Alexa Philippou
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Alexa Philippou
ESPNCovers ladies’s university basketball and the WNBA
Formerly covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sunlight for the Hartford Courant
Stanford grad and Baltimore indigenous with more experience at the Dallas Early Morning Information, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer
Kevin Pelton
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Kevin Pelton
ESPN Elderly Author Co-author, Pro Basketball Program collection
Previously a specialist with the Indiana Pacers
Created WARP ranking and SCHOENE systemAug 8, 2024, 09:49 AM ET
Two international opponents will certainly reunite on Friday, as the USA ladies’s basketball group takes on the Australian Opals with a place in the 2024 Paris Gamings’ gold medal suit on the line.
Group U.S.A., which is riding a touch of 59 successive Olympic victories, progressed to the semifinals with an 88-74 accomplishment over Nigeria on Wednesday. Complying with a distressed loss to Nigeria in their Olympic opener, the Opals have actually strung with each other 3 straight success, consisting of Wednesday’s 85-67 quarterfinal choice over Serbia.
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While the united state ladies have actually been the gold criterion for basketball throughout the globe, winning 7 successive Olympic gold medals and 9 total, Australia has actually been a historical giant together with them. The Opals have actually medaled in 5 of the previous 7 Summertimes Gamings, taking home 3 silvers and 2 bronze, although their semifinal run in Paris notes the very first time they have actually progressed past the quarterfinals because the 2012 London Gamings.
2012 additionally was the last time the famous Lauren Jackson dressed on the Olympic phase for the environment-friendly and gold– previously. While Group U.S.A. has 42-year-old, six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi, the Opals have Jackson, 43, showing up in her 5th Gamings and initially in 12 years. Jackson has actually constantly medaled in the competitors, and though she has actually seen restricted activity until now in France, she has a possibility to proceed that touch this weekend break.
Australia– which flaunts 6 energetic WNBA gamers– has a lot of energy, yet the Opals are 0-20 perpetuity versus the united state elderly nationwide group, consisting of 0-8 in Olympic competitors. Throughout the 5 Gamings in which they medaled, Australia shed to the united state either in the semifinals or the gold medal competition. The teams last satisfied in 2020, when the Americans dominated 79-55.
ESPN’s Alexa Philippou and Kevin Pelton damage down several of journalism concerns heading right into the match.
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Breanna Stewart credit scores Jackie Youthful for jump-starting Group USA
Breanna Stewart speaks with Brian Windhorst after Group U.S.A.’s 14-point gain Nigeria to progress to the semifinals.
Group U.S.A. switched over up its beginning 5 versus Nigeria, with Jackie Youthful instead of Diana Taurasi. Did the relocation repair its problems in the backcourt?
Philippou: Beginning Youthful instead of Taurasi– that had last come off the bench at the Olympics in 2004– was the appropriate relocation. With 15 factors versus Nigeria, Youthful seems taking a function as Group U.S.A.’s 3rd marker behind A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. (Certainly, Youthful is the just various other united state gamer balancing dual numbers at 10.3 factors per video game.) Youthful, among 3 Las Las vega Aces gamers in the beginning 5, displayed her 3-point capturing previously versus Germany, going 5-of-8. However while she went scoreless from deep on Wednesday, it was her capability to obtain downhill and strike from midrange that attracted attention, together with her hallmark protection in the backcourt. It took till the center of the 2nd quarter for the united state to truly place its foot on the gas versus Nigeria, yet Youthful’s aggressiveness and power on both ends ought to remain to pay rewards. And Taurasi appeared to do well off the bench, where she tipped up as a facilitator with 4 helps.
Pelton: I would certainly like to see beginning point player Chelsea Gray be a risk to rating. She missed out on all 3 of her shot efforts in the quarterfinals, bringing Gray to 1-of-13 until now throughout the Olympics. Extremely, the united state outscored Nigeria by simply 2 factors in Gray’s 17:27, while all 4 various other beginners had a plus-minus of plus-17 or far better while on the court.
Still, as I discussed in our last roundtable, the united state ladies can get over one non-scorer in the beginning 5 as long as she is bringing another thing to the table. And Gray is with her playmaking, having actually currently completed 22 helps versus simply 3 turn overs. So, I do not assume train Cheryl Reeve requires to make more modifications.
Picture by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE by means of Getty Images
What troubles do the Australians position, and what could make them a challenging match?
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Philippou: WNBA followers will certainly be well acquainted with this Opals team, which includes the Seattle Tornado’s Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, Minnesota Lynx’s Alanna Smith, Los Angeles Stimulates’ Stephanie Talbot, Washington Mystics’ Jade Melbourne and Indiana High temperature’s Kristy Wallace, plus New york city Freedom train Sandy Brondello at the helm. Not just do the Opals have the skill to complete versus Group U.S.A.. They have energy and willpower following their unsatisfactory beginning to the Olympics. Brondello has actually been pleased with her group’s grace and grit over the previous week, 2 high qualities a challenger requires when encountering the Americans.
