LAS VEGAS
–
The lineups possibilities for the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team are not endless. It only seems that way.
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U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski has hundreds of possible lineup combinations at his disposal.
By the time the London Olympics are over, Krzyzewski will have found the rotations he likes best. But until then, he's going to go through as many as he can.
MORE: Durant scores 24 as USA crushes Dominican Republic
MORE: How will Blake Griffin injury affect Olympic hopes
The immediate takeaway from the USA's easy 113-59 victory over the Dominican Republic
Thursday is that Krzyzewski will take advantage of the versatility and
athleticism and keep players fresh, using multiple lineups.
Kevin Durant,
the runner-up to James for 2011-12 NBA MVP, came off the bench in the
first half. How daunting is that for other Olympic teams? The guy
regarded as arguably the second-best player in the world is coming off
the bench.
Move over James Harden, there's a new sixth man in town.
"(Durant) told me he was comfortable any way," Krzyzewski said.
Krzyzewski
is going to use different lineups with several players playing multiple
positions. Krzyzewski had been saying that during training camp but the
impact of it was on display against the Dominican Republic, albeit
overmatched and playing for nothing.
The U.S. faces a much tougher test Monday in Washington, D.C. against medal-contender Brazil, which has tuned up against Argentina, another medal contender, in the past week.
Here is a small sampling of the lineups Krzyzewski used:
•Deron Williams, Harden, James, Kobe Bryant, Chandler
•Paul, Harden, Bryant, Anthony, Chandler
•Williams, Bryant, James, Andre Iguodala, Durant
•Williams, Russell Westbrook, Durant, James, Iguodala
•Westbrook, Harden, Durant - all three Thunder players at the same time - Iguodala, Chandler
•Westbrook,
Harden, Iguodala, Love, Chandler - a lineup that applied intense
defensive pressure and made it difficult for the Dominican Republic to
cross halfcourt let alone set up its halfcourt offense.
•Williams, James Harden, Love, Durant and Anthony Davis, the incoming rookie from Kentucky and the No. 1 overall draft pick by the New Orleans Hornets
"We're
going to have to play some different lineups," Krzyzewski said. "Most
of it is feel right now until we learn more. You're trying different
things to see if we can get into a little bit of a rotation by the time
London comes along."
The U.S. can definitely
go small. Here's the secret no wants to admit: Despite just one
seven-footer (Chandler) and a few 6-10 players (Love and Davis), the
U.S. can play big.
Durant can handle slim
centers, and James and Anthony play bigger than their height because of
their strength and willingness to be physical.
The team is morphing into in a position-less roster.
"On
the offensive end, we're interchangeable. Just play basketball" said
Iguodala, who had 18 points (12 on three-pointers) and looks like he
will be a significant bench contributor. "The interesting thing is when
anyone gets the rebound, that turns into a fastbreak. It's hard to stop
when we're coming at you and we execute."
Sure,
Chandler is a center, and Paul and Williams are point guards. But in
the international game, almost every other player can lineup at a
different position. James, Anthony and Durant can play small forward,
power forward or center. James can play point guard, too.
"They're pretty comfortable doing that," Krzyzewski said.
Harden
and Bryant can play point guard, shooting guard or small forward.
Iguodala can play shooting guard, small forward or power forward.
Westbrook can play point or shooting guard, and Love and Davis can play
power forward or center.
"It's just a matter
of blending their abilities," Krzyzewski said. "They're really good
guys, and they like one another. It translates into how hard we played
(Thursday) and how unselfishly we played. We just have to give them a
system where they feel like they can use their talents really well."
To
start the second half, Krzyzewski started Williams, Bryant, James,
Anthony and Durant, and the different combinations continued.
Durant
had 24 points and re-stated his love of the international three-point
line, making 5-of-6. The defense smothered the Dominican Republic, and
the U.S. utilized its speed and athleticism as often as possible. The
U.S. scored 38 points off of 27 Dominican Republic turnovers and held DR
to 31.7% shooting from the field.
"The way
we're playing is exactly the way you should be playing with this group
of athletes and the depth we have especially on the perimeter,"
Krzyzewski said.
Davis, who was added to the team after it was revealed Blake Griffin
needs surgery on his left knee, had nine points in 10 minutes, his
first significant action since spraining his ankle two weeks ago.
"He's such a terrific kid," USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo
said of Davis. "He has certain qualities that you just never know. In a
game situation, he might be called upon to do something. But he's not a
replacement for Blake. They are two different kinds of players. Blake
gave us size and strength and experience."
Not
everything was perfect in the USA's first exhibition game before the
London Olympics. Of the USA's 74 shots, 33 were three-pointers.
Opponents would rather have the U.S. taking threes than driving to the
basket, and the U.S. made just 16-of-25 free throws (64%). Still, the
U.S. shot 56.8% from the field because it made 21-of-28 shots in the
paint.
Because the U.S. played so much of the
game in transition, it didn't have ample opportunity to run much
halfcourt offense, a facet of the game it will need during the Olympic
tournament.
Fortunately for the U.S., the
pre-Olympic competitiveness increases, starting with Brazil, a game
against Great Britain in Manchester, England, and games against
Argentina and Spain in Barcelona just before the Olympics begin.
"We'll learn a little more about our team in Washington, D.C.," Krzyzewski said.
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