Tunisia hung close to Team USA in the first half, getting within two points near the end of the second quarter and heading into intermission trailing 39-33.
Though the U.S. squad ultimately pulled away and blew out Tunisia 92-57, the game was closer than expected throughout the first 25 minutes.
That wasn’t the only surprise. So was Team USA’s lack of effort on both ends of the court.
The optimist would say that Mike Krzyzewski is saving a large portion of his offensive schemes for the knockout rounds, and that the players lowered their defensive intensity to save strength for the games to come.
The pessimist would point to the one three-pointer made in the first half by Team USA, the sloppy cross-court passes, the easy baskets given up at the rim, and that all that happened against a team that has not won a game in the FIBA World Championship.
Neither view is exactly right. But piece the two together, and you get what Team USA showed Thursday: This is a team that did not put much effort into its final game of group play, but still won due to overwhelming talent.
Kevin Durant performed as he usually does, finishing with 14 point ...
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Article written by Brian Chappatta
FIBA World Championship: Team USA Crushes Tunisia in Tune-Up for Knockout Play
September 2nd, 2010 by Brian Chappatta Leave a reply »
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