XPost: alt.niggers, talk.politics.guns, rec.sport.olympics   
   XPost: sac.politics   
   From: nigger-lovers@disney.com   
      
   Team USA might indeed win its fourth consecutive Olympic gold   
   next month in Tokyo.   
      
   But if the Americans do, it will be a story of overcoming   
   adversity.   
      
   They lost their second consecutive exhibition Monday, this time   
   bested by Australia 91-83 in Las Vegas. Dating to the 2019 World   
   Cup, where they finished seventh, Team USA has lost four of its   
   past five games. It also has lost two in a row now to Australia,   
   a team expected to contend for the gold in Japan.   
      
   It was a better showing than the loss to Nigeria on Saturday,   
   but just reading those words is a little mind-boggling   
   considering the pedigree of this roster and coaching staff.   
   Their chemistry and execution, particularly in late-game   
   situations, is holding the Americans back in their early stages   
   of defending their title.   
      
   "I thought we got better tonight," said Team USA coach Gregg   
   Popovich, continuing his stance of emphasizing process over   
   results. "After a short time together, there's a lot of things   
   that have to be covered."   
      
   Damian Lillard, who had 22 points, and Kevin Durant, who had 17   
   points, definitely looked more like All-Stars in this game than   
   in the Nigeria loss. They combined to shoot 10-of-20 on 3-   
   pointers, the type of shooting this roster has been designed to   
   deliver.   
      
   The Americans had an 11-point first-half lead and played   
   effective physical defense at times, holding Australia to just   
   13 points in the second quarter. After giving up 20 3-pointers   
   in the exhibition opener, there was a clear effort to challenge   
   them better and Australia had just 10.   
      
   Those are the signs Popovich was talking about. But moral   
   victories in losses are a new sensation for Team USA. The loss   
   to Nigeria was deemed one of the great international basketball   
   upsets on record. When this one was over, the Australians gave   
   each other routine congratulations and moved on.   
      
   "We walked into this game expecting to win," said Joe Ingles of   
   the Utah Jazz, who had 17 points for Australia. "No disrespect   
   to them, they're a hell of a team, obviously the guys they've   
   got on their roster and Pop standing up there is always nice to   
   see, but we came in here expecting to win the game and that's   
   what we did."   
      
   For decades, whether it was in tight wins or the rare loss, Team   
   USA cited an inherent disadvantage it has against national teams   
   whose core players develop chemistry from their teen years   
   onward. Popovich did so again after this loss, as did Lillard,   
   who is headed to his first Olympics.   
      
   "These teams are experienced and they've spent a lot of time   
   together," Lillard said. "We are still working at becoming a   
   team."   
      
   The Australians do have institutional knowledge as Patty Mills,   
   who has played nine seasons for Popovich in San Antonio, has   
   been a tremendous lead guard for them for years. And he was   
   great again Monday, scoring 22 points and nailing six 3-pointers.   
      
   But the Aussies have seven new players and have changed coaches   
   twice in the past two years. Their best player, Ben Simmons,   
   elected not to play. And they admittedly are still installing   
   their systems.   
      
   The chemistry deficit is a real thing, but it isn't the only   
   thing. This American team was built with versatility and   
   shooting in mind at the cost of size. The Aussies knew it and   
   crushed it.   
      
   Over and over they were able to throw passes into the middle to   
   players either wide open from great cuts or in an advantageous   
   matchup. They racked up 44 points in the paint to the USA's 24,   
   making 22 of 35 shots in there. It led to 53% shooting overall.   
      
   Much like the Nigerians, the Australians wore the Americans down   
   and slowly extended the lead in the second half. Popovich   
   attributed this to his players not having their stamina and   
   wearing down.   
      
   "Some guys have to get their legs and rhythm back," Popovich   
   said. "We're sticking with the process."   
      
   The Aussies were flying around defensively and challenging shots   
   toward the end of the game, and the Americans' tired legs   
   showed. Lillard and Durant missed crucial open looks and, in a   
   final indignity, Jayson Tatum tossed up an air ball on a corner   
   3-point try with the team down five with a minute to play.   
   Though it was better than the next possession, which resulted in   
   a turnover.   
      
   There was a time when Team USA could get by with average   
   performances in spots such as these. As is becoming increasingly   
   clear, those days are at an end. The number of teams that are a   
   threat to the Americans has clearly grown, something this week   
   has already driven home.   
      
   "It is different ... now you go out there and the whole starting   
   five are NBA players that are in the rotation," Lillard said.   
   "This also isn't the first time I've seen Team USA be tested."   
      
   https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31808700/team-usa-falls-   
   0-2-olympic-exhibitions-loss-australia   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)