USA Basketball slathers Slovenia 99-77

Kevin Love following the USA's victory over Slovenia.

Knocking down 3-of-6 shots from beyind the 3-point arc, Rudy Gay scored 16 points in the USA's 99-77 victory over Slovenia.
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images

USA Defense Shuts Down Slovenia

USA Basketball website
Aug. 29, 2010 • Istanbul, Turkey

Stats • Photos
In a game of offensive surges, the USA (2-0) had several more than Slovenia (1-1) and behind a game best 22 points from Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) the USA rolled to a 99-77 victory Sunday evening at Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the second consecutive convincing victory for the Americans in as many nights.

“Coach told us that we wanted to disrupt their offense by pressuring them and getting into the passing lanes and I just tried to do that. I played my hardest and I was able to get my hands on a couple basketballs and get us some easy points,” said Durant, who hit 8-of-13 shots for the evening.


Four U.S. players in addition to Durant finished with double digit point production. Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies) tallied 16 points and nailed 3-of-6 3-pointers, Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers) and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) contributed 11 points each, and Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) added a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds in just 13 minutes.

The U.S. continues World Championship preliminary round play Monday against FIBA Americas Zone champion Brazil. Brazil, which was 1-0 after earning an 81-65 win over Iran Saturday, faces Tunisia in Sunday’s Group B nightcap.

“It was a good, tough international game. They have a great perimeter. It’s tough to cause turnovers because they really have three guys who can handle the ball,” said USA mentor and Duke University’s Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski. “All in all I thought it was a good day for us to get the amount of experience that we had out there today. I have to keep bringing the team along.

“I think our defense is good. Our offense can hurt it. We had 12 turnovers in that first half and they forced some of those turnovers and then we forced our own turnovers and that puts a lot of pressure on the defense. But, overall I’m very happy with the effort. Our kids played hard. We’ve played 80 minutes in this tournament and we’ve played hard for 80 minutes. As long as we get that effort, we’re going to have a chance.”

Sprinting out of the gate, Durant, five points, and Iguodala, four points, combined to scored nine of the USA’s first 10 points as the U.S. jumped out to a 10-2 lead. The U.S. lead would never get below five points again.

Enjoying a 23-11 lead after the first stanza, the U.S. defense was again aggressive and disruptive right from the start. Limiting Slovenia to an arctic 4-of-18 shooting from the field and just 1-of-9 accuracy from 3-point in the game’s first 10 minutes, the USA hit 9-of-14 shots but turned the ball over seven times.

Slovenia opened the second quarter with a 12-5 run that cut the gap to five, 28-23, with 3:36 left in the period. The U.S., which failed to hit a field goal in the quarter until the 3:29 mark, finally got on track and following a jumper in the lane from Westbrook finished the half with 14-3 run that left it holding a 42-28 advantage at halftime.

The Americans opened the second half by mimicking their first half start, but this time outscored Slovenia 17-4 to blow the game wide open 59-32 with 4:28 left on the clock. The run was fueled by the USA’s defense which saw Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets) make a steal and covert with a layup, then next possession, Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) made a steal and found Durant for another uncontested layup. The USA continued to surge and when Durant dropped a 3ball the U.S. had extended its lead to 59-32.

Slovenia, spurred by its very large and vocal crowd, pushed back and after out gunning the U.S. 14-4, the score was 61-46 with 1:08 to play in the third.

Iguodala made one of two free throws and Gay capped the quarter with an old fashioned three-point play off of an offensive rebound and put back, and the U.S. was back in control 67-46 after three periods.

From there the USA lead never feel below 18 and the USA sailed in for the 99-77 win.

“There were points in the game where we had to rethink the kind of basketball we were playing especially with the second group,” remarked Gay. “Basketball is a game of runs. They made their run. We had a couple of turnovers. We fixed that and made our lead bigger.”

“When we don’t rebound and we don’t play defense, we don’t play well. That’s the key to us. Everybody has their staple and that’s our staple,” he added.

Behind Love’s 11 boards and nine more from Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers), the USA outrebounded Slovenia 50-33, with 14 offensive boards to its credit.

“Brazil is really like an NBA team. They’ll play like we do. They’re veterans. You got guys who are strong contributors on NBA teams in (Leandro) Barbosa and (Anderson) Varejao and Splitter will be one of the newcomers who’s not so young in the league. It’ll be like a medal round game. We’re looking forward to it because it will give us a lot of great experience as we go into the following week,” stated Coach K.

The USA-Brazil World Championship series stands at 6-5 in favor of the United States with the two teams’ last meeting in the 1998 World Championship. Following a day off on Aug. 31, the USA resumes play Sept. 1 against Asia Zone champ Iran, a team it has not faced previously in World Championship play, then closes out preliminary play with a contest versus Tunisia on Sept. 2, another team that the Americans have not met in World Championship action.

