USA vs. Venezuela: TV Time, Live Stream, Prediction for 2016 Olympic Basketball
One game into its quest for gold, Team USA has already transformed its Olympic trek into a personal tour de force.
The Americans met little resistance during their Olympic-opening 119-62 thrashing of China on Saturday. Their next opponent, Venezuela, is likely another steppingstone.
The pair collided during last month's exhibition slate. Team USA had its worst shooting performance from the field (42.4 percent) and outside the arc (16.0) of its five-game tune-up and still steamrolled Venezuela in an 80-45 rout. The U.S. scored more first-quarter points (20) than Venezuela tallied in the first half (18).
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"The fact that the ball wasn't going in, and they were playing good defense against us didn't stop us from giving a really quality effort, especially on the boards and the defensive end," Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters afterward, per Steve Silverman of USABasketball.com.
His squad hasn't relented on defense since, having held China to 35.7 percent shooting and fewer field goals (20) than turnovers (24). Venezuela, meanwhile, has struggled to ignite its offense. Its Olympic debut was an 86-62 defeat at the hands of Serbia during which they shot just 36.5 percent and 4-of-22 from long range.
Team USA is an overwhelming favorite in its second contest, but will it stroll to victory, or might Venezuela mount a tougher-than-expected fight?
When: Monday, Aug. 8, at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Carioca Arena 1; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Live Stream: NBC.com
Best Olympic Defense Ever?
Coach K's suffocating squad has no discernible weakness. The 12-player ensemble—which features four 2015-16 All-Defensive selections—has the malleability of Play-Doh and thus can be molded by Krzyzewski and defensive-mastermind assistant Tom Thibodeau for whatever challenge awaits.
Point guards aside, the perimeter is a lush forest of go-go-gadget arms sprawling out from 6'7"-or-taller frames. If they opt against using the feisty Kyle Lowry or the laser-quick Kyrie Irving, they have enough playmaking forwards to run without a traditional floor general. That creates an impenetrable thicket of wing-sized-or-better defenders with a guard's mobility and low-post banger's strength.
Their center spot is split between 270-pound bruiser DeMarcus Cousins and 6'11" aerial artist DeAndre Jordan. Both have the agility to keep perimeter players in front of them on a switch. As offenses move from one matchup to the next, it's like they're encountering a sea of locked doors and not coming any closer to finding a key.
"They can switch at every position. There's not really another team in the Olympics who can do that," Venezuelan star John Cox said, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein. "Even their bigs can move their feet with our guards. That is why they are special."
How special can these Americans be? Paul George wants this to be the best defensive outfit Krzyzewski has ever coached, per Bleacher Report's Michael Pina. The personnel might be in place to earn that title, as Fox Sports' Andrew Lynch observed:
"Both point guards are ball-hawks who come up with steals on what seems like every other possession. The wings and forwards, meanwhile, switch seamlessly, breaking an opponent's will as they helplessly flail against a wall of whirling limbs and length that stretches for days. Somehow break past that wall, and you have to deal with Cousins and Jordan eating up real estate at the rim—and under FIBA rules, they don't have to worry about defensive three seconds.
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It's an embarrassment of riches capable of making even Thibodeau smile. Whether it's the best team ever fielded by the red, white and blue won't be decided until the competition raises several levels above the likes of China and Venezuela. However, it speaks to Team USA's tenacity that the defensive intensity remains this high in clearly lopsided matches.
Veterans Paving the Path
Buried beneath the 57-point beating Saturday was the fact Team USA had 10 different players making their Olympic debuts. That's because the potentially important storyline was banished to footnote status early in the contest.
But those who tuned in for the tip-off witnessed what may have been the only evidence of global-stage jitters. The Americans weren't the first team on the scoreboard, and their 0-of-5 start meant more than two-and-a-half minutes would pass before the favorites tallied a field goal.
Fittingly, the first bucket came from Kevin Durant, leading scorer of the 2012 gold medalists. The four-time NBA scoring champ almost demolished China's defense without breaking a sweat, netting a game-high 25 points on just 14 shots over 22 minutes.
"KD is KD. He's one of the best players in the world," Coach K said, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. "He's playing defense and when he gets going like that, it's a pretty neat thing to have."
Durant the scorer is invaluable in any setting, but he's especially important as an offensive safety valve in the Olympics with so many of his teammates being introduced to this spotlight.
Even more critical is the leadership of four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony. He has witnessed the highs (two gold medals) and lows (bronze finish in 2004) of this event, and he can preach to this tournament's particular requirements for success.
"Carmelo is the veteran and a super-likable guy," Jordan told the Associated Press (via NBC Sports). "We got 12 Alphas in here. But he's the leader of this team and follow him."
Anthony and Durant are the stage setters who can put everything in motion for this anticipated sprint to gold.
Both can be offensive focal points when needed, providing direction to a team that hasn't logged a lot of minutes together. Both can be off-ball supporters, helping their less decorated teammates buy into the coaches' plans. Both can lock in defensively—an area neither would count as his greatest strength—and lead others to do the same thing by example.
Talent is never an issue for Team USA. Even the 2004 bronze finishers were loaded with stars, including Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and Amar'e Stoudemire.
But togetherness is big, especially when so many opponents have years of shared service under their belts. On the court and away from it, Anthony and Durant can supply the veteran voice that helps the Americans steer clear of potential pitfalls.
Prediction
Team USA features nine players selected to the 2016 NBA All-Star Game. After Greivis Vasquez's withdrawal, Venezuela doesn't have an NBA player on its roster.
What's worse, according to international hoops expert Fran Fraschilla, Venezuela's strength "is in the backcourt," per Zillgitt. There may not be a worse area from which to attack the Americans, since they can throw superior size, strength, speed, explosiveness and skill in front of opposing guards.
This contest will get out of hand quickly. Two numbers all but ensure that.
First, Team USA's 35-point exhibition rout over this same Venezuela team was more notable for what didn't happen—namely, several of Coach K's marquee performers didn't play up to par. Anthony, Durant, Cousins, Lowry and Jimmy Butler shot a combined 9-of-34 (26.5 percent). During Saturday's opener, that quintet hit 20-of-33 (60.6). Expect more of the latter.
Second, Venezuela managed a meager 23 first-half points against Serbia. That's seven less than USA surrendered to China over the first two frames. Between Venezuela's lack of reliable scorers and Team USA's wealth of relentless stoppers, this game should break open before the end of the opening period.
It wasn't close the first time the two teams squared off, and this will be even more one-sided. Don't be surprised if Team USA improves upon its staggering margin of victory.
Prediction: Team USA 102, Venezuela 51
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