Boris Diaw: “Nobody is unbeatable”

May 29, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Boris Diaw (33) reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half in game two of the Western Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at the AT

While the 1992 Dream Team was an inscrutable powerhouse, devoid of any negligible holes, there seems to be one legitimate flaw for the most recent edition of Team USA — size.

Boris Diaw thinks it’s an issue against other international teams but it won’t be against France.

“… Compared to other European teams they say (they’re smaller),”     Diaw said. “A team like Lithuania, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, but     against us they are not smaller than us. We do not have a great     team either, they just have one style of play that will be closer to     ours than anything else.

It can be an advantage. I think we’ll compete effectively, especially     in terms of size. Then we’ll have to try to fight at our level.”

The United States have tinkered with a couple of lineups, hoping to extenuate their shortcomings by utilizing Kevin Durant and LeBron James in the pick-and-roll. This deadly set forces the other team to shift to a more agile configuration, essentially eliminating their size deficit.

And yet, Diaw supported Tony Parker’s notion that Team USA is, in fact, beatable.

“Sure, nobody is unbeatable,” Diaw said. “Before a match, you can’t guess the outcome of the match except     perhaps in ’92. But nowadays, I don’t think you can act like that. Whenever you start a game, the goal is to     win. Anyway we never (know) what can happen; it’s still a basketball game.”