USA-CZECH REPUBLIC TEAM 119-84 | THE TABLE
Third and final round of the group for Team USA, which after the debut defeat against France and the easy victory against Iran decides his destinies against the national team of the Czech Republic, which comes to the challenge against NBA players with the same record of 1-1, having suffered 20 points of difference from Gobert and his companions and having defeated (but by only 6 points) Iran. At the Saitama Super Arena eyes on Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant in particular: scoring 5 points equals Carmelo Anthony e with 6 points overcomes it, becoming the best scorer in the history of Team USA at the Olympics.
The story of the first half
The quintet deployed by coach Pop for the third Olympic challenge he sees on the field Lillard, Holiday, Booker, Durant e Adebayo and a the Czechs are clearly better off, which place a partial of 10-2 which forces Gregg Popovich to time out. In particular it is Blake Schilb the protagonist of the start, with 11 points of the 17 of his, who detach Team USA (17-7). We think about reacting Durant, who with the 17-9 basket reaches 5 personal points, thus equating Carmelo Anthony in first place among the Olympic stars and stripes scorers. A triple impossible by Zach LaVine it brings the USA back to -6, in a first quarter with a thousand difficulties in which they risked falling. Another triple – this time signed by Damian Lillard – brings Team USA to -3 (21-18) and forces the Czech Republic to time out. Not much is scored at the end of the first period, but David Jelinek’s basket almost on the siren gives the +7 to the Czechs which go to the first rest in front 25-18. A first quarter in which Team USA appeared lazy a lot in attack (already 12 triple sockets, only 4 scored) as in defense, where they managed to force 5 turnovers ma they conceded an excellent 11/17 to the shot to their opponents. By dint of triples – one by Khris Middleton, one by Draymond Green – brings the US back to contact, at -2. Team USA’s overtaking comes on a Kevin Durant triple and it is a double overtaking, because it also marks that of the Nets player on Carmelo Anthony. During the USA all-time top scorer at the Olympics and it is again he who with another triple launches the length of the Americans (already 11 with 3/5 of three for him). The 2017 MVP of the Euroleague Jan Vasely (and former NBA to the Chicago Bulls) breaks US dominance in the second quarter, a domain that arises from greater defensive intensity especially in Holiday, Green and Adebayo. Durant hits from the mid-range and brings Team USA to +7 but triple Schilb (which closes the first half at 14, top scorer with one point more than Durant himself) fix the score on 47-43 for Americans, who go to the interval in front but certainly not calm.
The story of the second half
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The Americans start to concentrate defensively in the second half of the match (more on the ball, where the pressure rises, than on the cuts in the center of the area, where they often suffer too easy baskets), but it is in attack where they seem to unlock, and with two consecutive baskets by Jrue Holiday dig a double digit advantage (57-47). Holiday again – as in the second half of the match against France – puts in important baskets, with the triple that replaces the Czech comeback, from -6 back to -9. Three minutes from the end, the Czech Rep. loses Tomas Satoransky due to an apparent injury and the US takes the opportunity to stretch, with two consecutive triples by Green and Booker and with a Durant more and more in control of the race: ago 73-58, maximum USA advantage. The signature on the last possessions of the third quarter is of Jayson Tatum: 4 points in a row for him e score that with the triple on Durant’s siren fixes on 82-60. Super protagonist precisely the n ° 7 of the Nets: 23 points for him after three quarters, after scoring 20 combined in the first two Olympic games. USA team traveling with 18/24 (75%) by two and 46% by three explain the maximum American advantage, at +19 before the last twelve minutes. The last quarter opens with two bad defensive possessions of Team USA and a (lazy) triple against the wrong zone from Lillard: e Popovich then makes the Popovich, immediately stopping the match with a time-out despite an advantage still at +22. Tatum lights up, his hand warms up and the basket seems huge: two triples in a row to reach 24 personal points and widen the gap even more now over 30 points (103-71). In the last 4 minutes, coach Pop also sent the three unused players onto the field: JaVale McGee, Jerami Grant e Keldon Johnson, for what is the final runway up to 119-84 which is the final score, with Team USA’s shooting percentages (25/31 from two points, with only 6 wrong shots!) and 20/41 from three that explain the large American success, also able to force 15 turnovers from which they got 27 points.
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