The U.S. men’s basketball team went on a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter and finally showed signs of hitting top form to beat Australia 89-79 in the men’s Olympic basketball tournament Thursday.
Sharply criticized around the world for being a selfish group of individuals, the U.S. team once again fell behind and trailed after three quarters despite having far more firepower than their opponents.
But the Americans came out for the final quarter and finally showed they could play team defense, pass the ball efficiently and utilize their athleticism on the fast break to notch their second win in three preliminary round games.
“It’s kind of life and death for us right now,” said 19-year-old LeBron James who came off the bench to provide much needed spark, scoring eight points and handing out five assists.
“I’m not used to coming off the bench, but when we represent your country we have to respect our coach’s decisions. So it doesn’t matter for me not to be a starter. I can contribute from the bench and I think today we brought some energy in the court and we helped our team recover and finally get the victory.”