FIBA World Championships 2010: USA-Tunisia Live Blog, Stats, Analysis

Featured Columnist Matt Petersen here, live blogging the USA-Tunisia game, as we get to see if Team USA can lock up a 5-0 record through the preliminary round. We'll see if the U.S. can move one step closer to winning the FIBA World Championships for the first time since 1994, when Kevin Durant was five, Jordan was in his prime, and NBA jerseys cost $30-40 a pop.

Just refresh your screen to get the latest feedback, and feel free to comment below. I'll do my best to respond to some of the more intriguing ones throughout the course of the game.

11:11 a.m. ET: Final USA 92, Tunisia 57. Red, white and blue let Tunisia hang around for two and-a-half quarters before finding their shots. I say find their shots, because they really never found their offensive game. Too much hectic fastbreaking, one-on-one and throw-it-up-and-hope-for-the-foul stuff going on. I'm pretty sure that's the same formula that lost USA some gold medals in '04 and '06.

I thought the U.S. would use this game to fine-tune their offensive flow and solidify their defense. I was wrong. No real sets or ball movement were implemented, just fastbreaking and one-on-one. Defensively, there was a lot of gambling that (like many things in this game) worked fine against a bottom-feader like Tunisia, but will end up burning them against the better teams.

This makes me really wonder about Coach K's strategy going into this game. Is he purposefully holding back? Will he make Team USA refine itself when no one can see so they catch their future opponents off guard? Until we know this for sure, we won't really know how Team USA will perform now that the games count and the opposition is stiffer.

Individual notes:

Durant (14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, four rebounds and two assists) was steady. He was only aggressive early on when Tunisia and the U.S. were swapping leads for the first six minutes.

Gordon (21 points, 4-for-7 threes) was a beast on both ends of the floor. He's risen from bubble-tryout guy to sixth man for Team USA in about three weeks. Because he plays for the Clippers, he'll probably tear every ligament in his knee in the gold medal game or on the plane ride home.

Rose (four points, two assists) was surprisingly ineffective. Maybe he was looking ahead. I don't know. I never thought Durant would have the same question on Team USA as he does for OKC: "Who's my second banana?"

10:59 a.m. ET: Curry three with just over a minute left. USA 90, Tunisia 55. Crowd booing USA according to Fraschilla after that three, but they didn't boo Westbrook's hanging dunk. Defensively, Team USA is rebounding like the Suns probably will this season. Still, I'm not counting them out.

10:54 a.m. ET: Westbrook, then Chandler with dunks. I know I've already hated on Westbrook's game in international play, so I'll leave it at that.

Ivory Coast won over Puerto Rico, meaning China could actually make FIBA's version of the Sweet 16. This just in: Yao Ming just kicked something with his bad foot and injured himself again.

10:52 a.m. ET: So Bryan, are you saying Love should mean to this team what Laettner meant to the Dream Team?

USA up 78-52 with under 5 minutes left. Make it 78-54 as the Librarian strikes again.

10:48 a.m. ET: Fran Fraschilla just tried to laughingly convince us a good tennis player would make a great shooting guard. His "ha ha" trailed off miserably after the attempt. Gordon to Curry for the dunk if it weren't for the block by a Tunisia player who looks like the local, balding librarian. Then he turns around and hits the three. Seriously, librarian who plays raquetball.

10:44 a.m. ET: Gordon with another three (21 points). USA up by 24. Shoddy offense, iffy defense and one offensive spurt is enough against Tunisia. It won't be against the powerhouses. In other news, Westbrook does the only thing he's good for on this team: a garbage-time dunk. Curry knocks down a three. Everyone's more relaxed now that the game's in hand. This won't happen as often after today.

10:40 a.m. ET: "As the buzzer-beating three doesn't go in for Westbrook..." (I'm shocked). End 3rd, USA 63, Tunisia 46. I don't understand why Coach K doesn't play Love more. He has a hand in almost every rebound and bucket while he's on the floor, he's humble, he's got range, and he's white. Coach K prototype. I don't get it.

Meanwhile the 4th quarter starts and Gordon hits another three, then gets a steal and is fouled. I have no shame admitting that I never expected Gordon to be here at all, much less being USA's sixth man.

10:37 a.m. ET: Love back in, gets the o-board, Gordon with a three. Then Love gobbles up another rebound. I love Love. As I type that he snags another offensive rebound and gets an assist on the Curry three. Again, I love Love.

10:35 a.m. ET: Durant just made a smooth, drive-and-pass play. I know he already leads the team in scoring, but he needs the ball in his hands more. Good things happen when he has the ball. Tunisia hits another three,and they're within 11.

10:32 a.m. ET: Funny you'd mention Odom, Chuck. He's having the kind of tournament you'd expect from him. Played great against Iran, a no-show today. You can always count on not counting on Lamar Odom. Gordon and Westbrook with back-to-back hoops. USA up 53-41 with 3:30 left.

10:30 a.m. ET: More helter-skelter, bad fastbreak basketball. Rose finally converts. Rose is filthy. Timeout, with USA up ten.

10:25 a.m. ET: I can't make up my mind. Who's shot do I want, Curry or Durant's? Billups hits a three to make me look stupid for my previous post and not including him in this question. USA up 8 after a Tunisia birthday present in the lane.

10:23 a.m. ET: Going back to Billups (still halftime, by the way)... it's painful watching him play on this team. I know he's supposed to be the veteran presence and all, but he's not like Kidd, who would influence the free-flowing game. Billups had a two-on-one in the first half and elected to force an ugly layup and draw the foul. He reminds me of a 50-something-year-old I used to play, who would just force fouls until I just didn't care anymore 'cause it was no longer fun.

