Team USA v. Greece

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August 14, 9:53 AM

by Dylan Waugh, Maryland Terrapins Basketball Examiner

 

 

1^st Quarter

3:42 – Brilliant dish from Kobe to James

3:22 – I love that tipping a ball off of the rim is legal. Well done, D-Wade.

2:25 – Maybe Team USA is starting to wake up. Another dunk by Kobe off a steal.

1:47 – Amazing drive and dish from Wade to Bosh for an and-one.

1:22 – Greece is bigger, but the US holds a tremendous advantage in athleticism. It’s beginning to show on both ends, with the drives and dishes on offense and the activity on defense. 

:17 – Wade is playing out of his mind. Much like LeBron against China, he’s clearly the best player on the floor so far. 

US 20, Greece 16

2^nd Quarter

9:27 – Wade, falling out of bounds, just threw up an alley-oop to Kobe. You have to watch Sportscenter for that one.

9:00 - Wade finds Howard for another easy bucket.

8:21 – Two steals in a row for Team USA

--Is there any question that Wade or James is getting the ball in crunch time? Kobe just seems off his game. Maybe he’s having trouble adjusting to not being the alpha player. 

7:05 – Bosh picks up his second foul. Howard already has two. While the US guards are driving the team’s success so far in this game, the big men have to stay on the floor for the US to win.

--Where are all of the pick-and-rolls from Greece? Every preview of this game mentioned the 42 pick-and-rolls Greece ran against the US in 2006. 

6:50 – Bryant feeds Wade for a jam and a foul. Hopefully Kobe can settle into this role as a distributor since he's struggling with his shot.

5:50 – Wade with another nifty move and lay-up. 

5:21 – Wade knocks down a 3. The commentators say he is 17-20 from the field so far in the tournament.

4:21 – LeBron pulls up instead of going for a block on a fast break. After some of the blocks he’s had in the tournament, that’s disappointing.

3:45 – LeBron jumps over two Greek defenders and slams home a Carmelo miss. Any disappointment I had in LeBron is now gone. 

--The Greeks haven’t shown much of an outside game. Neither has the US, but when the Americans can penetrate the Greek defense at will, an outside game isn’t really necessary. 

2:54 – Kobe nails a long 3-pointer. Finally.

2:31 – Impressive play by LeBron. First he blocks a lay-up before the Greek player could get the ball above his shoulders, then takes the ball down the floor before feeding Bosh for an and-one.

2:05 – Excellent team defense from the US leads to LeBron jumping the passing lane and finishing with a two-handed reverse jam. 

--The Americans struggled at times against Angola and China with defensive rotations, but the defense has really tightened up today. This is a dominating performance on both end of the court. 

--Glad to see Coach K isn’t playing JKidd much. The US is using its athleticism to control this game, and playing Kidd would negate that advantage. Of course, maybe Kidd’s three fouls may have nailed him to the bench.

:17 – LeBron nearly falls down while dribbling, puts a hand down to steady himself, spins and finishes with a lay-up. 

Halftime – US 51, Greece 32 

-Wade and James are by far the best players on the floor. Greece has no answer for their athleticism and length. Bosh is also playing well, leading the way with 12 points. James and Bryant each have 11 and Wade has 10. 

-Theodoros Papaloukas leads Greece with six. 

-The Greeks’ made 48 percent of their field goals, but that stat is misleading. The Greeks aren’t able to consistently set up a half-court offense, due to the number of steals by the US. 

-The US is shooting 51% from the field.

Second Half Outlook

-Coach K should keep the defensive pressure on Greece until at least halfway through the 4^th quarter. This is one of those statement games when a 25-point victory means a lot more than a 13-point win. By dominating throughout, Team USA can prove it’s transformed from the team that lost to Greece in 2006. 

3^rd Quarter

--Uh oh, Kidd is back in. By the way, I see some similarities in the media and fans’ love for Kidd and Brett Favre. Both have reputations which exceed their abilities, at this stage of their careers.

