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SHENZHEN, China – When the US team plays in an international tournament, the challenge is largely to deal with all foreign aspects. From venue to opposition to the rules, it is an opponent as big as anything at the World Cup in China.
But now, it's the familiar who's the concern.
Oh, does Team USA know his next opponent? Two of his teammates Milwaukee Bucks are on the list. Three Boston Celtics carrying the flag were defeated by him in the playoffs just a few months ago. The other American players had to hear for weeks that they did not have the star power of other teams like his.
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Saturday, second round match of the World Cup with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece (ESPN +, 8:30 ET) presents one of the most unique challenges that the United States team has encountered in the modern era. There is no one in the world like him and their awareness makes him even more discouraging.
"It's a special situation," said Brook Lopez, from the center of the US team, who won 60 games alongside Antetokounmpo last season. "It's different from the past of the American team."
The coach of the Brazilian team, Aleksandar Petrovic, said that he had traced for six months the way he was going to defend Antetokounmpo. It was an unexpected game plan since he was using Alex Garcia, 39, and smaller 8-inch, as the main defender. His task was to be physical and to knock out Antetokounmpo from his match. Antetokounmpo scored only 13 points, one foul and Greece lost in overtime. Petrovic, the brother of the Serbian legend Drazen Petrovic, was jubilant after.
The US team coach, Gregg Popovich, does not rejoice. But he has probably developed his own Antetokounmpo strategy for weeks. Even if it were not assured until Thursday night, it seems likely that the United States will face Greece in this round.
Antetokounmpo has not yet enjoyed this experience and the game of his team has been a little disappointed. Officials in FIBA matches often allow more contact than in the NBA and will never be accused of protecting star players, which Brazil has cleverly exploited.
In fact, the opposite often happens: they allow big names to be beaten more than they allow others. This has been a source of frustration for great American men for years; That's what helped Tim Duncan leave the national team over the last decade.
On Tuesday, when he scored 24 points and 10 rebounds in a win against New Zealand to give himself a chance to face the United States, Antetokounmpo played with anger. His sharp jaw and relentless basketball attacks earned him the title of MVP were back, perhaps in reaction to the way Brazil has treated and the importance of the match. If the Greeks had lost, they would have been out of the World Cup and in a precarious position to try to qualify for the Olympics next summer.
Greece played a lot at Antetokounmpo in the center, which does not happen in the NBA, especially because it can easily attack the zone defenses that are common in the World Cup. The US team does not play in the zone, which can make Antetokounmpo more comfortable as it can return to the perimeter play as it does to the Bucks.
"In the NBA, you know every night the bones and the X's and what people are going to run and that sort of thing," Popovich said. "But here each team has a different conception of how it wants to play, it's actually nice and challenging because each team is a different piece of art to understand."
Jeff Van Gundy, who has praised Antetokounmpo a lot as a senior analyst for ABC and ESPN, has changed roles and is currently the chief scout for Team USA. He is deeply studying Greece and preparing for what they could have saved for the Americans. And it seems that the Greeks, who beat the US team with a precision offensive game plan at the 2006 World Cup, saved something.
"The situation with Giannis, it's a bit complicated … you have to protect Giannis and her health, so you have to take care of her times," said Greece coach Thanasis Skourtopoulos. "Against the USA, it's good for him – he knows the mentality of their game." It's not like the European teams regulated by FIBA, so the time has come for him to get on with the game. increase playing time and increase everything during the match. "
Antetokounmpo has only recorded an average of 25 minutes per game so far. But with the Greeks in the process of elimination if they lose the value of a chance against a vulnerable US team, Antetokounmpo expects everything to stay on the agenda Saturday. Jayson Tatum (ankle), missing in the US, and questionable with Marcus Smart (quad), their defense options have been limited.
"We are going as far as Giannis, which has a big impact for us," said Greek guard Nick Calathes. "We will be ready to leave, we are afraid of no one, we will be ready."
A good sign for the Americans was the strong game of Jaylen Brown in Tuesday's victory over Japan. While his team-mate of Harrings Barnes and Kucks, Giannis, Khris Middleton Bucks thought it was hard to fight against Antetokounmpo, Brown will likely be relied on as it may be the best option for Team USA. Brown was part of the Celtics group that Antetokounmpo had defeated in the second round of the playoffs last season, averaging 28 points and 11 rebounds.
Will this experience help or hurt Brown now that he is so lucky to get a redemption?
"I guess we'll see you soon," said Brown. "I'm looking forward to it."
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