Team USA's 5-0 record in group play at the Rio Olympics is far from a surprise. The slim margins of victory, though, have been. Indiana Pacers star Paul George believes he knows a big part of the problem.
While sliding by competition that many critics didn't believe would challenge the Americans, George has identified a reliance on the isolation as one of their pitfalls.
From Michael Lee of The Vertical:
“Once again, we relied on natural talent. This is why these guys are special in our league,” George said. “We’re still scoring 100 points, taking one-on-five shots, but we’re too good for that.”
Luckily, as George mentioned, Team USA is so talented that they've been able to squeak by victories with this style of play. Against Australia, it was Carmelo Anthony who rose to the occasion with 31 points. In last night's gutsy win over France, Klay Thompson finally stepped up with a 30-point outburst.
Now, as the tournament moves to the quarterfinals, Team USA's 72-game win streak is, at the very least, in danger. If they want to continue winning, they need to start playing as a team on a consistent, possession by possession basis.
That's how these other teams have kept up with the Americans, according to George.
From the Associated Press:
“Once again, we relied on natural talent,” George said. “This is why these guys are special in our league. These international guys really know how to move and really know how to cut. It's more about how they're running their offense. It's wearing us down.
“It's like they don't get tired.”
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