USA continues slamming its foes
After watching Team USA march through the preliminary round of the FIBA Americas Championship, one has to wonder if anyone can give the Americans a game.
Nobody is talking about beating them, just maybe staying within 20 points.
Many thought Brazil, with NBA players Leandro Barbosa, Nene and Tiago Splitter and sharp shooter Marcelo Machado, could challenge the United States. But Team USA, sparked by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, took the Brazilians out of their game with a stifling defense and dominated offensively with a mixture of dunks and 3-pointers in a 113-76 rout Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Americans finished pool play 4-0 in Group B of the Olympic qualifier. Next up is Mexico in the second round at 8 p.m. today.
Team USA’s average margin of victory has been 48.7 points in the four games, and it could be even worse if coach Mike Krzyzewski wasn’t calling off the dogs early.
"Our defense in the second and third quarters was at its highest level of the tournament," Krzyzewski said.
Barbosa was the main target of that defensive effort. The Brazil guard came into Sunday’s game averaging a tournament-leading 27 points a game. But Bryant smothered Barbosa whenever he touched the ball and limited him to four points on 1-of-10 shooting.
He didn’t even need help from USA assistant Mike D’Antoni, who coaches Barbosa with the Phoenix Suns.
"I didn’t tell Kobe anything," D’Antoni said. "That was all effort on his part."
Bryant set the tone early in the first quarter when he forced Barbosa into an over-and-back violation after he knocked the ball off Barbosa’s leg.
The Lakers star also hurt the Brazilians at the offensive end. He had 20 points, and James and Anthony had 21 apiece.
Brazil actually made a game of it in the first quarter and early into the second, trailing only 29-27. During that stretch, Team USA lost Tayshaun Prince to a sprained left ankle — he’s questionable for tonight — and Dwight Howard and Anthony to foul trouble.
"For the first time, we faced some adversity," Krzyzewski said. "There was a lot going on in that first half, but we responded really well."
The response came from James, who hit a 3-pointer from the left corner. Anthony followed with a spinning reverse lay-in.
The Americans closed out the final 6:07 of the first half with a 21-6 run, holding Brazil without a field goal and pushing their lead to 57-36 with James hitting a running 3-pointer from about 28 feet at the halftime buzzer.
The scoring spurt continued early in the third quarter as Team USA reeled off 17 consecutive points. That included Jason Kidd’s alley-oop lob to Anthony, who was running the baseline, took the ball in full flight and jammed it home with one hand.
There’s a good chance these teams could meet again in Saturday’s semifinals or Sunday’s gold medal game, but given the USA’s depth and talent, it’s hard to imagine the outcome being different.
"We’re looking good, but we can still get a lot better," James said. "We turned the ball over too much tonight (14 turnovers). We’re just trying to make plays. But we have a determination to win every single game."
