Every night another small, poor or Third World country is getting slaughtered by USA basketball players.
We’re back, baby!
The USA may be having trouble in various spots around the world, but the USA Basketball team playing in the Olympic-qualifying Tournament of the Americas here is winning easily and impressively, for the first time in about a decade. Being Ugly Americans in its dominance as opposed to its attitude. Let’s hear it for good ‘ol American excess and superiority. Where has it been?
The unbeaten and really untested U.S. team plays Puerto Rico in one semifinal at 6 p.m. Saturday. Argentina and Brazil meet in the other semifinal, with the winners earning the region’s 2008 Olympic spots. Team USA already has beaten Puerto Rico by 39.
“This team is incredible,” said former Bull Tyson Chandler, who has had plenty of chances to watch as the little-used No. 3 center. “The team approach has been to have a killer instinct no matter who the opponent is. We feel like every night we don’t want to let ourselves down. We approach every game as a championship game. We want to go out and dominate. We don’t let up no matter the score.”
You’d say it was like college football, say USC against Illinois, except nearly half the players on the team didn’t attend college.
It’s no Dream Team circa 1992, but the U.S. team of NBA players is the only undefeated team in the tournament, winning by an average of 39.2 points per game.
They’ve led by at least 20 points in the first half of every game and by at least 20 going into the fourth quarter of every game.
They are No. 1 in the tournament in scoring at 114.2 per game in the shorter 40-minute game, and also lead in defense, shooting, blocks, assists and steals.
They have five players averaging in double figures, led by Carmelo Anthony at 21.1 per game and Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd have been inspirational with their defense, helping hold opponents to a tournament low 75 points per game on 39 percent shooting.
The U.S. team has run up scores without apology, beating Venezuela by 43, the Virgin Islands by 64, Canada by 40 and Brazil by 47 in consecutive games. It hasn’t been particularly arrogant about it, though it has played well enough to be, for a change.
The losin’ and feudin’ NBA international teams of 2002, 2004 and 2006 often spent more time preening then playing. None of that from this year’s team, though its principal fundamental still appears to be the windmill and lob dunks.
Winning and rubbing it in — what could be more American than that?
But before the U.S. orders the gold medal polish for 2008, this still isn’t a sure thing (sorry, Commish, but we are in Vegas).
This field isn’t exactly the strongest, with opposition rosters reminiscent of a final NFL exhibition game. Argentina’s three best players stayed home, and you can be sure it was a lot easier for the U.S. to beat Uruguay than to find it on a map … though that South Carolina beauty-pageant contestant supposedly could.
Harmony, teamwork and dedication has been the mantra, but Team USA remains flawed.
The players haven’t shot free throws well (fifth in the tournament), and they’re small up front, outrebounded by Argentina and Brazil. Centers Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire are not skilled post-up players, and they don’t defend that well. It has been left to the team’s perimeter players to defend aggressively, which is allowed more in international play, knocking balls loose and running out for fast breaks and dunks.
The U.S. runs fewer offensive sets — and certainly almost no offensive system — than most of the teams, relying on talent and athletic ability.
That’s where U.S. teams of recent years began to fail, trying to beat proven “system” basketball with All-Star game appearances.
This group seems to understand that better, but can they play in a close game?
They should win Saturday, but somewhere they could run into this:
A team with an excellent point guard who can control the ball, not turn it over and slow the pace. The U.S. needs a high-scoring game. Put Anthony and LeBron James in endless pick-and-rolls because they just don’t like to defend them (Bryant and Kidd are exceptions). Make it a halfcourt game based on execution. The U.S. generally sets one screen and then the player with the ball isolates.
If they cannot speed up the game, they can’t get many open shots for the shooters such as Michael Redd and Mike Miller, who struggle otherwise.
Their starting team has most often been Bryant, Kidd, James, Anthony and Howard.
Anthony has become a terrific scorer and Bryant has been the team’s best player, coming up big in Thursday’s win over Argentina, the closest game yet.
James had a big game shooting against Uruguay on Wednesday, but it was something of an anomaly, like his performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Play a tight, packed-in zone defense and double Bryant and Anthony, taking a chance with James’ and Kidd’s inconsistent shooting. All Howard wants to do is dunk, and he can’t shoot free throws well, so foul him. And then shoot well, which we’ve seen.
This is probably the U.S.’ best international group since 1996, but they’re still only dreaming of success.
———-
sasmith@tribune.com
