Team USA women basketball had an historic run in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
but this 2021 team is different The Americans,, with six first time participants and a 39 and 40-year old in the starting lineup are not the same team. They still have enough experience and to win a gold medal, but based on the Americans’ s 81-72 win over Nigeria in Olympic pool play, a team they smothered in a Vegas exhibition, the road could be tougher mentally and physically.
“You feel the pressure. No doubt about it,” national team coach Dawn Staley said. “We can’t take any team lightly nor do we.”
The US has won 50 straight games in Olympic competition but the margin of victory against a weaker opponent raises questions. The chemistry is still a work in progress. So is the shooting. Team USA shot just 43 percent were made just 5 of 20 three point attempts.
“It’s really the first time we’ve had six first timers on one team,”40-year old point guard Sue Bird said. “There’s always been a good mix of people who’ve been there and done that and then some newcomers who were going o take the torch eventually, so it does feel a little different.” Team USA was never going to lose to Nigeria, but this team is playing against itself and aside from a Breanna Stewart fueled 23-0 blast in the second quarter when the Americans took 43-25 lead, they were not the totally dominant team. Nigeria’s full court pressure gave the older Americans fits in the half court. Team USA committed a sloppy 25 turnovers, allowed 19 offensive rebounds and for a brief moment allowed Nigeria, which was down 20,.to pull within 75-67 with three minutes to play. The threat evaporated when Sylvia Fowles hit a floater and Chelsea Gray made a pair of mid-range jumpers but Team USA will have to play better against the medal contenders.
“I think it’s getting used to each other,” said 6-5 center A’Ja Wilson, who sparkled in her Olympic debut with 19 points and 13 rebounds. “We see the play and we want to make it, but sometimes it’s not there. We’ll clean up when we start playing together.”
The guard line is the first priority. Taurasi and Bird are not the same players they were and. Lindsay Whelan and versatile wings, Angel McCoughtry and Maya Moore aren’t on this team.
the 2016 women’s team may have been a Dream Team, much like 1996
But five years makes a difference, as evidenced by two exhibition losses to the WNBA All Stars and Australia, both without Taurasi, an impact player.
Taurasi was actually playing in her first game in nearly a month after suffering a hip injury. She showed no effects from the injury that sidelined her for the team’s three exhibition games in Vegas two weeks ago, scoring 10 points. “Yeah, I feel pretty good. Hopefully, it keeps getting better day by day. As a group I think we did some good things today, some things I think we did better, some things we have to work on.”
Team USA lost two exhibitions to the WNBA All stars and the Australians
Maybe the expectations are too high in a Covid Olympics..
The 50th consecutive win sounds like a big number and it is,” Staley said. “But I don’t think people really understand what goes on. They think we show up and automatically win basketball games, but the sacrifice we put into it. The players could go off and be somewhere else on vacation but they make a commitment. Our, greatness is because of our commitment.”
Greatness is relative This is a team with a bottom line. Win the gold .
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