Now for the Real Test
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The U.S. took care of business yesterday by overcoming an early 12-point deficit to beat Australia 89-79, virtually assuring a spot in the medal round. However, the win sets up a much stiffer challenge against unbeat en Lithuania tomorrow, which should determine the winner of Group A.
The U.S. still can’t shoot, making just 3-of-17 3-pointers yesterday. Despite that problem, the offense ran much more smoothly than in previous games. The U.S. team was more patient in looking for shots, and committed just seven turnovers against the Aussies, rather than the 20 or so they racked up against the Greeks and Puerto Ricans.
Larry Brown made the long-overdue move to replace the Nets’ Richard Jefferson with Shawn Marion at the start of the second half, and Marion was a huge key to the Americans’ fourth-quarter domination. The Suns forward made all eight of his shots from the field and grabbed eight rebounds.
Jefferson, meanwhile, finished with a meager four points, so one has to imagine Marion will be starting on Saturday. His big effort was well-timed, as Lamar Odom was limited to 15 minutes due to the dehydration that he suffered at the end of the Greece game.
There were several positive signs from the younger players, many of whom had been playing poorly. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James earned increased playing time, especially as the Knicks’ Stephon Marbury continued to struggle at the point. Wade and James combined for 20 points and nine assists, providing an added second-half spark.
Up front, Carlos Boozer and little-used Amare Stoudemire also made important contributions. Carmelo Anthony is headed in the opposite direction, however, as he again fired away indiscriminately and earned a seat on the bench after just two minutes.
Coach Brown had harsh words afterward, telling The Associated Press, “I don’t need a guy who doesn’t want to buy in.”
While the Americans should be happy with the offense, the same can’t be said of the defense. The U.S. gave up 51 first-half points to the 3-point happy Aussies, an unacceptable result against one of the weaker Olympic teams.
The U.S. turned up the heat in the second half, holding Australia to 28 points and forcing turnovers that led to some easy transition baskets. Now they’ll need to play that way for four quarters against a Lithuanian attack that has the same 3-point focus as Australia but executes with greater skill.
It’s not a stretch to say that the Americans’ ability to defend the 3-point line could be the single biggest variable on Saturday. Lithuania’s lineup is loaded with great shooters. Only one is in the NBA – power forward Darius Songaila (and just to confuse people, they also have a “Dainius Salenga” and a “Donatas Slanina” on the roster).
But the other Lithuanians are potent forces in Europe. Point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius starred at Maryland before leading Maccabi Tel Aviv to this year’s Euroleague championship. Shooting guard Arvydas Macijauskas is a Lithuanian Brent Barry, a deadly long-range bomber who has NBA scouts salivating. Forwards Salius Stombergas and Ramunas Siskauskas are equally proficient from long range, which will force the American big men to come out to 3-point line.
In addition to the 3-point brigade, the Lithuanians also have quality inside players. Songaila is one, obviously, but former Spurs draft choice Robertas Javtokas and 7-foot-2 Eurilijius Zukausaks will do battle with Tim Duncan and Odom in the paint.
Australia exposed enough weaknesses that it’s hard to be overly confident about America’s chances against a team that shoots as proficiently as Lithuania does. Even in Sydney, the U.S. team barely escaped their long-range bombing in a tense semifinal that came down to a last-second miss by Jasikevicius at the buzzer.
While the U.S. team’s struggles have earned most of the attention, the upset bug has touched other teams in this tournament. Serbia-Montenegro was supposed to battle the U.S. for the gold but was beaten by lowly New Zealand 90-87 yesterday. The Serbs now stand at 1-2, their lone win a 83-81 white-knuckler against unheralded Italy.
The other top team, Argentina, suffered an unexpected setback against Spain and is likely to end up second in Group B as a result. Overall, the Olympics are shaping up much like the NCAA Tournament – everyone has a chance.
Strangely enough, that may work to the Americans’ advantage. At some point, they’ll start hitting better than 20% on 3-pointers. When that happens, their other strengths should be too much for any opponent to overcome. There’s no better time for it than tomorrow.