An open thread for those needing an outlet to post their thoughts while watching the USA take on Angola.
I haven't commented much about the games so far. But after watching the past few contests, I've taken down a few notes.
Everyone is concerned about the lack of three-point shooting for team USA. And they should be. But they will come around. Even Chris Paul can hit those nearly college-range threes.
The biggest problem I see is that it seems like team USA is playing the game like an All-Star game. I guess it is really if you're just looking at who is on the team. But the one-on-ones and crowd-pleasing dunks might come back to haunt them.
Their strongest suit has been their defense. They get a ton of steals which lead to a lot of fast break dunks. Defense has been what's carried them so far. My biggest concern is how poorly they run the fast break if there's a defender back. It seems as though they're more concerned about the alley-oop, behind-behind-the-back, and no-look plays rather than just playing fundamental basketball. Maybe that's the Sloan coming out in me. But it really looks like the first three quarters of the All-Star game when everyone is trying to show up the others.
When they start facing tougher teams and they're not hitting the outside shot, they're going to need their D and the points off those turnovers. Let's just hope that a botched NBA Jam-type play doesn't come back to haunt them.
And has anyone else noticed that Boozer has changed his free-throw shooting a bit? He doesn't bend his knees as far and he's got a slightly different shot. I'll have to see if I can find footage. But don't worry, the reach-from-behind-foul-after-your-man-is-by-you move is in full effect.