U.S. Wins, but Still Has Issues to Address
By
John Schuhmann
Posted Aug 12 2008 1:25PM
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Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images
Bryant has gone ice cold from the outside.
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BEIJING, August 12, 2008 -- The U.S. Men's Senior National Team is now 2-0 in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, but they're still far from playing their best basketball.
Tonight, they took care of business, beating Angola 97-76 at the Wukesong Culture and Sports Center to stay even with Spain atop the Group B standings at 2-0. But with Greece and Spain up next, a margin of victory in the 35-40 range would have been much more encouraging. Of course, Spain and Greece have had their own issues thus far as well.
For the U.S., their defense has been terrific. And that's what's most important. Tonight, they held Angola to just 39 percent shooting and forced 25 turnovers. In the two games so far in Beijing, they're allowing just 86.9 points per 100 possessions, which is a 10-point improvement over the last four exhibition games. Angola made a couple of runs in the fourth quarter, but that was well after the game was decided.
But the U.S. can't be happy with the way things have gone on the other end of the floor. They're shooting .551 from the floor in their two games so far, but broken down, that's .688 from inside the arc and .267 from beyond it.
And most of the three point blame can be put on the shoulders of Kobe Bryant, who is shooting a miserable 1-for-15 (.067) in the Olympics from downtown.
Bryant has taken on the role of defensive stopper, the "Doberman" if you will, since he joined this team last year. And he's been a vital component of their improved D. But the U.S. still needs him on the other end of the floor. Mr. 81 is the most potent offensive weapon in the world, with an ability to put points on the board like no other human. And if his shot is off, they're a weaker offensive squad.
Carmelo Anthony hasn't gotten things going offensively either. The leading scorer for the U.S. Team each of the last two summers is not nearly as sharp this year. He was pretty much invisible offensively against China, scoring just three points. Tonight, he had 12 of 4-of-6 from the field, but he needed to reenter the game during fourth quarter garbage time in order to get four of the 12.
Finally, the designated shooter has not been that in Beijing. Michael Redd, after shooting 60 percent from the field and 12-for-21 from beyond the arc in the team's first four exhibition games, is shooting just 29 percent from the floor and 3-for-12 from downtown in his last three contests.
Dwyane Wade is at the top of his game, leading the team in scoring once again with 19 points against Angola. LeBron James has been attacking the basket like a runaway train. And Dwight Howard is beating up on smaller frontlines. But without Bryant, Anthony and Redd, or at least two of the three, shooting well, the U.S. could be treading on thin ice against stronger opponents.
Of course, those are three of the best offensive players on the planet, so the law of averages says that they'll get things going soon.
"We haven't shot the ball well from the outside since we've been here," Coach Mike Krzyzewski said after tonight's game, "but I believe we will."
And Krzyzewski chooses to look at the positive side to his team's struggles from the perimeter.
"I don't think we're taking bad shots," he said. "I think we're taking shots that these guys can hit, and we still score 100 points. But if we start hitting 3's, we are going to be a lot better. You're always better when you score, hitting shots. I like the fact that we haven't really gotten hot yet and it hasn't affected the intensity of our defense. I think it says a lot for the character of our guys."
And overall, the U.S. has been magnificent in transition. It's not like Kobe is missing dunks on the fast break (and he's had quite a few of those). But they won't get as many fast break opportunities against the better teams here in Beijing. Spain, Greece, Argentina and Lithuania will take better care of the ball and shoot at a higher percentage than China and Angola.
So, the U.S. will need to play more in the halfcourt. And with teams packing the lane, they will have to shoot from the perimeter. So, if their jumpers aren't falling, they could be in trouble.
Maybe the days of 40 and 50-point blowouts are over at the Olympics (at least on the men's side). Or maybe, this team just isn't playing that great.
With Greece, the team that took them down at the 2006 World Championships, up next on Thursday (8 a.m. ET, NBC), it's time to get better.
