LeBron James leads Team USA over Germany in London

LeBron James displayed a second show of strength on Monday night as he led his team in the United States to a 92-88 victory against Germany in London and he finished at 20 with six rebounds, and 4 assists against Germany, the current FIBA World Cup champion.

By Brian Windhorst

Jul 22, 2024 09:24 PM

 

LONDON — Here is something for everyone in the basketball world to understand as the Olympics, perhaps the most competitive international tournament in history, are about to get started:

LeBron James is not messing about.

He could be 39 and has been named the flag-bearer of the nation However, this isn’t a formal moment.

The night of Monday, the player put on another display of power and could be seen play in front of the biggest crowd ever to see the basketball match in London the crowd as well as the players and his fellow players of Team USA could only watch in amazement.

With Germany who are currently the FIBA World Cup champion, trying to convey a message by knocking out the Americans in the days leading up to the opening in the Olympics, James grabbed control of the game the way James has been doing since when he was just a teenager.

James scored eight crucial points, and he threw them in the ball, steals and physical force to bring Team USA to a 92-88 victory. He scored 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, however the numbers are not representative of his performance.

As James went on a basket-steal-basket-rebound-free throws-rebound run during the middle of the fourth quarter, his teammates bounced around the bench arena like children at recess watching it all play out.

“We got a great group of guys and it doesn’t matter if it’s me, Joel [Embiid], Steph [Curry] or when [ Kevin Durant] comes back,” James declared. “Everybody going to have a moment and that’s what the team is all about. We all root for one another no matter how the game is going.”

In addition, James opened the game by kicking two dunks that he nailed in just the opening three minutes.

After scoring 3-of-3 shots during the 4th quarter of the game against South Sudan on Saturday, which included the game-winning basket with just eight seconds left, James’ unrelenting final period on Monday saw him shoot 4-of-4 while scoring the final 11 points in the final quarter for Team USA.

“Just putting the team on his shoulders,” Team USA guard Jrue Holiday stated. “Being LeBron James.”

Team USA closes out the pre-Olympics with a disappointing 5-5. The team still has a few things to address following two disappointing performances in London.

Embiid was an encouraging sign for the team, but he continues to improve his the form he has been in. He scored 15 points, 8 rebounds, and five assists.

Embiid began to slow down his exit of camp, showing signs of fatigue and a lack of shape following his off from the team at the end of season in order to allow injuries heal. However, he’s steadily improved and has shown greater vigor and was called upon on Monday when Anthony Davis, his backup, was in serious trouble.

“People who watch me know that every season it takes me a couple of games to get going, and this is no different,” Embiid stated. “That’s the reason we’ve got preseason games. I feel like myself and I’m going to keep going and I’m going to be playing at that MVP level I’ve played for the last five or six seasons.”

Curry scored thirteen points in the win for Team USA but was just 1-of-7 when it came to 3-pointers. U.S. struggled from deep shooting only 29 percent..

Germany has four present NBA players on its roster. The country is famous for its excellent team chemistry. It was displayed during the run to victory in the World Cup title last summer. Everybody who takes to the court for the team is able to shoot 3. The Germans are able to move the ball effectively they are engaged on defense, and possess a huge size.

The most important thing in this game they were extremely careful with the ball, and were extremely aggressive in the defensive glass.

Team USA was unable to allow the dribble to penetrate, leading to the team scoring three points in the close game match against South Sudan on Saturday. This was a clear point that was the focus prior to Monday’s game, due to Holiday as well as Anthony Edwards applying intense stress on the German guards, and generally, a more defense focused on energy.

The Germans were unable to make clean shots and also attempted more 3-pointers at the end of shot clock than triples from their offensive. This was exactly the kind of defensive response Team USA coaches were hoping for.

However, there was the problem of not finishing the possessions, as the Germans having 14 second chances, and scoring 16 points from them.

This and a series of turnovers, particularly during the third quarter, when the Americans offense was slowed by five turnovers in the span of four minutes. Germany could compensate for a 36% shooting percentage by racking up another 12 shots.

“We can get a lot better,” Team USA coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re getting to a place now where we’re getting comfortable with rotations and I think guys are getting familiar with each other. … I think we can tighten up our game and get better. And that’s the plan here in the next couple of weeks.”

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner lead Germany in scoring with 18 points. Dennis Schroder, who was named MVP at the World Cup last summer, was credited with 10, assists, in the favor of the Germans but only managed to score 3 of 15.

“We played with good tempo and then, yeah,” Germany coach Gordon Herbert said, “somebody named LeBron James made some plays at the end.”