So, Team USA played a real nail-biter of a game in London before the big Olympic showdown. They barely beat South Sudan, and it ended with a score of 101-100. It was like watching a suspenseful movie, and even though they won, it showed that our boys aren't invincible.
A Win with a Side of Drama
The US basketball guys had a bit of a rough patch in their last game against Australia, and it looked like they brought that energy to this one. They had to work their butts off to come back from being down by a lot, and it was only a buzzer-beater from LeBron James that saved the day. Coach Steve Kerr had to admit that he wasn't too thrilled with how ready his team was for the game.
“South Sudan played out of their minds,” he said. “Coach Ivey had his team so pumped up, and honestly, I didn’t do enough to get our guys ready for this one. We were pretty embarrassed to be 14 points down at halftime.”
South Sudan’s Heart
South Sudan’s coach, Royal Ivey, talked about how bummed his team was to miss the big win, but he was super proud of them. “Every time we had the ball, we fought hard. We never gave up, and we played as a team all the way through. That’s what we need to keep doing when we hit the Olympics for the first time.”
Getting Ready for Paris
This game was part of a series of warm-ups Team USA’s playing before Paris. They had some games in Vegas and the United Arab Emirates too. South Sudan is also getting ready for their first-ever Olympic Games and they even beat Great Britain in a practice match.
The Game's Highlights
The game was off to a hot start with Team USA up 10-2, but South Sudan didn't let that get to them. They came back with some sick three-pointers, and guys like Carlik Jones and Marial Shayok were on fire. The crowd at the O2 Arena was going wild with NBA fans everywhere.
But the first half wasn’t pretty for Team USA. They had a bunch of turnovers and couldn’t keep up with South Sudan’s speed. The Bright Stars were shooting like they couldn’t miss, and Team USA only had one three-pointer to their name at halftime.
The Comeback Kids
The second half was a different story. Team USA started playing like the champs we know they can be. James, Curry, and Edwards started dropping dimes and scoring big. They turned the game around and kept pushing until the very end.
What’s Next
This win showed that Team USA’s got some work to do before the big games, but it also showed that they can handle the pressure. We’ll see how they fare when they play South Sudan again in Group C at the Olympics. It’s gonna be a good one!
