USA vs France: Preview, Analysis and Predictions for Teams USA's Olympics Hoops
Team USA did well enough to sweep through its five Olympic tune-ups, but must now refocus for the real deal in London, starting on Sunday against France.
Les Bleus will be making their eighth appearance in the Summer Olympics and their first since 2000, when they won silver in Sydney. Head coach Vincent Collet's roster features six players with NBA experience, led by San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker, and two more with stateside ties—Florent Pietrus, the older brother of veteran swingman Mickael Pietrus; and Nando De Colo, who will join the Spurs in the fall.
They'll have their work cut out for them (to say the least) against Mike Krzyzewski's Team USA, which is seeking its second consecutive Olympic gold medal and its third straight first-place finish in a major international tournament. The Americans are fresh off a 22-point thumping of Spain—the No. 2 team in the world, according to FIBA—in Barcelona, no less.
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France has size and continuity as a unit on its side, but will that be enough to avoid getting steamrolled by the most impressive collection of active pro ballers on the planet?
Time: Sunday, July 29th at 9:30 a.m. EDT
TV: NBC Sports Network
Location: Basketball Arena; Olympic Park; London, England
Online: NBCOlympics.com
Record of Each Team (in Exhibitions): USA 5-0, France 6-4
Rosters
USA
| Guard | Chris Paul | Kobe Bryant | Deron Williams | Russell Westbrook | James Harden |
| Forward | LeBron James | Kevin Durant | Carmelo Anthony | Kevin Love | Andre Iguodala |
| Center | Tyson Chandler | Anthony Davis |
France
| Guard | Tony Parker | Nando De Colo | Fabien Causeur | Yannick Bokolo | |
| Forward | Nicolas Batum | Boris Diaw | Yakhouba Diawara | Mickael Gelabale | Florent Pietrus |
| Center | Ronny Turiaf | Kevin Seraphin | Ali Traore |
Betting Line: USA -24.5 (according to oddschecker.com)
Key Storyline to Watch For: Power in the Paint
Team USA's biggest weakness has been, is and will likely continue to be on the interior. With Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh out on account of injury, the task will once again fall to Tyson Chandler and Kevin Love to serve as the squad's only actual big men up front.
Trouble is, Chandler's a defensive specialist who's been saddled with foul trouble through America's exhibitions, while Love, an offensive maestro, has looked decidedly unimpressive on both ends of the floor in what few minutes he's garnered from Coach K.
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, the two most veteran members of USA Basketball, have done well to compensate for the team's deficiencies inside, but will need more help against a French outfit that features plenty of skill and bulk up front. Ronny Turiaf (rebounding and toughness), Kevin Seraphin (length and shot-blocking) and Boris Diaw (skill and post-passing) all bring different elements to the table for France and, thanks to their collective NBA experience, won't likely be intimidated by Team USA's stable of stars.
If any team is going to beat the mighty USA, it'll have to take advantage in the paint—something Les Bleus are surprisingly well-equipped to do, even without Joakim Noah.
Key Matchup: Tony Parker vs. Team USA's Guards
Of course, it won't matter what France's bigs do if their guards, led by four-time All-Star Tony Parker, can't get the ball across half court, much less into the lane. Overall, the San Antonio Spurs stud has gotten the better of each of Team USA's trio of point guards—Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook—in head-to-head competition back in The Association.
And, statistically speaking, Parker figures to do so again. An eye injury suffered during a nightclub brawl between Drake and Chris Brown forced Parker to take it easy during France's exhibition schedule, but he's seen his production and playing time pick up of late.
Though, in all likelihood, Parker will be asked to be a ball-handler and facilitator, first and foremost, deferring to the likes of Mickael Gelabale and soon-to-be-Spurs teammate Nando De Colo, not unlike his point guard counterparts on Team USA.
Still, whatever Tony does, he'll have to do it against USA Basketball's pressure defense, which forced an average of 22 turnovers per game (including 13.4 steals) during its Olympics tune-ups. Parker is excellent with the dribble, but has been known to turn the ball over somewhat frequently in the NBA when he moves too fast for his own good.
Any bout of sloppy ball-handling—brought on by Team USA's defense or otherwise—would ultimately fuel America's fastbreak and doom France's chances of victory, just as it has those of every opponent the Red, White and Blue has faced.
The Game Will Be Close If...
France can get the ball inside and limit turnovers, and America goes cold from the outside. Team USA relies heavily on streak shooting and transition offense to roll its adversaries. If France can slow down the game by taking advantage of its superior size in the paint and take care of the ball on the perimeter, it may give the Americans a scare yet.
It Will Be a Team USA Blowout If...
America wreaks havoc on the break and drains its outside shots. Team USA has made liberal use of the shorter FIBA three-point line, be it in the half court or on the break, hitting 40.6 percent of its attempts in exhibition play. Kevin Durant has led the way from trey in attempts (29), makes (16) and accuracy (55.2 percent) for the Yanks.
He and his teammates will have a field day against France if they're able to force turnovers, convert those turnovers into fast-break opportunities and hit the open three-balls they get off those pushes.
Player the US Has to Contain...
Tony Parker. He's far and away France's best player, and is intimately familiar with how to play against Team USA's roster of All-Stars. His quickness and craftiness will be difficult to contain, but if any team has the requisite speed, athleticism and experience to do it, it's America.
X Factor: America's Men in the Middle
Coach K knows exactly what he's going to get from his guards (passing, dribbling, pestering defense and occasional shooting) and his wings (scoring, scoring and more scoring). What's still unclear is what he'll be able to glean from his bigs (i.e. Chandler and Love) on any given night.
The stronger and smarter they play in the middle on Sunday, the better off Team USA will be against France's collection of NBA-caliber bigs. Chandler must stay out of foul trouble and Love must get his head in the game if America is to make minced meat of Turiaf, Diaw and Seraphin.
Even if Chandler and Love are still lost, Team USA has enough elite talent everywhere else to fend off the French for an easy victory.
Prediction: USA 100, France 77
Les Bleus will give the Yanks a fight early on, especially in the paint, but will ultimately succumb to Team USA's relentless pressure and wave after wave of young, athletic stars.
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