Team USA: The Road to Gold Denied
posted by Altwond Andrews | September 18, 2019 | In SportsTeam USA’s quest for a third consecutive FIBA World Cup is over after they suffered a surprise defeat against France in the quarterfinals on September 11. The Americans arrived into the knockout stages with a perfect 5-0 record but came unstuck against Les Bleus, losing 89-79 in Dongguan, China.
The defeat halted Team USA’s 58-game winning run in competitive matches with NBA players on the roster, which stretched all the way back to 2006. Back then, Team USA lost to Greece in what was then known as the FIBA World Championship, before winning the third-place playoff game against Argentina.
A roster that completely lacked the star power of previous versions of Team USA has been the talking-point throughout the tournament. Houston Rockets’ James Harden, Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry, and Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal all withdrew earlier this month, and Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma was out with an ankle injury just before the start of the World Cup.
At the 2016 Olympics, Team USA had five All-Star guards on its roster: Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving, Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson, Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan and Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler. This year, in comparison, Boston Celtics’ Kemba Walker was the only All-Star guard on the roster.
As expected, the lack of options at Coach Gregg Popovich’s disposal was a trending topic on social media as the American media and public attempted to digest a rare defeat.
On September 11, the two-time defending champions trailed by six points at the halfway mark, the first time the U.S. had trailed at halftime in the tournament. Popovich’s team stormed back in the third quarter thanks to Donovan Mitchell’s 14 points and entered the final period with a slender three-point lead.
That was as good as it got for Team USA, who only scored 13 points to France’s 27 in the final quarter. France trailed by three points with just over five minutes left before going on an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter to take an 82-76 lead.
The scoring burst proved decisive as the defending champions jokingly racked up a meager five points in the final seven minutes, with Marcus Smart and Walker both missing two free throws each in the closing stages.
Team USA placed seventh after beating Poland, 87-74, on September 14.
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