USA Basketball’s flaws are starting to come to the forefront at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, but luckily for Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s squad, no one’s had the talent to make them pay for it yet. With a 119-76 victory over Slovenia Tuesday, Team USA advanced to the semifinals where they will play the top seed from Group D, Lithuania.
In the first half, Team USA’s poor shooting from the floor allowed the Slovenians to keep things close. Despite being undersized and giving up 14 offensive rebounds in the first quarter, Slovenia was down by only seven points at the half, shooting 50 percent from the field.
The United States once again used a big 18-5 run in the third quarter to blow the game open, despite the best efforts of Goran Dragic and his brother Zoran Dragic. Stephen Curry and James Harden were 0-for-12 from the floor in the first half, but were able to turn third quarter turnovers into high-flying alley-oops for their big men in the second half.
Kenneth Faried‘s hustle and second chance points once again got Team USA started, and his 12 first half points prevented the Americans from trailing a very good Slovenia team at the break. Faried finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and was once again a nightmare to try and pick up in transition:
Kyrie Irving came to life in the third quarter and found himself in an entertaining one-on-one duel with Goran Dragic. Irving finished with 12 points and four steals. Harden and Curry looked like completely different players in the third period, where the Americans outscored Slovenia 37-22. Harden finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists while Curry added six points.
Anthony Davis finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks while Klay Thompson led Team USA with 20 points off the bench. Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins represented the Sacramento Kings with seven and nine points, respectively. Every player scored for Team USA. Slovenia’s ball movement and Team USA’s penchant for a little too much isolation helped the Slovenians keep it close for most of the game, but eventually Team USA’s undersized opponents were unable to keep the Americans from getting out in transition or off the glass. At that point, the game became a whole lot of this:
Team USA struggled from downtown in the first half, converting only three of their 10 three-point attempts. But once the Americans broke the game wide open, the long-range attempts started falling, and Team USA finished 9-for-19 from three-point territory.
Derrick Rose, whose shooting struggles had been well-documented heading into Team USA’s game against Slovenia, looked as athletic as ever coming off of two days of rest. Not only was he explosive attacking the basket like he has been all tournament, but he was actually getting those shots to drop, often through contact. Rose finished with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting and five assists, and he did an excellent job defensively on Goran Dragic. Watching him weave through defenders on his way to the rim in transition was also a welcome sight for Chicago Bulls and basketball fans everywhere:
It wasn’t a perfect game for Team USA, however. Another slow start and poor first half shooting performance won’t get the job done against a team like Spain. Rose was also the only American guard who looked like he knew what he was doing on the defensive end. Not many teams are able to flip the switch and turn a five-point game into a 30-point route, but a team with more talent could challenge Team USA if they get off the slow start.
For Team Slovenia, the Dragic brothers once again stole the show. Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic had 13 points, four assists and four rebounds, and traded buckets with Kyrie Irving in a highly entertaining shoot-out during the third quarter. His brother Zoran Dragic — who is getting attention from the Suns and other NBA teams as a potential free agent — had another solid game, finishing with 11 points and five boards. Domen Lorbek added with 12 points and six rebounds.
The Dragic Bros. were unable to lead Slovenia to victory over a taller and superior USA team once turnovers turned into easy transition points, but Suns fans have to be excited about the prospect of seeing double Dragons on the floor together in Phoenix.
Team USA will play Lithuania on Thursday for the rights to advance to the gold medal game.
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