Team USA Avenges Early Loss to France, Claims Fourth Straight Olympic Gold Medal
Team USA started slowly in the gold medal game versus France and then sputtered down the stretch but did just enough in between to post an 87-82 victory in the 2020 Olympics (being held in 2021) to claim a fourth straight Olympic gold medal. Kevin Durant scored a game-high 29 points on 9-18 field goal shooting in 35 minutes after scoring 30 points in Olympic gold medal game wins in 2012 and 2016. Jayson Tatum added 19 points on 8-14 field goal shooting plus a team-high seven rebounds. Jrue Holiday had 11 points on 5-13 field goal shooting while also grabbing five rebounds and playing his trademark stout defense. Damian Lillard was Team USA's only other double figure scorer with 11 points on 4-11 field goal shooting, but the only Team USA players with negative plus/minus numbers in this game were Lillard (-4) and Devin Booker (-8; he finished with 2 points on 0-4 field goal shooting in 22 minutes).
Rudy Gobert led France with 16 points on 5-5 field goal shooting and a game-high eight rebounds, while Evan Fournier also scored 16 points, but he shot just 5-15 from the field. During some stretches, Gobert was the best and most dominant player on the court, but his overall effectiveness was limited by his poor free throw shooting (6-13) and France's propensity to turn the ball over before even having a chance to feed him the ball deep in the paint. Gobert was one of three French starters who had a positive plus/minus number.
Team USA shot just 9-32 (.281) from three point range, but--as is usually the case for Team USA in FIBA play--what mattered is that Team USA held France to 10-31 (.323) three point shooting without giving up too much in the paint. Team USA forced 18 turnovers while only committing nine turnovers, and Team USA only lost the rebounding battle 41-34 despite France having a bigger team.
France defeated Team USA 83-76 in Team USA's opening game of this year's Olympics and France fought Team USA hard from opening tip to final buzzer in the gold medal game. Team USA forced a turnover on France's first possession but then gave up deep post position and an easy dunk to Gobert on France's second possession. France led 10-4 after Fournier made a three pointer. France attacked effectively in the paint, but had a few careless turnovers. Team USA looked sluggish at both ends of the court, which has been a consistent first quarter problem throughout the Olympics. The one saving grace for Team USA was Durant, who singlehandedly wiped out France's early advantage, and carried Team USA to a 22-18 lead by the end of the first quarter. Durant had 12 points on 4-7 field goal shooting while his teammates had combined for 10 points on 4-12 field goal shooting. Team USA shot just 2-11 (.182) from three point range but--more importantly--held France to 2-7 (.286) three point shooting without being dominated inside.
Team USA pushed their advantage to 39-26 in the second quarter, but only led 44-39 at halftime, with Durant pouring in 21 first half points on 7-14 field goal shooting. Tatum (11 points on 5-9 field goal shooting) was the only other Team USA player who reached double figures in scoring in the first half. Gobert paced France with 13 points on 4-4 field goal shooting, plus seven rebounds. Fournier added 11 points on 3-7 field goal shooting. France committed 10 turnovers, while Team USA went most of the half error free before finishing with two turnovers. France outshot Team USA from the field .462 to .432 and outrebounded Team USA 23-14 but Team USA had 11 more field goal attempts and Team USA took advantage of those extra opportunities.
Throughout the Olympics, Team USA played very well in the third quarter and it seemed like this game would be no exception when Team USA expanded the margin to 71-57 at the 1:18 mark, but France closed the quarter with a 6-0 run to stay in contact heading into the final stanza. France shot 6-15 (.400) from three point range in the third quarter, as Team USA tilted their defense to the paint to stop Gobert from rolling to the hoop for dunks and/or free throw attempts after drawing fouls against smaller defenders who switched on to him.
France outscored Team USA 19-16 in the fourth quarter, and came within a few bounces of pulling off the upset. Team USA led 82-72 with 3:25 remaining after Tatum drilled a three pointer, but France kept clawing away, cutting the margin to 85-80 with :18 left after Lillard missed two free throws and Frank Ntilikina dunked. Holiday then threw a careless inbounds pass that Nic Batum stole, giving Ntilikina an opportunity to pull France within two points, but Ntilikina missed a three point shot. Nando de Colo grabbed the rebound, drew a foul on Draymond Green and canned two free throws. Team USA now had to inbound the ball successfully and make at least one free throw. Fittingly, Durant made two free throws to ice the game, averting a collapse that would have been eerily similar to--but much more devastating than--Team USA's stumbling finish versus France in the previous game between these teams.
