process of preparing for the FIBA World Cup, the U.S. went undefeated in its four exhibition outings. The USA defeated Brazil 95-78 on Aug. 14 in a contest played before a sold-out United Center in Chicago. The Americans fol- lowed up with a pair of strong showings at Madison Square Garden, downing the Dominican Republic 105-62 on Aug. 20 and Puerto Rico 112-86 on Aug. 22. The U.S. closed is tour with a 101-71 win over Slovenia in a game played in Gran Canaria, Spain. During its four exhibition games,
T
which the USA won by an average of 29.0 points a game, the USA defense lim- ited its opponents to 41.7 percent shoot- ing from the field, and just 33.3 percent from 3-point. The U.S. shot 42 more free throws than its opponents, made 34 more from the charity stripe, and out rebound- ed its foes by 9.8 per game.
USA Basketball Showcase USA White 81, USA Blue 71 In one moment, a celebratory night
capping a week of practices and intrigue at the USA National Team training camp ended in heartbreak. Early in the fourth quarter of the Aug. 1 USA Basketball Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada, Paul George (Indiana Pacers) suffered a right leg, open tibia-fibula fracture. George’s Blue Team trailed by 10 at
the time, and he suffered the injury while contesting a layup by James Harden (Houston Rockets). After being taken off the court on a
stretcher, USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced to the Thomas & Mack crowd that the intrasquad exhibi- tion would end with 9:33 to play. “The main thing was the concern for
Paul,” Krzyzewski said. “We felt at that point that we should not go forward.” Krzyzewski and USA managing
director Jerry Colangelo met with the USA players in a locker room and agreed that there wasn’t much to discuss other than their hopes for a speedy recovery. “We need to just take a step back
before we do anything at all,” Colangelo 36
USA Men’s National Team Downs All Comers In Exhibition Tour USA 95, Brazil 78
wenty National Team players competed for a USA World Cup roster spot and in the
There was concern on the U.S. side
as the Men’s National Team took the court at the United Center, knowing that the Brazilian team it was facing was loaded with talent and experience. However, none of that mattered in the end, as the USA was able to put away the Brazilians, 95-78, on Aug. 16 before a loud and appreciative sellout crowd. This exhibition was quite a bit
tougher than the final score indicated. Krzyzewski had full respect for
Brazil, knowing that it featured NBA stars Tiago Splitter, Nene, Leandro Barbosa and Anderson Varejao. Brazil’s size and strength in the frontcourt figured to be a problem for an American team that seemed to have matchup problems with that size and strength. The U.S. appeared to have an edge
USA Basketball National Team veteran Rudy Gay was back in uniform for the United States in 2014 after winning gold in 2010.
said. “Our first concern, our primary concern is Paul George.” “There’s a brotherhood in the NBA,”
Krzyzewski said. “To me, in moments like this a family or brotherhood shows its heart and it shows its depth. I thought that’s what our players showed.” Before George’s injury put every-
one’s focus elsewhere, the Blue and White teams were putting on a solid per- formance. Blue trailed most of the game as Harden led White with 15 points and DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings) finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Damian Lillard (Portland Trail
Blazers) put White up by 17 at halftime with a buzzer-beating three-quarter court bank shot. However, the score tightened in the third quarter thanks to DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), who fin- ished with 16 points, and plays like a slick alley-oop pass from Stephen Curry (Golden state Warriors) to Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans). White led 81-71 and it had the mak-
ings of a terrific final quarter until the building went silent with George’s injury.
in speed and quickness, and it quickly showed. The USA ran out to a big 29-15 lead in the first quarter, and it was able to put Brazil on their heels quickly. Much of that was due to the aggres-
siveness of Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), Curry, Harden and hometown hero Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls). However, the biggest contribution came from 6-foot-10 Davis, who scored 20 points, had eight rebounds and five blocked shots. Davis stood up to his bigger and more experienced opponents on every occasion. As much as it was a homecoming for
Rose, it was also one for Davis. The Chicago native, who attended Perspectives Charter School, was one of the top high school players during his formative years, but he hadn’t played at the United Center since his high school days. “It was big to come in here and play
that well as a team,” Davis said. “The fans supported us and it was nice to hear it, but the best part was that we gave them something to cheer about through- out the game.” Davis had the crowd on his side
from the start, but his maximum hustle play in the fourth quarter was perhaps his most impressive move. After the Brazilians missed two shots around the basket, the ball got tapped out to mid- court and Davis sped after it. Instead of
USA Basketball News
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116