International basketball is one of my favorite things to watch. I love how NBA players, whose games I know well, adjust to new roles on the team as they react to unfamiliar players (both teammates and opponents). The games often resemble a pick-up game, where we're all trying to figure out who's got game.
For some players their roles are no different from when they play in the NBA. Kevin Durant is a scorer, Tyson Chandler plays defense, and Kobe Bryant takes difficult shots. But for others, a person's role changes slightly, and the difference can be dramatic. The challenge for the underdogs (i.e. anyone playing against USA) is to alter USA's game-plan enough that they're still searching for the right way to play, before the relatively short game and tournament has already passed them by.
Unfortunately, for France, USA started on a winning trajectory that needed no modification. USA forced turnovers, went on fastbreaks, finished alley-oops, and ran to an easy victory. We'll see if any other teams can force USA into more uncomfortable situations.
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