Team USA was embarrassed in China this week, losing twice in succession to end up fighting for 7th place. After taking the Gold in the last two FIBA World Cups, this version’s Team USA will once again be remembered as one of the disgraced ones. In all of the world’s illustrious basketball history, the USA’s rank has never sunk as low as 7th ever before.
Kobe Bryant says the days of automatic gold medals for the US of A are over, regardless of who is on the roster. The rest of the world has been catching up to the US in the last couple of years. The years of the 1992 Dream Team composed of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley are gone. Even the Redeem Team composed of Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Jason Kidd found the going tough in the 2008 Olympics. Kobe is resigned to the fact that “It’s to the point now where the U.S., we’re going to win some and we’re going to lose some. That’s just how it goes.”
This US World Cup team was not star-powered, after top-tier stars dropped out before the on-court selection process. The Americans lost a tune-up game to Australia prior to the Games, a portent of things to come. They would win their first five games, but lost to France in the quarterfinals and then to Serbia in the consolation round. Clearly, there is no more awe, no more respect for the Americans in the hardcourt. Reduced to mere mortals, the Americans were mercilessly cut down to size.
The debacle clearly shows that the international basketball environment has finally caught up with the NBA standards. Gone are the days when the NBA’s new innovations and techniques would find its way across the ocean in a few years. Today’s technologies have seen to it that training methodologies and team philosophies and more advanced metrics are dissected and disseminated across the cage kingdom. And in real time.
Team USA lost to France due to an erratic offense anchored on the isolation play, and a woeful defense with a less-than-stellar frontcourt. The coaching staff also came up short, opting to go for small-ball when the world has clearly found an antidote for this.
On offense, previous lineups of Team USA had so much versatility and 3-point firepower. This was absent in this year’s edition of TeamUSA. In the game against France, they led 74-67 with 7 minutes to play, before blacking out on offense. Once Rudy Gobert and company tightened up on the transition defense, the small-balling Team USA could not find an answer, finishing the game on the shorter end of a 22-5 French final assault.
On defense, they had Myles Turner for their starting center. His credentials would pale in comparison with such talents as defensive Player of the Year awardee Rudy Gobert, or all-stars Nicola Jokic and Marc Gasol. Team USA’s rebound stats were atrocious, with Myles more often pulled out for a smaller Harrison Barnes in the hope that more quickness could provide the answer.
Clearly, the world is capable of matching talents with the NBA’s best now. European ballers know that they can compete – whether it’s speed-wise, size-wise, smarts-wise or otherwise. You can see that in Facundo Campazzo, Argentina’s speedy point guard, whose disrespectful inside forays almost always result in nifty drop passes to their bigs under the goal, or their freed-up 3-point artists at the wings. You can see that in Nando De Colo, the French combo guard, whose wily in-out game baffled the US defenders no end. You can see that in Marc Gasol, Spain’s big man, who can shoot the 3-points, protect the paint, and defend the wings easily, despite his bulk.
Euro basketball is on the rise. If the NBA doesn’t make a move to regain the respect by sending their best talents, then the mantle of invincibility will slowly be eroded. Until it will be gone. Forever. If that happens, the allure of the NBA will surely suffer.