In Group B’s middle game Sunday, Croatia (1-1) rolled to a 75-54 win over Iran (0-2), while the nightcap features Brazil (1-0) against Tunisia (0-1). In Group A play in Kayseri, Angola (1-1) defeated Jordan (0-2) 79-65 and Germany (1-1) outlasted Serbia (1-1) 82-81 in a 2 OT thriller. The Group A last game of the day features Argentina (1-0) meeting Australia (1-0). In Group C play in Ankara, China (1-1) outscored Ivory Coast (0-2) 83-73 and Greece (2-0) nipped Puerto Rico (0-2) 83-80. The finale in Group C tonight features host Turkey (1-0) versus Russia (1-0). In Group D games played in Izmir, Lithuania (2-0) rallied to take down Canada (0-2) 70-68 and France (2-0) knocked off Lebanon (0-2) 86-59. The final Group D game features Spain (1-0) against New Zealand (0-1).

The 2010 USA World Championship Team assistant coaches are Syracuse University’s Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan and Toronto Raptors head mentor Jay Triano.

The 2010 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) World Championship for Men is being held Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri, Turkey. Twenty-four teams are competing in the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men and those teams were divided into four preliminary round groups consisting of six teams each.

Additional Quotes >> USA 99, Slovenia 77
Aug. 29, 2010 • Istanbul, Turkey


USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University)
Comments about today's game:
We were pleased to be an outstanding Slovenian team today. I thought it was a good, tough international game. They have a great perimeter. It’s tough to cause turnovers because they really have three guys who can handle the ball. We feel good about the win. It’s a long tournament and it’s a long race. We feel good about beating an outstanding Slovenian team. It was a great game. (Slovenia) played with their hearts and so did we. I thought it was an outstanding game and I hope it prepares both of us for future wins.

Was part of your strategy taking the crowd out of the game?
There is no way a coach can control a crowd. All of our guys have played in environments much tougher than today. I mean, it was a great crowd but we would rather have noise than no noise. I think that’s a tribute to their country and their team. We felt good about it.

What was the stretch like late in the first and early in second when the team was struggling with turnovers?
I think you’re just going to have stretches like that when you play five games in six days and we had to regain our poise and I thought we did by the end of the first half to get a double-digit lead. The game was getting away from us a little bit because we had 12 turnovers.

What went into your decision to sub out Kevin Durant with five minutes to go in the first?
It’s a long tournament and we need to develop our entire team. My decision is based on running a marathon, not a sprint. That’s something I’ve learned over the last five years … we need 12 guys to win. Kevin is playing really well but I have confidence in the other guys too. All in all I thought it was a good day for us to get the amount of experience that we had out there today. I have to keep bringing the team along. We have a young group not one guy. He (Durant) had a helluva game.

Can you compare today and yesterday’s game and how they will play each other?
I think it will be a great game for both teams tomorrow. They can both shoot so well and they play so hard. I thought both teams gave us some problems and the perimeter game of both teams is outstanding. I thought Nachbar played with the energy of a veteran international player today. He had a such a good spirit and it had a tremendous impact on his team. Popovic or these guys for Croatia, they can do that too. It’s going to be a great game, a great international game.

Where is your defense right now?
I think our defense is good. Our offense can’t hurt it. We had 12 turnovers in that first half and they forced some of those turnovers and then we forced our own turnovers and that puts a lot of pressure on the defense. But, overall I’m very happy with the effort. Our kids played hard. We’ve played 80 minutes in this tournament and we’ve played hard for 80 minutes. As long as we get that effort, we’re going to have a chance.

What did you say at halftime after all the turnovers in the first half?
I just told the team that this was an international game. We went through a bad spell but we’re getting out of it … just to remain poised and I was proud of the way they ended the half. You can’t go too crazy about anything. You have to keep calm in these situations. It’s just one game and you’re out. I’m an old guy now. In my younger days, maybe I would have done something else.

On subbing so often throughout the game?
This is our fifth game together, just think of that. We’ve been together for five games so I’m trying to get as much playing experience for our guys as possible. That’s not necessarily what we’ll do in the medal round but for right now, we want to win and we want to develop. And, those two things are paramount in my thinking. I don’t think we would do that in a medal round game.

On Kevin Love’s play in tonight’s game:
We’re not surprised by his performance. He’s really played very, very well. He’s gotten double figures in rebounds.