The Opals, whose well balanced strike flaunts 5 gamers balancing at the very least 8.0 PPG, can injure enemies inside with Magbegor and Smith yet additionally from the 3-point arc. Their 36.9% 3-point clip is the very best in the Olympic area and a lot more than Group U.S.A.’s puny 30.8%. Whitcomb and Cayla George, a 2023 WNBA champ while with the Las Las vega Aces, lead the group with 8 and 7 treys, specifically.
Pelton: Theoretically, Australia is much deeper and a lot more skilled than any kind of group in the area conserve for the united state ladies. We can discuss the very best worldwide gamer at the Paris Gamings, with Emma Meesseman (Belgium) and Satou Sabally (Germany) as solid prospects. However no group has a set of gamers just as good as the Opals’ frontcourt duo of Magbegor and Smith, both of whom would certainly have gotten on my WNBA Dream team this year. (Magbegor, a 2023 All-Star, was not called to the group this period regardless of comparable manufacturing.) And no group outside the united state has almost as much WNBA experience throughout its lineup.
Offered all that skill, it was surprising when Australia shed its opening video game to Nigeria after that hardly defeat winless Canada. In their previous 2 video games, we have actually seen the Opals we anticipated, as they defeat covered France to progress to the knockout phase and led Serbia by as lots of as 28 in an unbalanced quarterfinal triumph.
A’Ja recipes to Stewie for 3.
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Can any person quit Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson?
Pelton: No. However if any person is mosting likely to include them, it’s the duo of Magbegor and Smith. Australia’s article gamers rate 2nd (Magbegor, 2.4) and 4th (Smith, 1.8) in the WNBA in blocks per video game and have the movement to protect Stewart and Wilson on the boundary. Magbegor is especially experienced versus both challengers, having actually encountered Stewart in method for 3 years as Tornado colleagues and paired up with Wilson in the 2022 WNBA semifinals.
The most significant challenge for Magbegor and Smith is nasty difficulty. Magbegor got 3 first-half fouls versus Canada, and Smith had 2 in the very first quarter versus France, restricting their mins. Back-up George is a challenging, competent gamer (she racked up 18 factors in 24 mins versus Serbia) yet no place near as sports on protection.
Philippou: Pelton raises a legitimate issue. However offered the experience Stewart and Wilson contend this phase– Stewart is going with her 3rd Olympic gold and Wilson her 2nd, while Magbegor and Smith are showing up in their very first Gamings– I would certainly anticipate the Group U.S.A. very duo to make the winning plays essential in such a high-pressure circumstance to advancement to the last.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Which of France and Belgium would certainly be a harder challenger for Group U.S.A.?
Pelton: I’m selecting Belgium, which offered the united state ladies their most difficult Olympic examination yet. The Americans dominated by 13 factors, although the margin was simply 7 getting in the 4th quarter of a team phase video game played in Lille, France, near the boundary with Belgium. All this regardless of Belgium going simply 5-of-27 in 3-point capturing, with Julie Vanloo especially having a hard time from midtown while missing out on 10 of her 11 efforts. On Wednesday, the Mystics point player went 3-of-5 from 3, racking up 13 factors with 7 helps (albeit with 9 turn overs) as Belgium travelled previous Spain, the just various other group besides the united state that was unbeaten in swimming pool play.
Philippou: As the host nation with the group on its side and a lot of satisfaction on the line, a tough protective group in France would not be a piece of cake, either, particularly if Marine Johannes can go off like she did versus Germany with 24 factors off the bench and with Gabby Williams blazing a trail on both ends.
Has Group U.S.A. played its finest basketball yet?
Philippou: In-game uniformity, particularly on infraction, can still be a concern. There are times when the absence of playing time with each other or Reeve’s tweaking with rotations/combinations is still noticeable. Besides, there’s a reason that Sue Bird lately stated on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast that U.S.A. Basketball is one of the most awkward basketball she has actually ever before played. After a little a slow-moving beginning, the united state ultimately led by 30 in the 3rd quarter versus Nigeria, yet Reeve could not have actually enjoyed exactly how her group enabled the D’Tigress to make it a 14-point video game prior to the last buzzer. With 4 video games, the Americans’ absence of 3-point capturing hasn’t truly been treated, which can be a concern if challengers fume from deep.
Group U.S.A. can not forget any one of the staying groups in the area, yet with a protective identification and offending expertise led by Stewart and Wilson, it has actually revealed it can place video games away when it requires to, something that ought to move over right into the last 2 video games.
Pelton: On the other hand, I assume the capturing is additionally factor to think there’s one more equipment for the united state ladies. Jointly, the 12 gamers on the lineup have actually incorporated to fire 33% on 3-point efforts in the WNBA this period. That will not gain a “Dash Sis” label whenever quickly, yet it’s additionally far better than Group U.S.A. has actually taken care of from the much shorter 3-point line in FIBA play.
Taurasi (1-of-7) and Jewell Loyd (2-of-10) are past due to warm up from lengthy array. Watch out if they lastly do.
