Team USA’s win over Germany last Tuesday proved to be significant fodder for hoops habitues given the manner in which it was earned. A day later, another match between stalwarts of the two countries was held, but this time on the distaff side. The outcome was the same: victory for the red, white, and blue. That said, there was a big difference; the favored squad made sure to live up to projections virtually from the get-go; the lead ballooned to double digits early on, 12 at the half, and 14 after three quarters. And then depth came into play; the protagonists were separated by a whopping 27 points by the time the final buzzer sounded.
To be sure, running roughshod over the opposition is nothing new to the women’s version of Team USA. It has claimed a remarkable 55 straight set-tos in the Olympics, and figures to extend the streak in Paris. On Monday, it will begin group play against Japan, with three days separating its encounters versus Belgium and, again, Germany. As rusty and as disjointed as it may have looked in its last exhibition outing, it was still nothing short of dominant. Of the 30 baskets that made up its 84 markers, 27 came off dimes. In short, it competed as if its heralds had been together for a while now.
All the same, head coach Cheryl Reeve was right when she noted that Team USA will be hanging its hat on defense. The latter was close to nonexistent over the weekend, when the WNBA All-Star Team scored a ridiculous 117 points in an emphatic win. The coverage was much better against Germany, which hit less than two-fifths of field goal attempts. And it figures to be even more committed once the Summer Games get under way. Not for nothing does it have players who boast of excellent instincts combined with unique skill sets.
So, yes, there will be no upsets of Team USA when the competition begins in earnest next week. It’s just too stacked to be overcome, especially with would-be challengers still not at the same level as those in the men’s bracket. And with the array of marquee names bent on putting the pedal to the metal from the outset, the question isn’t if it will win every contest. It’s by how many points.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
