When the Dream Team geared up to play against Angola back in 1992, Charles Barkley was asked what he knew about Angola. Sir Charles simply said "They are in trouble. They are in serious trouble".
Sixteen years later nothing much has really changed about Barkley's comment, as team U.S.A. defeated Angola 97 - 76 in a dominate, yet nonchalant game in Beijing. Led by Dwayne Wade's 19 point effort and stingy U.S. defense, the N.B.A. superstars imposed their will early and often in the game. Angola came into the contest completely undersized with their center Eduardo Mingas standing just a mere six foot five. The U.S. took advantage of Angola by going inside to Dwight Howard who finished the contest with 14 points on 6 of 6 shooting from the field. The team made it a point not only to run against Angola, but to throw the ball inside to Howard who tries to always finish his post moves with a ground shattering dunk. Howard's presence inside the paint will be key against powers Spain and Argentina.
What took the game by surprise was the second unit of team U.S.A. Active hands and player communication on the defensive end forced frustration by Angola. The chemistry of Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Chris Bosh, and Tayshaun Prince energized a tough U.S. defense. Tayshaun Prince made an immediate impact with the second unit by knocking down a three and shooting the passing lane for a steal and dunk. Prince finished with 7 points and quietly asserted himself in the game. Team U.S.A. shot a very comfortable 69% from the field and led 55 - 37 at halftime.
The U.S. didn't miss a beat as the second half got underway. The consistent ingredients of defensive pressure and pure athleticism anchored a commanding lead from team U.S.A. With the game already decided in the 3rd quarter, the second unit of team U.S.A. got some more polish on their games by frustrating Angola defensively. Some things are clear about the U.S. They want to run on any opportunity and they want to set the tone defensively. Angola shot 38% from the floor and 29 % from three, resulting in a frustrating evening in Beijing. Team U.S.A. went on to defeat Angola 97 to 76 in a lopsided game.
Next up for the U.S. is a match up against Greece. The last time the U.S. played Greece was in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. In that game, Greece defeated the U.S., leaving a very sour taste in the mouth of the U.S. players. Look for vengeful energy and aggressive play by team U.S.A. The game will be Thursday at 7 am CT.
- Is anyone else noticing how bad team U.S.A. is shooting from the three in international play? In today's game against Angola, the U.S. shot a horrible 23% from three. Look for teams to start zoning team U.S.A. and forcing them to shoot from the three point arc. The zone will stop the transition baskets from the U.S. and make them play a half court game.
- Speaking of horrible three point shooting. Kobe Bryant is 1 for 15 from three in these Beijing Olympics. It's great that he has stepped up defensively, but Bryant has to bring his brilliant offense with him.
- Every game another player on team U.S.A. jumps out at you. Today it was Chris Bosh. The Dallas native is equipped with strong post defense and quick rebounding skills. Bosh's play, along with Dwight Howard, will be even more important in upcoming games against Spain and Argentina .
- Players to watch out for in the next game: Chris Paul, Chris Paul...and how about ummm....Chris Paul. The "Point God", is displaying a great basketball IQ and leadership at his position.
Be Peaceful
2 comments:
CJizzle,
I dont think the USA has to worry about their 3-pt game just yet. They really havent needed them, which means, they havent really made a conscious effort to focus on making them, I watch the game this morning and seen that they was just shooting for the sake of shooting em...I believe that if other teams put the zone in effect, you will see Kobe make more threes, as well as Michael Redd. I expect the USA to bring their true "A" game when they play the likes of Spain and Argentina. I dont believe they will just be jackin up shots, at least I hope not!! But only time will tell! By the way....where is Melo?? He isnt dominating the way i thought he would be...but I guess anybody can fall 2 da wayside on a team stacked like this!
That is very true D'wayne, but you have to realzie that team U.S.A. is not preparing themselves for the zone. Many of the players have good shooting percentages from the field because they are getting high percentage shots. When you are constantly getting fast breaks and opportunities at the rim, you are not really working on your jump shot.
Most of these players are NBA superstars, but that doesn't mean that they can just turn on their jump shot like it's a microwave. As you saw in the game against Angola, most of them aren't shooters. These players can create their own shots like Kobe Bryant or Lebron James, but they are not stand still shooters. The only player like that is a great shooter is Michael Redd and maybe(a strong maybe)Carmelo Anthony.
The zone and lack of true centers can be the only two weaknesses that team U.S.A. has. Hopefully they can knock down those jum shots when teams start to zone them more. As of right now the zone has not been something that they have to worry about.
Carmelo Anthony is giving what is needed for team U.S.A. Remember, this team is loaded with talent and some nights certain players aren't needed. Against Angola, Carmelo finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds on 4 for 6 shooting from the field. Its not 20 and 10, but it's getting the job done for right now.
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