Team USA braces for ‘physical’ Brazil in Olympic last 8 matchup
Team USA braces for “physical” Brazil ahead of their Paris Olympics quarterfinals matchup at the Bercy Arena on Tuesday.
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TEAM USA BRACES FOR ‘PHYSICAL’ BRAZILIANS IN PARIS QUARTERFINALS SHOWDOWN
Furthermore, Team USA braces for the “physical” Brazilian brand of play when the two teams collide in their Paris Games quarterfinals showdown.
Team USA coach Steve Kerr cited the need to prepare for their opponent’s physicality for them to advance to the semifinals.
“They (Brazil) are very physical. They compete play after play, so we’ll have to be ready for their physicality and their shooting,” Kerr warned.
“We need to be on edge and ready for them because they’re not going to back down,” he added.
Moreover, Brazil averages 13 offensive rebounds per game while shooting 45% on three-pointers with 11 makes per game during the preliminaries.
“I think No.1 offensive rebounding team in the tournament. They’ve got a lot of really good shooters, and they just play hard,” Kerr said.
KERR TRIES TO ADDRESS TEAM USA’S WEAK REBOUNDING TO COUNTER BRAZIL
Moreover, Kerr will attempt to address Team USA’s weak rebounding numbers to counter Brazil’s physicality.
The Americans are just fourth in rebounds per game at 41 behind Australia, Serbia, and South Sudan while averaging just 9.3 offensive boards.
Furthermore, these numbers should improve since Team USA takes pride in three solid centers in Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, and center-forward Anthony Davis.
“I’ve watched all the games. They’re very dedicated to their offensive and defensive systems,” Team USA forward LeBron James said of the Brazilians.
Incidentally, Team USA will also need to address their weak half-court offense, which slowed them down despite their 3-0 run in pool play.
The Americans scored 100 or more points in all of their games so far, but their offense gets stagnant if they were held on a half-court setup.
RACE FOR GOLD LIKE ‘800 METERS’ MOT A SPRINT, SAYS KERR
Furthermore, Kerr compared Team USA’s chase for Olympic gold in this tournament to a marathon or sprint metaphor.
Kerr said they’re in the 800 meters already after reaching the quarterfinals but they cannot be complacent.
“In the spirit of the Olympics and the marathon/sprint metaphor that I’ve used, now that we’ve been through it, I would call it the 800 meters,” the Team USA coach said.
“We’re running really hard, but it’s not the 100 meters,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kerr will see a familiar face on the Brazilian side in forward Gui Santos.
Santos is one of his reserves with the Golden State Warriors.
He may be the only active Brazilian player on an NBA roster this upcoming season.
However, Brazil is loaded with former NBA players and veterans.
Among them is forward Bruno Caboclo.
An NBA veteran of four teams over seven years, Caboclo scored 33 points in their 102-84 win over Japan.
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