USA vs. China, Men's Basketball

I watched the USA men's basketball team, the "Redeem Team," methodically handle the Chinese today and was fairly impressed with what I saw. Here are a few observations:

-I would agree with Doug Collins' comments that the 3 most important keys for this team are 3-point shooting (offensively and defensively), free throw shooting, and what Collins referred to as "slippage." Team USA shot 29.2% from beyond the arc (which is a shorter distance than the NBA line), while Team China went 10-for-27 from three-point land. China also only missed 1 of their 15 free throw attempts, while the Americans went 18-for-25. As for the "slippage," toward the end of the 3rd quarter, some of the players began to force plays, attempting impossible and ill-advised passes. Coach K did a good job of making some substitutions at this point, bringing in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, and I think that have Coach K will help in this area.

-The defensive effort by the Americans was very good. Team USA collected 14 steals and 4 blocks, forcing 18 turnovers, while only committing 17 fouls. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade all turned in impressive defensive games.

-The announcers during the game underscored the importance of Michael Redd being on the roster. He made 3 three-pointers for the team in 13 minutes of action. Redd will likely see more playing time in closer games when the US will need his shooting expertise.

-Dwyane Wade looked great, and he could go down in history as the greatest sixth man. Coming off the bench, Wade was perfect from the field (7-7) and from the charity stripe (5-5) to collect 19 points (which led all scorers). Wade also had 2 assists and 2 steals in 20 minutes.

-Nice to hear the old "NBA on NBC" theme song once again.

-The funniest moment of the game was probably when the cameras cut to the audience to show a sleeping Henry Kissinger.

-The only holdovers from the 2004 roster for Team USA are LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carlos Boozer, and Carmelo Anthony. Key subtractions (in my opinion) - Emeka Okafor, Lamar Odom, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, and head coach Larry Brown.

-Team USA received a pretty positive welcome from non-American fans, and the announcers pointed out several times that the Chinese fans cheered loudly for both teams.