Why is the U.S. men's basketball team struggling in Rio Olympics?
RIO DE JANEIRO – They get it now.
Like it or not, this band of NBA alpha males that comprises the Olympic men’s basketball is not going to waltz through the Games as if it’s a December matchup with the Sixers. It may have taken a game or three for that reality to sink in, but they have officially reached the point of reconciliation.
Just ask Paul George.
“To start out (heading into the Olympics), I thought personally that we were going to dominate; these games were going to come easy,” the Indiana Pacers star said with a laugh after the Americans downed France 100-97 on Sunday. “But you start playing the better competition, and you see across the board that these teams are pretty good.”
This is no aberration, folks.
First it was the rugby style 98-88 win on Wednesday over the Australians, that feisty bunch with five NBA players of its own. Then came the 94-91 nail-biter against Serbia, which dazzled from inside and out. The win over France was no less taxing, and even more puzzling considering point guard Tony Parker (of San Antonio Spurs fame) sat out with a toe injury. For a national program that had spent the past eight years winning FIBA games by an average margin of 29.4 points (34 games in all), and that has won 50 consecutive games in FIBA play (and 22 in the Olympics), this is surprising stuff.
With the quarterfinals starting on Wednesday, here’s a look at why this might be happening.
UNFAMILIAR GROUNDS
Talk about a terrible twofer: they don’t know this league and they don’t know each other.
Even with the monumental strides made by Team USA head Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski, there’s still a vast contrast in these departments between the Americans and the teams they face. Whereas Team USA has just four players on this squad who took part in the 2014 FIBA World Cup, just two who were part of the gold medal winning team in 2012 in London, continuity abounds when it comes to their rivals. That dynamic has been painfully clear on the court, where communication errors are so often leading to defensive breakdowns and chemistry is tough to come by on the offensive end.
“The luxury (their opponents) have is that they’ve been together for so long,” George said. “You really can’t stress that enough. You see it. They just read each other so well. I think that’s the biggest thing that really separates us from them.”
THE REFEREE RIDDLE
Lack of familiarity with the different rules of the FIBA game, and the officials who enforce them, is also an occasional issue. While you will often see non-American players talking to the officials, the Team USA players are clearly not comfortable when it comes to this aspect of the game.
“The way you might get fouled over here, it would be called differently in the (NBA),” Team USA guard Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls said. “But that being said, you have to know how to adjust. You have to learn how to adjust. I think everybody is doing that. This is new to a lot of guys, so when a lot of guys go through that they may take it differently than other guys who have done it before.”
While there have been frustrations about sending opponents to the line, they’re having no problem getting there themselves (an Olympics high of 34 free throw attempts per game). Such is the nature of having the most high-powered offense here (104.8 points per game; Argentina is ranked second at 92 points per game).
POROUS DEFENSE
Tom Thibodeau can’t be sleeping too well on that cruise ship they call home.
The Team USA assistant/Minnesota Timberwolves head coach and renowned defensive guru is trying his best to cajole greatness out of this group, barking as he always does on the sidelines while talking and teaching behind the scenes. But in the past three games, the Americans are hardly responding: They’ve allowed opponents to shoot 52.8% overall, and 61.9% from two-point range.
Krzyzewski made an adjustment against France, deciding to bring George – who is known as one of the best perimeter defenders in all the NBA – off the bench. Yet while it was good to see him wreaking havoc alongside another strong perimeter defender in Butler, the starting lineup that then consisted of Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and DeMarcus Cousins was left a little light on that front.
“I feel good with that (reserve) group that I’m with,” George said of the change. “I like coming in as the X-factor, and kind of getting a feel for the game and letting the flow. Now I’ve gotten so used to just watching how the flow of the game is going, when I come in I can make an impact. It’s good.”
Just fix all that and more, and maybe the blowouts they anticipated coming in may transpire after all.
“Yeah, I thought (they would dominate in the Olympics),” said Durant, who is leading the team in scoring (16.8 points per game) and minutes (28.3 per). "We wanted to strive for greatness, and we obviously had three close games in a row (now)…but a win is a win. We’ve got to figure out how we can be better.”
Rio Olympics: Best images from Monday, Aug. 15