It is difficult to compare Olympic performances from different eras against different levels of competition played under different rules, but there is little doubt that by any meaningful evaluation Durant is one of the best men's basketball players in Team USA history. He has repeatedly proven to be a clutch scorer, a very good rebounder, a solid playmaker, and even at times a defensive presence as a rim protector. This team would not have won a gold medal--and might not have won a medal at all--without Durant's high level play.
Labels: Evan Fournier, France, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gobert, Team USA
posted by David Friedman @ 2:16 AM
Team USA Survives Another Slow Start, Blows Out Australia 97-78 to Advance to the Gold Medal Game
Team USA seems to get late wake up calls in Tokyo during the 2020 Olympics (being held in 2021), but when Team USA wakes up they put their opponents to sleep. Australia built a 15 point first half lead but lost 97-78 after Team USA turned up their defense and turned down quick three point shots for quality shots inside the arc. Kevin Durant led the way not just with a game-high 23 points on 10-19 field goal shooting plus a game-high nine rebounds but he also anchored the defense in the paint. He was only credited with one blocked shot in the box score, but his rim protection was an important factor, and he also played good defense on the perimeter as well. Devin Booker added 20 points on 7-10 field goal shooting, while Jrue Holiday had 11 points on 5-11 field goal shooting plus a game-high eight assists. Holiday's playmaking and defense are both important factors for Team USA. Khris Middleton was Team USA's only other double figure scorer (11 points on 5-9 field goal shooting).
Patty Mills bounced back from a slow start to lead Australia with 15 points, but he shot just 5-14 from the field. Dante Exum (14 points on 3-5 field goal shooting), Jock Landale (11 points on 5-13 field goal shooting), and Joe Ingles (nine points on 3-5 field goal shooting) were Australia's other top scorers.
Ingles drilled a pair of three pointers as Australia took an early 6-2 lead. Australia led by as much as eight points in the first quarter, and had a 24-18 advantage heading into the second quarter. Australia shot 4-6 from three point range, while Team USA missed all six of their three point shots. Team USA can survive when they miss three point shots, but they are in trouble when they let their opponents shoot well from three point range, and this game demonstrated both of those truths.
Australia pushed their lead to 41-26 as they continued to make three pointers while Team USA struggled to score. At that juncture, Australia had not only shot 6-10 from three point range compared to 0-8 for Team USA, but Australia had also outrebounded Team USA 14-11, and had forced eight Team USA turnovers while committing just five turnovers. Australia was playing smarter and displaying more toughness than Team USA.
As happened versus Spain, Team USA battled back from a double digit first half deficit, slashing Australia's lead to 45-42 by halftime. In the first half, Durant scored 15 points on 7-14 field goal shooting, Booker scored seven points on 2-4 field goal shooting, and Holiday had five points on 2-4 field goal shooting plus six assists. Exum led a balanced Australian attack with 10 points on 3-3 field goal shooting. Chris Goulding added eight points on 2-3 field goal shooting, while Ingles had seven points on 2-4 field goal shooting. Mills scored seven points but he shot just 2-8 from the field. Down the stretch in the first half, Australia shot just 1-5 from three point range, and those misses helped to fuel Team USA's transition game.
Team USA started out the third quarter by driving aggressively to the hoop, and promptly took a 51-45 lead after Durant converted a three point play followed by a pull up jumper. Team USA's advantages in depth and athleticism are best exploited by attacking the paint, not by bailing out the opponent by jacking up three pointers early in the shot clock. Durant hit a rhythm three pointer to extend Team USA's margin to 54-45 as Team USA abandoned any pretense of running any offense other than the "Give the ball to Durant and get out of the way" system. Durant forced a three pointer on the next possession, and his air ball led directly to a fast break layup for Australia; other than that one miscue, though, Durant played intelligently and aggressively, which opened up opportunities for his teammates. Booker got hot near the end of the quarter, enabling Durant to get some much needed rest while Team USA built a 74-55 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Durant scored eight points early in the third quarter to turn things around, and Booker scored 11 points in the third quarter to break the game open.
Team USA's 34 point turnaround from a 15 point deficit to a 19 point lead made the fourth quarter just a bookkeeping exercise. Team USA shot 9-28 (.321) from three point range, but still won by 19 and could
have won by more. Could it be more obvious that Team USA's success
hinges not on making three pointers but rather on snuffing out the
opponent's three point shooting without opening up the paint for easy
scores?
Australia threw their best punches in the first half, and failed to knock out Team USA; after their hot-shooting start, Australia made just 5 of their last 16 three point shots as Team USA clamped down defensively and then thrived in the transition game. Despite the early struggles on defense and on the glass, Team USA finished with a 44-29 rebounding advantage while holding Australia to 25-61 field goal shooting (.410).
