phrustrated philly phan

Last night Team USA defeated Puerto Rico 114-69 on the campus of UNLV. Even though this does not directly relate to Philly sports, I felt compelled to write about it since it affects all Americans. After their humiliation in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the new squad began their journey to the 2008 Olympics last night in a practice game. Right now they are preparing for the World Championships in Japan. Nothing less than first place will please the American fans. Last nights game got off to a slow start in the first quarter. They lead only 29-26 after the first. They were even trailing in the second, 33-29 until they went on a 31-2 run to pull away from Puerto Rico. I am not going to comment on the leading scorers because this team has more than enough offense instead the way they will win is by hustle and defense. They impressed me last night in both those areas. At the end of the first half, Gilbert Arenas went into the stands to save a loose ball then after a turnover, Puerto Rico had a breakaway but Elton Brand hustled back to block the layup. Quite an impressive performance to end the first half even as they were pulling away from Puerto Rico. Defensively they had played with an intensity that was missing in Athens. They forced 25 turnovers and gave up only 69 points. Kudos to Coach K and the players for not just talking the talk but also walking the walk last night. Hopefully this play will continue and Team USA will return to the spot where it belongs in international basketball, first place.