Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Sports News Article | Reuters.comISTANBUL (Reuters) - A strong performance from Tim Duncan led the U.S. men's basketball team to an 80-68 win over Turkey Tuesday, rounding off their European tour on a positive note as they head to Athens for the Olympic Games.
Duncan scored 25 points and contributed 11 rebounds but was beaten to the title of top scorer by Turkey's Ibrahim Kutluay. He kept his team in contention for much of the game with a score of 26 points, including seven 3-pointers.
The U.S. beat the home side by the same margin Sunday and completed their exhibition tour with a 5-1 record, helping to blur the memory of a heavy 95-78 defeat against Italy last week.
They bounced back from that disappointment to beat Germany by a slim 80-77 margin and then gave a more convincing performance to beat Serbia and Montenegro 78-60.
"In terms of us being able to prepare to go to Athens, this was a great trip for us," head coach Larry Brown told a news conference after the game.
He alluded to areas that need improving if they are to win the Olympic gold as expected.
"We have to defend better than we did tonight so we can get out on the break," he said.
Turkey made a positive start to the game, going into an early 9-4 lead and, buoyed by a raucous home crowd, they ended the first half down just 37-36.
Hidayet Turkoglu, who plays for Orlando Magic in the NBA, contributed nine points for Turkey after missing the first game due to injury. Serkan Erdogan scored 12 points.
SECURITY CONCERNS
The U.S. team's preparations for the game were overshadowed by Tuesday's bomb blasts in Istanbul which killed two people and injured 11. The news stirred safety concerns for the team, who were protected by tight security in Turkey.
Questions in the post-match news conference focused on the players' response to the blasts. Brown said there was never any doubt about their desire to go ahead with the game.
"They gave us a (security) briefing. They made us feel a little bit more comfortable. Basically I was just trying to take my mind off it...and concentrate on the game," LeBron James said.
The U.S. players are burdened by high expectations. The team has achieved a 25-0 run of victories since the Olympics were opened to NBA players in 1992, winning the last three basketball gold medals. In total they have won 12 of the 14 Olympics in which they have competed.
Duncan scored 25 points and contributed 11 rebounds but was beaten to the title of top scorer by Turkey's Ibrahim Kutluay. He kept his team in contention for much of the game with a score of 26 points, including seven 3-pointers.
The U.S. beat the home side by the same margin Sunday and completed their exhibition tour with a 5-1 record, helping to blur the memory of a heavy 95-78 defeat against Italy last week.
They bounced back from that disappointment to beat Germany by a slim 80-77 margin and then gave a more convincing performance to beat Serbia and Montenegro 78-60.
"In terms of us being able to prepare to go to Athens, this was a great trip for us," head coach Larry Brown told a news conference after the game.
He alluded to areas that need improving if they are to win the Olympic gold as expected.
"We have to defend better than we did tonight so we can get out on the break," he said.
Turkey made a positive start to the game, going into an early 9-4 lead and, buoyed by a raucous home crowd, they ended the first half down just 37-36.
Hidayet Turkoglu, who plays for Orlando Magic in the NBA, contributed nine points for Turkey after missing the first game due to injury. Serkan Erdogan scored 12 points.
SECURITY CONCERNS
The U.S. team's preparations for the game were overshadowed by Tuesday's bomb blasts in Istanbul which killed two people and injured 11. The news stirred safety concerns for the team, who were protected by tight security in Turkey.
Questions in the post-match news conference focused on the players' response to the blasts. Brown said there was never any doubt about their desire to go ahead with the game.
"They gave us a (security) briefing. They made us feel a little bit more comfortable. Basically I was just trying to take my mind off it...and concentrate on the game," LeBron James said.
The U.S. players are burdened by high expectations. The team has achieved a 25-0 run of victories since the Olympics were opened to NBA players in 1992, winning the last three basketball gold medals. In total they have won 12 of the 14 Olympics in which they have competed.
