To say that Kevin Durant and Team USA were inconsistent during pool play at the FIBA World Championships would be something of an understatement.
Sure, the spotless record (five wins, no losses) and substantial average margin of victory (25 points per game in favor of the US) looks nice. But, as tends to be the case in the game of basketball, statistics don't tell the whole story.
In just about every game, the Yanks have lollygagged through the first two or three quarters before finally combining effort with superior collective talent to put away substandard competition.
Case in point: Tunisia, regarded as the worst team in the competition (they lost to Iran), was within four points of Team USA part way through the third quarter. It took America's bench, led by the explosive Eric Gordon and the hustling Kevin Love, to widen the gap and put away its North African antagonists.
Coach K's crew employed the same tactic against a well-oiled and NBA-talented Brazil squad, but nearly ceded victory on end-game free throws.
And while the Red, White, and Blue has managed to keep its perfect record intact despite turnovers and incons ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Josh Martin
Kevin Durant, Team USA Vs. World: Round-by-Round Analysis of Our Shot at Gold
September 4th, 2010 by Josh Martin Leave a reply »
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