For the United States’ men’s basketball team, winning gold in Athens will not be a walk in the park.
Puerto Rico made history last week by shocking the United States 92-73 and handing the Americans their first Olympic loss since they started using NBA players in 1992 and their third loss ever in Olympic play.
One thing is for sure: This team is not a Dream Team – not even close.
USA basketball is behind, and there might not be enough time to catch up.
All of the international teams have been playing together much longer than coach Larry Brown’s squad, which was thrown together at the last minute due to many members of the qualifying team backing out.
Another reason that the United States is behind is that the rules of international play are different, and with all of the young players on the team, only a few have international play experience.
The USA basketball selection committee did a poor job putting together this team, because the committee went after the dunkers and high flyers like Shawn Marion and Carmelo Anthony.
The team is made up of a bunch of guys who can score, but no one can shoot the three-pointer. In the Puerto Rico game alone, the United States shot three-for-24 from three-point range. That is just pathetic.
The best shooter that the United States has percentage-wise is Richard Jefferson, and he apparently left his three-point shot on the other side of the pond. He was zero-for-six from the arc against Puerto Rico.
If the United States does not start hitting the outside jumper, teams will continue to play a 2-3 zone, allowing the Americans to fire threes all day.
The United States needs to start knocking down threes to spread the defense out and allow team co-captain Tim Duncan to be more of a factor in the paint.
Although the team defeated Greece on Tuesday, it was not pretty. The score was 77-71, and the United States was playing in front of a hostile crowd but couldn’t secure a victory until the final 30 seconds. The foul-shooting was dreadful down the stretch, and the United States almost gave the game away. But with this team, a win is a win, no matter if it’s a blowout or not.
One bright spot for the United States in its victory over Greece is that Duncan fouled out in the fourth quarter, and Lmar Odom stepped up with some key defensive plays late in the game.
The team’s energy level was also better than it was in the Puerto Rico game, and they can thank Lebron James for providing some big plays that helped the United States silence the lively crowd.
The competition for the United States will only get harder, and injuries could also be a factor because co-captain Allen Iverson has a fractured thumb and Odom has a stomach virus. Both played against Greece and had great games, but it’s hard to get rest days in the Olympics because the games are so close together.
The pressure is now building on this young team because they play for the biggest basketball powerhouse in the world, right? Aren’t we the best?
History might show that we are, but teams like Argentina, Spain and Serbia-Montenegro, as well as some other teams, could give the USA some trouble.
The win over the host team was something to build on, but if the United States’ flaws are not corrected soon, they could leave Athens empty-handed – a slap in the face to USA basketball.

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