Optimists will tell you that Team USA was never in true danger of losing to the upstart Lithuanians. Realists will tell you that trailing 84-82 with 5:51 remaining and your defense virtually non-existent offers a startling sense of reality.
Team USA can be defeated, and it nearly happened. Again.
While dominant second halves have led to double-digit victories in every one of the Americans' previous Olympic games, the team has consistently been inconsistent. They were trailing Tunisia late in the first quarter.
Prior to the Olympic games, they defeated an inconsistent Argentina by just six points—a game that saw Argentina outscore the Americans 64-55 in the final three quarters of play.
The question is, how will Team USA react from their latest scare? Will we see another round of their dominance of Nigeria? Or will a greater level of competition derail their hopes of going undefeated?
After escaping Lithuania, expect the focus to return to its rightful place: improving upon flaws, building team chemistry and taking home the gold.
There is no denying how tough of a task Argentina will be. They are arguably the mo ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Maxwell Ogden
Will Lithuania Escape Refocus Team USA or Just Expose Critical Weaknesses?
August 4th, 2012 by Maxwell Ogden Leave a reply »
Advertisement