were scored on one of those. Those are a matter of getting back in transition defense faster and having some defensive rotations ready sooner.
Also, the Americans switched most every screen against the Aussies. But they seem content on switching to switch and not switching to get steals or to be aggressive. Look for the Argentines on Friday to slip some screens and exploit some mismatches to create scoring opportunities if the Americans switch at the defensive end.
Friday should be fun. The fire was lit in the Argentina game on Monday. I think we'll see a very motivated Team USA in the semifinals. Team USA has defeated Argentina in both the preliminary round and in the exhibition tour. The 29-point win on Monday in the preliminary round may be misleading as it was just a one-point game at the half. But the depth of Team USA wore down Argentina in both games. I would expect that to be the case again on Friday.
I'm hoping to get to see the game. My wife and I are expecting to welcome our daaughter into the world on Friday. If not, I'll be okay.
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