I have a question.Are Americans ready to let go of their expectations for USA basketball men's?Im being serious.This is not to imply that we should not expect to win at the Olympics or World Championships. But, what I mean is that our days of dominating the rest and winning by 8-12 points in semi-competitive Gold games are gone.AdvertisementJust watched the USA lose to France their first game in Tokyo. This was the first defeat for USA group play since 2004's Athens. This is not the end of the World; it was just group play, and the US still has the chance to win gold. If you add exhibitions, it is the third loss in five games for the USA squad.It is a fact that there is more camaraderie among teams because they have been playing together for longer periods of time. Every day, the gap between their top players and those of the United States is shrinking. This is combined with the fact the international game relies more on skill, shotmaking and precision than athletic ability, which makes it easy to see how the playing fields are level.Evan Fournier, who scored 28 points in the game, was the leader among all players and almost tripled the amount of points that Kevin Durant gave Team USA today. This is what's frightening about these games. These games become more about who makes and misses than the United States has a clear competitive advantage. Although Team USA has more talent overall, the unity and cooperation of other countries is bridging this gap, especially since these teams are only assembled after a month of practice.Although Team USA's dreams are still within reach, it appears that this will be a more difficult road than most expected. They will need to work together quickly to find their true number one while still relying on the defense for support. They should also use their athleticism to score more basket opportunities than they do settling for three-point shots.This team will need to do a lot more to succeed and that is something we as fans should realize.
