Not a (Team USA) Recap: Team USA 96, Lithuania 68 (or, Individual Play)

Team USA looked bad during the first half, while Lithuania looked competent.  America’s offense looked like a bunch of guys just playing pickup ball, and the defense just didn’t exist much of the game.  The score at the end of first half didn’t reflect that though. The talent gap between the two teams was too big for Lithuania to overcome, as they entered the second half of the game down by eight.  James Harden blew the game open in the third quarter by scoring 16 points and missing only one shot. Kyrie kept the US lead growing in the fourth quarter scoring 11 points  in the period to go with two assists.  The US could have ended the game by a larger margin if they had made their free throws instead of going 11-20.

Thoughts about the game:

1.  The US had no offense this game.  They passed the ball more than twice on a possession less than 10% of the time.  There was hardly any type of motion involving more than two players, and they acted as if the shot clock was only ten seconds.  The biggest difference between the first half and second half was that they started sinking shots, which helped them extend their lead.

2.  Klay Thompson had a humongous first half.  During the first half, Lithuania tried to set a pick on him to get Martynas Pocius an easy backdoor cut to the basket.  Klay fought over it and blocked Pocius’s shot on the glass.  He had 12 points during the first two quarters, which helped the US to stay in the game when no one could make anything.

3.  Harden’s defense is still absolutely terrible. Fran Fraschilla kept saying that Lithuania was going at him in the first half because he had two fouls, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.  They went at him because he’s terrible defensively and will open up his defensive stance to help the opposition get to whatever side of the basket they favor.  However, who cares about defense when you rip off a 16 point third quarter and miss just one shot.

4.  DeMarcus Cousins went DeMarcus Crazy, but it was justified.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YH24qjcLBI

In the clip, Jonas Valanciunas looked terrified when DeMarcus moved towards him. On the first possession in the third quarter when Cousins got the ball and Jonas was on him Cousins made a simple move and scored.  Jonas wasn’t testing his luck with the big man.  It’ll be interesting to watch their matchups throughout the NBA season.

5. Over half of Kyrie’s shots came after crazy dribble action.  My favorite came in the second half with 44 seconds left.  He did a bizarre spin move and threw his man off balance before shooting a high arching jumper that bounced on the rim a few times before dropping down and demoralizing Lithuania.  Kyrie shot 8-15 for 18 points this game, to lead all scorers.

6.  Valanciunas is getting a lot better in the post.  He isn’t overly athletic, but most of the time he was able to use good ball fakes along with crafty footwork to get a shot up or get fouled on the floor.  He only shot 2-5, but he made 11-13 free throws to end the game with 15 points and seven rebounds.

7. Mindaugas Kuzminskas is a bulldog.  His game is as odd looking as his expressions, but it’s effective. He went hard at James Harden like any smart player should and managed to get 15 points. He’s the European Matthew Dellavedova on defense.  He aggravated the US guys all game to end with two blocks and nine rebounds.

8.  The reffing of these games is so odd.  I no longer can confidently say I know what traveling is.  It was called very frequently.  Furthermore, in the post, it seemed as if you could have been punched at some points before a call was made and just been breathed on at other points for a call to be made.  The worst call came during the second quarter with eight minutes left when Stephen Curry had set his feet for what felt like a minute before he was run into and got called for a blocking foul (also his third foul).  What the heck?

9. Kenneth Faried kept floating out near the three line on offense and wasn’t really trying to cut to the basket.  He shied away from the paint like Jonas was the newest version of a shot blocking machine.  Faried’s timid play was okay though because he rewarded viewers with two thunderous dunks off of passes away from the basket!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nzk56K9Kn4

He also grabbed six rebounds to go with his three assists.

10.  Derrick Rose is going to come back and be a legitimate player again. Watching him move on the court, he is still the same athlete who won an MVP trophy. Rose had a missed layup in the first quarter where he probably jumped three feet off the ground to get a clean shot attempt over Lithuania’s front line and get fouled by his man, Renaldas Seibutis.  People are going to have to wait to see if Derrick gets back the ability to convert at the rim that he had.  But  he can hang in the NBA no matter what, and he should dominate again.  As always, if D-Rose can add a reliable jump shot, he could be unstoppable.

11. Look at this connection in the third quarter between Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. No explanation is needed for this moment of pure beauty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fe20kkNYtw