USA over Brazil 89-73

here is the box score

https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/game/0909/USA-Brazil#tab=boxscore

This was a real grind em out game.

Lightning struck at the very end of the 3rd QTR as our very  own Marcus Smart with time ticking down drained a deep fallaway 3 from the right side.

That shot was a you cannot beat us moment.  

Next up... FRANCE

Once again Jaylen Brown played big minutes and finished with 11 points (5 for 9)  4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and zero turnovers.

His play making ability has greatly improved as he is becoming more of a facilitator.  The value of our guys playing over there is tremendous.  

Tatum sat out for his 3rd straight game.  Marcus scored 9 points with 2 rebounds an assist and a steal.  Kemba with 16/5 

Team USA has struggled to shoot the ball but there is no question about their defense.  They really get after it.

I am telling you, Danny is playing with fire if he lets Jaylen get to restricted free agency next season. Sign him now DA, or Pop will steal him right from under you

Pop is leaning heavily on Jaylen.  He is not hiding  him in the corner but playing him up top more.  As soon as a defensive issue comes up,  Pop will bring  Jaylen back in the game.  He is moving him all around.  

Brad has to be watching these games and must be thinking, gee I did not know all the ways I can utilize his skills.

The Celtics will make every effort to keep him but if I'm the Celtics I'm putting an attractive extension offer on the table right now.  It is not going to be a max deal but it needs to be a substantial indication that he is a must keep guy.

NBA coaches are watching.  Two way players have tremendous value at the wing position especially when they have the versatility to be utilized, 2-4.  Pop is playing a lot of small ball and Jaylen is well suited for that style.  Physically he looks like an absolute stud.

I would not let this thing play out next summer.  Do it now Danny.  Avoid the bidding war that is sure to come.

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/09/boston-celtics-jaylen-brown-plays-center-helps-team-usa-pull-away-from-brazil-89-73.html



Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown plays center, helps Team USA pull away from Brazil 89-73



Updated 10:36 AM; Today 10:31 AM




By Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com




One of Team USA’s bigger question marks throughout the 2019 FIBA World Cup has been its lack of size.

While Myles Turner has been impressive on both ends during his minutes, the Americans have needed creativity when he sits, particularly since Mason Plumlee appears to be out of the rotation. On Monday, for an important stretch in the fourth quarter, Team USA went to Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown at the five -- a hyper small-ball unit, but an intriguing idea.


The risk paid off handsomely. While former NBA center Anderson Varejao was able to take advantage of his height in the post against Brown on a pair of possessions, Brazil struggled with Team USA’s speed and versatility. The Americans got into transition and outran Brazil in the second half -- splitting open a close halftime score and claiming an 89-73 victory.

At the center of that rally (literally) was Brown, who was excellent on both ends with 11 efficient points, four assists and four rebounds. Defensively, he held his own and forced Brazil into matchup-based offense that didn’t fit their personnel. Offensively, he punished slower defenders (Varejao in particular) and showed some passing chops that were a bit of a surprise, given his struggles as a passer in the NBA. Twice in transition, Brown looked off defenders by attacking the rim only to dump off to an open teammate for a layup. In the fourth quarter, Brown collapsed the defense off the bounce, then shoveled a pass to Khris Middleton for a layup.

The Celtics will face plenty of teams who have big centers Brown can’t handle (Joel Embiid leaps to mind), but against others, throwing Brown out as a big man might be a tempting option. Clearly, he has the speed and agility to navigate the pick-and-roll defensively, and if he forces the opponent into inefficient iso post-ups, the Celtics might really benefit from his speed and versatility on the other end.


Other notes:

- Marcus Smart dropped 11 points as well with red-hot 5-for-7 shooting to go with his usual defensive highlights. His biggest shot: A buzzer beating, falling 3-pointer to end the third quarter which prompted a legendary call by FIBA’s generally excellent announcers: “Half American, half amazing: Marcus Smart!”


SportsCenter

@SportsCenter
Marcus Smart with the TOUGH buzzer beater

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1171060754792890368
2,086
7:00 AM - Sep 9, 2019


That triple, combined with Brown at center, seemed to lift the Americans -- the lead expanded the rest of the way, and Brazil never threatened again.

- Smart left the game in the fourth quarter after tweaking his ankle. He never re-entered, but he remained on the bench and hopped up to cheer for his teammates on multiple occasions, suggesting he is likely fine.

- Jayson Tatum sat again on Monday with his ankle sprain. He has now missed three games after a nasty-looking twist against Turkey helped the Americans narrowly maintain their perfect tournament record.

- Kemba Walker finished tied with Myles Turner for a team-high 16 points and five rebounds. He has consistently proven to be Team USA’s best scoring option, although he has taken a back seat as a facilitator when it benefits the team. For anyone who questioned whether Walker would be comfortable finding more talented teammates in Boston than the ones he had in Charlotte, Walker’s tournament run -- during which he has walked a tightrope between coming up big in key moments and facilitating to keep everyone involved -- has been a good sign.


- Team USA will face France in the quarterfinals after Australia dropped the French in a tight 100-98 contest Monday morning. Aron Baynes went 4-for-5 from three (21 points) and took three key charges, while Patty Mills went off for 30 points, and Australia once again looked like a real contender against a tough opponent.



bob



.

To set the record straight Marcus had 9 points on 4-6 from the field.  Jaylen had 11 on 5-9 shooting.  Those two played excellent basketball at both ends.

 "Marcus Smart dropped 11 points as well with red-hot 5-for-7 shooting to go with his usual defensive highlights."

We finally get a chance to play France and get  to see how VP plays.  

They have a balanced team.  They lost their last game to Australia by  two 100-98.  

Evan Fournier has been killing it at 20 PPG.  They need to check him.  Their SG Nando De Colo is averaging 16.8 and shooting lights out from everywhere.  

The strength of their offense comes from their wings.   Team USA should be able to matchup with those guys.  

I'm hoping JT will be back.

see Marcus knock down the deep 3

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27577517/us-beats-brazil-reach-world-cup-quarters

So many times last year during games thought/knew they weren’t using Jaylen enough or the right way....Stevens better get his shit together.

I've been complaining about Stevens misuse/underuse of Jaylen for three years. Danny better sign him now or Pop will be swooping in with a fat max deal.