Team USA’s 101-100 win over South Sudan was much more than a narrow exhibition victory -- it was a wake-up call.
The Americans always are expected to dominate the world stage, especially ahead of and during the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics. South Sudan, however, threw a wrench in that expectation Saturday at O2 Arena in London.
After trailing 10-2 in the inaugural meeting between the two nations, South Sudan led 26-24 after the first quarter -- a fluke, right? No. The Americans would enter halftime down 58-44. Ultimately, Team USA fought back and earned the tight win over the youngest team in the Olympics after a defensive stand at the buzzer.
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But superstar Steph Curry believes the game should have never reached that point, and that his squad must improve if it truly is craving gold this summer.
“We can be beat if we don’t play our brand of basketball, and our brand of basketball is playing defense,” Curry said postgame (h/t The Athletic’s Joe Vardon). “But we also learned we have that gear if we can find it, no matter who’s out there on the court, we can overwhelm teams for 40 minutes and it’s a great reminder of both.”
Curry and his teammates allowed the South Sudanese to sink 7 of 14 shots beyond the arc, and 15of 22 inside the 3-point line the first half. South Sudan would finish the game shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from deep.
Team USA did generate 15 South Sudan turnovers, but they sparked little advantage since the Americans had 12 of their own.
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Curry’s emphasis on defense was echoed by his Warriors and Team USA coach. Steve Kerr, who admitted to him and the team being underprepared, knows his squad cannot replicate this performance the rest of the way, especially with global competition continuously being as good as ever.
“I did not do a great job preparing our team,” Kerr said (h/t The Athletic’s Joe Vardon). “I think we did not focus enough on what they’re capable of and that’s on me… The game has gotten better across the globe, but we still feel like we always control the outcome with our performance.
“And as good as every other team is now, we still feel like it’s up to us to determine the outcome based on our defense and our effort. And I thought that waned tonight for the whole first half and once we picked it up in the second half, it was a game already… That’s why we were in the fight that we were in.”
Kerr brought up a good point about basketball’s growth around the globe. While 29 of the NBA’s 30 teams call the United States home, the game is producing stars who simultaneously are turning their home countries into basketball havens.
For reference, the NBA’s last three MVP winners are foreigners, as are the past two No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks. The basketball world is catching up to America.
Fortunately for Curry, Kerr and Team USA, Saturday’s matchup with South Sudan doesn’t count toward the chase for gold.
However, the two nations will meet again -- when it counts -- in Group C play on July 31.
The Americans have more offensive talent than any other competitor. But defense does not care about one’s name or reputation, and South Sudan highlighted that notion.
Plus, Kerr has other issues to take care of, such as his questionable lineups that Warriors fans are all too familiar with. But as he and Curry discussed, fundamentals such as effort, concentration and putting your hands up on defense come first.
Team USA must lock in soon. Germany is up next, and it will be ready to kick America while it appears to be down on Monday.
And after facing Germany, it gets real, as the Americans face Nikola Jokić and the revenge-seeking Serbians in group play on July 28.