Germany followed suit a few days after South Sudan stunned Team USA with their precise long-range shooting and fearless play. It took the fight to the Americans in their last tune-up game before the Paris Olympics basketball tournament tips off this weekend.
The US men's basketball squad teetered on the brink of a humbling defeat as they trailed Germany 82-81, with only four minutes left to play. Fortunately for the Americans, they have one of the greatest players in the sport's history on their side, and he came through in the clutch. LeBron James scored 11 of his 20 points in the final frame to lead Team USA to a hard-fought 82-78 win over Germany.
World Champions were in a rhythm
The Germans looked primed to pull off the upset victory as Franz Wagner, Andreas Obst, and Dennis Schroder sizzled from beyond the arc to help Germany take a one-point lead late in the match. Sensing trouble for his team, the man known as "The King" did it all for Team USA down the stretch.
He began by grabbing a rebound and going all the way for a slam dunk, followed by a steal and a layup. Bron then stole the ball and drew a foul, making two free throws afterward. He completed his remarkable one-man barrage by draining a triple from the right wing and scoring a tough layup with three defenders draped over him.
"I thought we played our best basketball in the third quarter, played with great tempo, and then somebody named LeBron James made some pretty good plays at the end," Germany's head coach Gordie Herbert said .
LeBron, the oldest player on Team USA at 39, had 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists in 20 minutes, showing he remains the alpha dog of the squad despite his age.
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Tested once again
The Americans began the USA Basketball Showcase with dominant performances against a loaded Canadian squad, a Serbian team bannered by reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, and an Australian team that features numerous NBA players. However, their last two games have been much closer, with Team USA narrowly defeating South Sudan and now Germany.
James said the last two games were stellar tests of their character and resilience as a team.
"We were tested by a great Germany team – they were a world champion last year, so it was a good test for us, and I'm glad we were able to, once again, keep our composure and persevere," LeBron asserted .
Team USA coach Steve Kerr added that the squad is steadily getting better, but there are some areas they need to clean up. One, in particular, stood out: turnovers. The Americans committed a whopping 14 compared to only seven for Germany.
"I think we can get a lot better. We're getting to a place now where we're getting comfortable with rotations, and I think guys are getting familiar with each other, but we can do a lot of things better with our passing, which was not great tonight. They put a lot of defensive pressure on us, and we turned it over a few times," Kerr emphasized.
Team USA opens their campaign in the group stage on Sunday with a match against Serbia.
Related: "What we've learned with USA Basketball is that the gap has closed" - Steve Kerr admits the close win over South Sudan was a wake-up call
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