When Will Team USA Finally Face a Real Challenge in FIBA World Cup?

At some point, the real competition was supposed to start for Team USA. But as it kicked off the knockout stage of the FIBA World Cup with an 86-63 rout of Mexico, it was clear that it still hasn't had to play at the top of its game. It looked far from a powerhouse, but it didn’t matter. The Americans have yet to face a real challenger in the tournament, and they probably won’t have to until an assumed matchup with Spain for the title.

After struggling during group play, Stephen Curry was locked in against Mexico, finishing with 20 points and shooting 6-of-9 from three-point range. DeMarcus Cousins and Kenneth Faried dominated the glass. The rust was still there in other places—Derrick Rose played maybe his worst game of the tournament, finishing scoreless with three turnovers—but it hardly mattered. At no point from the opening tip onward did the U.S. look truly vulnerable against Mexico.

For all the flaws and imperfections that have been on display for Team USA so far in this tournament, its versatility and malleability have been impressive. Whatever the opponent’s game plan is, the U.S. will adapt and then beat it at its own game.

The Mexican team slows the ball down more than any team the U.S. faced in the group stage, forcing it to defend in half court. It didn’t matter: The U.S. defense held Mexico to 38.4 percent shooting and overpowered it offensively. The game was over at halftime.

Throughout this tournament, Mike Krzyzewski has stressed focusing on the next opponent. A September 14 championship game between the U.S. and Spain is all but inevitable, but the coach hasn’t allowed his players to look that far ahead.

“We still have to get better,” Krzyzewski said after practice on Friday. “One thing about winning a world championship or the Olympics, you have to earn it. It has nothing to do with who's a favorite or your press clippings or predictions. It has to do with performance.”

With France, Brazil and Argentina all in Spain’s half of the bracket, there’s nobody with any real chance of standing in the way of a trip to the gold-medal game for Team USA. Slovenia, its likely next opponent, has Goran Dragic but no depth in the frontcourt to combat Faried, Cousins and Anthony Davis. When the two teams played in an exhibition game on August 27, the U.S. destroyed Slovenia 101-71. And should it face Turkey in the semifinal game, well, Team USA has already beaten it once, a 98-77 blowout on August 31.

"If we play Spain, it's a long way away," Krzyzewski said after the exhibition against Slovenia. "So I'm just concentrating on U.S. and trying to get better."

Lithuania is the one team that could stand a chance of making the U.S. sweat. In the Houston Rockets' Donatas Motiejunas and the Toronto Raptors' Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania has the big men to potentially give the U.S. matchup problems. It’s not a front line the caliber of Brazil’s or Spain’s, but it's the team with the best shot at playing the U.S. competitively between now and the championship game.

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This is simply the reality of these tournaments. Other than Spain, no country has close to the talent pool that Team USA boasts. Even with Paul George’s leg injury and the withdrawals of Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin before the tournament, Jerry Colangelo’s USA Basketball program is able to put together a roster that outstrips the competition.

It doesn’t matter that Rose has been a non-factor or that Harden and Curry had been disappointing until Saturday’s win. Team USA has yet to put together a truly flawless performance in this tournament. It hasn't had to. The gap in talent is too wide for these teams to overcome.

Krzyzewski isn’t thinking about Spain yet, but anyone who wants to see this U.S. team actually given a challenge has to have next Sunday circled. Spain faces a much tougher road to the title game than the U.S., but it has been the best team in the tournament so far. Team USA has two more warm-up games to get ready.