Team USA beat Turkey 81-64 for the FIBA World Championship earlier today. Winning gold in this tournament is especially noteworthy given that this was really Team USA’s “B-Team.” The 2010 team has zero returning members from the gold-medal unit of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was the youngest team in the tournament, and this group has never played with each other before. Prior to the tournament, I would have given them a 50-50 chance at the gold, but they made it look easy. Indeed, their gold-medal victory was more convincing than the 2008 team’s final against Spain.
I think there are two big picture things to take out of the game. First is that this Team USA did not play beautiful basketball, but they beat all the competition anyway. The Americans were consistently unable to break Turkey’s zone defense. Ball movement wasn’t fluid and there was hardly any penetration. Usually the players passed the ball several times around the arc until finally someone decided to take a shot. I felt like the intensity of play and the skill of the players at the international level was perceptibly lower than NBA basketball in the playoffs.
The second point is that Kevin Durant is emerging as one of the absolute elite, worthy of mention alongside Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Dwyane Wade. He was absolutely dominant, and I would be willing to say that without Durant’s efforts, Team USA likely would not have won the tournament. His shooting is impeccable, and he seems to be a solid team player with a good attitude and a humble spirit. If he continues this way, I’ll enjoy rooting for him for years to come.
One question as we move forward from this tournament is who will play for the Americans in the 2012 Olympic Games. One can expect Durant to be there, but what about the others? Will Kobe be returning, or will he rest his legs this late in his career?
The other question is whether Team USA will maintain its humility and its focus following this tournament. For several years Team USA has been “redeeming” its image as the leaders of international basketball. That mission seems to be accomplished. Will the players continue to try as hard and will it mean as much, or will everyone lose interest now that we’ve reached the mountain-top with our second unit?
These days it feels like the shine is rusting off of America everywhere you look. I know this was just a game, an expression of primordial competitiveness that most Americans weren’t even watching, but I have to admit that it does feel really good to watch America still dominate the rest of the world at something.
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