If Team USA’s narrow victory over Australia on Wednesday was considered a scare, then Friday’s game against Serbia was a full-length Hitchcock feature. With the win, the U.S. remains a perfect 4-0 in preliminary play, but one thing is coming clear: if the U.S. is going to win its third consecutive gold medal, the team will have to earn it. Defensively, the U.S. was terrible against Australia and Serbia trying to defend their motion offenses filled with back cuts and slip screens. Blame those breakdowns on a lack of communication from a team that isn’t used to playing this much defense. If the U.S. stays in its current malaise, it may be in for an even bigger fright in the knockout rounds.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 13, 2016 02:48 UTC