Team USA showing cracks with knockout stage looming

Team USA extended its international winning streak to 72 games in its fourth Olympic preliminary contest Friday night, but for just the fourth time during that decade-spanning streak, the Americans' margin of victory was slimmer than five points.

After needing a heroic performance from elder statesman Carmelo Anthony to get past a hungry Australian team Wednesday, it barely survived a spirited comeback from Serbia, who, after a woeful start, outscored the U.S. 86-71 over the final three-and-a-half quarters before missing a potential game-tying triple at the buzzer.

For a second consecutive game, USA's interior defense had holes torn through it by a big, physical, skilled front line. For a second consecutive game, the ball stuck on offense, beholden to isolations, while its opponent whipped it around with intuition, selflessness, and touch.

Denver Nuggets 21-year-old center Nikola Jokic buoyed Serbia with a brilliant all-round performance, scoring a game-high 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting, to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Bulldozing big man Miroslav Raduljica was immovable on the block, and scored 18 points despite foul trouble limiting him to 15 minutes. Point guard Milos Teodosic made it all go, with sharp shooting and virtuosic passing. Serbia played not only with more togetherness, but with a spark of creativity and joy the U.S. decidedly lacked. The Americans, to put it bluntly, were insipid by comparison.

The past two games have been a distillation of critical theories about hastily assembled superteams; about the perils of hero-ball and the importance of hard-earned trust among teammates.

To be clear, the U.S. is missing some of its best players (LeBron James, Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and James Harden, to name but a few) and we'd almost certainly be telling a different story if the team had its full complement of talent. That said, the U.S. team still enjoys a considerable edge over the rest of the men's Olympic field, as it still features some seven or eight of the world's 20 best players.

And yet, for all their obvious ability, the patchwork assemblage of players (there are six first-time national-teamers and 10 first-time Olympians on the squad in Rio) hasn't quite figured out how to play together. They've been plagued by a creeping uncertainty; not just about where or how to move, or who should have the ball or take the shot, but about how hard to try, and how much to care.

This wasn't just the second straight game in which would-be offensive engines like Kevin Durant, Paul George, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson couldn't seem to find themselves. It was also the second straight game in which the team's defense - the thing it supposedly prides itself on - allowed its opponent to shoot over 50 percent from the field. On the game's final possession, the U.S. couldn't even prevent Serbia from getting a wide-open look for the tie.

"Once again, we relied on natural talent," George said after the game. "This is why these guys are special in our league. These international guys really know how to move and really know how to cut. It's more about how they're running their offense. It's wearing us down."

Of course, the U.S. is still 4-0, with its final Group A preliminary coming Sunday against France. The Americans are still the overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal. But after Sunday comes the knockout stage, and the team's last two games haven't exactly inspired confidence. They haven't inspired much of anything, really, beyond maybe an eyebrow-raise, and a shrug.

This iteration of Team USA may yet be the victim of a colossal upset in Rio. But one way or another, if it continues on this track, it'll be the victim of an equally ignominious distinction. So far, this team is uninspiring, and kinda boring.