Recap – Team USA Routs Serbia for Gold Medal

The 2014 FIBA World Championships have come to an end, and the tournament concluded the way everybody had envisioned – the United States on top. Of course, the majority predicted Spain meeting them in the finals, but that’s another conversation for another time. USA Basketball went up against Serbia and earned the gold medal in dominant, convincing fashion.

Serbia’s road to the championship game included the best of both worlds. In the quarterfinals, they destroyed Brazil 84-56 and held the opposition to just 24 points in the second half. Nicolas Batum did all he could individually to try to push France over Serbia in the semifinals, as he dropped 35 and helped France score 39 fourth quarter points, but Serbia held on to prevail 90-85. Milos Tedosic lead Serbia with back-to-back 20+ point performances as he put up 23 points vs. Brazil and 24 against France.

In terms of NBA talent, Serbia’s national team does not blow you away but they’ve got a few names that may catch your eye. Nenad Krstic is perhaps the most notable, as he played in the NBA from 2004-2011 for the New Jersey Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics. The seven footer’s most successful stint in the league came in New Jersey from 2005-2007, where he put up an accumulative 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Miroslav Raduljica went undrafted in 2010, but signed with the Milwaukee Bucks last season and appeared in 48 games for them in 2013-14, where he averaged 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in under 10 minutes per game. Bogdan Bogdanovic is the latest Serbian to join the NBA family, as the Phoenix Suns selected him 27th overall in June’s 2014 NBA Draft.

Serbia’s offensive gameplan was apparent from the jump – spread out, make the USA defense move side-to-side, run pick n’ roll and most of all, attack the rim. They were so aggressive early on that Anthony Davis picked up two quick fouls within the first two minutes of the game, helping Serbia to get off to a 15-7 start as they converted their first seven field goal attempts and scored 18 of their first 21 points in the paint. DeMarcus Cousins came in to replace The Uniblocker and was magnificent when the team needed him most, as Boogie was a force on both ends of the floor and tallied six points and six rebounds in his first eight minutes of action. His physical presence was too much to handle for the opposition and he protected the rim as well as you could have asked him to.

The story of the first quarter, however, was the dynamite offensive showing from Kyrie Irving, who went bananas with the ball in his hands. Irving lead the charge on a dominant 28-4 US run while hitting six of his first seven shots, three coming from beyond the arc, on his way to 15 first quarter points. Thanks to Irving and Cousins’ two-way excellence, the United States built a 35-21 lead by the end of the first frame.

The second quarter practically mirrored the first in terms of the scoreboard, as Team USA maintained their hot hand and rhythm on their way to a 32-20 advantage in the frame. USA Basketball was absolutely lights out in the first half, knocking down 11 of 16 three-point attempts. Anthony Davis picked up another foul within the first minute of his return to the floor but thanks to DeMarcus Cousins’ defensive presence and paint protection, it didn’t necessarily matter. Serbia scored just four points in the paint throughout the second quarter, after 18 in the first, and were completely unable to make a defensive stand of their own.

Irving was the star of the first quarter offensively, but James Harden made his presence felt in the final 10 minutes of the first half as well. Lead by 18 points from Irving and 17 from Harden, the United States put together a 67-41 lead by intermission.

Similar to the storyline of many contests throughout USA Basketball’s 2014 run, this game was over before the second half even began.

Serbia made an effort to try and rough the United States up a little bit and throw them off of their game from a mental standpoint, as that was really their only chance at creeping back into the game, but that desperation ploy was unsuccessful. Midway through the third quarter, Serbia aligned into mightily uncharacteristic zone coverage, but that didn’t work either. In fact, within one minute Kyrie Irving busted the zone with two more triples and put himself at 6-6 from beyond the arc.

Before the third quarter had concluded, the United States had reached the 100-point mark while Serbia was still stuck at 65.

The United States shot 15-30 from behind the three-point line in the game, locked down the paint for the majority of the contest and put eight players in double-figures.

Kyrie Irving lead all scorers with 26 points on 10-13 shooting, including a perfect 6-6 from downtown, while James Harden was not far behind with 23 of his own on 8-11 shooting.

Team USA got 51 points out of their bench in today’s championship matchup. Klay Thompson shot 5-8 from the floor to lead the bench with 12 points, while DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay tallied 11 apiece. Rudy Gay toughed it out with a chipped tooth and fractured jaw, bringing a great deal of energy on his way to 10 points and three boards.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

KYRIE IRVING – 26 points, 4 assists, 10-13 FG, 6-6 3FG

Kyrie Irving was in full Uncle Drew mode this afternoon. The Cavaliers guard was unconscious from the outside as he hit all six of his three-point attempts, converted on 10 of 13 shots from the field overall and disrupted Serbia’s guards with his ball pressure defensively. Irving was handed the MVP award following the game, for good reason as he made a consistent two-way impact throughout the entirety of the tournament.

DeMarcus Cousins deserves a mention for player of the game, as well. He didn’t light up the scoreboard like Irving or Harden, but his impact on the defensive end of the floor absolutely changed the game when Anthony Davis was in foul trouble. This is the game Coach K needed Cousins to step up most, and he delivered on both ends of the floor as he anchored the US defense, hit seven of eight free throws and was one rebound away from a double-double in 17 minutes of action.

Serbia – 92
USA – 129

BOX SCORE

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UNITED STATES TOURNAMENT MVP

KENNETH FARIED – 12.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 64% FG

Kenneth Faried may not necessarily be the best player on this United States squad, but he had as much of an impact as anyone in the tournament in my opinion. The Manimal was awarded a position on the All-Star Five, which is the FIBA World Cup’s All-Tournament team, and was sensational on a consistent level. His energy and activity set the tone for the rest of the squad, he was the most efficient player by leading the entire tournament in field goal percentage, he was extremely aggressive on the glass, he was a constant physical presence on the defensive end and he was outstanding running the floor and finishing in transition.

You can certainly make a case for guys like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, and I’m not mad at you if that’s your position, but Faried played some of his best basketball in this tournament and deserves recognition for it as much as anyone else.

This FIBA World Cup Championship victory solidifies USA Basketball’s automatic bid into the 2016 summer Olympic games in Rio. The United States may have been without some of their top players, notably LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Paul George, but they still put together a dominant run on their way to another gold medal.

Congratulations to USA Basketball! I don’t know about you, but I’m already excited for 2016.

Recap – USA vs. Lithuania

Coming off of a 119-76 victory over Slovenia in the quarterfinals, USA Basketball was back in action this afternoon in a semifinals meeting with Lithuania. Coming into today’s game, the United States had won five of their last six meetings with Lithuania and only compiled a double-digit advantage once. Their only recent loss, of course, came in the 2004 Olympics where Lithuania won by four points.

The Lithuanian national team headlines a trio of current and former NBA talent that might catch your eye. Their frontcourt is lead by Toronto Raptors starting center Jonas Valanciunas, who efficiently put up approximately 11 points and nine rebounds per game last year in his sophomore NBA season, and seven-foot Houston Rockets project Donatas Motiejunas. Off the bench, they’ve also got 38-year-old Lithuanian legend Sarunas Jasikevicius, who had a cup of coffee in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors from 2005-2007. Jasikevicius never quite worked out in the NBA, averaging an accumulative 6.8 points and 2.9 assists while playing under 20 minutes per game, but his time in the NBA is not indicative of the kind of professional career he has put together. The 6’4″ combo guard played four years at the University of Maryland and after stints with FC Barcelona, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos, Jasikevicius became the only player in history to win Euroleague titles with three different clubs.

