Zillgitt: U.S. men's basketball needed a game like this
RIO DE JANEIRO — Down at halftime and trailing in the fourth quarter, the USA’s close, intense game against Australia on Wednesday was necessary for the defending Olympic and World Cup gold medalists.
Talented no doubt, but playing with 10 first-time Olympians and six players with no prior international experience at the senior level, the Americans needed a challenge after five lopsided pre-Olympic exhibition games and two blowout Olympics games against China and Venezuela.
They got it from a strong — mentally and physically — and talented Australia, a team that is capable of winning a medal and perhaps playing the USA for gold on Aug. 21, the final day of the Olympics.
The USA overcame that halftime deficit (54-49) and the one in the fourth quarter (72-70) and remained unbeaten after three games with a 98-88 victory.
“Our competition up to this point has been preparing us to the degree we would like,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “We needed a real test, and we got by the test. That’ll help us going forward.”
The USA fought through foul trouble and didn’t crumble against Australia’s disciplined and creative offensive sets. As this group moves toward a third consecutive Olympic gold, it needs to figure out how to get stops late in games, how to execute offensively and who — beyond Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant — it can rely on with the game undecided in the final minutes.
Australia scored just 34 points in the second half, and the USA shot 56.3% and made 5-for-9 three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Anthony was brilliant with 14 points in the fourth quarter. He had help from NBA Finals star Kyrie Irving, who scored 12 of his 19 points in the final 6:16 of the fourth quarter.
“This is the real world now, and that was good for us. … We earned this win, and we’re going to have to earn our wins throughout,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “This was a really good night for us. They made winning plays. It’s not like something was given to us tonight. Can we play better? We will need to.
“The experience of playing in a game at that level with that physicality and intensity was not there in our exhibition games and in our first two (Rio) games. When you add up it up, all those things are good.”
Don’t get it twisted either. This U.S. team — even without LeBron James, Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis — is not more vulnerable than the 2008 or 2012 teams.
Those teams had close games, too. In 2008, Spain trailed the USA 91-89 in the fourth quarter of the final. In 2012, Lithuania had an 84-82 lead before losing 99-94. It’s not always 40-point victories and dunk shows.
Close wins generate confidence, build resilience and bring a team together. Other national teams, including Australia, have had core players together for years. This U.S. team had its first practice together less than a month ago.
Australia won’t be the only team to challenge. It could be Serbia and France in the final two games of group play. Maybe it will be Spain, Argentina, Brazil or Lithuania in the knockout round.
“It took four quarters to win this game, and we did it,” Irving said. “This was a big step for us, building our character and our identity.”
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