USA 113, Australia 73
News and notes from Team USA’s knock-out round win…
After one quarter, Team USA was clinging to a 27-23 lead over Australia. The Aussies were nailing outside shots, driving to the rim, and Andrew Bogut was playing like the number one pick in the 2005 Draft.
And then the second quarter happened. The numbers in the second quarter were pretty staggering, but the main thing to notice is that Team USA won the second quarter, 32-6. Every Aussie pass was contested (11 turnovers in the first half), and Team USA seemed to get a hand on every dribble.
By the half, Team USA was leading 59-29, and the game was effectively dunzo. The US led 88-49 after three and won 113-73.
Some notes…
• An hour before tip-off, I tried to read up on Team Australia, to see what Team USA was going to have to face. The first story I read on the match-up was an AP story, which quoted Dwyane Wade as saying, “The only thing I know about them is they got Andre Bogut. I mean Andrew Bogut.”
• That said, Bogut started off brilliantly, scoring 9 points in the first five minutes, draining threes and controlling the interior. After he picked up his second foul he took a seat, which was about when things fell apart for the Aussies. He returned in the second quarter, but he seemed tired and never recaptured the same energy he began with.
• I thought Team USA had their best game offensively, and I don’t mean shooting the ball. They were able to create open shots no matter what sort of defense the Aussies played (and they threw a lot of defenses out there, from zones to traps to man-to-man). Throwing a zone at Team USA is no longer a sure-fire method of stopping them, especially when Elton Brand is on the floor, as he’s able to work the free throw line-extended and get open 15-footers, which he makes his living on.
• Best offensive player for Team USA was Carmelo Anthony, who once again was able to do pretty much whatever he wanted, from driving to the basket to perimeter shooting. He’s particularly good at getting off jumpers without needing a step to create space.
• Team USA’s best all-around player was probably LeBron James, who continues to show what an outstanding passer he is. He’s great not only at moving the ball around, but also at driving and finding the open guy.
• Most improved player for Team USA was very obviously Chris Bosh. And honestly, I’m not so sure if it was anything he did differently as much as it was just a fast-paced game better suited to Bosh’s speed and mobility. Either way, breathe easy Raptors fans, because your man is back and playing well.
• Worst look of the game goes to Antawn Jamison, who apparently hasn’t found a barbershop or a razor in Japan. His mustache is getting so thick he’s starting to look like Rollie Fingers.
• ESPN continues to refuse to admit that they’re too cheap to send their announcers to Japan. Well, either they’re too cheap or they think the fans of basketball watching in America are better off listening to announcers calling a game off a TV set. Which is it, ESPN?
• Worst blatant attempt for an unauthorized tie-in to Allen Iverson: Anyone notice in those commercials for Crossover, the streetball movie, that Hot Sauce plays a guy named Jewelz?
• Finally, a few words about the Aussies, because I know we have a lot of readers down under: It was hard to get a read on them because they were so overwhelmed after the first quarter, but they seemed to have a lot of interchangeable swingmen and big guys. Their guard play — or lack of play — was what got them in trouble; their best passer was Bogut, and they occasionally ran a triangle offense to let Bogut control the ball in the high post and spot cutters. Brad Newley had the most consistent game for the Aussies, and guard Aaron Bruce had a nice fourth quarter. Overall, though, Australia was simply overmatched.
• The US is now off until Wednesday, when they take on Germany in the quarterfinals. We’ll be watching…
25 Responses to “USA 113, Australia 73”
Aug.27 at 5:01 am
puerto rican bill walton says:
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Aug.27 at 5:03 am
puerto rican bill walton says:
to long?
Aug.27 at 5:04 am
puerto rican bill walton says:
i dont need no hook, just 40 fuckin bars, from the mouth of a crook
Aug.27 at 7:00 am
Nadav says:
That’s my boy! #3
Aug.27 at 11:20 am
Hype says:
Well, I haven’t looked into it (and by “it” I mean done actual research) but Rick Kamla of NBATV seems to be doing what ESPN is doing as well. Just booth announcing.. we never see them at halftime or anything. And by the way they call plays it’s somewhat obvious they aren’t at the actual courts. Y’know, like they’re miscalling the player that scored etc. It does feel weird that they’re watching essentially the same monitor as us (plus all the other angles) so it’s like we’re missing that extra LIVE feeling. One thing I really don’t like: the replays are never shown, or hardly used. I don’t think it’s ESPN/NBATV’s fault on this one… seeing that they’re using the FIBA feeds to watch the game and have no control of the broadcast..just sucks when there’s a nice dish from Lebron to Bosh and we can’t see it again… EVER.
Aug.27 at 2:01 pm
soyboy says:
spot on about the AI imitation…
Aug.27 at 3:20 pm
alpha says:
Hey Jewelz, good game.. “Tell me when I have a bad one, SUCKA!” that makes me laugh everytime..
