Thoughts on the USA - Puerto Rico Game

Yup. Count me as one of the few people who were excited for Thursday night, when the USA basketball team went up against Puerto Rico in an exhibition game in Las Vegas. The game didn't mean anything, but it was still the first chance to see the team that Coach K has been preparing to eventually play in the Olympics. Personally I was hoping just to see the U.S. dominate, something that hasn't happened since 1992 (I wasn't old enough to see those guys play, but I think the old puzzle I have of them in my basement gives me right enough to mention them).

The U.S. team did go on to dominate in the exhibition game on Thursday, winning 114-69. In the final three quarters they outscored Puerto Rico by a score of 85-43. Yet there were a couple of things that I saw that worried me just a bit as I watched, so I figured I'd write them down.

I watched more of the first half than the second and one thing Team USA struggled with in the first half was establishing an inside game. Many of the possessions in the first quarter had the US spread out around the 3 point line, trying to break through the zone of Puerto Rico. This led the US to taking bad shots and kept Puerto Rico in the game early on.

The other problem that Team USA encountered was the different rules that come with the international style of play. These rules include the trapezoid lane, being able to knock a ball out of the cylinder after it has bounced off the rim, and stricter rules against traveling. I doubt this will be much of a problem in the long run though because of the leadership that Coach K will bring. With his college background, he'll have the patience to teach the NBA players how to deal with the rules.

Other than those two things, I think the US is set. Their bench is huge. No player on Team USA played more than 20 minutes in the game. In comparison, Puerto Rico had four players with at least 20 minutes played and another three with at least 18. The ability to rest players during the game will give Team USA the ability to outlast their opponents.

I'll end with my last thoughts on the topic. Check out the production from Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Paul had 8 assists in 15 minutes and Howard had 10 rebounds (including 5 offensive rebounds) in 12 minutes. That is just ridiculous.