Team USA's bid for the gold medal in the upcoming Olympic Games just hit a setback thanks to a shocking loss to Nigeria on Saturday night. It was nothing more than an exhibition match, but this did little to deter the critics from lambasting the national squad's effort on the mean streets of Twitter. Unfortunately for him, Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich turned out to be one of the biggest scapegoats in the head-scratching defeat.
Nigeria was a 31-point underdog entering what should have been a one-sided matchup. This is why it comes to no surprise that the fans were pretty upset with Team USA suffering an 90-87 defeat in their first exhibition match. Kevin Durant and Co. actually had a chance to tie the game with 13 seconds left, but for some reason, this is how they executed their final play:
https://twitter.com/lowlightsworld/status/1414046812500107269
For some, this was a clear mishap by Team USA coach Gregg Popovich, and they made sure to let their feelings known on Twitter:
What Pop drew up for the last play https://t.co/qcoQQzO2zw pic.twitter.com/uyXXsqCIc2
— DJ⚫️⚪️ (@kingdj_5297) July 11, 2021
The Guangdong Tigers under the coaching of Gregg Popovich next year pic.twitter.com/5w5voqlkDK
— Starburys (@primeluka1) July 11, 2021
Another user decided to point out Gregg Popovich's less-than-stellar record with Team USA:
Gregg Popovich now has 4 losses as head coach for Team USA in 13 games.
Coach K lost one game out of 76 as the head coach of Team USA.
— Duke.MBB (@DukeBlueMBB) July 11, 2021
It was an undeniably awful start for Team USA's quest for gold. Their performance on Friday night could pretty much be summed up by this epic block from Nigeria and the Miami Heat's Precious Achiuwa on what would have been a another KD poster.
The only silver lining here is that this could serve as an early wake-up call for Team USA as they prepare to head to Tokyo for the Games. They are still the heavy favorite to win gold, and this hiccup shouldn't do too much to damage their chances.
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