Luka’s Corner

The US team breezed through the preliminary round with a 5-0 record, beating both Greece and Spain. They seemed to get better with every passing game and are riding hot into the knockout round. While it does not seem possible, considering their current form, that USA will lose in either the quarterfinal, semifinal, or final, it is one and done from now on. One off game could decide a team’s fate. Anyway, here are a couple of things to watch out for going into the next round:

Australia

Not so long ago, the United States were held to a close game against Australia in the pre-Olympic games, winning by only 11 points (87-76). This was the closest result for the U S team since the World Championship in Japan and it is also troubling because Australia’s best player, Andrew Bogut from the Milwaukee Bucks, did not even play in that game.

Since then, Australia has looked solid in the preliminary round, finishing with a 3-2 record. More importantly, they finished their last three games with a 3-0 record, including impressive wins against Russia (95-80) and Lithuania (106-75). In addition, their star center played extremely well in the five games, recording 14.4 PPG and shooting 62% from the field. Not to mention that Patrick Mills will see heavy action at the point guard spot and we all know how that went for Team USA last time.

The Australian team will have as much confidence as it needs to beat the US team, since they almost beat the Americans before. They also know that they have a better chance now with their anchor down low actually playing.

Early Jitters

This team has experienced players on the roster, like Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant, but it is inevitable that they experience jitters before and during the game. I think so because, even though they played five games in Beijing already, this is the time to turn on the pressure even more. Wednesday is the day that the team has been waiting for ever since the disappointment in Japan in 2006. This may be overwhelming for some of the younger players like Dwight Howard and Deron Williams, for example, because of the increased amount of pressure in the knockout round.

Another thing to watch out for in tomorrow’s game is if the US gets down in the first half. This was a concern even in the preliminary rounds, but the concern is heightened when one game may turn out to be your only game. The US is not particularly known, over the past eight years, for keeping its composure when down early. This is a concern that the US team must abolish.