You can tell Brazil has been playing together and Team USA is still rag tag. LeBron and Melo jacking up 3s and Kobe isolation. That starting unit is too dependent on transition.
brazil insanely hot to start this game. made both 3's they took, hit a tough baseline runner, splitter made a shot while splitting a double team and falling down, and varejao has made 2 17 footers. not sure how much better it can get for them on tough/outside shots. team USA meanwhile is 0-5 on 3's and has already missed a breakaway layup and blown a very easy alley-oop (how do you throw an alley-oop than an open durant can't finish?). you'd think things will revert a little at some point. although watching kobe isolate like crazy is certainly frustrating.
brazil not even bothering to guard durant, love, and anthony on back to back to back 3's and gets away with 0 points. the relative 3 point shooting of team USA and its opponent is pretty much always the best indicator of potential upsets. edit: somehow brazil's "dribble the clock down to 3 and take a terrible shot" offense is breaking even with team USA's "take wide open shots" offense.
Both their ball-movement and players moving without the ball are terrible. They are totally stale unless transition is involved.
And why is that surprising? Marcelinho Huertas plays for Barcelona against a high level of competition, unlike the SL teams.
