The U.S. had a tough game with Australia, winning 87-76 in the final exhibition game. The Americans didn't shoot well and didn't defend well, and if you can't manage offense or defense, you'll be lucky to win anything.
The suggestion that Australia is mediocre is hard for us to swallow, though. They've been a solid team for a long time, and they get this game.
A lot of our insights on this team are based on watching Duke closely over the K years, of course, and we do know this: after a sub-par performance, Duke snaps back sharply. Is that the case here? We'll know soon.
We do know that the Aussies hit 24 points from three point range to six for the U.S., and that the U.S. forced 18 turnovers and outrebounded the Boomers 33-27. The U.S. also shot 64% on non-three pointers.
But the issues are still the same:Â the other teams spread the ball better, move it around better, and shoot the three better. The basic strategy is to pressure the ball and cut off the threes, leveraging the superior U.S. athleticism in ways which are difficult for the rest of the field to answer.
There are no guarantees, regardless of what LeBron James thinks, but let's hope this is a wake-up- call and that everyone gets back into a lethal mindset.
- Chris Paul chasing a title with USA basketball
- âRedeem Team' looks to recapture basketball gold in Beijing
- Team USA downs Australia in final tuneup
- Convinced Team USA will win hoops gold convincingly
- Let the Games begin
- Team USA holds off Australia 87-76
- Team USA's flaws exposed in ugly win over Australia
- No blowout for USA basketball, but a victory heading to Beijing
- Hoop stars keep low profile