Depth: The USA Basketball Team is in an Ideal Position for Gold, Group Stage Results Help Them Find Multiple Winning Keys

A 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico has propelled the Olympic men’s basketball team of the USA to a 3-0 record in the group stage, smoothly advancing them to the quarterfinals. Their next opponent will be Brazil.

Competing in the same division with the USA are Serbia and Australia; while in the other division, Canada will face France, and Germany will face Greece.

This means that among the top teams favored to win gold, there is no better position for the USA men’s basketball team than their current one.

Additionally, with the conclusion of the group stage, the USA team’s matches in “France Lille” have been completed. According to the schedule, all remaining Olympic men’s basketball games will be held in Paris. This gives the US team based in Paris more time to prepare for their quest for the gold medal.

During the group stage, the USA team traveled from Paris by train to Lille before each game. However, last weekend, a train incident forced them to make multiple bus trips to reach Lille. Clearly, such incidents will not occur during the elimination rounds.

The USA team performed well in Lille, with a net score of 64 points across three games.

“First of all, it’s really fun to play in Lille – it’s a beautiful place,” said the USA head coach Steve Kerr. “I think we achieved our goal of winning all three games and securing first place in the group.”

Moreover, utilizing the group stage, the USA team finally solidified some of their advantages and playing styles. Firstly, Kevin Durant retains his “Reaper” character. Whenever the game requires a decisive blow, Durant never misses. In the match against Puerto Rico, he contributed 11 points as a substitute. Across the three games in Lille, he scored a total of 48 points, now just five points away from breaking the American Olympics scoring record.

When Durant was off the court, Anthony Edwards seamlessly filled the gap left by him. Similarly, during today’s game, Edwards scored 15 points in the first 10 minutes and a total of 26 points in the entire game, making 15 shots out of 11 attempts. He also contributed a spectacular dunk in the fourth quarter, igniting the crowd.

“I wanted to do a crossover dunk in the air, but I hadn’t tried it for a while, so I didn’t want to embarrass myself,” Edwards mentioned after the dunk. “I wanted to dunk someone, but I couldn’t find the opportunity. I’m glad I got this chance.”

Secondly, LeBron James remains consistent.

In the past two games, James started as the point guard. During the match against Puerto Rico, he provided 8 assists, totaling 21 assists across the three group stage games.

His favorite target is Edwards, with James frequently passing the ball to him. “KD and Brown are the best two people. I mean, they’re the best team players. They always want to see their teammates shine,” said Edwards. “I told LeBron, ‘If you don’t have a shot, I’ll find one for you.'”

This summer, including five warm-up games and three Olympic games, James led the team in both scoring and assists.

“Perhaps one of the best things about this trip for me is seeing LeBron behind the scenes, observing his preparation, his focus, and understanding why he can be himself,” said Kerr. “He’s amazing. He loves this sport. He loves training, loves his teammates. LeBron’s energy and joy spread throughout the locker room.”

Thirdly, the second lineup delivers a powerful punch.

Against Puerto Rico, the USA team trailed by eight points in the second quarter. When the second lineup, consisting of Anthony Davis, Derrick White, Bam Adebayo, and the combination of Durant and Edwards, took the court, they managed to turn the tide by five points within about eight minutes. This was the third consecutive game where the second lineup changed the course of the game through its performance in the first half.

The USA team hopes these substitute players’ performances will continue, as it is a core part of their game plan. However, there are also other considerations. For example, deliberately setting playing times to help certain players find their rhythm. After performing poorly in the first game against Serbia, then sitting on the bench against South Sudan, and reserving some opportunities for Joel Embiid against Puerto Rico to get him into the groove.

As a result, Embiid delivered, scoring 15 points and blocking twice. He enjoyed interacting with the French audience, who once again booed him for choosing to play for the USA team, a practice he found enjoyable.

“I think many people believe it’s hatred, but I view it as love and respect,” said Embiid. “If I wasn’t a decent basketball player, I wouldn’t receive this treatment, so I feel lucky and enjoy interacting with them.”

Jayson Tatum received significant attention when he sat on the bench in the first Olympic game, but today he started for the second consecutive game, performing well, scoring 10 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and providing 3 assists.

Looking ahead, how will the USA team prepare?

James expressed that they need to focus on the start of the game, considering that opponents become highly excited when facing the USA team, which can be detrimental if they don’t perform well early on. “Right now, I think we’re in a good position, but we should do better at the beginning of the game. We didn’t like letting the opponents score (29) points in the first quarter today, but we improved afterward,” said James.

“The upcoming games will be tougher and more challenging, so we must be prepared.” The USA team’s next opponent is Brazil, who lost to France and Germany in the group stage but advanced to the quarterfinals after hitting 17 three-pointers in their win against Japan. Both Germany and Canada also had 3-0 records in the group stage, with Germany ranking second after the USA.

“We’ve watched most of the teams’ games, but we haven’t seen Brazil’s game live yet,” said Kerr. “Now, Brazil is our focus.”

“We know we have to play better, but the games will get harder. Of course, our goal is to improve in every game. We’ll rest tomorrow and then go full throttle for three games. Let’s see how we perform.”

From now on, any loss will eliminate the USA team from the possibility of winning gold.