What goes up must come down, otherwise there’s no way Kevin Durant will have enough in his tank to propel the USA Basketball team to a world title.
Again carrying the U.S. on his back, Durant played 39 of 40 minutes in Monday’s 70-68 squeaker over Brazil, scoring a game-high 27 points, adding 10 rebounds and three steals. After Durant played 21 and 23 minutes, respectively, in the first two group stage games, head coach Mike Krzyzewski had better similarly scale him back over the final two. It would also be nice for the U.S. defense to figure out a way not to make Tiago Splitter look like Tim Duncan, but Durant has a way of making it easier to forget.
Recommended Stories
The bright spot is that facing Brazil as the third game in three nights was the worst point of the Turkey schedule. Only minnows Tunisia and Iran remain before next week’s knockout rounds, which also feature off nights except after the semifinals. But the U.S. hasn’t reached the halfway point of the tournament, and Durant already is bailing everyone out, including Coach K.
