Team USA beat Turkey in a game that Turkish basketball will be kicking themselves for giving away with four missed free throws in overtime.
Team USA Beat Turkey Late
In the end it doesn’t matter how they did it. Team USA beat Turkey on late free throws by Khris Middleton to win 93-92 in a game they probably should have lost. With about eleven seconds left trailing by one, Miles Turner committed a turnover that should have ended the game. Instead Turkey missed all of their free throws with a chance to ice the game. The final score will read that Team USA beat Turkey but for those who saw it, Turkey beat themselves.
Before we can even get to the how the Turkish team threw this game away, we have to point out how many times Team USA saved themselves. With 12.3 seconds remaining in regulation, Ersan llyasova tipped in a basket to put Turkey up 81-79. On the ensuing possession Middleton missed a three but Jason Tatum was able to get the offensive rebound and get fouled while attempting a three. He made two of three free throws with less than one second left to force overtime.
Turkey Had Their Chance to Ice the Game
At the end of regulation, this Turkish team must have been disappointed to let that opportunity slip away in regulation. Prior to that Ilyasova tip in that gave them the lead, they had missed nine times with the chance to take the lead in regulation. Unfortunately, they were not done wasting chances to win the game.
Turkey was able to build a five-point lead in overtime but the Americans fought back. At the end of the day, Team USA beat Turkey at the free throw line. Although Jason Tatum will be very disappointed that he missed one of this three free throws at the end of regulation that would have ended the game, it’s nothing compared to what Dogus Balbay and Cedi Osman must be feeling.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Osman and Balbay missed the most important free throws in the history of Turkish basketball. Osman in particular must be devastated. He was the one who scored the go ahead basket plus the foul to make the score 92-91 with less than a minute left.
Team USA Survives and Moves On
Some will say this was a wake up call but it was more than that. Greg Popovich knows his team has a serious issue and it starts with the lack of a reliable inside presence. The Turkish zone hurt the Americans and the combination of that and the size of the Turkish front line shut Team USA’s offense down completely. The three best players on the Americans’ roster; Kemba Walker, Jason Tatum and Donovan Mitchell could not buy a basket.
If this team is going to win a gold medal, Turkey is not the best team they’ll face. They also aren’t the biggest either with teams like Serbia boasting much more size not to mention talent. This team has one of the best coaches in the history of the game in Gregg Popovich but as far as talent goes, this is one of the worst teams they’ve put together since professionals starting participating. Yes, Team USA beat Turkey today, but they shouldn’t have.
Jason Tatum injured his foot at the end of the game when he drove to the basket to set up Middleton for the game winning free throws. He will be evaluated tomorrow but it looks like he will miss some time. Popovich and his team face a tough road ahead on their quest to win this tournament.
