USA Basketball Schedule 2014: TV Info and Preview for FIBA Semifinal Clash
Team USA has to get through one more game before it can turn its attention to the finals and Spain at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
The Americans take on Lithuania in the semifinals on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 3 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN, and the live stream is available on Watch ESPN.
So far, Lithuania has impressed in the knockout stages. It battled New Zealand in the round of 16 and appeared well on the way to an easy victory when it seized a 23-9 lead after a quarter. However, Lithuania was outscored in every quarter the rest of game but eventually held on for the 76-71 victory.
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Lithuania dominated the fourth quarter against Turkey in the quarterfinals, winning 73-61. Remember, that is the same Turkey squad that held a lead on the United States deep into the third quarter during group play.
Lithuania’s only loss in the tournament came in the group stage against Australia.
As for the United States, it has dominated every game. Sure, there have been some slow starts for the Americans, and it looked like they were sleepwalking against Turkey, but no opponent has challenged them into the fourth quarter. They beat Mexico 86-63 in the round of 16 and Slovenia 119-76 in the quarterfinals.
Perhaps the most encouraging news in that blowout against Slovenia was the fact that Derrick Rose turned in arguably his finest game yet at the World Cup. He finished with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, five assists, three rebounds, a steal and only two turnovers.
Rose was more aggressive Tuesday, which is interesting considering his pregame comments, via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times:
"Everybody is getting mad because I’m not shooting the ball more. That’s strange. I’m not gonna change my game just because people want me to shoot more. I’m gonna do exactly what the game tells me to do. This is my role on this team. With the Bulls, of course I’m going to get up 20, 25 shots. [This role is] not going to change anything.
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Much of the game against Slovenia was guard-oriented, which is something of a change because the big men have been dominating. Klay Thompson finished with 20 points and hit four three-pointers; James Harden had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists; and Kyrie Irving scored 12 points and tallied four steals.
Still, it’s all about the big men when looking at the overall advantages the Americans have enjoyed at the World Cup.
Anthony Davis scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Slovenia, while Kenneth Faried totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds. Davis is averaging 13.7 points and seven rebounds a game in Spain, and Faried is averaging 13 points and 8.1 rebounds a night. They are dominating the offensive boards and getting out in transition with the guards after turnovers.
DeMarcus Cousins has looked athletic at both ends off the bench and has made a number of plays in transition as well.
Defensively, the Americans are just a notch above the rest of the teams they have faced. The perimeter pressure is funneling everything into the three big men, so Team USA is racking up plenty of steals and blocks and turning them into easy points.
This will be a tall task for Lithuania, but center Jonas Valanciunas is no stranger to NBA post players. He is leading the team with 12.9 points and 8.6 rebounds a game and will try to at least slow down the interior scorers on Team USA and contain the Faried-Davis combination on the glass.
If nothing else, this will be a stiff test for the Americans down low before the finals against Spain and Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka (assuming Spain gets there).
While we can look forward to that hypothetical championship game, it is important that Team USA does not overlook Lithuania. NBA on ESPN noted just how close the two countries have played each other recently:
In something of a twist, the Americans will have a larger advantage on the perimeter than down low in this one just because of Valanciunas.
With Rose perhaps finally rounding into form and Irving, Stephen Curry, Harden and Thompson flanking him, look for the Americans to pressure the ball-handlers all game and prevent Lithuania from consistently getting it down low to Valanciunas. That will lead to a number of turnovers, which will be too much for Lithuania to overcome.
Prediction: United States 101, Lithuania 75
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