First Take’s Stephen A. Smith has found an athlete outside the NBA to have a feud with. When American sprinter Noah Lyles recently suggested that winning an NBA championship did not make someone a “world champion,” he was met with ridicule by a range of stars, including Stephen A. Smith. Now, however, after Team USA crashed to out Germany at the FIBA World Cup, Smith emerged with a rather changed tune.
The lack of cohesiveness and depth in Team USA was talked about in advance of the clash against Germany. It was unclear whether the team had the defensive resilience to thwart the physical German threat. The 111-113 loss, which came after a fightback from 10 point deficit, proved that they did not.
Stephen A. Smith claims Team USA’s loss gives credence to Noah Lyles
Smith had initially called Lyles “flagrantly ignorant.” He had suggested that Team USA’s job at the World Cup was to prove to other teams that they were still the top guys when it came to the international stage.
However, following Team USA’s 2nd straight premature exit from the FIBA World Cup, Smith returned with a changed tune. He had initially apologized for his harshness towards Lyles, but has now had to acknowledge that the loss gave him credence:
“That’s glaring. It gives credence to Noah Lyles and others who basically said this it aint the world championship is not the world. International competition is different, and USA is exposed, because of the lack of depth, the lack of cohesiveness, etc. etc.. compared to some other teams, some other nations. Speaks volumes, and this is the latest example, period.”
Needless to say, while Team USA was the most obviously talented team at the tournament, a lack of depth and softness in defense cost them heavily. Germany found it easy to score against the young team all night, eventually leading to a narrow victory.
Steve Kerr claims it is not “1992 anymore” after Team USA’s loss to Germany
Team USA’s head coach, Steve Kerr, himself gave an interview after his team’s loss to Germany. Kerr claimed that he was still proud of the team and that they played courageously throughout, according to Basket News.
However, Germany’s ability to hit back each time the USA threatened to find its feet meant that winning was not a possibility. Kerr also said that basketball had globalized in the past 30 years.
Speaking about the increasing thresholds of other nations, he claimed that it is no longer easy for Team USA to win the World Cup and the Olympics. Apart from being able to contain Team USA, Germany also ensured that they kept scoring on the other end.
