UNITED STATES He came face to face with reality. The big favorite to win the basketball world cup He did not even finish on the podium in the event which took place in Philippines, Japan And Thailand. A tough blow for a team that was expected to dominate and ended up succumbing to the power of other teams.

The defeat against Canada highlights the failure of the United States in this World Cup. The top contenders for gold say goodbye without winning a medal and with a host of negative feelings. A situation which reopens the debate on this “Dream Team”, which seems to threaten its rivals less and less.

Since 2014, nine years ago, the United States has not managed to win a Basketball World Cup, a long drought which seems excessive for a team used to bringing together the best stars on the planet. However, it seems that it is becoming more and more difficult for them to string together victories given the increasing level of European players or their Canadian neighbors.

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The participation of the United States was marked by a series of negative records that highlight the small crisis experienced by the country’s basketball in this type of tournament. Something very different from the Olympic Games, where they always show up in their best clothes to compete.

An unceremonious failure which forced Steve Kerr, coach of the country’s national team, to come forward. “Continuity” was the element they pivoted on, demonstrating how difficult it is to build a game system for players who seem more focused on their own success than the team.

Negative records

The truth is that the United States has left a series of more or less surprising records from its participation in this Basketball World Cup. The bad news for them is that the vast majority are negative, because it’s been a long time since they suffered so much on the track.

The first of them is that the North American team lost an overtime in an absolute tournament for the first time in its history. Before Canada, Michael Bridges He was about to change the course of the match in an incredible play with two tenths to go. However, those of Jordi Fernández They were beaten in almost flawless overtime.

The three matches lost in this edition of the World Cup against Canada, Germany and Lithuania did this for the third time in history in a major tournament. Previously, this had only happened at the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Additionally, going two consecutive World Cups without finishing in the top three is a difficult situation to imagine on Team USA. You have to go back to the early 60s and 70s to see something similar, since in 1963, 1967 and 1970 he found himself without a medal.

Self-criticism in the United States

The superiority of the United States has always been a constant. At each tournament, they presented themselves as the big favorites, far ahead of everyone else. This vitola has accompanied them over the years, but it seems to disappear little by little with the rise in power of the other selections.

This means that the air of superiority has been present on several occasions and the event being held on Asian soil has been no less so. Steve Kerr’s team were the big favorites, especially after their performance in the quarter-finals after beating Italy by almost 50 points.

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However, first Germany in the semifinals, then Canada in the fight for bronze brought American basketball back to reality. Through their coach, they had no choice but to criticize themselves after the debacle experienced during their last match of the tournament.

“It is difficult for us to build continuity with the American team. What we tried to do is find out what wins a FIBA ​​match. We really studied everything about FIBA, the history of American basketball: when we won, what was the reason, and when we lost, what was the reason. We study all these things. We didn’t defend well against Germany and Canada and this is the result,” Steve Kerr said before returning to the United States without a medal.

The North American coach did not stop there, he also wanted to break a spear in favor of the teams participating in the FIBA ​​tournament. Kerr highlighted the good work of his rivals, which allowed them to close their participation with three defeats in eight games, a very high figure.

“I didn’t need any reminders. I was part of the coaching staff of 2019 (the World Cup), when we finished seventh. The United States hasn’t won a World Cup since 2014, it’s tough. These FIBA ​​teams are really good, well coached and they have continuity,” Kerr said.

The door now opens for the return of the best players in the coming years. Paris 2024 Olympic Games. There is already speculation about the return of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry either LeBron James. In fact, the Lakers forward has already left an enigmatic message through a comment on a post where there is speculation about it. A true declaration of intent to see the best version of the ‘Dream Team’ again.