MANILA, PHILIPPINES - SEPTEMBER 10: Anthony Edwards #10 of the United States shoots the ball against Dillon Brooks #24 (L) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of Canada in the fourth quarter during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 3rd Place game at Mall of Asia Arena on September 10, 2023 in Manila, Philippines. | Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images
The post-K team has some work to do
The US fell to Canada 127-118 in overtime in FIBA World Cup play as the neighbors won bronze while the US finished fourth. Mikal Bridges made this play to put the game in OT and that goes in his scrapbook forever.
It’s a big deal for RJ Barrett and his Canadian teammates: the last time they won a medal in any international competition was in the 1936 Olympics and that’s getting close to 100 years ago.
For the US, the build of this team was ultimately a failure. It needed more size and better defenders, but you have to balance that with offense obviously. And as Grant Hill noted, the formula that Mike Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo worked out, with multi-year commitments, is harder to do now.
One of the things that Coach K did that was pretty brilliant was to make being on the national team a point of immense pride. Prior to his run, a lot of players begged off. During his time, guys complained when they didn't make it.
There’s some tinkering to do for sure, but if Hill and coach Steve Kerr can find the right pieces, this team isn't too far from being a steam roller. And for the US, while losing in basketball is always undesirable, the Olympics have always been our focus. So time to move on to Paris and see what happens there.
One final note: several years ago, it appeared that the international game had moved past ours, which is based much more on athleticism and driving. Watching guys like Alan Iverson work hard to get to the basket for two points, only to see a team of Europeans come down, pass the ball around and hit a perimeter three seemed like the future.
The three pointer has definitely changed the game (thanks ABA). But the international game now looks a lot more like the NBA than we ever dreamed it could.
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