The United States came out very sloppy, as they turned the ball over six times within the first seven minutes of the game and allowed Lithuania to establish a rhythm early on. After that stretch, however, Team USA committed just one turnover throughout the rest of the first half and forced 12 themselves. Even so, they were unable to make their presence felt in transition and in the halfcourt, they once again settled for contested jump shots as opposed to attacking inside-out. As a result, the pace of the game was right where Lithuania wanted it in the first half.

Lithuania played with extreme toughness and awareness on the defensive end of the floor, hence the violently low shooting numbers from both sides in the first half. Through the first 20 minutes of play, the United States went 15-46 (33%) from the floor while Lithuania knocked down just nine of their first 29 attempts (31%). Regardless, Lithuania kept themselves alive offensively by relentlessly attacking the paint off of pick n’ roll and dribble-penetration. James Harden, who picked up two early fouls (along with Kenneth Faried), was especially attacked off the bounce as Lithuania made it clear that they were aware of his struggles defensively. Steph Curry also got himself into trouble, committing three fouls in the first half.

By intermission, Lithuania had gotten to the line for 22 free throw attempts as they aimed to take advantage of Team USA’s early foul trouble. Mindaugas Kuzminskas was outstanding in the first half, where he shot 5-6 from the field on his way to 12 points and seven rebounds. Coach K can thank Klay Thompson for keeping the United States offense from drowning like the Titanic, as well. Thompson was very aggressive on both ends of the floor, leading the first half of the game with 14 points along with a stellar defensive performance.

Predicated off of stagnant offensive lapses and a timid defensive stand, the United States held just an eight-point advantage as both sides headed into the locker room to prepare for the second half.

You already know what happened next.

The third quarter began, and it was over just like that. Team USA got off to a 14-2 run to begin the second half, increasing their lead to 20 in the blink of an eye; but it didn’t stop there. The run extended to 27-8, as they put together a +19 advantage in the third frame and as Fran Fraschilla noted, completely took the heart out of Lithuania’s presence on the floor. Team USA finally tightened their defensive approach and started to get out in transition on a consistent basis, flipping the pace of the game to their liking and putting together a dominant run to seal the game.

United States captain James Harden was quiet in the first half as he struggled defensively and got into foul trouble, but he got punched in the mouth and punched right back in the third quarter. Harden was lights out, as he was the leader of the enormous US run and scored all 16 of his points in the third frame. He was burying threes, attacking off the dribble and most of all, was dynamite putting pressure on the opposition in transition. It was refreshing to see him come out and play with such intensity after practically getting shown up early on.

Lithuania closed the game with dignity and didn’t lay down in the fourth quarter, as the US held just a 20-19 advantage in the final frame, but the previous 10 minutes of action ultimately decided the game. The United States controlled the second half 53-33 on their way to a 28-point blowout victory.

Kyrie Irving put his mesmerizing herky-jerky ball handling ability on display in the fourth quarter, making the crowd go wild and breaking some ankles in the process. Irving dropped a game-high 18 points, with 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter, and dished four assists as his jumper was falling and he made the defense shake their head at his ability with off dribble. It’s safe to say he’s feeling healthy.

DeMarcus Cousins’ performance got the attention of the Twitterverse when he got into a minor scuffle with Jonas Valanciunas, who wanted no part Cousins, but he put together another quality game off the bench as well. Cousins brought a great deal of energy in the first half, when the US was in need of a spark, as his activity and five rebounds helped Klay Thompson get the red, white and blue out of their funk. The big fella finished with seven points and six boards.

Stephen Curry played just 13 minutes due to foul trouble, but was very productive when he was on the floor. The sharpshooter hit three of six from beyond the arc, scored 13 points and took good care of the ball as he played with admirable intensity.

Rudy Gay is not a go-to scoring option on this team, but he continues to impress with his activity all over the floor. Gay was once again very aggressive on the defensive end, as he provided great energy and earned himself some “Tommy Points” along with grabbing seven boards.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

KLAY THOMPSON – 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 7-12 FG

The Splash Brothers did their thing today, and Klay Thompson continues to impress as one of the most important pieces to this United States roster. When Coach K called his name to come in provide a spark to help get the squad out of their stagnant rut, Thompson delivered. His progression as a two-way game changer is really starting to blow you away, as he consistently makes plays especially as a help defender. Some of the only transition opportunities the US had in the first half were created by stops made by Thompson, and he was an animal on the run going the other way as well. Thompson stayed in constant motion on both ends, hit a pair of threes, attacked off the dribble in fast break situations and just flat out played a quality all-around game of basketball.

Lithuania – 68
USA – 96

BOX SCORE

As expected, USA Basketball has advanced to the 2014 FIBA World Cup final, where they will battle the winner of tomorrow’s contest between France and Serbia on Sunday afternoon. The championship match will be held in Madrid, shown live on ESPN at 3:00 pm ET.

Recap – USA vs. Mexico

After dominating the competition in preliminary round play, USA Basketball was back in action Saturday morning as they took on Mexico to open the Round of 16. Prior to today’s meeting, the United States hadn’t squared off with Mexico in basketball at the World Cup or Olympic play since 1967.

Mexico’s national roster isn’t overwhelmed with NBA talent, but they’ve got a couple of guys who played in the league last season. Gustavo Ayon, who is currently an NBA free agent, spent the 2013-14 season with the Atlanta Hawks where he averaged 4.3 points and 4.8 rebounds through 26 games. Mexico also has 6’3″ guard Jorge Gutierrez, who appeared in 15 games for last year’s Brooklyn Nets and is expected to compete for a spot on their roster in training camp next month. Brooklyn has a team option on the second and third years of the three-year deal Gutierrez signed with them last September.

To begin today’s contest, the United States got off to a quick 13-2 start before Gutierrez injected some life into his squad by knocking down a triple from the top of the key, igniting a 7-0 Mexico run. However, they were unable to establish any kind of rhythm as they were only able to score 13 points in the quarter and had an extremely difficult time handling Team USA off the bounce. Defensively, Mexico jumped out of the gate with man-to-man coverage but due to their inability to deal with the US dribble penetration and quickness, they went in and out of a matchup zone the rest of the way. USA Basketball’s offensive attack was generally isolation-oriented, which has actually been a negative for them at times throughout this tournament, but it didn’t matter today against the far inferior group of athletes that Mexico has to offer.

Mexico’s zone helped keep the US out of the paint in the halfcourt throughout the second quarter, as well, and the pace of the game was generally in their favor. Even with the big lead, the United States wasn’t able to go crazy out in transition. They generally elected to settle for jumpers against the zone, which was a problem against Turkey but this game just goes to show you the difference when shots are actually falling. The US was hot from beyond the arc, lead by three triples from Steph Curry in the first half, and buried a lot of stop-and-pop mid-range pull-ups as well.

