U.S. men's Olympic basketball team 0-2 after another exhibition loss
One loss could be considered a fluke. Could a second signal a trend?
That's a question worried basketball fans are asking after the U.S. men's basketball team dropped a second straight exhibition game, this time 91-83 to Australia on Monday night in Las Vegas.
It was a stunning development for a star-studded roster that was expected to contend for a gold medal in Tokyo. It also came just two days after a stunning 90-87 loss to Nigeria, a team that had lost by 83 points to the U.S. in the 2012 Games.
After that game, U.S. coach Gregg Popovich didn't seem too terribly worried, saying: "I thought Nigeria played very physically, they did a great job in that regard. And knocked down a lot of 3s. Give 'em credit."
He was a little testier on Monday night, getting into this exchange with a reporter.
The Americans looked better on Monday night against the seasoned Australians, as Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard scored 22 points and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant added 17.
But according to ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst, the Aussies had little trouble exploiting mismatches and did a much better job executing. Patty Mills, a 12-year NBA veteran, led Australia with 22 points, while Joe Ingles, a key member of the Utah Jazz, added 17. The Aussies shot 53% from the field.
On "SportsCenter," Windhorst didn't hold back in his assessment of Team USA:
"Both of these games, their execution down the stretch — even with some of the best late-game execution players in the world — has been an abomination," Windhorst said. "It has been, frankly, shocking, to watch Nigeria and Australia completely outclass them two minutes of the game … and that doesn't come from anything but reps and getting comfortable."
On "Undisputed," Shannon Sharpe pointed out the team's construction as an issue.
There isn't an abundance of size, with the 6-foot-9, 255-pound Bam Adebayo serving as the most physically imposing figure on the roster.
Joe Vardon of The Athletic was also harsh with his analysis, writing that the Americans were hurt by poor defense and placing some of the blame on Popovich.
"The cold hard facts are the Americans, regardless of who is on their roster, stink under Gregg Popovich, certainly by Team USA’s lofty standards. They are now 9-5 the last two summers and losers of four of the last five," he wrote. "Defense is a problem, especially at the guard spot. Lillard was brilliant with the ball in his hands tonight, but he was smoked by Mills. They were outrebounded again, this time 32-25, and the Americans weren’t good defensively in the interior either, coughing up 44 points in the paint to their 24."
Not surprisingly, a second straight loss in an Olympics tuneup did not sit well with many observers, and some pointed out that the Americans were dominant under previous head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
As far as looking ahead, Nick Wright of "First Things First" said the two losses are "more than moderately concerning" and isn't so sure the U.S. will be breezing to a gold medal at the Olympics.
The U.S. will receive some reinforcements once the NBA Finals are over, as Milwaukee's Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, and Phoenix's Devin Booker are on the roster. But there won't be a lot of time to right the ship, as they play their first game of the Tokyo Olympics on July 25 against France.
Here is a sampling of other reactions to the stunning defeat.
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