Aug.27 at 5:26 pm
daz says:
well that was a rout. The first quartere was interesting, but you had the feeling bogut was going to get into foul trouble sooner or later. we (the auusies) desperately missed our other big men (matt nielsen and david andersen especially). without them we had to rely on wade helliwell, which wouldnt have worked against qatar let alone the USA.
Aug.27 at 8:00 pm
Classic says:
Bogut played good,but my boy Melo did his thing,MVP if they win. ‘The yellows so melo i had ta’ act ghetto’. Lol..thats when usa take the gold.
Aug.27 at 8:57 pm
Marcel Mutoni says:
any of you guys catch the God Shamgod crossover that CP3 pulled off as time was winding down? Disgusting. Too bad Brad Miller ruined it by offensively goal-tending the layup.
Aug.27 at 10:48 pm
luckyluciano says:
To anyone that isnt an Ozzie- the reason why we did so poorly is because our team has been overhauled with new players, Bogut is own senior player– we are actually referring to them as the ‘baby’ boomers- we dont expect anything from them yet, but give us 3-5 and we wil be givin ARG, USA and the rest a real run for ur Yeno..
Aug.28 at 12:04 am
jologs says:
good game by battier!
Aug.28 at 10:21 am
Mark says:
I hope USA didn’t think that was a full-strength side that Australia put up. I’m not saying that USA wouldn’t have won anyway, but I can tell you that 4 of our top players (Matt Nielson, David Anderson, Chris Anstey and Glen Saville) were unavailable. Team USA better not be thinking they had a good practice run before meeting teams like Greece, as that was nothing more than a college team they played.
Aug.28 at 11:58 am
kurt says:
lebron jamers is slippin 4 real
step it up bitch
Aug.28 at 12:01 pm
Allen says:
Melo and Joe Johnson are showing just how solid their offensive skill sets are at this FIBA tournament. Therefore … Kobe would be rocking offensively, too, if he was healthy. He would be Big in Japan.
Aug.28 at 12:02 pm
kurt says:
that movie crossover is a piece of crap……lameazz moves and stupied script
im done
Aug.28 at 12:17 pm
kurt says:
the australian the sux donkey nuts………they need some damn practic b4 comming to the olympics in 2008 of they will get dat azz wiped like a slave……..go milk a kola
Aug.28 at 2:16 pm
gioforeal says:
Or wiped out like booty as Cannibus once rapped.He rapped once,didn’t he?
Aug.28 at 3:07 pm
Nabs says:
Hello anyone there? When will the Big Bosh Man get his slam cover? He’s holding it down here in the T-Dot. C’mon guys CB4 deserves his cover
Aug.28 at 6:50 pm
Bobby says:
Yo PR Bill Walton i agree with you CB4 MVP. If it wasnt for coach k suckin battier off bosh would be averaging atleast 15 and 10. Everyone talks about the class of ‘03 but dont say bosh. When he is in he does good. But if coach k wants to play a smaller less skillful battier over bosh then i say lets go Germany.
Aug.28 at 7:10 pm
B Dyer says:
Mark, as a fellow aussie i agree, a full strength side would have helped. But Lang makes a great point about our guard play. CJ and Smithy are in the 30’s already and we’ve only just got over the retirements of Gazey and the Hammer and i dont see a lot coming through especialy at the 1 spot. cheers guys
Aug.28 at 11:54 pm
Dugal says:
B Dyer, Newley can play the two and Stephen Black isn’t too bad…could always bring back D-Mac at one! You are right though. We don’t have a lot coming through in the guard spots for international play. A note, I still have not seen CJ step up to expectations in any really big game yet.
Aug.29 at 2:08 am
DGD says:
Yo Lang, In Canada I cannot even get the games on TV as it is only on Raptors TV and that is not availible in my area. I do not know if it is like this on the American Broadcast but I paid the money tp watch the games via the net on demand from fiba.com and the first round games did not have announcers and it was great they turned up the floor mics ad you could here a lot in the huddles and on the court trash talking including the italian player say “you think your micheal jordan you are not micheal jordan” and Coach K saying something like lets blow these fuckers outta here! Great stuff!
Holla at me Lang!!!! DGD
Aug.29 at 5:37 am
pawnograffiti says:
When’s Bogut gonna get a SLAM Cover. If you can stick Yao Ming on the covers and talk about how his changing the game in China, surely you can stick Andrew Bogut on there and talk about the lack of coverage of Australian basketball (I’m not taking a swipe at Andrew personally cause he did a outstanding job in his rookie season leading his team to the playoffs. But Australians would rather get a good recipe for a Sausage Roll then watch basketball )
Aug.29 at 6:59 am
cantgetneerme says:
Get carmelo a cover you seen him killin it out in japan man no-one gon stop him this season denver will go to finals no doubt