Mexico may have been happy with their halfcourt coverage and tempo of the game, but there isn’t a whole lot you can do against Team USA if you’re not able to put points on the board. Mexico scored just 27 points in the first half and trailed by 15 at intermission. James Harden lead the US with 12 points in the first half, while the Splash Brothers did what they do best to combine for 16.

Mexico went scoreless for about four minutes to open the second half, and things didn’t get much better after that. USA Basketball got whatever they wanted to open the third quarter, as their hot hand continued on their way to a 24-11 advantage in the frame. Steph Curry was the star of the show, as his unconscious shooting stroke was in full effect. Curry buried three more from beyond the arc, one coming after contact in a potential four-point play opportunity that was not called by the officials, and did some damage off the dribble on his way to 11 points in the quarter. He also made a gorgeous no-look behind the back pass to Kenneth Faried in traffic and although he didn’t convert the layup at the rim, the dish got the crowd making some noise in awe.

Hot shooting was the story of the game, as the United States hit 13 of 29 from downtown for the game.

The United States went up by as many as 30 and held a 66-38 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. From there, it was “garbage time” galore as both sides recognized the blowout situation and put all 12 guys on the floor. In fact, Coach K played 10 guys at least 13 minutes in this game while Andre Drummond and Mason Plumlee each got six minutes of action to close the game.

The Splash Brothers went crazy this morning. The Golden State backcourt combined for 35 points, eight rebounds and six assists as they shot nine threes apiece, connecting on half of them. Somewhere, Steve Kerr was sitting on a couch smiling ear to ear. He is gonna have a lot of fun with these two.

Team USA had five guys reach double-figure scoring. James Harden did all of his damage in the first half, where he put in 12 points, while the bench brigade was once again lead by DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. Cousins made all five of his field goal attempts, threw his weight around and finished with 11 points and seven boards. Gay brought a lot of energy and shot the ball well, hitting two from long range to help him reach 10 points.

Kyrie Irving took a tough spill in Thursday’s game, but it was good to see him get out there today and work it off. Despite playing through the injury in a blowout, Coach K still ran him for 23 minutes. Irving was quiet, finishing with four points and two assists, but it was refreshing to see that he is alright.

Gustavo Ayon surprisingly got the best of his matchup with Anthony Davis, as the auditioning NBA free agent grabbed eight rebounds and lead all scorers with 25 points while Davis struggled from the floor to shoot just 2-9. Davis did, however, swat four shots and grab six boards.

Kenneth Faried flirted with a double-double as he finished with eight points and eight rebounds. He was particularly active and impressive on the offensive glass, where he grabbed six boards.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

STEPHEN CURRY – 20 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 7-10 FG, 6-9 3FG

Steph Curry was outstanding all game long, and it was terrific to see him with that kind of pep in his step after struggling for a decent portion of FIBA play thus far. He finally put together the breakout outside shooting performance we had been waiting for in this tournament, as he knocked down six of nine three-point attempts and lead the USA with 20 points. He made a lot happen off the bounce, as well, where he handled the ball in more of a point guard role with Kyrie Irving’s health not quite at 100%. He was great with the ball in his hands, drawing the defense and finding his teammates in transition. When Curry is on his game, it opens up a whole new world for Team USA’s halfcourt offense. Let’s hope he can build on this going forward and finish the tournament at the top of his game.

Mexico – 63
USA – 86

BOX SCORE

Team USA will move on to the quarterfinals, where they will compete at 3 pm ET on Tuesday against the winner of the Dominican Republic vs. Slovenia game.

Recap – USA vs. Ukraine

After officially clinching the top seed in Group C with yesterday’s blowout victory over the Dominican Republic, USA Basketball wrapped up its preliminary round schedule with today’s victory against Ukraine. Team USA’s record remains undefeated at 5-0, excluding their four exhibition wins.

Ukraine finished preliminary round play at 2-3, as they’ll be fighting with Turkey, New Zealand and the Dominican Republic for seeding as they cross their fingers to advance to the Round of 16. As far as NBA talent is concerned, the only player on Ukraine’s roster to ever play in the NBA is point guard Pooh Jeter, who appeared in 62 games for the Sacramento Kings in 2010-11. They are, however, coached by “The Czar” Mike Fratello, who coached 17 years in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies.

Fighting for advancement, Ukraine came out playing spirited basketball in the first quarter in similar fashion to the way the Dominican Republic handled the first 10 minutes of action yesterday afternoon. Five minutes into the game, Team USA had put up just four points while Ukraine was very aggressive attacking the heart of their defense off of high screen-roll action with Pooh Jeter.  They continuously got into the lane as the US defense struggled, yet again, to defend the pick n’ roll. After Ukraine got off to an 11-6 start, you were heavily reminded of the way the United States opened up yesterday’s game – lackadaisical, dispirited and stagnant. Unfortunately, Mike Krzyzewski’s first flurry of substitutions didn’t pick up the slack quite like they did against the Dominican Republic.

Team USA scored just 14 points in the first quarter, while Ukraine held a five-point advantage heading into the second frame.

Contrary to the stand-around offense they began the game with, the US moved the ball much better in the second quarter and finally started working the ball inside to attack the rim. Additionally, they were able to get up and down a bit more as opposed to the controlled, slow-down pace inflicted by Ukraine early on. After a couple of jumpers from Kyrie Irving and a long-distance three by Steph Curry with four minutes to go in the half, Team USA earned their first lead of the game since being up 2-0. The last few minutes of the half featured the brand of USA Basketball we’re all used to seeing, as they headed into intermission on an 11-1 run and built a double-digit lead at the break.

Due to the United States’ much improved defensive reactions and ability to establish pace, they put together a 30-13 second quarter advantage and held a 44-32 halftime lead.

The entire third quarter was back-and-forth. Neither team was really able to get multiple stops, consistently get out in transition or put together a big run. Pooh Jeter had a tough time from the field today as he shot 5-16 overall, but he had his moment of shine in the third quarter where he would heat up to bury a pair of threes and a pull-up mid-range jumper to score eight points in the frame. On the other side, James Harden kept himself going. After scoring eight points in the first half, he continued his aggressive one-on-one attack, worked to get to the rim off the dribble and scored nine in the third quarter.

Ukraine executed offensively all quarter long as they made the US defense move side to side, but still found themselves at a 25-22 deficit for the quarter and were down 15 heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter, however, was all USA. Ukraine fell victim to a 25-11 US run in the frame as they turned the ball over time and time again while struggling to handle the active hands and feet of the opposition. Team USA forced 11 turnovers in the second half and finished the game at a high pace, even though it was choppy on the whole.

Kyrie Irving stepped up to produce another terrific all-around performance, as he shot the ball well and played a very controlled game with the ball. Irving finished with 11 points on 4-6 shooting, six assists and three rebounds while he wreaked havoc defensively as well. He did a great job pressuring the ball full-court and forcing ball handlers into no-man’s land, as he came away with four steals and helped the United States get out on the run. However, he took a tough spill in the fourth quarter and fell on his tailbone before slowly limping off the court. Let’s hope this isn’t serious and he can come back strong this weekend. On the bright side, they’ve got a day of rest tomorrow.

