NFL
By: Jeffrey Newholm
Klay Thompson led the team with 30 points, Kevin Durant added another 17 and the US survived another close call to defeat France 100-97. The US has clinched the top seed in the knockout round and plays an opponent yet to be determined in the quarterfinals Wednesday. The US rode Thompson’s hot shooting (7 of 13 from three) to take a 16 point third quarter lead, and seemed to be shaping into good form to finish off group play. But familiar problems arose in the final frame.
France scored a few buckets bridging the third and fourth periods, and the US fell into bad habits that have become all too familiar. America’s offensive sets became disjointed with its genuinely talented players not playing as a cohesive whole. The US could have been in real danger of defeat had the Frenchmen not unusually conceded defeat in the final minute, not choosing to extend the game with fouls. (France hit a meaningless three at the buzzer to provide the final margin). Thompson’s post-game attitude seems to reflect his team’s outlook after their last three squeakers: “a win’s a win”. But if gold is the goal for the US-and surely it is-then this is a worrisome attitude.
My impression from watching group play is that the US has a lot of talented pieces. Anthony and Irving are playing quite well, and Durant and Jordan have had plenty of good moments. If this is a turning point for Thompson, the US could be an even greater offensive force. And the team has had no problem building leads. But when the opponent makes a move, the US starts to play scared. It’s vital that the Americans fight hard the whole 40 minutes in their knockout contests. Honestly a sole loss could have helped the US’s mentality, but the team kept getting saved by the bell. To win gold and maintain the states’ status as world champs of basketball, the team must take heart during the next few days. The nation’s pride and self-esteem in our Olympians hang on the next 120 minutes of play. So I say, fight on!-the world is watching.
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