Why Team USA Is More Vulnerable Than You Think
Another game down and another test passed. Barely.
The heavily hyped Team USA escaped Argentina in its fourth exhibition game, narrowly avoiding an upset with a physical 86-80 win. The team was led by Kevin Durant (27) and Kobe Bryant's (18) high-scoring affairs, as well as the rugged defense of Deron Williams.
While the win may have silenced those who questioned the Americans' toughness, this team is far from ready for comparisons to the 1992 Dream Team.
While Durant and Kobe may have done everything in their power to will the team to victory, there wasn't much support. Tyson Chandler got into quick foul trouble and struggled keeping the fundamentally sound Luis Scola in check. The entire American defense, meanwhile, had no answer for Carlos Delfino through four quarters and Manu Ginobili in the second half.
Two crafty ball-handlers and basic carbon copies of each other who can both attack the basket and knock shots down from distance.
While we could place the blame on the perimeter defenders, the true issue is the interior. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler certainly helps the cause, but beyond him, there isn't very much in terms of defensive ability.
Rookie Anthony Davis is a much better defender than Kevin Love, but receives scarce opportunities to perform. Love, meanwhile, has seemed out of rhythm in all four exhibition games. While consistency hasn't been a hallmark of any player on the roster thus far, Love simply seems out of place in this star-studded lineup, based strictly off evaluation of his early performances.
The current predicament comes as a result of a series of injuries to key big men. From Dwight Howard's back injury to LaMarcus Aldridge's hip surgery, the team was debilitated from the start. Throw in Chris Bosh's abdominal strain and Blake Griffins' recent knee injury and what's left is a very vulnerable skeleton crew, and one of the the thinnest front courts in all of Olympic play.
Despite the big names and All-NBA talent, Team USA has been unable to impede their opponents from scoring on the interior. Even the best perimeter defenders in the NBA—including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook and Andre Iguodala—cannot change that fact.
At this point, USA's best hope is for Tyson Chandler to remain healthy—a desire that simply cannot be guaranteed. With that being said, it's not as if the Americans are playing exceptionally well on the perimeter either. Carmelo Anthony has been as inconsistent a weapon as any, a trend that doesn't seem likely to end.
'Melo scored just four points on 2-of-8 shooting against Argentina. He consistently found the front end of the rim and always seemed out of rhythm with the team's direction on offense. Nevertheless, Coach Krzyewski continues to offer him a high volume of minutes; 24 in this latest outing. A direct result of the ever-detrimental factor of seniority.
Another issue seems to be the team's tendency to play reckless in transition. Rather than slowing down and building an offense, or looking for the intelligent pass, the team aims for the flashy alley-oop. Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Chris Paul have all been consistently guilty of this, as they look for the quick outlet and often commit senseless turnovers. The team's 13 against Argentina is evidence of such.
A second case of their complacency is with their heavy reliance on the three-point shot. They've shot at least 20 in every exhibition game and put up 34 total attempts against Argentina. While they made a respectable 13, seven of those were by Kevin Durant alone. Kobe added a respectable 3-of-7 mark.
That means that the rest of the team shot 3-of-14. Yet another example of the lazy, street ball mentality they are taking. Against Argentina, these poor tendencies could have been detrimental. Fortunately, both Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant torched Argentina throughout the first quarter and gave the Americans a lead that could not be overcome.
This won't happen every time out, though. And this leaves an area for concern, as the Americans were outscored 64-55 throughout the other three quarters.
Coach K's men face Spain in their final exhibition game, and these weaknesses will be exploited. A close game could once again be upon the Americans and Spaniards, led by sharpshooters and elite interior scorers, could pull off the upset we've all feared.
Fortunately for Team USA, this latest six-point contest was just an exhibition. The vulnerability, however, cannot be cured, as the roster is finalized and injury has struck.
Will disappointment strike as well?