Steph Curry seems like he has finally broken his cold streak, as he put together his second quality performance in a row. The sharpshooting Golden State Warrior hit three of his four three-point attempts and went 5-5 from the free throw line on his way to 14 points.

Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried didn’t quite impact the game offensively like they have in recent outings, but maintained their activity defensively and cleaned the glass. They ignited multiple fast breaks with rebounds and heads-up outlet passes, and each had their own highlight slam in transition as well. The frontcourt duo combined for 22 points, eight rebounds and three blocks as they reminded you that they are indeed the backbone of this squad.

DeMarcus Cousins played another quality game off the bench, as “Boogie” was the only US bench performer to reach double-digit scoring with 11 points to go along with three boards. Klay Thompson lead the team in minutes played (24) and even though he didn’t shoot the ball all that much, he may have had his most complete outing of the tournament thus far. The second half of the Splash Brothers finished with seven points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks as he shot 3-7 from the field. Everyone knows Thompson as a lights out shooter, but he is really improving his all-around game and he has yet to reach his peak. Look out.

Rudy Gay struggled offensively, shooting just 1-7 from the field, but still made an impact on the other end of the floor with his defensive activity.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

JAMES HARDEN – 17 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 7-12 FG

James Harden quite possibly put together his best game of the tournament, as he finished with a game-high 17 points to go along with five assists and three boards. He didn’t shoot particularly well or often from the outside, missing all three of his three-point attempts, but he was terrific off the dribble finishing in the paint. That euro-step was in effect, he had a pair of clean pull-up Js and distributed the ball well in pick n’ roll situations. If Harden can play at this level going forward, that would be a big plus for USA Basketball.

Ukraine – 71
USA – 95

BOX SCORE

The Round of 16 begins on Saturday, where the United States will square off with Mexico (time TBD).

Recap – USA vs. Dominican Republic

Coming off of yesterday’s blowout victory over New Zealand, USA Basketball was back in action this afternoon in a rematch of their second exhibition matchup vs. the Dominican Republic, in which the US dominated 105-62.

With the idea to rest and replenish for their Group C preliminary round finale vs. Turkey tomorrow night, Francisco Garcia sat out today’s game to make sure he has fresh legs in the Dominican Republic’s final push to advance to the Round of 16. Should they come out victorious tomorrow, they will have finished their preliminary round schedule with a surprising 3-2 record. In the meantime, a severely outmatched competitor against the United States was even less equipped to make noise this afternoon, without their top gun and only NBA talent on the roster.

The United States came out with the intent to smother the opposition early, as they applied full-court pressure after made baskets and dead balls from the jump, but were unsuccessful in the first 10 minutes of the ballgame. The Dominican Republic handled it pretty well in the first quarter and were able to get into the paint off of their pick ‘n roll play, which has been tough for the US to defend in this tournament. On the defensive end, the Dominicans hit Team USA with 2-3 zone coverage in hopes of clogging the lane and making life as tough as possible around the rim. To some degree, it was marginally effective but really only because they weren’t attacked inside-out. Team USA’s advantage in terms of size and mobility is ridiculous, but they didn’t go at them like they should have.

Unfortunately, the US starting five was unable to establish any kind of rhythm early on, as 13 of their 25 first quarter points came from the bench. They held just a three-point lead after one and even though the United States put together a double-digit lead by halftime, they certainly played far from their best basketball on either end of the floor. In fact, the starters were stagnant and seemed almost disinterested at times, as if their opponent was nothing to worry about.

Their offense was completely bailed out by the strong play off the bench, lead by DeMarcus Cousins’ nine first half points, and their defensive resistance was particularly dissatisfying. Anthony Davis may have swatted four shots in the first half, but Coach K and Tom Thibodeau surely had something to say about the team’s overall weak dribble-penetration protection. The Dominican Republic was able to consistently attack the lane off the bounce, especially from the likes of Edgar Sosa, and maintained admirable poise. Even so, a high-energy run to close the half helped the United States build as quiet of a 15-point lead as you could imagine by intermission.

As you would expect, the second half was a completely different story.

The United States first unit finally began to establish pace with a sense of urgency, lead by the defensive prowess of Anthony Davis and yet another absolutely outstanding performance from Kenneth Faried. This guy just doesn’t have an off switch, and you can’t help but love him for it. Team USA controlled the paint in the third quarter and jumped on the Dominican Republic’s ball handlers to force a plethora of turnovers, finally allowing them to create multiple opportunities in transition. The US dominated the third frame defensively, leading to a 25-11 advantage which put the game completely out of reach.

Heading into the final 10 minutes of action, Team USA held an 81-52 advantage and coasted to the finish line with another blowout victory like everybody expected. The enormous lead was built predicated off of their bread and butter, converting turnovers and forced misses into an abundance of easy buckets on the break. Throughout the stretch consisting of the final few minutes of the third quarter and opening of the fourth, the US scored 22 unanswered points, bringing their lead to as high as 40.

After that run, the Dominican Republic’s body language and facial expressions screamed visible frustration. At that point, they just wanted this thing to end.

Anthony Davis wasn’t as aggressive offensively as he has been the last couple of games, but was an animal on the defensive end of the floor and rejected anything that came his way. The budding superstar finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. His backup, DeMarcus Cousins, was equally impressive. “Boogie” came in off the bench and provided a much-needed spark in the first half, when the US was searching for an increased level of intensity, and was extremely active on both ends of the floor. In only 12 minutes of play, Cousins put up 13 points, grabbed five boards and repeatedly reached into the cookie jar to come away with six steals.

DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay also gave the team a big lift off the bench, as the super athletic swingmen combined for 20 points, seven rebounds and five steals. They did a great job putting their active hands to good use, jumping the passing lanes and stripping ball handlers at the top of the key. DeRozan also gave us the highlight of the game as he took off from outside the restricted area and finished an emphatic one-handed tomahawk slam. Mason Plumlee’s alley-oop lob to Andre Drummond was a nice piece of eye-candy, too.

Steph Curry put together a quality all-around performance, finishing with eight points, seven assists, six rebounds and a pair of long-range shots.

For the second straight game, all 12 United States players were able to score and this win clinches a Group C victory for USA Basketball.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

KENNETH FARIED – 16 points, 6 rebounds, 8-11 FG

Kenneth Faried’s contributions to this team can’t be stated enough. How often do you see a guy shoot 8-11 and actually drop his field goal percentage in the process? I almost feel like every time I speak on what he brought to the game, it is repetitive because you know exactly what you’re getting every single time. His energy and activity cannot be matched, he runs the floor as well as anyone in uniform, he gobbles up offensive boards, he does a terrific job trapping ball handlers on the defensive end and he just finds a way to efficiently put the ball in the basket without ever running a set for him. The Manimal is a joy to watch.

Dominican Republic – 71
USA – 106

BOX SCORE

Team USA will conclude their preliminary round schedule tomorrow at 11:30 am ET vs. Ukraine on ESPN2, before they gear up for the Round of 16 this weekend.

