Steve Kerr on Team USA Loss: 'I Hate Losing, I Probably Won't Sleep Much Tonight'
Team USA can still win the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but it did not make it through the tournament with an unblemished record.
And head coach Steve Kerr isn't happy about it.
"I hate losing, I probably won't sleep much tonight," Kerr said following Sunday's 110-104 loss to Lithuania, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. "But for us to get better, we needed to feel this, we needed to respond the way we did."
Lithuania was in control for most of the contest even though the Americans made a push with a 15-2 run in the third quarter.
The biggest issue for the United States was size, as Jaren Jackson Jr. dealt with foul trouble and Lithuania took full advantage on the boards. The victors finished with a 43-27 rebounding advantage and grabbed 18 offensive boards.
Throw in nine different players hitting a three-pointer, and the Americans were in catchup mode for most of the game.
"We need him on the floor—he's one of our best players," Kerr said of Jackson. "The early fouls changed the game for sure, and then you saw how effective he was when he was on the court. So he's got to improve with that he knows that."
Anthony Edwards did what he could with 35 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the disadvantages elsewhere.
Fortunately for the United States, it did enough during group play to make the quarterfinals. It will face Italy on Tuesday and is still just three victories away from winning the title. Yet this was another international loss to Lithuania, which also defeated the Red, White and Blue in the 2004 Olympics.
If there isn't a rematch later in the FIBA World Cup, perhaps there will be in the 2024 Games.
After all, the Americans still clinched a spot in the next Olympics on Sunday thanks to losses by the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Puerto Rico.