8:44 – Nice post-up by Carmelo as he draws the foul. He’s been MIA most of the tournament, and with Wade and James carrying the scoring load, Carmelo needs to find a role as a secondary scorer. He’s not much of a distributor or defender, so don’t be surprised if his minutes continue to be cut.

8:21 - Carmelo doesn’t rotate out to guard against a 3-pointer by Antonios Fotsis, instead choosing to just stand and watch. 

7:56 - Kidd is slow to step out, and Theodoros Papaloukas knocks down another 3. 

7:12 – Carmelo nails a 3. If he can do that consistently, he’d have a reason to be on the floor.

5:58 – Kobe makes a contested 3. He’s had a quiet 16 points today.

5:51 – Nice lay-up by Vasileios Spanoulis.

5:00 – I’ll give credit where credit is due. A nice steal by Kidd, who threaded a nice pass to Kobe.

4:50 – Kidd makes a steal then tries to throw a pass off of the backboard to James. The pass isn’t even close. Kidd goes to the bench. Evidently he thinks this is an all-star game. Not exactly what Coach K wants from his veteran leader. 

3:51 – LeBron with an amazing block on a lay-up. Bosh then blocks a follow-up shot. Greece is just overmatched in athleticism. 

3:12 – Another block by LeBron. He’s been a defensive force. 

2:29 – Beautiful feed through traffic from Wade to Bosh, as the big man switches hands and finishes.

1:24 – Wade draws a foul on a 3-point attempt. Smart play. But he makes only 1-3 free throws. 

--The US hasn’t been able to sustain its defensive intensity this quarter, but expecting the Americans to maintain the insane pace of the first half wasn’t really fair. They’re still playing good D. 

:1.3 – Paul leaves one for Wade, who finishes and draws a foul. Wade has his “there’s no way I’m losing this game” face on today. I expected that from LeBron or Kobe, but Wade is really showing he’s back to his 2006 Finals MVP form. 

--Wade’s resurgence and the team defense have been the stories of Team USA’s performance in the Olympics so far.  

US 74, Greece 54 

4^th Quarter

9:40 – Carmelo grabs an impressive rebound. Maybe that will be his role on this team.

8:55 – Another Anthony rebound. That’s five today. He’s only averaged six rpg for his NBA career.

7:56 – LeBron spins around two defenders and passes to Bosh for a dunk. 

7:45 – Wade takes an inbound pass and uses his body to draw a foul an shield a lay-up attempt. Impressive use of his body in space.

7:35 – Wade makes another steal.

7:08 – See last entry. That’s five for Wade.

6:25 – Prince and Redd enter for the first time. 

5:34 – Boozer checks in. Everyone has made it into the game for the US. 

5:11 – Boozer establishes good position on the block and lays it in. 

4:50 - Wade exits. He delivered an incredible performance today. It’s 82-58. Coach K is taking his foot off of the gas.

4:17 – Greece commits its 24^th turnover. 

4:05 – Redd misses a 3. He’ll need to find his stroke before too long. Coach K should get him some more looks in the last four minutes of this game to get his confidence up.

3:04 – Williams draws contact and finishes off a nice feed from Paul. The US is up by 22. 

--After watching today’s game, it’s hard to imagine how the US lost to Greece two years ago. This really has been a one-sided game since the second quarter. 

1:16 – Redd makes a 3 from the corner. Even though those points are meaningless in this game, the shot will help Redd’s confidence in the future.

Final US 92, Greece 69 

It took a while for the US to get into the game, but once it did, the Americans were impressive. Wade, James and Bosh played great on both ends, and Kobe chipped in 18. 

MVP – US team defense. Wade was the best player on the court today, but the team defense was spectacular. Greece has 25 turnovers. 

Next up: Spain, Saturday, 10:15 a.m. EST. 

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