Recap – USA vs. New Zealand

Following USA Basketball’s only day of rest in this midst of this six-day span in which they will have played five games, the troops were back in action today as they took on New Zealand in their third Group C matchup of the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

New Zealand’s roster is not headed by any recognizable NBA talent, but they’ve got a couple of former NCAA stars that could spark your memory. Kirk Penney played four years at Wisconsin, highlighted by his senior season where he averaged 16 points and six assists per game and a 2000 Final Four appearance. Penney, the second player from New Zealand to appear in an NBA game after Sean Marks, had a cup of coffee in the NBA as he signed 10-day contracts with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers in 2003 and 2004 but only appeared in a total of six games. New Zealand is also partially lead by Rob Loe, who spent the last four years at Saint Louis University, where the 6’11” big man put up 10.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 2013-14. They’ve also got a talented young guard by the name of Tai Webster, who will be a sophomore at the University of Nebraska this coming NCAA season.

Contrary to the stagnant start to Sunday’s contest against Turkey, USA Basketball imposed their will from the get-go today. They established pace immediately after tip-off, as their run and gun approach made their incredible physical advantage apparent right away. Team USA also made it a point to work the ball inside from the jump, which was comforting to watch after the way they settled for perimeter jumpers in the first half vs. Turkey. After a pair of early alley-oop conversions along with an abundance of entry passes to bigs flashing duck-ins on the low block, the United States perimeter game was opened up as Mike Krzyzewski got some of that inside-out basketball that he is looking for in the halfcourt. However, they did not separate themselves much on the scoreboard as New Zealand relentlessly attacked their watered down defensive resistance, which we have unfortunately seen from the US in spurts.

At the end of the first quarter, where Kenneth Faried hustled his way to seven early points, Team USA held a 27-20 advantage.

The United States opened the second frame with significantly increased defensive pressure, with Kyrie Irving picking up his man full-court while they worked to trap New Zealand’s ball handlers in the corners and force tougher shots. New Zealand generally moved the ball well and found open shooters but they did not have anybody who could attack the heart of the US defense. Additionally, they simply could not handle the United States’ speed or prowess off the bounce on the other end of the floor. The US could not be touched as they leaked out in transition off of rebounds and forced 12 first half turnovers, helping them get off to a 23-9 run throughout the first six minutes of the second quarter as the differential on the scoreboard grew out of hand quickly.

New Zealand not only struggled to guard, they were unable to establish any kind of offensive rhythm throughout the first half as a result of a strong defensive stand from the red, white and blue. This contest was a certified blowout before intermission, where Kenneth Faried and Anthony Davis tallied 11 points apiece and combined for 10 rebounds. The United States held a 57-35 lead at the half.

With a victory already in place, Coach K decided to extend the minutes of some of his bench guys and even started Derrick Rose in place of Kyrie Irving to begin the second half. Rose was not very effective on the whole, as he shot just 1-6 from the field and settled for outside jumpers, but was very active defensively and made multiple deflections.

The United States defensive pressure refused to let up, and they were magnificent in terms of converting out in transition as usual. The best chance that New Zealand had of protecting the rim was to foul when it was attacked, but there are no Shaquille O’Neals or Ben Wallaces out here. Team USA got to the charity stripe for 34 free throw attempts, while New Zealand could hardly even work the ball into the paint and only shot seven free throws for the game.

New Zealand committed 22 turnovers and hit just 29 of their 72 field goal attempts for the game. They had no chance to win, but the United States didn’t control the scoreboard the way they did because of talent alone. The defensive effort was solid while they chose to play inside-out basketball to open up an offensive attack that did damage from all areas on the floor. Instead of allowing the opposition to control the pace of the game like they did in the first half vs. Turkey, Team USA imposed their will on the game from the opening tip with an up-tempo style of play as they got whatever they wanted in the paint.

Kenneth Faried was a monster, yet again. The Manimal put up 11 points and six rebounds in the first half, ran the floor as you would expect him to and was all over the place on his quest to get stops. He was the first to go after loose balls and was probably the most effective US player in terms of trapping New Zealand’s ball handlers up top. Faried finished with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds while converting seven of his nine field goal attempts around the rim.

Stephen Curry has struggled mightily throughout FIBA play thus far, but he put together one of his better performances today. He knocked the rust off of his jumper by scoring 12 points on 4-7 shooting, including a pair of triples, was active defensively and pulled down five boards. He also made some terrific advance passes in transition, particularly in the first half, and moved his feet well guarding the ball. The second half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson, displayed his beautiful stroke with 12 points of his own, while burying three of his four three-point attempts.

James Harden and Kyrie Irving rounded out the list of United States players to finish the game in double-figure scoring, as they combined for 23 points on 7-13 shooting, highlighted by three long-balls from Irving and two from Harden. Harden had the stroke going, but also put a lot of pressure on the defense by knifing his way to the rim to draw fouls. He shot 6-8 from the free throw line and didn’t try to do too much with the ball. When he lets the game come to him, he has been very efficient for Team USA.

Mason Plumlee’s numbers don’t jump out at you, but he did a terrific job in his five minutes of action. The former Duke star was banging on the boards, pulled down three rebounds and made a great draw-and-kick pass in the paint. He may not get a chance to play a whole lot, but these minutes are valuable for him in case he is needed down the road against the likes of Spain.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

ANTHONY DAVIS – 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 7-13 FG, 7-10 FT

Kenneth Faried was just as deserving of player of the game recognition, but Anthony Davis was a nightmare for New Zealand to defend. He didn’t get the ball much in the first half vs. Turkey, and let it be known by putting up 19 second-half points, but he was a threat the whole way through today. He was the number one component to the success of Team USA’s inside-out attack, which I believe should be the way they play going forward. Davis was extremely aggressive around the rim, getting to the line for 10 free throw attempts and slicing and dicing his way around New Zealand’s suspect interior defense. There was nothing they could do with him. Davis scored 21 points in 22 minutes and generally got everything he wanted all game long.

New Zealand – 71
USA – 98

BOX SCORE

Team USA will continue their preliminary round schedule tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 pm ET vs. the Dominican Republic, who they routed 105-62 two weeks ago in exhibition play. You can catch the game over on ESPN2.

Recap – USA vs. Turkey

Coming off of yesterday’s 59-point demolition of Finland, USA Basketball returned to action on the backside of a back-to-back vs. Turkey on Sunday afternoon.

Today’s contest acts as somewhat of a rematch of the title game from the 2010 FIBA World Championships, where Team USA routed Turkey 81-64 behind the coming out party of Kevin Durant. This year’s Turkish national team is not lead by quite as much NBA talent as they were in 2010, as Hedo Turkoglu, Ersan Ilyasova and Semih Erden are no longer a part of the roster. The only NBA talent remaining from their 2010 runner-up squad is the newest New Orleans Pelican, Omer Asik, who will be teaming up with Anthony Davis this coming season. However, Turkey’s 2014 squad is full of experience, as eight of their players participated in the 2010 World Championship run.

