USA takes loss versus the World Team. I really tried watching this game without Burnt Orange glasses. And I still think Avery Bradley is one of the top 2-3 players in the game. Under control, just lethal from mid-range, and watching him on the wing on a fastbreak is a thing of beauty.
John Wall was also a standout. He's a great athlete, very dynamic with the ball, and knows how to set people up. Great first step, knows how to finish at the rim, and gets in the lane easily. He's good leading the break, too. Didn't show an outside shot, though, but he's a game changer.
Macvan, the big guy from Croatia, was also terrific. He's smart, tough inside, and has really good skills. The 3 pointer over Xavier Henry was cold-blooded.
Xavier Henry was hot from 3 point land, where he did most of his damage. I didn't see a lot more of his game, other than the 3 point shot. He still had a good game, spending significant time guarding bigger guys down low...much better than his McDonald's showing.
However, USA's big men were horrible. I repeat: horrible. The World team destroyed us on the offensive glass. The bigs on the roster were either embarrassingly weak and unable to compete (John Henson and Mason Plumlee) or unmotivated and non-hustling (Renardo Sidney and DeMarcus Cousins). The USA would have really benefited from having Derrick Favors on the roster, as he's neither weak nor normally unmotivated. The effort on the boards was shameful. Trying to play Henson and Plumlee down low, where they were consistently overmatched in bulk and strength, against guys who were just as tall as them (thereby negating the advantage that they've had over their high school opponents in the past) was bad strategy. One of the results was a huge advantage at the line for the World team, as they feasted at the line for most of the second half.
USA's guards were light years better than the World team, but the big men really let us down. The Hoops Summit, overall, is a bit of an uneven concept. You've got guys on the World team that have played pro ball for multiple years and many of them are 19. But, even with that, the USA had a 7 year winning streak that was snapped tonight.
John Wall was also a standout. He's a great athlete, very dynamic with the ball, and knows how to set people up. Great first step, knows how to finish at the rim, and gets in the lane easily. He's good leading the break, too. Didn't show an outside shot, though, but he's a game changer.
Macvan, the big guy from Croatia, was also terrific. He's smart, tough inside, and has really good skills. The 3 pointer over Xavier Henry was cold-blooded.
Xavier Henry was hot from 3 point land, where he did most of his damage. I didn't see a lot more of his game, other than the 3 point shot. He still had a good game, spending significant time guarding bigger guys down low...much better than his McDonald's showing.
However, USA's big men were horrible. I repeat: horrible. The World team destroyed us on the offensive glass. The bigs on the roster were either embarrassingly weak and unable to compete (John Henson and Mason Plumlee) or unmotivated and non-hustling (Renardo Sidney and DeMarcus Cousins). The USA would have really benefited from having Derrick Favors on the roster, as he's neither weak nor normally unmotivated. The effort on the boards was shameful. Trying to play Henson and Plumlee down low, where they were consistently overmatched in bulk and strength, against guys who were just as tall as them (thereby negating the advantage that they've had over their high school opponents in the past) was bad strategy. One of the results was a huge advantage at the line for the World team, as they feasted at the line for most of the second half.
USA's guards were light years better than the World team, but the big men really let us down. The Hoops Summit, overall, is a bit of an uneven concept. You've got guys on the World team that have played pro ball for multiple years and many of them are 19. But, even with that, the USA had a 7 year winning streak that was snapped tonight.
