While Team USA’s gold medal chances may have decreased in the eyes of some fans, Las Vegas remains steadfast in its belief of Team USA standing atop the podium when all is said and done.
Marc Stein of ESPN is reporting that according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, Team USA currently stands as the overwhelming favorite to win gold at 1-20 odds, despite almost losing to Team Serbia yesterday.
But I spoke to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook and they are NOT changing Team USA's odds. Still a 1-to-20 shot to win men's basketball gold
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 13, 2016
This isn’t all that surprising, because when you take a step back and look at the entire competition, not only does Team USA have the most talented roster far and away, but they’re still undefeated.
A close win registers the same in the standings column as a blowout win (not in terms of point differential, but that can only theoretically come into play during group stage).
Team USA remains unblemished, so for any change in odds to occur just because a couple games were closer than anticipated sounds extremely panicky.
Team USA is changing some of their plans in light of these two close calls they’ve endured against Team Australia and Team Serbia, though.
They’ve cancelled their Saturday practice in order to focus on film work and a walk through on the cruise ship they’re staying on.
Different players had somewhat of divergent remedies they’d prescribe to the team, though. DeMar DeRozan agreed with teammates Draymond Green and Paul George in placing most of the blame on stagnant offensive play.
Catch up on US Oly men's bball hard-fought win v Serbia – story, quotes, photos & stats: https://t.co/ahfarjEDai ??? pic.twitter.com/YCtcMdI7WU
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 13, 2016
“When we’re sharing the ball, getting out in transition and everybody’s getting a chance to touch the ball, that’s when we become really dangerous,” said DeRozan.
DeAndre Jordan places more emphasis on defense, knowing that with such a talented offensive roster, they’ll figure out ways to put up points.
“We got some of the best scorers in the world,” said Jordan. “Offense isn’t a problem. We got to worry about playing defense for a whole game.”
The roster is full of formidable two-way players, and it’s easy to lose faith in that when games are closer than they probably should be.
However, for this team to lose in this field, not only do they have to severely implode, but the other team has to play a near flawless game.
Of course it’s possible that they’ll lose, but to suddenly demote Team USA from their pedestal of tournament favorite without having lost a game yet is overly apprehensive.