Team USA certainly wasn’t going to destroy Turkey like they did to Finland; in fact, they got all they could handle. Tough inside play from Turkey early on helped control the pace and set the tone for a tight low-scoring affair, as they disrupted the flow of the United States offense by going into matchup zone coverage and did a great job of controlling the boards, particularly the offensive glass. Neither side got off to a strong start shooting the basketball, as Turkey shot 4-15 from the field in the first quarter while the United States went just 6-18, but Turkey made up for it. They outrebounded the US 12-4 in the first frame – six coming from Omer Asik – and by halftime, they had gotten to the free throw line 18 times.

Kyrie Irving provided an offensive spark early on, burying a three from the top of the key and knifing through the lane for another one of his spectacular up-and-under reverse layups, while Kenneth Faried finished above the rim in transition and completed a tough up-and-under himself. However, Team USA had a difficult time converting against the zone, which forced them into settling for far too many jump shots. It’s one thing when guys are feeling it, but that wasn’t the case in the first half. Steph Curry’s frustration about his continued struggles was beyond visible, as he hit just one of his first nine shot attempts.

In the second quarter, Turkey maintained their attack and really made a lot happen off the dribble and with their crisp reactionary ball movement. They didn’t shoot well from the field in the first quarter but came back to shoot 8-12 in the second frame, leading to a 24-19 advantage. The way in which they slowed the game down and refused to allow Team USA to control the pace of the game was remarkable, and the first time we have seen something like that through USA Basketball’s 2014 schedule thus far.

At the half, Turkey’s strong defensive gameplan and relentless gang rebounding approach lead to a 19-5 advantage on the glass, as they held a 40-35 lead at intermission.

The first half was played at a slowed down, grind-it-out pace that Turkey had hoped for, but neither team was having that in the third quarter. Both sides came out like gangbusters, as each squad got into a terrific offensive flow in up-and-down fashion. Team USA finally imposed their will in the paint, as they refused to settle for jumpers like they did throughout the first 20 minutes of the ballgame. Instead of taking what the defense gave them on the perimeter, they started working the ball down low in the halfcourt and finally began to break up that zone.

Anthony Davis, who went scoreless in the first half, was much more aggressive in the third quarter where he scored 11 of his 19 points, attacking under the rim and putting together back-to-back old fashioned three-point play conversions. Kenneth Faried provided a big time burst of energy as he was extremely active defensively, cleaned up the offensive glass and continued to run the floor beautifully.

USA Basketball’s defense continued to break down at times in the halfcourt, as Turkey’s wide pick n’ roll play broke them down and lead to a flurry of open threes. However, Team USA’s sense of urgency was taken to another level as they were able to get out in transition by playing the passing lanes well and coming away with multiple strips. They shot under 40% in the first half, but went 13-22 in the third frame where they held a 31-20 advantage and built a six-point lead heading into the fourth.

Team USA ramped up their intensity even more in the fourth, as they had finally figured out Turkey’s offensive attack and were able to complete multiple consecutive stops. They absolutely locked down, disrupting everything Turkey attempted to do with the ball, opening the final frame with a 31-9 run in a game that was tight for three quarters, but quickly turned into another blowout victory for the United States.

As Fran Fraschilla repeatedly stated, this was an outstanding test for Team USA. For a team that was able to dominate the first five games of their schedule with practically zero resistance, they needed to respond after getting punched in the mouth. They did just that, forcing Turkey into 28 turnovers for the game and dominating the second half 63-37. The final score is not indicative of how the game went through the first 30 minutes, but it was comforting to watch Team USA respond in dominant form with their backs against the wall.

Kenneth Faried lead all scorers with 22 points on 11-14 shooting, while Anthony Davis grabbed six rebounds and scored all 19 of his points in the second half. James Harden put together one of his best games, scoring an efficient 14 points and dishing out seven assists as he let the game come to him as opposed to his recent tendency to force a lot with the ball. Kyrie Irving had a couple of sloppy turnovers but for the most part played a solid all-around game on both ends. I was impressed with his one-on-one ball pressure, despite making mistakes in pick n’ roll coverage. Irving finished with 13 points and five assists.

DeMarcus Cousins lead the bench brigade yet again, putting in 11 points on 5-8 from the field. He also converted a monster reverse pivot post spin as quickly as you’ve ever seen him move, almost reminiscent of Shaquille O’Neal’s “Black Tornado.” Maybe Diesel has had a hand in his development out in Sacramento? Not a bad mentor to have for a big fella.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

KENNETH FARIED – 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 11-14 FG

Anthony Davis is the best player that USA Basketball has, but Faried is their number one source of energy. The guy is an absolute menace with the way he approaches the game. He was once again all over the place defensively, where he got his hands on a lot of basketballs and made his presence felt on the glass. Faried also did a terrific job getting out in transition, where he sprinted full speed and got ahead of the pack on multiple occasions. He was extremely active on the offensive glass, as well, where he played the garbage man role and threw his body into the opposition to convert cleanup buckets. He put up some numbers today, but the spark of energy he provided is unprecedented. What a Manimal!

Turkey – 77
USA – 98

BOX SCORE

Team USA will continue their preliminary round schedule Tuesday morning at 11:30 am ET vs. New Zealand on ESPN2.

Recap – USA vs. Finland

The FIBA World Cup is officially underway, basketball heads, and USA Basketball opened up their preliminary round schedule against Finland this afternoon in overwhelmingly dominant fashion.

Finland’s national roster isn’t infused with jaw-dropping talent that stacks up with what the United States has to offer, but they’ve got a few names you might recognize. Their best player is Petteri Koponen, who has never played in the NBA but was drafted in the first round (30th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft by the 76ers, who have since forwarded his rights to Dallas. Erik Murphy, a former Florida star who spent last season with the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz, will be fighting for a roster spot in Cleveland Cavaliers training camp next month. You may also be familiar with former NCAA ballplayers Sean Huff (Valparaiso) and Gerald Lee Jr. (Old Dominion).

Despite some minor speculation that Mike Krzyzewski would reinsert Derrick Rose into the starting lineup for World Cup play, he has decided to roll with the same starting five we have seen over the last three games – Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kenneth Faried and Anthony Davis.

Contrary to Team USA’s tendency to dance with the ball and settle for jumpers throughout exhibition play, they made it a point to attack the rim early on against Finland’s minimal defensive resistance. All of Team USA’s first 19 points came in the paint or at the free throw line off of fouls committed under the basket. Finland ran a lot of high pick n’ roll from the top of the key, generally electing to take jumpers in one-and-done fashion. Specifically in the second half of the first quarter, Finland was extremely sloppy with the ball and had a tough time dealing with the US ball pressure as they harassed the perimeter and swarmed the passing lanes. On the strength of their relentless two-way attack, USA Basketball closed the first quarter on a 20-8 run.

Finland’s second quarter was as brutal of a stretch as you will ever see in professional play, as they were unable to score a single field goal throughout the entire frame. Their only two points came at the free throw line. Team USA destroyed them in the second quarter on a 29-2 run, thanks to their absolutely dominant defensive stand from all angles, pushing their lead up to 42 at halftime. They way they dominated the opposition was just out of control.

After Finland missed 19 consecutive shots and accumulated 17 first half turnovers, he score was 60-18.

Some life was ignited into Finland’s squad in the locker room, as they came out and finally put some points on the board in the third quarter (21), but the game was obviously all but over. Team USA lead by as many as 62 and ended up winning the game 114-55, which reminds me of how my old B Team used to get crushed in AAU play.

