Propelled by 25 points and two crucial blocks from Kevin Durant, Team USA survived a close 86-85 battle with Spain Sunday in a pre-FIBA World Championships exhibtion match held in Instanbul, Turkey.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski made one of the game’s pivotal decisions, switching from man-to-man to zone defense—Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim’s famed “Orange” 2-3. It worked: Spain couldn’t react in time, and Durant easily blocked shots by Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez.
“Jim Boeheim said, ‘Let’s go orange,’” Krzyzewski said. “So we did.
Propelled by 25 points and two crucial blocks from Kevin Durant, Team USA survived a close 86-85 battle with Spain Sunday in a pre-FIBA World Championships exhibtion match held in Instanbul, Turkey.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski made one of the game’s pivotal decisions, switching from man-to-man to zone defense—Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim’s famed “Orange” 2-3. It worked: Spain couldn’t react in time, and Durant easily blocked shots by Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez.
“Jim Boeheim said, ‘Let’s go orange,’” Krzyzewski said. “So we did. It was his suggestion, and our guys did a good job with that.”
Derrick Rose, who finished the game with 13 points, hit two free throws to put the U.S. ahead by one. After the game, he recalled what went through his head while he stood on the line.
“I got to hit them,” Rose said. “As your legacy goes on or the way you want your legacy to finally end, this is something that some people are going to remember.”
The U.S. nearly led the entire game, until Spain pulled ahead by two with 90 seconds to play on a Felipe Reyes layup off a nifty assist from Rubio. It capped a remarkable comeback by the defending world champions.
Durant, who also had 10 rebounds in the contest, countered with a one-handed shot to put the U.S. up 84-82. But the game was hardly in the bag—Juan Carlos Navarro scored a three-point play with 27 seconds left to put Spain up three. Rose made his foul shots, though, and the U.S. pulled out the close win.
The U.S. have one more exhibition game to play until the FIBA World Championships begin August 28 in Turkey. Krzyzewski and crew will travel to Athens and play Greece Wednesday.
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