Two games and two victories for the USA, so there's nothing to complain about. It's kind of weird hearing how quiet it is at the stadiums in Japan. You expect some kind of wild cheering, but nothing much (though LeBron and D. Wade got some applause). Puerto Rico (54.3% shooting) gave the USA some fits in the first game as the Americans had the habit of not playing a lot of defense and giving up open shots on the perimeter (10-of-16 3-pointers), but that was overcome because of the sheer depth of talent on the team. Coach K can bring guys like Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Joe Johnson off the bench. I thought I would see more design and offensive sets, but it's been all solo stuff and points in transition off turnovers. They played much better against China in the second game and actually played defense on Yao. It gets a little tougher on Tuesday against Slovenia and then Italy on Wednesday. Set your alarm clocks for the 6:30 am ET (3:30 am PT) starts.
Posted by john clemeno at 8/20/2006 9:34:00 AM |
