USA 110, Tunisia 63

I did not watch much of the US men’s game against France but did manage to watch three quarters of their “rout” of Tunisia.

After a slow start and dismal shooting from behind the arc in the first half, Coach K’s “second team” — Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, and Deron Williams — put the pedal to the metal in the third, scoring 39 points. It became a dunk-fest, but I was most impressed with the quick and precise ball movement.

Despite having an early lead and solid play from their starters, the Tunisians were overmatched from the tip. At one point in the game, the commentators mentioned that Tunisia was the only team without an NBA player. It showed. (At halftime, Doc Rivers said Tunisia should have taken a timeout when they had the lead to take team pictures with the scoreboard in the background. Damn, Doc — that is awful.) The disparity in quickness and fluidity was evident.

Team USA’s seamless ball movement (the assist-to-turnover ratio was 28/9) was not only a sign of superior talent and awareness, but also chemistry. USA Basketball — both the men and women — do what a lot of World Cup soccer teams cannot: jell into a cohesive unit. There looks to be a tight kinship among the players and it is inspiring to see. When Kevin Love took a knee-to-knee knock underneath the basket and was hobbled for a moment, the whole team converged to see if he was alright.

Up next are the Super Eagles from Nigeria.