Team USA Rolls Past Greece By 28 In FIBA Play
So far, Steve Kerr has this team playing very well.
It’s a bit early to say that the US is the best team in FIBA but you could probably say this: with the arguable exception of Canada, no one is playing with more confidence.
The US took care of Greece with aplomb, winning 109-81. Beating a very competent team by 28 is a good sign.
Team USA won this one largely on the foul line, outscoring Greece 30-8 from the charity stripe for a 22 point advantage. It wasn’t a big scoring day for either Brandon Ingram or Paolo Banchero, not that it matters. Ingram scored five and grabbed three rebounds while Banchero had eight, with six of those coming from the line. Presumably the Greeks saw what he did last time out and were focusing on him.
Most of the damage was done by the backcourt: Anthony Edwards had 13, as did Jalen Brunson and Austin Reaves tossed in 15.
With the win, Team USA will move on to the second round regardless of what happens against Jordan.
Years of listening to Coach K tells us not to overlook Jordan - respect your opponent! - but it’s hard to see how the Jordanians can keep up. Still, France just learned a valuable lesson and the Aussies may learn one of their own, so respect your opponent indeed. The US, by the way, has won by an average of 27.5 so far.
Speaking of the Aussies, where you’ll find former Blue Devil Jack White, they play Japan on Tuesday and the Japanese have become better at basketball than you might think. Also Tuesday morning, RJ Barrett and the Canadians take on Latvia. Stay tuned.