In the gold medal game, Team USA will face the winner of the France-Slovenia game, which means that Team USA will either have an opportunity to avenge their 83-76 preliminary round loss to France or else face the challenge of dealing with Luka Doncic's upstart squad. The convincing win against Australia (albeit after a shaky start) is a big step in the right direction, but either gold medal matchup will not be easy.
Labels: Australia, Dante Exum, Devin Booker, Joe Ingles, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Durant, Patty Mills, Team USA
posted by David Friedman @ 2:38 AM
Kevin Durant Leads Rally From Double Digit Deficit as Team USA Defeats Spain, 95-81
Kevin Durant scored 29 points on 10-17 field goal shooting as Team USA bounced back from a sluggish first quarter to beat Spain 95-81 and advance to the semifinal round of the 2020 Olympics (being held in 2021). Durant played 31 out of 40 minutes, five minutes more than any other American player, and it is fair to say that without his efficient offense Team USA would have been in serious jeopardy of losing and thus becoming the first U.S. men's basketball team to participate in the Olympics without winning a medal. Team USA will next face Australia. Australia shot 17-38 (.447) from three point range in a 97-59 quarterfinal win against Argentina
Four other Team USA players finished with at least 10 points versus Spain, including Jayson Tatum (13 points on 4-7 field goal shooting), Jrue Holiday (12 points on 5-8 field goal shooting), Damian Lillard 11 points on 4-10 field goal shooting), and Zach LaVine (10 points on 4-8 field goal shooting). Holiday has emerged as one of the most valuable players on the team because of his heady play, scrappy defense, and timely scoring.
Ricky Rubio led Spain with a game-high 38 points on 13-20 field goal shooting. Sergio Rodriguez added 16 points on 6-10 field goal shooting. Willy Hernangomez (10 points on 4-11 field goal shooting, plus a game-high 10 rebounds, and a game-high three blocked shots) was the only other Spanish player who scored in double figures.
Spain led 21-19 after the first quarter, ending the stanza on an 11-2 run. Team USA had several defensive lapses that resulted in wide open shots for Spain. Rubio led both teams with 13 first quarter points on 5-8 field goal shooting, while Durant topped Team USA with seven points but he shot just just 2-6 from the field. When Durant is not dominating and Team USA's defense is shaky Team USA looks very vulnerable. Team USA's half court offense--outside of whatever Durant creates on his own--is not pretty or particularly efficient and the defense often operates as if Team USA does not have current, accurate scouting reports for the opposing team.
Spain's lead swelled to 39-29 in the second quarter, with Hernangomez looking like Bill Russell as he repeatedly rejected Team USA's shots in the paint. Team USA then resorted to jacking up three pointers a la the Mike D'Antoni/James Harden Houston Rockets. At one point, Spain had dominated the boards 27-14 and had also blocked four shots while Team USA did not have any blocked shots. Rebounding is about positioning, anticipation, and hustle. Team USA has more than enough size and athleticism to outrebound any team in this tournament, so their first half rebounding performance is very disappointing. Fortuntately, Team USA outrebounded Spain 18-15 the rest of the way.
Despite the mental miscues and lack of hustle, Team USA closed the first half with a 14-4 run to tie the score at 43-43. It must have been very discouraging for Spain to outplay Team USA for the better part of the first 20 minutes only to squander their entire advantage by halftime. Rubio did not score in the second quarter but still led Spain with 13
first half points, while Sergio Rodriguez had 10 points. Kevin Durant was Team
USA's only double figure scorer with 12 points on 4-10 field goal
shooting. Team USA shot 17-45 (.378) from the field, including 4-17
(.235) from three point range. Spain shot 17-38 (.447) from the field,
including 3-15 (.200) from three point range. At halftime, Spain enjoyed
a 29-18 rebound advantage, and had blocked six shots while Team USA had
not blocked any shots.
Not surprisingly, the deeper and more talented Team USA squad began to pull away in the third quarter. Powered by Durant's 13 points on 4-5 field goal shooting, Team USA won the third quarter, 26-20. Team USA actually led 65-49 before Spain closed the gap to 69-63 heading into the fourth quarter. Team USA did not score in the final 2:59 of the third quarter, but opened the fourth quarter with an 8-3 burst to build a double digit lead, and the margin did not fall below eight points the rest of the way.
Team USA has been prone to both slow starts and extended periods of sluggish play, but has been able to survive and advance mainly because of Durant's greatness combined with superior overall talent and depth. The remaining games figure to pose even tougher challenges.
