July 18 News: The USA Basketball team’s exhibition game against the Serbian national team kicked off in Abu Dhabi, with the former comfortably winning 105-79, securing their third consecutive victory in exhibition matches. In this game, led by Stephen Curry, the USA Basketball players demonstrated their “merciless” side, with Curry racking up 18 points in just the first 11 minutes on the court.
“Warriors fans probably hate me tonight,” Kerr joked after the game. “Every time I subbed Curry out, they probably hated me.” The USA Basketball roster for this year’s Olympic campaign is impressively deep, boasting seven MVPs, not including Kevin Durant who is sidelined due to a calf injury. Thus, during the exhibition games, Kerr has been employing hockey-style substitutions, replacing five players at once. So, have they decided on their starting lineup?
Kerr indicated that he will use a core starting lineup featuring James, Curry, and Embiid. “We’ve been keeping an eye on the others around them, we clearly have great options, but I like these three together,” Kerr said. “Davis and Adebayo have played well together, they can switch positions to protect the rim and also stretch out to expand the defensive coverage. The team’s strength lies in its depth, so if we can play intense defense and grab rebounds for four to five minutes at a time, then it makes sense.”