10:19 a.m. ET: My man Fran just said (word for word) "By the end of this tournament, the cream will rise to the crop." I'm fairly certain that doesn't make sense.

Chuck, I answer your questions in order: fundamentally poor, because they haven't learned international point guards have killed their predecessors, because Coach K is either very lenient or very sneaky (doesn't want to reveal his cards...I'm choosing the former), and because other than Durant and Rose there aren't any consistently great passers on this team.

Oh and I agree with all your statements, Chuck.

10:08 a.m. ET: Halftime, USA 39, Tunisia 33, and only because Westbrook and Gordon scored in the last minute. I'm appalled. Team USA thinks they'll just overwhelm with athleticism. Against Tunisia, sure. Against Spain, Argentina, Greece or a Brazil-with-Varejao? Won't work. They need to remember this now before it's too late.

Durant is a beast, but Coach K had him sitting the entire second quarter thinking they'd pull away. Nothing doing. Durant will play a lot more in the second half if this game stays close.

Good guys in the first half: Durant (duh), Gordon and Curry.

Bad: Rose (never established himself), Billups (ugly to watch in such a free-flowing game)

Ugly: Westbrook's playing time (significant), Love's playing time (minimal).

10:06 a.m. ET:Another Tunisia dunk, bringing them within two. Love extends it to four. Why is Love only in the game now? He's been superb in limited time. Him, Gordon and Curry are the best guys off the bench. Westbrook should never leave the bench. On a related note, Fran Fraschilla(?) just quoted a basketball "saying" that I've never heard through my years of playing, watching or writing. That and I will never name my boy "Fran."

10:04 a.m. ET: Tunisia three, Westbrook turnover, Tunisia dunk. 30-28, USA until Gordon hits a timely three. Gordon is perfect for this team. Westbrook is the opposite...right down to their respective hairdos.

10:02 a.m. ET: Tunisian player just tried MJ's go-baseline-turn-back-then-spin-and-come-again-on-the-Knicks move. Didn't work. There will never be another MJ.

*ESPN3's commercials are even more repetitive than the NBA Playoffs on TNT.

9:59 a.m. ET: Lineup for Team USA in middle of 2nd: Westbrook, Curry, Gordon, Gay and Chandler. A.K.A. let's press and press and run and run. U.S. up by nine.

9:57 a.m. ET: Some guy named Kesrich(?) burning USA for 12 points already. Timeout. I'm disappointed. This needs to be a message-to-future-opponents game. Spain, Greece, Argentina, etc. need to see USA isn't messing around. They need to show they're at least trying to be a well-oiled machine, not a bunch of loose cogs.

9:54 a.m. ET: Whenever Westbrook shoots, I feel like Lakers fans when Artest would jack it up. Made it this time, though. Tunisia responds with a three, USA up 24-18 with 7:46 left in the second.

9:50 a.m. ET: Fastbreak lob from Rose to Iguodala didn't do anything to Tunisia's psyche. They came right back and scored. End 1st, 19-13 Team USA. I keep thinking of the pickup game scenario. Alpha dog team wins on huge talent discrepancy, not necessarily because they deserve it or they put in the effort. That's how I feel about Team USA. They just want to steal the ball, run and get easy points. No desire to actually work their offense until they're bored and the game is already out of hand.

9:46 a.m. ET: Thought USA would pull away after another Durant bucket (9 points already) and Rose getting on the board. Didn't happen. Tunisia's version of Mugsy Bogues just hit a three, and USA up only four.

9:43 a.m. ET: Tunisia (don't look for names here) makes a buzzer-beater three to beat the shotclock, followed by USA turnover. Down 8-6. I lied. Durant just made a ridiculous and-one, flipping it over his shoulder as he got run off the court. 9-8. Durant's the only one who came to play. Story of the NBA's players, really. 

9:39 a.m. ET: Two defensive boards tipped out-of-bounds, Tunisia ball. 5-4, Tunisia. It's like the annoying underdog team on the playground that catches the alpha-dog team on an off day. USA needs to wake up and deliver a message.

9:35 a.m. ET: U.S. sloppy, Tunisia crisp for a 4-2 lead. Can't stress how hectic U.S. looks on offense. No fluidity at all.

9:32 a.m. ET: It's Tunisia's first time in the World Championships. With that, tip off time. And of course they hit their first jumper. No jitters there.

Preview, 9:09 a.m. ET: ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan hit the nail on the head after Team USA's victory over Iran -- the offense just isn't sharp yet. It did look better in the fourth quarter, with Team USA running some sweet passing sequences through Kevin Durant and Kevin Love at the high post.

Two problems with that: 1) the entire fourth quarter was garbage time, so Iran's defense wasn't exactly 100-percent motivated and 2) Spain's surprising two losses mean Team USA could face the Spaniards as early as the quarterfinals -- a.k.a. much sooner than they expected, and maybe before the U.S. has worked out the bugs.

That's why this game is important. Team USA has already sewn up the top side in its respective group, and Tunisia has yet to win a game. This game is a fine-tuning affair, and one Team USA needs to take advantage of. After today, every game carries March Madness weight, and this young team can't afford to still be figuring things out when things get tight in that atmosphere.

With all that in mind, expect the U.S. to crush Tunisia with painful-to-watch ease. Oh, and for those of you who didn't know ('cause I didn't before looking it up), Tunisia is a small country wedged in between Algeria and Libya in Africa.