Greece 45, USA 41 (HT)
Sofoklis Schortsianitis (above). His life isn’t about playing games.
(UPDATE : Greece 101, USA 95. Nice touch by Fran Fraschilla, moaning how “3 weeks isn’t enough time to put a team together.” As if the other teams in the tournament just had their players available year-round with no club commitments. The USA was thoroughly outplayed and outcoached. The lack of poise was astonishing, even considering the relative youth of Mike Krzyzewski’s charges. I just hope Bruce Bowen didn’t have to wake up early Friday morning. Oh, and this was the game I should’ve bothered to watch live.)
Just caught the replay on ESPN 2–totally another Coach K flameout. The guy can put players in positions to succeed and he can teach kid skills but time and time again he cannot make, or refuses to make adjustments during a game. Was the US really planning to run a zone offense where Lebron, Melo, and Wade stand still behind the three point line looking to go 1 on 3? Ball movement? Flashes to the foul line extended where you get open 12 foot jumpshots or pass to cutters for lay-ups? There was none of that. That they scored 95 points is a testament to the players athletic abilities.
Defensively they were awful. A Chelsea Piers team of over-competitive tort lawyers could have done a better job against the pick and roll. If Lebron and Wade can’t rotate to defend the post, then perhaps you put in a post player? Like maybe Dwight Howard (10pts, 7reb in only 13min) or Brand or Bosh (5min) or even Brad Miller (dnp). Coach K had Battier and Lebron try to guard a 6’10” 240+ pound Schortsianitis in the 3rd and 4th quarters.
The only thing that might have bailed out Coach K was that in the later game Argentina coach appeared to tell Pepe Sanchez to foul Spain in a tie game with 18 seconds left.