Steph Curry says there’s one way Team USA could find itself in danger of losing games during the Olympics and that’s if they don’t stick to their own style of play.
Curry’s comments came in the wake of the U.S. only managing to beat South Sudan by one point on Saturday night.
“We can be beat if we don’t play our brand of basketball,” Curry said after a LeBron James layup resulted in Team USA avoiding a historic upset, instead holding on for a 101-100 victory.
“And our brand of basketball is playing defense. We didn’t make them uncomfortable at all the first half and they took advantage of it. But we also learned we have that gear if we can find it, no matter who’s out there on the court, we can overwhelm teams for 40 minutes and it’s a great reminder of both.”
The loss would have been especially stunning considering South Sudan is the world’s youngest country and has never played Olympic basketball in the past.
Team USA coach Steve Kerr took responsibility for the near-upset.
“I did not do a great job preparing our team, I think we did not focus enough on what they’re capable of and that’s on me,” Kerr said.
“They played a wonderful game and the ending was good for us just to feel that. To feel what it’s going to be like in Paris and Lille … a good reminder that when we play against teams, it’s the biggest game of their lives and we have to expect everyone to play like that.”
The U.S. and South Sudan will meet again during the group stage of the Olympics on July 31 at 3pm ET.
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