By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
For ten minutes, the doubters were hoping that they got it right. However, when all was said and done, the USA beat the Czech Republic by 21 points (88-67).
It was not the most impressive score of Day 2 in the FIBA World Cup, but the favorite to win Group E demonstrated part of its strength.
After a mediocre first quarter which ended with the USA being up by three (17-14), things started rolling for coach Gregg Popovich’s team. The partial score was 26-15 in the second quarter, and the Czech couldn’t make a comeback.
The USA had a 43-29 lead after 20 minutes of action and nothing changed in the third which ended with the score being 66-48.
“It was a good game, a competitive game and also an opportunity to learn a lot”, said coach Gregg Popovich after the game. “Obviously the international game is a bit different and an opportunity to be better. Defense is our calling card, it’s where we are putting our money on”.
Donovon Mitchell scored 16 points, Harison Barnes had 14 and Kemba Walker 13.
“At the end of the day it’s basketball”, added Mitchell. “There are small things which are a little bit different, but we have to keep things simple”.
And coach Popovich agreed by revealing what he said to Czech Republic coach Ronen Ginzburg: “I told him that they executed better than us, they played together and they understand what’s successful in those kinds of tournaments. They lost the game, but they should feel good about their effort”.
From the losing side, Tomas Satoransky scored 17 points and tried his best. It was not enough against a much deeper roster that kept things in check thanks to defense and details.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL