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Team USA’s final preparations for the Paris Olympics concluded with a narrow 92-88 victory over Germany at London’s O2 Arena.
LeBron James was instrumental for the gold medal favorites as they avoided a shock defeat to the world champions on Monday night.
But Team USA still had some hurdles to overcome, as Kevin Durant was not yet on the team to replace Steve Kerr.
And there were some issues on offense as they continued to develop chemistry on the court.
Mail Sport’s LUKE AUGUSTUS and SONNY COHEN were on hand to watch head coach Steve Kerr’s side’s final warm-up game.
LeBron James led Team USA to a narrow victory over Germany with an 11-6 run in the final 4 minutes of the fourth quarter.
Germany, the reigning world champions, put pressure on Steve Kerr’s team until the end
KING JAMES REIGNS SUPREME
If there was any doubt about whether James was going to slow down at age 39, his dominant run to finish the game may have cleared them up before the Olympics.
He’ll be 40 in December, but Father Time isn’t catching up with LeBron James. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
The Los Angeles Lakers star stunned the 20,000-strong crowd with some highlight-reel dunks early in the game before scoring the final 11 points for the Americans in the fourth quarter and outscoring their opponents. They outscored Germany 11-6 in the final 3:57.
Announced earlier in the day as the Americans’ male flag bearer at Friday night’s opening ceremony on the River Seine, it was telling that it was James who carried his country on his back, just as he did in the one-point win over South Sudan on Saturday night.
THREE-POINT FIGHTS CONTINUE
Stephen Curry shot just 1 of 7 from beyond the three-point line in the win over Germany
The NBA is synonymous with its three-point shooting, but that hasn’t been correlated to the national team until now.
For the second straight game, the United States was outscored by 21 points on three-pointers, nearly burning the Americans again.
Germany shot 13 of 45 from three-point range, while the United States shot 6 of 17 for a 39-18 difference in points from three-point range.
Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter of all time, was one of seven from the field, while Devin Booker was 0-for-7 on both attempts.
South Sudan outscored the United States 42-21 on three-pointers on Saturday.
HALIBURTON IS OUT OF THE ROTATION
Tyrese Haliburton did not play a single minute in the victory against Germany
If there’s one player who could help with the previous point, it’s the man who led the NBA in assists at 10.9 per game for the resurgent Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton.
For all their stellar talent, the U.S. is playing a lot of isolation basketball and their lack of ball movement prevents them from getting off big shots, something Haliburton thrives at.
After Team USA’s first three games of preparation, Haliburton led the team in assists, steals, +/- and proved the difference in beating Australia.
However, it’s clear that he’s slowly been phased out of the rotation, playing 20 minutes, 15 minutes, seven minutes and then none in his last four games.
The 24-year-old two-time All-Star guard has proven time and again with Indiana that he can perform in big moments, but he surprisingly did not play Monday.
Mail Sport did not have time to ask manager Kerr about Haliburton after the match, but if he wants to make his games more comfortable to watch, calling up the No9 would not be a bad start.
There is no dilemma with Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant joined Team USA due to an injury and did not play a single minute in any of the marquee games.
“That’s KD, kid,” was Jrue Holiday’s response when asked about potential concerns surrounding Kevin Durant’s inclusion in the rotation at the Olympics.
The former NBA MVP has yet to take part in Team USA’s preparation for the Paris games, and that has raised concerns about his health ahead of the tournament and how he would fit into the rotation.
But Steve Kerr was very relaxed when asked about Durant after his win, saying: “Having coached him in Golden State, when he missed time he came right back and is who he is.
“He’s one of the most talented players of all time, so we’re hoping he’ll be back soon and I think he’ll fit in perfectly.”
TEAM USA EXCELS ON OPEN COURT
Anthony Edwards put the exclamation point on more than one of Team USA’s fast-break opportunities.
As you’d expect from a team that boasts the kind of athleticism Team USA has, they’re nearly unstoppable on the counterattack.
A missed German jump ball provided the perfect springboard to demonstrate America’s dominance on the counterattack as LeBron James delivered a powerful backhand dunk that lit up the O2 Arena.
Once Kerr’s team gets moving in the open court, they’re nearly impossible to stop, which means opponents will have to keep the ball in front of them.
It’s in the midfield where a team with as little time playing together as this team could run into trouble, allowing them to turn the game into a track race will be disastrous for anyone who crosses their path.
