Morning all. Good weekend to you.
Andrew Sharp interviewed Tom Thibodeau in Rio for Sports Illustrated. As usual, he didn’t have much new to say, but did confirm that he hasn’t seen Snapchat.
Meanwhile, the U.S. men barely survived against Serbia, hanging on to win by three after opening up a 23-5 lead in the first few minutes of the game. Their lack of ball movement is becoming a problem against the more talented teams. Nikola Jokic was a force, with 25 points for Serbia, and personal favorite Milos Teodosic made his usual array of wondrous passes. The U.S. has looked very mortal in their last two games against good but not great teams.
The women were held under 100 for the first time in the tournament, but it hardly mattered as the beat Canada 81-51. Maya Moore has not had a huge scoring tournament, but has been doing some of everything. Yesterday she went for 12 points, 8 boards, 4 assists, and two steals.
Today, Spain plays Lithuania at 5 pm in a vital game for their advancement chances. They sit at 1-2 and will face Argentina in their final group game. They need at least one win in these last two to advance, and they’re in real danger. We’ll see if this group can summon their excellence one more time.
The U.S. women’s soccer team suffered a shock quarterfinal loss to Sweden on penalties. They more or less got what they deserved after showing a real lack of quality in the final third, unable to break down a disciplined Sweden defense. It ends their dominance at the Olympics in anti-climactic fashion, but that’s how soccer goes sometimes.
Speaking of which, today is the kickoff of the new Premier League season, Come On You Spurs. As of this writing, Hull is shocking defending champs Leicester 2-1 with 20 minutes left. Spurs open at Everton in an hour, along with other matches.
Have a great weekend.