Team USA's Biggest Causes for Concern Going into Olympic Semifinals

If you don't know much about the Argentinian men's basketball team, you should at least know this.

They aren't Nigeria.

The United States won't be winning its semifinal game by 83 points. In fact, the contest might actually be a contest. The fourth quarter may matter for once. If Lithuania could keep Team USA on its toes, you better believe Argentina can do the same.

No, they won't be favorites, nor anything close to it.

But, the Argentinian squad is talented and has something to prove. That's a dangerous combination, even against a roster led by the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant.

Argentina lost by just six point in a pre-Olympic tune-up held in Barcelona, and it stayed within a point of the United States after 20 minutes of action in the fifth preliminary game. An upset victory remain elusive in both instances, but you know what they say about the third time.

That third time will most certainly need to be charmed for Argentina to pull this one out, but Team USA still has some causes for concern.

Here are five of them.

Can Manu Ginobili Be Stopped?

There's no easy answer to Manu Ginobili.

He's not the most athletic guard, nor does he have an overwhelmingly quick first step. That's never been his calling card, and he's never needed it.

Instead, Manu has relied on crafty footwork and pure skill to find a way against even the stiffest competition.

His ability to step back and shoot the jumper from virtually anywhere keeps defenders honest. His ball-handling ability and crafty footwork makes him a threat to penetrate regardless of what the other side throws at him.

And, his mental fortitude makes him one of the best clutch scorers in the game.

Team USA will look to simply wear him down, ideally forcing him to become a playmaker rather than a scorer. That's not a perfect solution, but it will have to do.

After all, one guy can't beat the United States all by himself.

Right?

The Paint

Team USA may be conspicuously missing Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, but that doesn't mean this roster will be walked over in the post.

Tyson Chandler might have something to say about that. And, for that matter, LeBron James' capacity to guard power forwards has come in handy as well. This roster might be a bit undersized by some measures, but it's still found ways to cause problems for would-be inside scorers.

It will need to do the same against Luis Scola, who's averaging nearly 20 points through his six contests in these Olympic Games.

Scola can post up and take advantage of his soft touch around the rim. He can also step out and shoot from mid-range. That inside-outside versatility makes him the perfect option to set picks and either roll to the rim or pop out for a jumper.

If he gets loose, Team USA will be in trouble, at least relatively speaking.

Is Team USA Due for a Cold Streak?

When you can shoot the ball from the perimeter like Team USA, it's easy to get a little carried away. 

These trigger-happy launchers set a new Olympic record with 46 three-point attempts against Nigeria, and they tried for 46 more against Australia. So far, so good.

But, will it last?

Shooting streaks have a way of being contagious, but that cuts both ways. Could everyone forget how to shoot the ball at the same time? Could the United States find itself rattled by some combination of elimination-game pressure and Argentinian hutzpah?

Probably not.

But, improbable things do happen.

Argentina Comes out of the Gates More Aggressively

Argentina is a proud team, and pride can make some interesting things happen.

If these guys come out playing harder, getting to loose balls more quickly and find a way to remain physical aggressive without falling prey to foul trouble, watch out. A quarter of that kind of energy could set the tone for a game or change the momentum.

Besides that, Team USA has already proven to fall asleep on the defensive end. You'd like to think these kind of proven All-Stars are beyond suffering from stretches of pure listlessness, but we saw it happen in the first half against Argentina in the prelims. We saw it happen again in the first quarter against Australia.

We also saw it typify much of game against Lithuania.

If the United States rests on its laurels and Argentina seizes the moment, this game could be far too close for comfort.

Team USA Stops Acting Like a Team

Superteams have to strike a delicate balance.

On the one hand, most players don't want to dominate the basketball at the expense of a smoothly flowing offense. On the other, it's all too easy for sound ball movement to become a bout of overly deferential overpassing.

We've seen moments of both extremes from Team USA.

Thus far, they've always managed to strike the proper balance before it was too late. But, could the luck run out?

We might see Kobe once again start forcing shots. We might see LeBron feel so much pressure to make plays that he starts making some questionable passes. And, on the other extreme, we could see guys passing up good shots in the spirit of keeping the rock moving.

We've see these each of these symptoms rear its ugly head before. If we see too much of them, Argentina could capitalize.