His Name Was Jonas: USA Reaches Final

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Despite a spirited effort from Lithuania in the first half, USA put together arguably its best quarter of the tournament, pulling away in the third quarter to win its semifinal contest 96-68. With all 16 of his points coming in the third quarter, James Harden outscored the Lithuania side in the frame by himself. Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas led his squad with 15 points and 7 rebounds, but a lack of quality guard play led to the team’s downfall. Lithuania turned the ball over 21 times, many of which were steals from the over-matched guards on the perimeter. With the US team once again dominating on the offensive boards (18-10), and Lithuania ice-cold from behind the arc (just 2-18), it was an easy waltz to the final for Coach K’s bunch.

The highlight of the game was DeMarcus Cousins nearly ending Jonas Valanciunas late in the second quarter. After the Raptors big man struck Cousins’ neck with an elbow in a box out attempt, Cousins feinted punching Valanciunas before the countless hours coaches spent drilling into his head not to do such things took hold. Still, Valanciunas cowered back as if Leonidas and his brave 300 were bearing down on him, which is basically the only reaction you can have when an angry DeMarcus Cousins is coming at you.

That exchange serves as a metaphor for how the US has carved up opponents throughout the tournament. The other teams have come out swinging and given the Stars and Stripes their best shot, usually keeping things close in the first half. Then, for whatever reason, USA finds its stride coming out of the locker room, and its superior talent and depth finally begins to reflect on the scoreboard. The world isn’t quite cowering back in fear, but they might as well have.

Unfortunately for basketball fans, we might never see a true test for this United States squad, as Spain was upset by France in the quarterfinals. With a deep roster, the home crowd behind them, and revenge on their mind following the Olympics, many expected Spain to be the biggest threat to a US gold. The entire tournament was viewed as prelude to the eventual clash between those two basketball titans. Instead, the US will likely once again be heavy favorites against the winner of today’s Serbia-France semifinal. With all due respect to those clubs, I wouldn’t expect the likes of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Boris Diaw, and Nic Batum to derail the US train to gold.