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You Tube Gold: US-Turkey 2010 FIBA Championship

On the road to London and K Gold #2

2010 FIBA World Championship: USA v Turkey
 ISTANBUL - SEPTEMBER 12: Kevin Durant (L) of USA battles for the ball with Semih Erden of Turkey at the 2010 Basketball World Championships during the final game between USA vs Turkey on September 12, 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Photo by Roman Kruchinin/Epsilon/Getty Images

In 2010, Mike Krzyzewski was five years into his brilliant run with the US National team and had basically instilled the principles of his system into place. The US had (and still has) big advantages in athleticism, depth and explosiveness. No one in the world applies defensive pressure like Team USA.

When you add transition basketball to that and a roster with (a healthy) Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Andre Iguodola, Eric Gordon, Rudy Gay and Kevin Durant, not to mention Stephen Curry and Chauncey Billups, you offer the other team what is known as a problem.

And Turkey gave the US a reasonable game here, but in the end, it couldn’t overcome the USA’s pressure or athleticism.

The rest of the world caught up before and is now eroding the advantages the US pressed under Coach K. Just look at the players Canada has pushed out lately. France is a load. Lithuania can be a nightmare. Australia is increasingly legit. As the NBA continues to expand internationally, the US sees more and more NBA players on international rosters in FIBA and Olympic play.

Still, the formula at the very least allows the US to remain highly competitive. And this is still true and may be for some time to come: no one has the depth of talent and passion for the game that the Americans have which is on full display here because look who didn't play and did turn up in 2012 for the London Olympics: James Harden, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant.

It’s a bit early to think about 2020 2021 but the US can start to work guys like Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Marvin Bagley and Trae Young into the system, all of whom will present cutting edge challenges for opponents.