Argentina had a promising first half, but basketball is a game of two halves. The United States flexed their muscle in the second half of their final Group A match at the expense of Manu Ginobili and his Argentinean teammates.

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Ginobili and Co. responded to just about everything the US threw at them in the first quarter. While the United States has had some first quarter struggles, Argentina kept fighting for another ten minutes.

However, the United States just had too many weapons. After two quarters of action, the US scored 42 in the third, and ended pool play undefeated with a 126-97 win over an Argentina team that also gave them trouble in their exhibition game.

To Argentina’s credit, they had six players in double figures, and put up 97 on the United States. However, it wasn’t enough to offset big days from Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. The Thunder and Clipper stars combined for 13-of-16 shooting from the perimeter while contributing 45 of 126 points.

Team USA started pulling away midway through the third, and once again, the shorter three-point line played in the Americans favor. Argentina tried attacking the basket, and were effective for awhile. However, the US easily attacked on the other end, and an older Argentinean team could not contain the youth of the United States.

Ginobili finished with a team-high 16 points, but didn’t really contribute anywhere else. The United States were just that much better. Argentina was out-rebounded 28 to 46. Also, Team USA stole the ball 11 times, which contributed to Argentina’s 16 turnovers overall.

Ginobili will face Tiago Splitter and Brazil in the first round of the final eight-team tourney. Argentina and Brazil tip off at 2:00 pm CST and the winner will face the victor of the United States and Australia. Even if Argentina falls in the second round, a win over Brazil would secure them a spot in a medal game, whether that be gold or bronze.

The United States finally looked mortal in their 99-94 victory over Lithuania. The Lithuanians exposed Team USA’s defense with a steady diet of pick-and-rolls that exploited their faltering communication.

Even though Lithaunia lost, the results were impressive: They shot 58.5% from the field including 63.3% on 49 2-point attempts. Their true shooting percentage was an excellent 65.6%.

LeBron James asserted that their defensive communication needs to improve. If the Lithuanians are able to put a dent in the Americans armor, how will more talented teams fare?

    ”We must work on our communication,” James said. “At times we did. But defensively, to read and react to     certain situations, you need to talk about things that go wrong. [...] And this is what we will do. We did in the     past. We can do it. We will watch the video and we will do better.”

Chris Paul added that Lithuania executed their offense well. While the Americans shot a worse percentage, they offset their disadvantage a bit by getting to the free throw line 31 times.

    ”They took a lot of shots,” Paul said. “They executed their attacks. They rode well on the pick and roll with     Darius Songaila in the paint, but we must do a better job of communication and talk more defensively.”

Otherwise, their run at a gold medal could be cut short if the right team combines the perfect dosage of pick-and-roll prowess, perimeter shooting, defense and luck.