FIBA World Championship 2010: Team USA Blows Out Angola, Advances To Quarterfinals

In perhaps their most impressive performance to date at the FIBA World Championships, Team USA routed Angola 121-66 today in the Round of 16. 

Team USA jumped on Angola early, displaying great pressure defense and impressive offensive concentration in racing to a 33-13 first-quarter lead. Team USA let up defensively for a stretch in the second and third quarter, but they remained hot offensively and put up their highest point total of the tournament.

Four players scored in double figures for Team USA, led by Chauncey Billups, who had 19. Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Eric Gordon added 17 each. Joaquim Gomes had 21 points to lead Angola.

At the end of the day, we learned little about Team USA in this one. They clearly outclassed Angola in a way they won't outclass other teams, and were also helped by the fact that Angola runs an offensive style very similar to many pro teams. Angola's strategy during the tournament was to beat teams with their athleticism rather than their execution, making Team USA a particularly bad matchup. It remains to be seen how Team USA will respond against better teams that have a more diverse offensive style. 

Team USA will face the winner of Russia and New Zealand in the quarterfinals. 

Apparently, the lesson we've learned about Team USA today is that they're pretty much unstoppable when they hit 52 percent of their three-pointers. Amazing, right?

That hot three-point shooting carried Team USA in the third quarter against Angola today. They currently lead 91-56, thanks mostly to a 14-27 performance from behind the three-point line. Angola's defensive strategy was to pack the paint and dare Team USA to beat them from outside, and Team USA is doing exactly that. Good ball movement has led to open looks, and Team USA's shooters are knocking the shots down.

Chauncey Billups leads the way with 19 points for Team USA, thanks mostly to a 5-7 performance from three-point range. Kevin Durant has 17, and Lamar Odom and Derrick Rose have nine each. Joaquim Gomes is the lone star for Angola with a game-high 21 points.

If you're a head coach, you're probably a bit frustrated with the way Team USA played in this second quarter. Sure, Team USA is rolling, leading Angola 65-38 at halftime of this Round of 16 FIBA World Championships game. But after locking Angola down defensively in the first quarter, Team USA's concentration waned, and Angola was able to get into a nice offensive rhythm.

Team USA is still dominating offensively, dropping 32 points in the second quarter after 33 in the first, but they allowed Angola to score 25 points of their own in the second quarter. One reason that's happened is because Team USA is doing a poor job containing dribble penetration. Another is because Angola went to a zone defense midway through the period, which kept Team USA out on the perimeter. When Team USA missed their threes, Angola was able to push the ball up the floor and get some buckets early in the offense. Angola won't be able to stifle Team USA's offense fully with a zone, but better teams will later in this tournament.

Kevin Durant and Chauncey Billups are leading the way for Team USA with 17 and 16 points, respectively. As a team, Team USA has hit eight three-pointers and are making 58 percent of their shots.

Joaquim Gomes leads Angola with 13 points on 6-8 shooting, while Roberto Fortes has 11 off the bench. Angola continues to play without leading scorer Olimpio Cipriano, who has not played due to a leg injury.

It was pretty much a given that Team USA would defeat Angola pretty easily, but few figured this game would be this much of a blowout this soon. But thanks to an outstanding start by Team USA's starters, that's exactly how things are looking right now.

Spurred by hot three-point shooting, pressure defense and transition buckets, Team USA leads Angola 33-13 after one quarter. Team USA has dominated this game from the opening tip, preventing Angola from getting anything going. They have completely taken Angola out of their offensive rhythm, which has resulted in transition opportunities and easy buckets. 

The only question now is whether Team USA will keep their foot on the gas pedal. If so, this mismatch will seem like even more of a mismatch.