Anthony Davis was quiet in the first quarter offensively, but the opening of the second quarter displayed a little bit of everything as he stuck a mid-range jumper off of a jab, finished in traffic and converted a three-point opportunity off of a strong drive on the baseline. Davis wasn’t necessarily needed to score the ball this afternoon but he poured in 17 points anyway, from a variety of areas on the floor.

Klay Thompson quietly shot the lights out, as usual, and lead all scorers with 18 points while knocking down four of his seven attempts from beyond the arc.

DeMarcus Cousins was the first sub off the bench and once again brought a great deal of energy, as he grabbed 10 rebounds and was one point away from a double-double. Rudy Gay was extremely active on both ends, himself, as he worked hard in transition and made a lot of extra efforts for loose balls. Gay finished with 10 points and five boards off the bench.

From a physical standpoint, Derrick Rose looked better today than he did all last week as he put together an explosive drive/and-one finish late in 1st quarter along with a vintage tomahawk slam in the second frame. The former MVP also buried a three in the 4th. He did, however, continue his struggles of finishing at the rim as he works to get his timing back in true form. Regardless, he was very aggressive and explosive off the dribble, which is the most important factor. The feel for the game will reassert itself as time goes on through good health. Rose finished with 12 points and three assists in 22 minutes of action.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

There was no individual who stood out or made a singular contribution to put the team over the top. This was an all-out team effort from the get-go on both ends of the court, but the stifling defensive performance that Team USA put on today dropped your jaw to the floor. Sure, Finland was severely outmatched in terms of talent, but that’s not why they got annihilated the way they did. USA Basketball made it a point to turn their defensive pressure up to another level, and they locked down murderously throughout the majority of the game.

Finland – 55
USA – 114

BOX SCORE

Team USA will continue their preliminary round schedule tomorrow afternoon, where they’ll square off with Turkey at 3:30 pm ET on ESPN.

Recap – USA vs. Slovenia (Exhibition)

USA Basketball has officially made their way to Spain in preparation for the World Cup, as Tuesday afternoon’s matchup against Slovenia at Gran Canaria Arena marked their last exhibition contest before the tournament begins this coming Saturday.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s roster stands a bit thinner than the last time we saw Team USA in action, as Gordon Hayward, Kyle Korver, Damian Lillard and Chandler Parsons were released in order to cut the roster down to the final 12. No changes were made to the starting lineup, however, as Coach K decided to roll with the same five that he put on the floor to begin the last two contests vs. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, consisting of James Harden, Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving on the perimeter alongside Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried.

Slovenia is lead by 2013-14 All-NBA Third Teamer Goran Dragic of the Phoenix Suns and his brother Zoran, who averaged 10.9 points per game last year for Unicaja Málaga of the most prolific professional Spanish league, Liga ACB. Starting Slovenian national team big man Miha Zupan is also worth bringing to your attention, as the 6’8″ forward/center has carved out a 14-year (and counting) professional basketball career for himself as a legally deaf individual. For further assurance regarding how difficult that is to accomplish, look no further than Lance Allred, the one and only legally deaf player in NBA history.

Most of Slovenia’s offense is predicated off of high pick n’ rolls, cross-screening across the paint, weak-side flashes/curls to free up shooters and of course, Goran Dragic’s mesmerizing isolation breakdowns. Slovenia doesn’t have much to run through in the post and as a result, they are a very perimeter oriented team that came into today’s contest hoisting an average of 30 three-point attempts per game, as noted by Fran Fraschilla early in the first quarter. After a rough 2-11 start shooting from the field, Slovenia continued to follow through with their system and got back into the game by knocking down some triples after swinging the ball around the horn. Team USA jumped on the opposition for a strong 18-9 advantage early on, but were unable to build on the lead to close to quarter as they grew sloppy with the ball and settled for jumpers.

Kenneth Faried was once again an animal – dare I say Manimal – on the offensive glass and really made his physical presence felt in the paint and battling for loose balls in the first half. That kind of energy is contagious and valuable in so many ways that box scores will never illustrate. On top of that, it was pretty clear that Slovenia didn’t want any part of challenging Anthony Davis at the rim, especially after he altered multiple attempts and sent a couple back. With The Uniblocker and The Manimal setting the tone for a slew of unanswered buckets, Team USA put together a 17-2 run early in the second quarter extended their lead to 16 by the halfway mark of the frame.

Team USA didn’t run many halfcourt sets because they almost didn’t have to. The majority of their offense, especially throughout the 10 minutes of play prior to halftime, was created at the free throw line and in transition off of stops and leak-outs after rebounds. Slovenia was completely locked down for a heavy stretch as they shot 6-21 in the second quarter, but a late string of three long-balls lead to a 9-1 Slovenia run to close the half. That’s what they do. They were down by as many as 18, but their jam-packed paint protection and hot shooting bailed them out to help cut the deficit to just 11 at intermission. Not bad for a team that shot 32% and gave up 27 free throws.

Deja vu.

USA Basketball held a significant talent advantage, put together urgent spurts of stifling defense, got a lot of easy buckets in transition and built a big lead. Of course, they still struggled to find rhythm in the halfcourt and failed to lay the hammer on their runs due to beating themselves. Then second half starts, and it’s just over once the US graduates their sense of urgency to demolition mode. This game’s storyline is not much different than what we’ve seen in exhibition matchups prior to today’s meeting with Slovenia. Once that switch is flipped, it’s on like Donkey Kong and Team USA turns into a dominant force.

You thought Slovenia had a tough time in the second quarter? By the halfway point of the third frame, the USA went crazy on a 23-4 run and pushed their 11-point halftime lead up to 30 in the snap of a finger. This time, however, Slovenia had no chance of recovering and putting themselves back in the game. Coach K and Tom Thibodeau had to be upset with the inconsistent play throughout the first half, but the troops responded and swarmed absolutely everything the opposition attempted to do after they came back from the locker room.

I can’t stress this enough: Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried completely took the game over on the defensive end of the floor, where they threw their weight around, blocked and altered anything that came towards them and created a seemingly unlimited number of transition opportunities for Team USA. The frontcourt duo combined for 32 points and 20 boards, but even those gaudy numbers don’t do their impact justice. Slovenia simply didn’t have anyone on the roster that could compete with them from a physical standpoint, and it was as clear as water.

Slovenia shot 26-71 for the game, including 9-27 from beyond the arc while they knocked down just 10 of their 17 free throws. This was flat out an abysmal offensive performance against a far superior squad. Goran Dragic was relatively quiet against his fellow NBA contemporaries, as he scored just six points on 3-10 shooting while his brother, Zoran Dragic, lead Slovenia with 16 points and 5 rebounds.

