Just finished watching the US beat on Turkey by 32. Its obvious that the US Basketball team does not care too much about being gracious winners, but would rather humiliate teams by turning the game into an And1 mix tape.
There was not much team play it was more of "you just dunked the ball, now watch me top it with my flashy dunk" It was embarrassing. I do not see much of a changed team or a new philosophy in coaching. Team USA, I dont believe is focused enough on winning the Gold. These exhibition games should be used to fine tune their offense, not use it as a AND1 mix tape.
Watched Erden, blah, nothing special, looked lost out there.
That's a ridiculous statement.
What do you want to see? LeBron James on a break away, but stop mid-stride and re-set the offense? No, absolutely not. Just because they throw down a couple loud jams in the open floor doesn't mean that they are too flashy or don't care enough about winning.
You guys can check my full game recap at this link.
Exactly.
This team is at their best when they are pushing the ball and running with every opportunity. I did not see the game, but from the posts that have been made it seems like they were doing just that. Coach K no doubt wants them to play hard for every minute so that they can fine-tune their style, so to hear that USA was getting up and down the court and dunking late in the game is EXACTLY what i want to hear.
The only chance they have to win gold is if they turn up the tempo on EVERY possession. No other team in the world can match the pure speed and athletic ability of this squad....sorry, no mercy in these warm-up games.
I respectfully disagree with jgod and CBalla.
The US team should be using this warm-up games to practice the kind of challenges they will be facing in the Olympics. So, yeah, LeBron James should stop the break away mid-stride and re-set the offense, in order to practice againt a zone defense. Lack of knowledge on how to fight zone defenses and motion offenses is one of the main reasons why USA have been struggling in recent international tournaments. So, I think that's what they should be practicing, not fast-breaks and happy-go-lucky defense.
If they're using these warm-up games to build confidence, well, it's just a waste of time. Everybody knows that Lebron can dunk on fastbreaks. These games shall be used to work on your weaknesses, not to win big. That's what the other teams are doing. Lithuania will have no problems in losing tomorrow's game for 100 points if that helps them to have a slightly better chance when it counts. Heck, even a still Kaman-less Germany can beat Turkey by 30 points - and they did it in a competitive game, facing Turkey's best team, with Okur and the likes, not in a friendly.
jgod, turning up the tempo using the pure speed and athletic ability of their players is precisely what the US team has done in the last tournaments that they lost. I'm sure they can still win playing like that - and even keep their clear favoritism - as long as they give a consistent effort on the court, but I'm certain that their chances become smaller. Top international teams only have a chance of beating the US team precisely because they like to play that way. Slow tempo, solid defense without much agressiveness, no reliance on individual matchups, ball movement, established offensive sets - with this kind of approach, no team would get close.