Labels: Jrue Holiday, Kevin Durant, Ricky Rubio, Sergio Rodriguez, Spain, Team USA, Willy Hernangomez
posted by David Friedman @ 5:13 PM
Team USA Overcomes Slow Start, Routs Czech Republic 119-84 as Durant Breaks U.S. Olympic Career Scoring Record
Team USA started slowly but rallied in the final three quarters to rout the Czech Republic 119-84 to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Olympics (being held in 2021). Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 27 points on 10-16 field goal shooting, while Kevin Durant had a brilliant all-around game with 23 points on 8-11 field goal shooting, eight rebounds, and six assists. Durant is now Team USA's career Olympics scoring leader while playing in his third Olympics, breaking a record set by four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony. Jrue Holiday scored 11 points on 5-7 field goal shooting, and he also had three rebounds, two assists, and three steals. As is often the case, Holiday had an impact that extended beyond his scoring; his outstanding defense was a key factor as Team USA mounted a comeback from a 25-18 deficit at the end of the first quarter.
Zach LaVine contributed 13 points on 5-7 field goal shooting, and he was involved in a play that embodied why Team USA has struggled at times: early in the game, he contorted his body while attempting a three pointer, trying to draw a foul, but the FIBA referees just ignored his flailing and complaining. LaVine was skilled enough/fortunate enough to make the shot anyway, but the larger point is that in FIBA play the offensive player is typically not rewarded for making unnatural gyrations during his shooting motion. In contrast, NBA stars--most notably James Harden, but he is far from the only culprit/benefactor--expect to be rewarded with free throws in such situations, which not only pads their scoring totals while getting the other team in foul trouble but also influences how much space defenders are willing to give to Harden and other high scorers, to the extent that some teams instruct their players to "guard" Harden with their hands behind their backs. In recent years, the advantages that NBA referees confer upon selected players have become very significant, and when watching Team USA in FIBA play it is evident that this has led to an erosion of the abilities of these players to score efficiently without receiving such unfair advantages. Yes, Durant had a spectacular game, but overall he has not been spectacular thus far for Team USA, and the same holds true for most of the team's other players. When referees place a cone of protection around you, it can be difficult to remember how to play without that security blanket. Durant and Team USA's other stars came of age without that cone of protection and should be able to summon up those skills again, but these FIBA games have shown us a lot about the state of the NBA game today, and have reinforced my belief that the narrative that the game and today's players are better than ever is not accurate.
Blake Schilb, a 37 year old forward who never played in the NBA and who had
his best EuroLeague season nearly a decade ago, led the Czech Republic
with 17 points on 6-9 field goal shooting. Schilb spearheaded a frontcourt
attack that overwhelmed Team USA in the first quarter, but--not
surprisingly--a player who is nearly 40 years old could not sustain that
level of play for a whole game against a squad of NBA All-Stars.
Team USA's first quarter post defense was awful, and their perimeter defense was not much better. Team USA wore down the Czech Republic thanks to huge advantages in both top line talent and overall depth. Do not be deceived by the final score. Chris Broussard recently posted a video about Team USA during which he made two excellent points: (1) "The world" may have caught up to Team USA (a "World Team" of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic might beat any team the U.S. can put together) but no individual country has overall talent or depth even approaching Team USA's "B" Team, and (2) when a team that clearly has more talent loses to a team with inferior players then coaching is a major issue. Gregg Popovich's string of embarrassing losses as Team USA's coach is inexcusable considering the rosters that he has had. As Broussard correctly noted, many countries now have several NBA players, but Team USA has a squad of NBA All-Stars. Broussard quipped that the Sacramento Kings have NBA players but get beaten on a nightly basis, so just having a few NBA players does not make a team a legitimate powerhouse.
What would have the result been if the Czech Republic's best player had been 27 instead of 37, or if the Czech Republic had a better bench?
We may find out the answers to those questions during Team USA's next game. Even when Team USA had prime Kobe Bryant and a still-capable Jason Kidd spearheading the perimeter defense in the 2008 Olympics, Spain was not an easy opponent for Team USA, and Spain was an even more challenging opponent for Team USA during the 2012 Olympics. This Team USA squad lost two exhibition games to vastly inferior opponents, and then lost a preliminary round game to France, which is not as highly ranked in FIBA play as Spain. Can Team USA control the paint versus Spain without giving up wide open three pointers? Can Team USA force enough turnovers to fuel their transition game so that they do not have to rely on their sometimes balky half court offense? Maybe Team USA has been scared straight and will now waltz to the gold medal, but the choppy first quarter against the Czech Republic would give me a lot of additional confidence if I played for Spain; I would think, we can play the same way that the Czech Republic did, and we have the necessary talent/depth to maintain that style and level of play for the full 40 minutes.
Before Team USA's previous game, several Iranian players took pictures with Vince Carter. I doubt that Spain will be so awestruck that their players will be seeking photo opportunities with any current or former U.S. players.
Labels: Blake Schilb, Czech Republic, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Durant, Team USA
posted by David Friedman @ 2:27 AM
