They couldn’t shoot and occasionally didn’t defend. Definitely a performance the Americans should be relieved came before they got to Beijing.
Undefeated, but no longer unchallenged, the US Olympic basketball team wrapped up its exhibition schedule with its toughest test, pulling away to beat Australia 87-76 on Tuesday night.
The US led by only four points nearly halfway through the third quarter and was up by seven midway through the fourth against an Australian team that was resting its best player, Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut.
The US players still feel like gold medal favorites, but they hardly looked like gold medal locks during this shaky outing.
“Nothing alarming for us. It’s alarming when you lose,” Dwyane Wade said. “We’re still growing. We’re still going to get better as each game goes on, but I think tonight we learned something.”
The US relied on an aggressive defensive effort to overcome a horrendous night from three-point range and the free throw line, the same areas that proved costly in their semi-final loss to Greece in the world championships two years ago.
“This was our worst effort. I wouldn’t say effort, this is our worst performance,” US coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
“I don’t think we were as sharp as we have been. I don’t think we played very well or not up to what we can play,” he said.
Team USA is vying to end an eight-year international drought stretching back to Sydney 2000 with embarrassing flops at Athens and two World Championships that came as global basketball improves.
The 12-time Olympic basketball gold medalists have dubbed themselves the “Redeem Team” as they try to retrieve their former domination.
But Tuesday’s match showed that such domination may be a thing of the past.
Wade scored 22 points and LeBron James had 16 for the US, who finished 3-of-18 from behind the arc and 20-of-33 (61 percent) at the foul line.
The US team won two blowouts in Macau, but found things much more difficult here, starting with an 89-68 victory over Russia on Sunday.
Patrick Mills and Chris Anstey, who had a first-half altercation with Wade, each scored 13 points for Australia.
Team USA open Olympic play on Sunday against hosts China and will also face world champions Spain, Greece, Germany and Angola in Group B.
In Group A, Australia will face Argentina, Lithuania, Croatia, Russia and Iran, with the top four teams in each group advancing to the medal round.
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