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LONDON (AP) — Saturday night’s debates between the United States team and South Sudan have clarified which American team is the favorite heading into the Olympics.
In a disastrous scenario where the United States surely had to have a basket, otherwise the ball went to LeBron James, and he turned it over. On a team full of alpha scorers, the kitchen can be crowded and confusing, each holding his butcher knife and aiming at the other chefs to shoot.
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James scored thirteen of his 25 points in the second half, adding the winning layup, and the United States beat South Sudan 101-100 after trailing by 16 goals in the second quarter and 14 at halftime.
It doesn’t happen like that. Stephen Curry is, of course, more than capable of carrying an offense. Kevin Durant hasn’t played yet; He is America’s all-time leading scorer and most productive clutch player of all time. Anthony Edwards deserves a look when it comes to a goal or whatever.
But among the positives that can be taken from a different, incredibly close victory, in which a little embarrassment was avoided, the most important is that James emerged as the main option in attack and did not bog everyone down either.
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“He has an incredible competitive spirit and self-confidence, and I think the whole team was embarrassed at halftime to be completely outmatched and down by 14,” U. S. coach Steve Kerr said. “And then I don’t think he was excited because I didn’t get it going in the third quarter, but I think the next organization we brought in did a smart job defensively. And I’ve looked down a few times and I can see LeBron grumbling a little about being on the court. Once he got out there and got to work, he was brilliant.
As Kerr mentioned, James’ dominance was limited by Kerr’s substitution schemes. LeBron didn’t even start the second half; Kerr decided to use the reserves first, start with defense. And then Kerr just rotated hockey substitutes for five new players at a time, which meant James was out of the game with 6:49 left in the fourth quarter after scoring five straight points. .
Kerr returned with James and Curry with 2:54 remaining, and they remained on the field until the last possession (for defensive purposes). Among the players who logged a lot of minutes in the second half was the team’s latest addition, Derrick White. Tyrese Haliburton is the one left out when Kerr emphasizes defense. To the casual observer, it likely would have been a bit of a shock to see White, who wasn’t on this team when training camp began on July 6, be in the box in the final minutes of a close game.
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“I think the lesson for us is we have seven games left after that, so who knows what our rotation is going to look like,” Kerr said. “It’s probably different every game, but we have a pretty smart concept of what guys can do when we want a smart defensive sequence, which is what the game demands. “We have, we have options and we love what we have.
Haliburton’s minutes have been reduced in part since White’s gambling. Either player’s minutes can almost be erased once in the second leg.
As tough as the American roster is without Durant, what happened Saturday underscored that Durant is necessary. He provides more offense, yes, but he is a rim protector who can still protect the perimeter. Any lingering consideration of Durant’s addition disrupts the continuity that had The educational camp built over the course of two weeks disappeared as South Sudan came close to defeating the United States.
For Kerr as the starter (with Durant out), he chose defense Saturday when he faced Jrue Holiday alongside Curry. Holiday provides protection for Curry, however, a healthy Durant is an improvement over Devin Booker defensively on the wing, and Kerr and the players insist that defense will be this team’s calling card.
South Sudan finished 14 of 33 3-pointers in the game, which is bad enough for the United States, but they also went 7 of 14 from deep in the first half to put the Americans in that hole. In some losses beyond the Americans, the opponent’s three-point shot has been a major factor. For example, Lithuania made its first nine 3-pointers in a World Cup win over the Americans last summer. And when Nigeria disappointed the United States in a friendly in 2021, the Nigerians tuned in 20-3.
That is why the perimeter is essential.
“One thing we know well in American basketball is that if the groups that go 14-3 oppose us, then they have a genuine chance,” Kerr said.
What Saturday also made clear was that no matter who wears the United States uniform, losses and errors in the medal circular are possible. Kerr took responsibility for South Sudan’s smart start, claiming that he did not prepare the players for South Sudan’s quick guards. (which is rarely true, which is why Holiday was there). However, Kerr decided not to continue filming on Saturday morning.
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Perhaps the South Sudan roster on paper — no existing NBA players, missing stars compared to Canada, Australia and Serbia — had something to do with Kerr giving the Americans a morning of leave. Plus, the team’s hotel is far from the O2 Arena in east London, so the Americans simply don’t want to fight the heavy traffic.
“I think because it’s a friendly game, I think we let our guard down as a team, as a team, of course,” Kerr said. “But what we’ve learned with USA Basketball is that the gap has narrowed. “
What happened on Saturday turned out to be a mild reminder, a call to arms in the face, that no corner can be spared anymore, even with this star-studded squad. The other groups the United States could face at the Olympics are harmful enough to get Americans’ undivided attention.
It is not a new concept. The U. S. men’s national teams are the most important players in the world. The U. S. has lost nine games in the past three summers of action. What is unexpected about Saturday’s result is that the toughest control of the summer came through South Sudan and not someone more established.
“We can get beaten if we don’t practice our basketball taste, and our basketball taste plays defense,” Curry said. “But we also learned that we own this device if we can locate it. No matter who’s on the field, we can overwhelm groups for 40 minutes, and that’s a wonderful reminder of both. “
American players have an “appropriate fear”: they are aware of their potential flaws. Training staff are too. What happened on Saturday does not justify a primary adjustment. Rather, it’s a reminder to pay attention to the small main points of a six-match Olympic tournament, where you can warm up and make a three-pointer on those days.
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(Photo of LeBron James making a layup in Saturday’s game: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)