Thoughts on Brazil?
Brazil is really like an NBA team. They’ll play like we do. They’re veterans. You got guys who are strong contributors on NBA teams in (Leandro) Barbosa and (Anderson) Varejao and Splitter will be one of the newcomers whose not so young in the league. It’ll be like a medal round game. We’re looking forward to it because it will give us a lot of great experience as we go into the following week.

Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets)
On the game:
We played a team that was a really good team. The game looked a little different to us early. We had guys playing the right way but we just couldn’t know them down early, couldn’t know them out early and that’s kind of how the tournament is going to especially in the medal round. It was a great test for us.

Seemed there were spurts from a bunch of different combinations today?
It was. That’s the beauty of our team and the talent and athleticism that we have that there is always going to be a couple different guys that step up and have big nights.

On the defense and rebounding of the team:
That’s where we are going to make our bread and butter at. Just defending guys. Our athleticism and our speed is what is going to wear teams down. A couple of teams that might match that early but when we come in with that second wave and come back with the starters again, I think that we’re just going to wear teams down.

On playing Brazil and what to expect:
I’m looking forward to watching some tape on them a little later. I know that they have a lot of great talent, a lot of great camaraderie with one another, just from playing against them a few years ago. I look forward to it. That’s one of the best teams here.


Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
On the game:
It was fun. I think we came out and played hard. Crowd got into it early; they got back into it in the second quarter but I think we kept our composure very well and we’re able to get some stops and some scores.

On his defense setting the tone early:
Coach told us that we wanted to disrupt their offense by pressuring them and getting into the passing lanes and I just tried to do that. I played my hardest and I was able to get my hands on a couple basketballs and get us some easy points. I’m just trying to do my part and coming out there and playing hard as a four-man and scoring when they need me to.

On the turnovers:
The turnovers we had are something we can correct. We were throwing a cross court pass or traveling. I think those turnovers we can control and get them down a little bit so yesterday we did a better job on the turnovers but today we just made some costly mistakes and some mistakes that we can correct.

On playing Brazil:
It’s going to be a tough game. A very, very tough team. Very disciplined and they can score. Our defense is going to be tested.

Would Brazil be better if Nene was here?
Of course, Nene is a great center. Unfortunately, he’s not. It will be better for us since he’s not here because he’s such a great player. Of course they’d be much better with Nene.

Do you think tomorrow’s game will be a 20-point game like the first two games?
No, I doubt it. They’re such a well-coached team, a great team with a lot of chemistry. Everybody is beatable here so we have to do our job and come out and play hard every possession.

Talk about some of the quirks you are adjusting to in the international game, like when you knocked the ball off the rim to save a basket:
We’ve been here for a while now and we’re starting to learn the game. Instincts kind of kicked in. I just seen the ball bouncing on the rim and I heard my coaches and teammates yelling to go get it. I was able to knock it off. I don’t know if that’s a block or a rebound or what it is. I was just trying to help my team out.

How do you feel the defense is progressing?
Our defensive effort has been good. I think we’re doing a great job of getting in the passing lanes and disrupting. We’re also doing a good job of pressuring … our guards the last two nights did a great job of taking out their guards. That’s what we need and we’re just going to follow their lead.

On the team in general and the camaraderie:
It’s been more like brothers here. Even though we have been together such a short time, it feels like everybody has been knowing each other for years and years. We play against each other so we respect everybody’s game but I think that off the court … for example, I didn’t know Lamar Odom was that cool … I didn’t know that Derrick Rose was that cool … it’s kind of easy … everybody’s personality fits.


Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies)
On the game
The Slovenian crowd really made it tough for us. They were up the whole game. I don’t think any of them sat down. It was hard for us to get in our sets. Although they are a great team, we have a lot of things we need to work on. They showed us exactly what we need to get better at to contend for a gold out here.

What was the stretch like late in the first and early in second when the team was struggling with turnovers?
There were points in the game where we had to rethink the kind of basketball we were playing especially with the second group. We come in there and we kind of make a bigger lead out there. Basketball is a game of runs. They made their run. We had a couple of turnovers. We fixed that and made our lead bigger.

On Kevin Love’s play in tonight’s game:
With Kevin Love, you know what you’re getting. You’re going to get somebody who comes out every night and is going to play hard … who is going to try to distract shots and try to get his hand on every rebound. On the other end, he’s just as good offensively as anybody on the team. We don’t have any lapses on this team. Coach can go to any player on the bench and fill a spot. That’s a tribute to Mr. Colangelo and how he picked this team.

On the defense and rebounding of the team:
We just got to do that every game. When we don’t rebound and we don’t play defense, we don’t play well. That’s the key to us. Everybody has their staple and that’s our staple.

How did you feel shooting the ball tonight?
I went out there and set my mind free and just go out there and be as productive as possible. I think everybody here knows how to score. It’s just setting my mind free.


Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers)
On the game
I think their fans were great. It was good that we got that type of crowd. They were really cheering for them the whole way … 40 minutes … it was good to go against that. Those guys play hard. They continued to play the whole game. Once we apply the pressure the game takes care of itself.

On the defensive start for the team:
Defensively to start the game, from tip, we really got after it, got some steals, got some deflections. We really wanted to extend our defense and make them push their offense out a little further than they are accustomed to. That really disrupted them.

On the team’s turnovers in the first half:
We had 12 turnovers in the first and we were still up 12, 14 points. We figured we’d come out in the second half, apply the same pressure and cut the turnovers down. We got to be careful with the traveling. You’re going full speed and you catch the ball, it’s hard to just stop. We’ll adjust to the rules and get it done.

On playing Brazil next:
They have some tough players. They got Barbosa obviously and Varejao, NBA guys. Barbosa’s their go-to guy. We’re going to try to key in on him a little bit. Obviously he’s been in the league for eight years so he has some experience in the NBA and international play. I’m sure they want to upset us.

Where do you feel the team is right now?
I feel like we still have some ways to go but these next three games will be good for us to try to continue to work on the little things.


Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves)
On the goals of the team:
We aren’t the Olympic team and we feel we have a lot to prove. There have a been a lot of doubters, even from the US that have said that we might not be able to get this done so we definitely want to bring home the gold medal and that’s the plan. We’re not going to settle for anything else but we know that we have a long road ahead of us.

Thoughts on the atmosphere of the game:
It’s tough because we can’t really replicate that in practice. We know teams are going to come out, especially today. Slovenia had great national pride. Their whole crowd was rocking at some points in the game. At some points, we couldn’t hear our play calls. Sometimes, we couldn’t hear each other on defense but we just had to figure it out out there and have each other’s backs. It’s tough to prepare for that and we know that going forward, it’s going to be the same thing.

On his one handed rebound and shot:
I knew I could hold him off and get the rebound and try to put it back up. I actually just tried to put it over the rim and not use the glass but I just flipped it up and it came off my hand a little bit weird and I had luck on my side. Sometimes that’s what you need.

Do you enjoy coming off the bench?
I think for this team, it’s very good for us. Coach K has told all the guys to just embrace it. That’s kind of what I have done. I feel like I can be a spark off the bench … even if I’m the 6th or 12th man. It’s something I’ve embraced, try to come in there with energy. I know if all else fails, one thing I can always do is rebound.

On his role coming off the bench:
Keep coming off the bench and just being a spark for the team. I think each player that doesn’t start can do that. We have a bunch of players that play in the NBA that can play different roles and for me, it’s just getting putbacks on the offensive end and the occasional three and getting to the free throw line and getting offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds. That’s something I can always count on is just going after the offensive and defensive glass and trying to help the team in the rebounding aspect.


Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers)
On the game:
Good game. Competitive. We are just trying to get better as games go along.

On the crowd advantage for Slovenia:
Yeah. That was the best part about it. It was an away game times two. We needed that. We needed to be in an hostile environment because the further and further we progress, the tougher it’s going to get.

On the defensive start:
That’s our focus all the time. Its our focus to start the tournament … to really be the best defensive team in the tournament.

On the rebounding advantage:
That’s what we keep the focus on that because we’re small … everyone says we’re small and can’t rebound. So we need to take that away from teams mentally.

On playing Brazil:
They have tough players … Athletic team. They’ll play hard. We’ll try to take them out of their game early.


Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
On the game:
It was all fun. The crowd was definitely into it. We were just out there playing. It definitely tested us to see where we were at as a team. We came out and we answered that challenge.

How did the team react to the turnovers in the first half?
Just knowing that we just got to take our time. When we have patience, that’s when we had good baskets or good looks. This game is totally different from the NBA where they want you take shots like that – like wild shots and push the ball hard and stuff like that. You just got to have a group of guys that are in control.

On the early defense?
We wanted to get them out of their sets. We know they are a team that if you let them just run around, they can definitely hurt you by the pick action and going in to their bigs. We knew we had to play physical and let them know that we were there.

What are the focuses for improvement tomorrow?
We got to look at film. We saw (Brazil) play against Spain. We got to look at film and really key in on the guys and make them do things that they can’t do.


Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)
On the turnover issues early:
We got to continue to play through adversity. There is going to be turnovers throughout the game. As long as we continue to play our game, we’re going to be all right.

On playing Brazil:
I know that if we do what we need to do and defend, we’re going to put ourselves in position to win.

On the team’s defense right now:
I think we are right where we need to be. We need to rebound a little more and take care of the ball.