Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Las Vegas. NV–
When you use that word tune-up, it can have a lot of different meanings. It can be time to get your car looked at before you end up walking, or in this case it could be a chance for sports teams to figure out what it takes to win with a bunch of stars on the court. Tonight, the USA Basketball team passed its first test against Argentina, in a game that was never really close from the start in a 111-74 victory.
“Overall I thought it was good for our team. We got to play everybody double-figure minutes, a lot of different combinations. A huge thing for us during these five exhibition games is to try to be in game shape by the time we get to Rio,” USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
Team USA’s defense was first out of the gate, forcing turnovers on Argentina’s first two possessions with one resulting in a Kevin Durant slam dunk. George benefited most from early Argentina turnovers, cashing in with slam dunks and grabbing 10 points in the first half. He finished with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field.
There were a few unique moments during the game where it featured Kevin Durant with a few of his new teammates.
For a brief stretch in the second quarter , Thompson, Green and Durant played together for the first time, although both Green and Durant said they didn’t even realize it as it was happening.
“It definitely was [fun],” Green said. “When you’re out there right now, you don’t even think about the fact that we’re teammates. We’re all teammates right now.
For fans, those who actually made it inside of T Mobile arena to see the game before halftime, the team from Argentina, proved they could play as well with a few of its NBA players like Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino and Andres Nocioni.
A major box office sanfu kept many fans waiting outside in 110 degree heat to try and process their tickets and get them inside the game. Some fans were irate and called for a refund and after halftime, the arena just decided to let everyone in and the arena finally filled.
After the game MGM took some major heat and issued this statement on behalf of USA Basketball.
We apologize for the inconvenience experienced by guests for tonight’s USA Basketball. While the Box Office was operating at full capacity it was not able to fulfill the large volume of Will Call and on-site ticket purchases. Our guests and fans are our number one priority, and we sincerely regret the delays experienced. Refunds are being granted to those who were unable to attend the game and are available at the original point of purchase.”
