During one of Team USA’s exhibition games prior to the World Cup, international basketball aficionado Fran Fraschilla had a simplistic but telling observation.
Fraschilla said that no team at the World Cup will have as many NBA players than Team USA. That is a big advantage.
Another big advantage Team USA has it that it can afford to let down for brief stretches of games. Other teams cannot.
Lithuania coach Jonas Kaslauskas had firsthand experience with that dynamic in Thursday’s semifinal. After playing the Americans tough for the first half and trailing by just eight points, the Lithuanians surrendered 12 straight points at the outset of the third quarter. In a blink of an eye, a closely contested game became a blowout.
“When you play a U.S. team you cannot lose control for even one minute or two minutes. The game can get away from you that quickly,” he said.
In the video below with Brian Clark of Cinesport, I discuss Team USA’s quick-strike capability, their underrated defense and how Sunday’s gold medal game will be a letdown because it won’t include Spain.
Click on the box below to give a listen.