Byron Scott knows the journey to the gold medal won't be easy for Team USA in the upcoming Olympic Games. The team has now lost their two preparation games against Nigeria and Australia, respectively, setting the alarms at USA Basketball.
After the first match against the African side, Scott offered his opinion on the team's current situation. Talking with TMZ Sports, the former Los Angeles Lakers coach said that loss against Nigeria could impact the team before taking on Australia.
“Hopefully, that’s a wake-up call for them as well, that they’re not gonna cake walk through this,” Scott said. “They’re gonna have to be ready to play.”
Moreover, when asked if the team was good enough to win the gold medal in Tokyo, Scott said they need to learn to play together before the tournament but making it clear that their rivals will be ready to face them.
The most curious moment of this little conversation was when Scott named the teams that could give Team USA a run for their money, mentioning one country that no longer exists and one that didn't make it to the competition (1:36).
"I think France will be good this year. Yugoslavia is always pretty good. Russia is always pretty good. There’s always gonna be one team; it could be China this year. There’s always gonna be one team that surprises you."
Well, it's been 30 years since Yugoslavia ceased to exist, and Russia isn't even part of the tournament, so that leaves Byron with only one team, France. The European country has a solid roster but not many people see them as genuine contenders against Team USA.
Still, FIBA basketball can bring a lot of surprises, and the players already know that. They were dominated by Patty Mills and Joe Ingles in their second preparation match, leaving more doubts than certainties.
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