Dwyane Wade Warns Team USA From Getting Trapped in “Dogfight” as LeBron and Co. Advance Into Quarterfinals

The USA men’s basketball team’s run for the gold so far seems uncontested, but to what extent? While the team has remained unbeaten ever since the exhibition games started, there have been some really close calls. South Sudan and Germany ran them close in their last two Exhibition Games, but Team USA came away with the wins thanks to some clutch heroics by LeBron James. Amid such a cut-throat competitive scenario, Dwyane Wade‘s concern that “it only takes one off night” does not seem misdirected.

As per an article by NBC News, Canada and France seem to have impressed Wade to a considerable extent. Although the USA defeated Canada in the exhibition game by 86-72, the 14-point difference is not something LeBron James and Co. would want to settle for. Nonetheless, Dwyane Wade believes that Team USA is still an overwhelming favorite to win the gold.

“This is not a seven-game series… All they gotta do is be better than you on one night. There’s so many compelling teams, any given night, if Team USA don’t bring their A-game, they could be in a dogfight,” Wade said as per the NBC News article. It is worth mentioning the closest Team USA has come to facing a loss was against South Sudan. The team had to solely rely on LeBron James’ experience and proficiency to escape with a close 101-100 win. However, that was an exhibition game.

The team came back much stronger in their real-game face-off, emerging victorious 103-86. In fact, in all the group stage games so far, Team USA has maintained a 15+ points win margin. And considering the roster boasts a combined 13 NBA titles, and 8 NBA MVP awards, continuing this run should not be much of an issue. But coach Steve Kerr is still not willing to take any risk with the team’s chances at gold.

“We’ve got options for everything“: Kerr reveals his strategy to counter the playing styles of different teams

The 58-year-old head coach has time and again been questioned for his choice of team lineups and rotations. But he has not got 4 NBA championships to his name as a coach for nothing. And this was reflected when he chose to go with two different line-ups against Serbia and then South Sudan.

We already saw the results, and Kerr has made it clear players will have to keep their egos aside regarding playing time and rotations for the team’s greater good. In fact, he has reportedly asked the players to forget about their NBA experience and their preferences. Team USA’s head coach further compared the NBA regular season with a soap opera, where social media takes over to turn things dramatic.

But the Olympics are a different story, where nothing but only the gold medal decides your ratings. “Every opponent is different. We’ve got options for everything, and we’re going to use those options how we best see fit,” Kerr said. It’s evidently clear the 58-year-old is in no mood to let Dwyane Wade’s fear of “one off day” turn into reality.

Stay tuned for more such updates. Join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.