Jalen Brunson and Team USA just got slapped with a massive wake-up call in the FIBA World Cup. The Americans bid farewell to their unblemished record on Sunday after a 110-104 shock defeat at the hands of Lithuania.
Team USA came into the tournament as the heavy favorites to win the gold medal, and while they are still expected to go all the way in the FIBA World Cup, there’s no denying that this loss proved to the rest of the world that the Americans aren’t the unbeatable force that many believe them to be.
Jalen Brunson Takes Full Responsibility for Loss Vs. Lithuania
Knicks star Jalen Brunson is not shying away from the embarrassment. In fact, the 27-year-old was quick to pin the blame on himself after seeing his team suffer their first loss of the tournament:
“[Lithuania] executed their game plan and we just started too slow,” Brunson said, via EuroHoops.net. “We played way better in the second half and we waited too long to come to play. That’s on me, I have to come ready to play, I have to have everyone else ready to play. Respect to them, they played great.”
Team USA was rocked to its core by Lithuania’s blistering start as Jonas Valanciunas and Co. took a 31-12 lead after the first quarter. At one point in the game, the Lithuanian’s lead ballooned to 21 points. In spite of a valiant comeback effort from the Americans, there was just no getting back from the deep hole they dug for themselves.
Brunson, who finished with 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting, four rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and zero turnovers in 23 minutes of action, had nothing but praise for their foes after Team USA’s unexpected loss:
“We are going to keep fighting, but that’s not good enough,” he said. “We have to be fighting for a full 40 minutes. Nothing but respect for those guys. They came ready to play and beat us from the start”.
Implications of Team USA’s Shock Defeat Vs. Lithuania
Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards did all he could to lead Team USA’s comeback bid. The All-Star shooting guard dropped a game-high 35 points, but in the end, it was all for nothing.
The good news for the Americans is that they have already secured their spot in the quarter-finals despite the loss. Seedings were at play against Lithuania, and because of the loss, Team USA is now slated to take on Italy in the knockout stages.
If anything, this should serve as a wake-up call for the Americans. For his part, Jalen Brunson is not taking this for granted one bit.
“It has to be, we have no other choice. If not, we go home,” Brunson stated. “That’s pretty much it.”
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