Team USA bounces back with 54-point beatdown of Iran

The comeback train is starting to roll for Team USA men’s basketball, who defeated Iran by a 54-point margin in the preliminary round of the Olympics.

It feels good to see Team USA basketball doing what they’re known for doing: winning games. After a tough opening loss to France, the Group A game that tipped off this Wednesday ended with a 120-66 final score in favor of the team in red, white and blue.

But what exactly did the USA men’s team do differently that they weren’t doing weeks before? It may be down to speed according to Coach Popovich.

Coach Pop made key adjustments in the huge Team USA win over Iran

Popovich mentioned “0.5 decisions,” stressing the fact that players need to not think about what move they should do next, but rather just do it according to an article by the Washington Post. It appeared to make a world of a difference but there is also a big talent gap between Team USA and Iran.

Though Iran doesn’t have the depth like Team USA, it wouldn’t be unheard of them to hang with them throughout the game, especially after the loss to Nigeria. But, when you get tired of losing, something has to change, and that’s exactly what happened in this game — team basketball was played and that’s exactly what was needed to get a win.

Team USA shot 55.3 percent from the field, 48.7 percent from beyond the arc and kept turnovers down to six. They also out-rebounded, out-assisted and out-hustled Iran in every category in the box score provided by ESPN. 

If they keep this up against the Czech Republic, I envision a medal in the near future for Team USA.