LeBron James remains the No 1 option at 39, injured KevinDurant will go to the Olympics and concerning times for Tyrese Haliburton – FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED from Team USA’s 92-88 win over Germany
Team USA’s final preparations for the Olympic Games in Paris concluded with a narrow 92-88 victory over Germany at the O2 Arena in London.
LeBron James played a key role for the gold-medal favorites as they avoided a surprise defeat against the world champions on Monday night.
But Team USA still had some hurdles to overcome, as Kevin Durant was still absent, replacing Steve Kerr.
And there were some issues on offense as they continued to build chemistry on the field.
Mail Sport’s LUKE AUGUSTUS and SONNY COHEN attended head coach Steve Kerr’s final warm-up match.
LeBron James led Team USA to a narrow victory over Germany with an 11-6 scoring streak in the final 4 minutes of the fourth quarter
Germany, the reigning world champions, have pushed Steve Kerr’s team to the limit
KING JAMES REIGNS SUPREME
If there were any questions about whether James would slow down at age 39, his dominant run to end the game may well have put those doubts to rest before the Olympics.
He may be turning 40 in December, but Father Time isn’t catching up to LeBron James. In fact, it’s the opposite.
The Los Angeles Lakers star wowed the sellout crowd of 20,000 with a series of eye-catching dunks early on, before scoring the final 11 points for the Americans in the final quarter to outscore their opponents, single-handedly outscoring Germany 11-6 in the final 3:57.
Earlier in the day, James was announced as the male flag bearer for the Americans at Friday night’s opening ceremony on the Seine. Tellingly, it was James who carried his country on his back, just as he did in Saturday night’s one-point victory over South Sudan.
THREE-POINT BATTLE CONTINUES
Stephen Curry shot just 1-of-7 from beyond the three-point line in the win over Germany
The NBA is known for its three-pointers, but so far that has no connection with the national team.
For the second game in a row, the U.S. was outscored by 21 points from three-point range. And it nearly set the Americans on fire again.
Germany scored 13 of 45 times from behind the three-point line, the US scored 6 of 17 times, for a 39-18 difference in points from long range.
Stephen Curry – the best shooter ever – scored one of the seven points, while Devin Booker scored zero points with two attempts.
South Sudan defeated the US 42-21 from distance on Saturday.
HALIBURTON IS OUT OF ROTATION
Tyrese Haliburton didn’t play a single minute in the win over Germany
If there’s one player who can help with the above point, it’s the man who led the NBA in assists with 10.9 per game for the resurgent Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton.
Despite all their top talent, the Americans play very isolated and their lack of ball movement hinders their ability to make good shots – something Haliburton excels at.
After Team USA’s first three exhibition games, Haliburton led the team in assists, steals and +/- and made the difference in the win over Australia.
However, it is clear that he has slowly faded from the rotation, playing 20 minutes, 15 minutes, seven minutes and then not at all in the last four games.
The 24-year-old point guard and two-time All-Star has shown time and again for Indiana that he can perform in key moments, but was surprisingly DNP on Monday.
Mail Sport didn’t get a chance to ask coach Kerr about Haliburton after the game, but if he wants to make the games more enjoyable to watch, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to call No 9’s number.
NO KEVIN DURANT DILEMMA
Kevin Durant joined Team USA with an injury and did not play a single minute in any of the showcase games
“That’s KD, my boy,” was Jrue Holiday’s response when asked about potential concerns surrounding Kevin Durant’s inclusion in the rotation for the Olympics.
The former NBA MVP has yet to play for Team USA ahead of the games in Paris, leading to concerns about his health heading into the tournament and his place in the rotation.
But Steve Kerr was very relaxed when asked about Durant after their win: ‘I coached him at Golden State. When he missed time, he came right back and he is who he is.
“One of the most talented players of all time, so we hope he comes back soon. I think he fits in perfectly.”
TEAM USA excels in the open track
Anthony Edwards put the exclamation point on more than one of Team USA’s fast break chances
As you would expect from a team with the athleticism of Team USA, they are nearly unstoppable on the fast break.
A German shot that missed on the opening goal was the perfect springboard to show just how dominant the US is on the counterattack, with LeBron James making a powerful reverse slam dunk that set the O2 Arena alight.
Once Kerr’s team gets moving in the open field, they are almost unstoppable, so the opposition will have to keep the ball in front of them.
It is precisely on the half-court that a team that plays so little together can have a hard time. If they turn the game into an athletics competition, it is disastrous for anyone who stands in their way.