The United States was up 16 after the first quarter and 30 in the middle. The Americans’ speed and ball rotation helped them land more open shots than their fair share, particularly 3-pointers, and their defensive intensity prevented Iran from gaining any real momentum on offense.
Damian Lillard led the United States with 21 on seven 3s, six of them in the first half. At one point in the second quarter, after Lillard hit a perfect 3-pointer, his defender, Hamed Haddadi, Iran’s best player, raised his hands in a gesture that said, “What are you going to do?
“Today we went out more freely as individuals and took the photos that we normally like to take, and they came in tonight,” said Kevin Durant from the United States. “And we protected ourselves, so it was a good step.”
Saeid Davarpanah from Iran said: “We played against superstars of the world and we just enjoyed it.”
The United States will finish their group game on Saturday night against the Czech Republic, a team that beat Iran by just 6 points. The top two teams from each of the three groups will advance to the quarterfinals, along with the top two teams in third place, so a United States berth in the knockout phase was never in doubt. And the team still has, hands down, the most accomplished roster at the Games.
But the clashes against some serious teams led by NBA stars, perhaps Spain with Ricky Rubio and the Gasol brothers, or Slovenia with Luka Doncic, are yet to come. And the United States must win three knockout games in a row to take the gold medal everyone was hoping for.
