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A warm-up for USA

Finland can't match the Americans in any segment, not even the three pointer, and this match will serve as a way for USA to send everyone a message

USA always come as favorites when it comes to basketball. Long gone are the days when they underestimated the Europeans and sent university players to competitions like these. This summer, they had a lot of bad luck with injuries and lay-offs, but remained the favorites in everyone's eyes, which shows their strength and width. 

Let's just mention that Durant, James, Griffin, Howard, Love, George and at least 10 other players who could easily be in the team aren't here. But, coach Krzyzewski has something else. A team of his own design, a young team hungry for success, who'll play top defense and bite from the first to the last minute.

Krzyzewski pointed out a few times that this team are expected to play maximally aggressive defense for the whole 40 minutes, which obviously also means creating killer counter attacks. No one on this tournament can match that, except for the Spaniards maybe. Finland are a decoration here, more or less, but coach K still talks about them with respect:

- They have a great leadership. They're a compact team who rely on the back shot a lot, and we have to be careful there. Koponen is their main player, he can score, break the first line, and everything starts with him. 

Now, Krzyzewski probably doesn't have to think too much about who to place to guard Koponen. Whomever he chooses, the Finn won't stand the chance, and that's what this game comes down to. The difference in quality cannot be measured. The Finns can't match their rebounds to the Americans', and the only thing they can try is shoot three pointers as much as they can. Some will get in, most won't, because the Americans will be motivated fully from the start, and will want to send a message.

A run and gun team. That's the easiest way to describe the Finns, even though that's been changing lately. The Finns are becoming more organized and dangerous. They're not a team that lives and dies with three pointers any more, even though that's still their biggest weapon, but they are a more respectful team now, after the phenomenal Eurobasket in Slovenia last year.

The Finns defeated the basketball greats there, like Russia, Turkey, Greece, and the home team Slovenia, and they were very close to the quarterfinals. The team leader was the great scorer Petteri Koponen, and Finland's game will depend on him a lot. There are also the experienced Rannikko and the great three-point scorers Koivisto and Salin. The back line lacks height and strength, but if they get a series of shots, they can destroy any opponent. 

They had problems in the paint last year, where they lack height, and don't have much strength, either, except for Kotti. Lee is a good jumper, Mottola is Finland's basketball legend, but also a man who'll turn 38 this year, and who has a series of uncomfortable injuries behind him. Their coach Dettman is a great expert, and he confirmed the direction he sees his team taking:

- Our concept is to aim for the modern fast basketball. It remains to be seen how much we'll manage to do that.

Fast basketball is definitely not an ideal way to face USA, but when you take a good look, there is no ideal way for the Finns to face the Americans, so maybe it's best to play their game and get ready for the opponents they do have a chance against. That's not how Dettmann wants to see things, though:

- We're athletes and we have to act like that. We can't give up right away, but we have to play smart and focused, and that's the only way to have benefit from this match. 

Considering all of that, it's clear that Finland will have to focus on the fast basketball with lots of transitions and back shots. USA are the ones who invented that kind of basketball and we can expect them to crush the Finns from the start here, because Finland can't match the Americans in any segment of the game, not even the three pointer shots. 

I don't like playing handicaps this big, especially not when the teams are more or less serious, like Finland today. However, too many things are on USA's side. It's stupid to count all the players and explain that the difference is like heaven from hell. I think that what's more important is that the Americans are fully motivated. They have a younger team hungry for a win, and a coach who insists on maximum defense for the whole 40 minutes. Finland will lose in rebounds by far, and will have a hard job getting easy shots in the back line, because of the USA's back's aggressiveness, so they'll lose a lot of balls because they have no real point guard. Finland lost by 30 to Australia and Lithuania in the preparation period, and USA are a level or two above them. I think this can go to 50, and I have to take this handicap, as big as it is.