USA 101 – P. Rico 74
Maybe the U.S. will need Tracy McGrady to come up with a defensive stop. There will be times when Allen Iverson is expected to distribute and not shoot. What the coaches have preached is that roles will change and players must make contributions different from what they give their NBA teams.
Well, most of them. No matter how he does it, Tim Duncan is still needed to score and rebound.
“His role doesn’t change,” said Net Jason Kidd after Duncan yesterday delivered game highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds and the U.S. Olympic Qualifying Team delivered a suffocating fourth-quarter defensive stand that steamrolled Puerto Rico, 101-74, in an exhibition before 16,473 at the Garden. “Tim just does what he does best. He’s every coach’s dream and every player’s dream teammate to have.”
Unlike the Spurs, the U.S. doesn’t run the offense through Duncan. It’s not a case of lining up on the perimeter and playing inside-out. But while everybody else adapts and adjusts – Kidd, for example, took only two shots in 25 minutes – Duncan remains the team’s security blanket. Need points or boards? Find Duncan.
“Where I’m getting most of my stuff is in transition and on broken plays where I’m left all alone, basically,” said Duncan, who hit his first six shots and scored 15 of his points in the first quarter. “I’m not worried about getting shots on the floor or touches in the post. It’ll happen in the flow of the game. It’s getting up and down and getting the boards and getting the guys out on the wings running.”
Team USA had everything going on the defensive end in the final 13:11 yesterday. After Puerto Rico closed to within 64-61, the U.S. clamped down. Duncan started an 11-2 run that made it 75-63 and then the U.S. stomped Puerto Rico with a 26-8 fourth quarter. Puerto Rico missed its first eight shots of the fourth and finished the session at 2-of-18. Six players, including McGrady (15) and Ray Allen (14), scored double figures for the Americans, who held a gaudy 54-23 rebound edge.
“[The defense] was a conscious thing from the players and the coaches,” said Elton Brand (10 points). “Guys played their roles. But, Tim, you can’t have his role change.”