The U.S. men's basketball team was taken aback by Montenegro: two advantages saved their lives
On September 1, Beijing time, in the second round of the World Cup, the US men's basketball team defeated the Montenegrin men's basketball team 85-73, but the United States trailed by up to 7 points, relying on the rebound in the second half to finally win the game. The game was a wake-up call for the U.S. men's basketball team. What's their problem? And on what saved lives? This issue of Data Doesn't Lie explores these topics.
Let's talk about two obvious problems with the US men's basketball team -
Problem 1: Three-point inaccuracy
Before this game, the U.S. men's basketball team shot 39.1 percent from three-point range, and in this game, their three-point shooting was inaccurate, shooting only 26 percent (5-of-19). Among them, 1 of 9 from three-point range in the first half. In the second half, the U.S. team regained some feelings, shooting 4-of-10 from three-point range, with Reeves hitting a crucial 3-pointer.
In terms of three-pointers throughout the game, Edwards was 1 of 5, Haliburton was 2 of 6, and four players missed three-point shooting. Montenegro's outside defense is stronger than the group stage opponents of the U.S. men's basketball team, which also makes the American players a little uncomfortable.
Problem 2: The rebound was blown up by the opponent
Before the start of this World Cup, head coach Cole talked about his two concerns, one is mistakes and the other is rebounds. In this game, the U.S. men's basketball team made significantly fewer mistakes (12) than the opponent (22). But in terms of rebounds, the U.S. men's basketball team was indeed blown up by the other side.
The data shows that the US men's basketball team grabbed 31 rebounds this game, including 8 frontcourt rebounds and 23 backcourt rebounds. By comparison, Montenegro grabbed 48 rebounds, 22 frontcourt rebounds and 26 backcourt rebounds. Obviously, when it comes to rebounding up front, the gap between the two sides is very clear. More frontcourt rebounds also mean more second-time scoring opportunities. In this game, the Montenegrin men's basketball team scored 22 points on secondary offense, while the United States scored only 3 points.
Montenegro can make the U.S. men's basketball team feel a little tough, and one of the keys is the role of core Vucevic. Vucevic contributed 18 points and 15 rebounds, including nine points and 10 rebounds in just 11 minutes in the first half.
So, what does the U.S. men's basketball team rely on to avoid its first defeat? Two advantages are important.
Advantage 1: Better lineup depth
The U.S. men's basketball team has a lot of people who can play, and the bench is also very good at scoring. In this game, they also showed their strength in this area, with Reeves, Haliburton and Banqueiro playing a very important role. In terms of statistics, the substitute of the US men's basketball team scored 39 points, while the substitute of the Montenegrin men's basketball team only 26 points. In terms of bench matches, the U.S. men's basketball team has a clear advantage.
Advantage 2: Strong fast attack ability
Although the U.S. men's basketball team missed three points in this game, their fast attack ability was still reflected, at least far better than the Montenegrin men's basketball team. The data shows that the U.S. men's basketball team scored as high as 23 points in the fast attack of this game, while the opponent scored only 2 points in the whole game. The gap here is too big. This is also related to the defense of the US men's basketball team, who caused many mistakes in Montenegro and used these mistakes to fight back to score some easy points.
On the whole, Montenegro's strength is certainly inferior to that of the United States, but they did frighten the United States and gave them a wake-up call. On the road to the World Cup, the US men's basketball team will encounter more difficult challenges.