All 12 USA players took the floor in the blowout, while half of them reached double-figure scoring. Kyrie Irving and Rudy Gay did an outstanding job pushing the pace and converting out in transition, while Steph Curry’s playing time was limited due to foul trouble but he still managed to pour in 10 points in 14 minutes of action. Gay and Klay Thompson lead the bench brigade with 11 points apiece, while DeMarcus Cousins brought the ruckus in terms of energy and finished with six points, four rebounds and three blocks.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

ANTHONY DAVIS – 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals

Anthony Davis was absolutely all over the place on both ends of the floor. Defensively, the intimidation factor of The Uniblocker was in full effect as he made every Slovenian player second-guess challenging him in the paint. Davis blocked four shots, but changed at least double that along with his usual cleansing of the glass as he finished with a game-high 11 rebounds. The large majority of what Team USA was able to do out in transition was created by the foundation that Davis and Faried laid down on the defensive end. Davis was also very active around the rim, as he finished above it and aggressively put pressure on the competition by making multiple trips to the free throw line, where he shot 8-11. If you have a set of eyes attached to a fully functioning cranium, you can agree it is clear that Davis is the number one key to USA Basketball’s success. He positively affects the game in so many ways, it blows your mind, and you never have to worry about questioning his dedication or effort level. This afternoon’s game was just another exciting reminder that the kid has legitimate Hall of Fame potential down the line.

Slovenia – 71
USA – 101

BOX SCORE

Finally, the exhibition schedule is complete. I don’t know about you, but as much fun as I’ve had watching the last four games, I’ve already got my popcorn ready for the real deal.

TEAM USA PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE

Saturday, August 30 – vs. Finland – 3:30 pm ET (ESPN)
Sunday, August 31 – vs. Turkey – 3:30 pm ET (ESPN)
Tuesday, September 2 – vs. New Zealand – 11:30 am ET (ESPN2)
Wednesday, September 3 – vs. Dominican Republic – 3:30 pm ET (ESPN2)
Thursday, September 4 – vs. Ukraine – 11:30 am ET (ESPN2)

The Round of 16 will begin on September 6.

Recap – USA vs. Puerto Rico (Exhibition)

USA Basketball returned to Madison Square Garden to face off with Puerto Rico, as this marked the third of four exhibition contests before the World Cup showdown begins in Spain on August 30.

Puerto Rico’s roster isn’t overwhelmed with NBA talent, but they’re lead by Minnesota Timberwolves guard J.J. Barea, former New York Knicks first round pick Renaldo Balkman and, of course, notorious Team USA killer Carlos Arroyo, who dropped 24 points to lead Puerto Rico to a 19-point Olympic victory over the USA back in 2004. You might also recognize 38-year-old center Daniel Santiago, who once had a cup of coffee in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.

Lead by a strong opening quarter from Barea, Puerto Rico’s offensive attack put a lot of pressure on the US defense from the get-go as their spacing and dynamite pick n’ roll game forced Team USA to cover all areas of the floor, with threats spread out to every section in the halfcourt. Pick n’ rolls were executed from the top of the key as well as the free throw line extended on each side of the floor, scattered with different looks such as strong-side sets in diamond formation.

The scoreboard was knotted at 24 apiece after the contest’s initial 10-minutes but a 19-6 USA run throughout the bridge of the first and second quarters gave Team USA a double-digit lead early in the second frame. However, Puerto Rico maintained their composure and continued their methodical approach to breaking down the defense, bringing the gap back down to a single possession with under four minutes to go in the first half.

Team USA once again fell into their own trap of stagnant offensive execution, predicated off of repetitive isolation play and as Fran Fraschilla put it late in the second quarter, “one and done offense” where they run up the court and jack the first shot they see. Puerto Rico took advantage of that and capitalized off of USA Basketball’s overzealous shot selection as they did a good job of turning USA’s quick misses into their own offense, which doesn’t show up under “points off of turnovers” on the score sheet but is just as devastating.

Puerto Rico shot 6-10 from beyond the arc in the first half and got 10 points out of both Arroyo and stretch-four Ricky Sanchez, along with eight from Barea. Klay Thompson and Sanchez traded threes to close the half, highlighted by Thompson’s coast-to-coast drifting buzzer-beater, as USA held a 52-47 advantage at intermission.

Kenneth Faried opened the second half with contagious energy, as he went into Manimal mode and set the tone for Team USA in the third quarter. He ran the floor hard, was all over the place defensively, challenged and blocked multiple shots at the rim, cleaned up some US misses, threw his weight around in the post, displayed a soft touch on a jump hook and brought the crowd to its feet with an emphatic two-handed slam after sprinting the length of the floor in transition. Faried finished the game with 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks on 6-6 shooting, but his contributions go far beyond what numbers can tell you.

Everybody fed off of Faried’s energy as the US played scrappy pressure defense, maintained their hot hand from 3-point territory and quickly put together a 21-6 run throughout the first five minutes of the second half. That was all she wrote. By the end of the third quarter, the USA had extended their lead to 20 and the game was all but over.

Even with the score differential seemingly out of reach, USA Basketball continuously exhibited their defensive prowess and never let up in terms of harassing Puerto Rico’s guards. Coach K once again used the blowout opportunity to work on the team’s full court press package.

Derrick Rose may have taken a couple of days off to get rest and treatment to deal with knee soreness, but he looked just as confident and explosive tonight as he did in the exhibition opener against Brazil. Rose, who finished with six points and four assists, was very aggressive off the dribble and did a terrific job of creating for his teammates after drawing the defense off the dribble-drive. He did, however, come off the bench as Kyrie Irving commanded the starting point guard position for the second consecutive contest. Irving was the star of the show in his first start on Wednesday night, and followed up nicely with 11 points, six assists and four rebounds vs. Puerto Rico.

Golden State’s sharp-shooting backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were in full effect, as the “Splash Brothers” combined for 32 points and shot an accumulative 8-14 from beyond the arc. As their former head coach Mark Jackson would say, “Hand down, man down.” Puerto Rico didn’t seem to get that memo, as their defense repeatedly broke down and left them wide open for spot-up jumpers.

J.J. Barea lead Puerto Rico with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists while Carlos Arroyo wasn’t far behind, scoring 15 of his own.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

STEPHEN CURRY – 20 points, 4 assists, 6-7 FG, 4-5 3FG

Steph Curry had a blast tonight. Not only did he shoot the lights out, as we’re immune to witnessing, but he was also a big part of the reason Team USA was able to establish pace in transition. Curry did a terrific job on the break and did better than usual in terms of dribbling with a purpose, as opposed to dancing with the ball. He was very decisive with his movements and just flat out played intelligent all-around basketball all night long. He also threw a gorgeous no-look behind-the-back bounce pass to James Harden for perhaps the highlight of the game. It’s tough enough for opposing squads to deal with the ball skills of Harden, Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving, but when Curry plays at this level it puts their backcourt in a different category. Teams are going to have fits trying to control this group out in Spain.

Puerto Rico – 86
USA – 112

BOX SCORE

Team USA will now head to Gran Canaria Arena in Spain, where they’ll wrap up their exhibition schedule by taking on Slovenia on Tuesday, August 26 at 2:00 pm ET. Keep your eyes peeled for the inevitable upcoming roster cuts, as well. In the post-game press conference, Mike Krzyzewski noted that the team prefers to trim their roster down to the final 12 before heading to Spain tomorrow. Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, DeMar DeRozan and Gordon Hayward were the only four USA players that didn’t play in tonight’s game. Stay tuned!