Nigeria became the first African country to beat Team USA when it shocked No. 1 side 90-87 in a pre-Olympic exhibition game in Las Vegas on Saturday, and D'Tigers coach Mike Brown told ESPN it was no one. was not temporary.
The rare loss was only Team USA's third in 57 exhibition games since 1992, and the last time the Americans lost was against Australia in 2019. The last two meetings between the US and Nigeria ended in an 83-point and 43-point blowout victory for the team. America.
Brown, who is an assistant coach for the NBA's Golden State Warriors, told ESPN that his team fully expected to win the clash, and that less than three weeks after game time in Tokyo, it would be in Italy, Germany. And would hope to beat Australia.
"The main thing is that we expect to win every time we step on that floor," Brown said. "So if we really believe that, when we win a big game like this even though it was just an exhibition, we're going to pursue it, because we know that the next one - touch wood - we Defeat.
"So winning a game [against America], yes, it can affect or affect a lot of people. But I don't think it will affect this group.
"But the time has come for the Olympics, when the lights go on, we will be ready. Believe me."
Oh man, this Precious Achiuwa block of Kevin Durant 👀pic.twitter.com/5WVx9cVSgz
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) July 11, 2021
The Nigerians excelled across the board, taking 20 three balls at an amazing 47% shooting from the back of the arc.
On the other end of the floor, Miami Heat rookie Precious Achiuwa's commanding rejection on Kevin Durant's try block was the epitome of Nigeria's defensive efforts, which included pulling Team USA out of the shooting range as it left 13 seconds with a potential three-point play. had tried. clock in.
Importantly, this was the first time a reorganized team led by Brown was playing together. A scrimmage scheduled for the day before the game was cancelled, the players had nothing but practice going into the matchup.
So how did he win it?
no fear factor
Most teams that step onto the floor against Team USA walk away with awe, if not awe, knowing they're playing against a team with top-shelf talent.
This is not a Nigeria team. Everything - the way he entered, the way he competed, his aggression and his shooting - showed that he was in no way intimidated by Team USA.
It highlights a stacked roster that plays hard despite the presence of Kevin Durant, Dame Lillard, Jason Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Drummond Green, Kevin Love, and Bradley Beal, despite the "exhibition" tag.
This attitude will be important for the Games and the going D Tigers in the future. In the World Cup, they lost games they should have won, with many pointing to the opposition's high regard for them.
Coming up with W after playing with such a fearless attitude against the best team in the world should build confidence going forward.
my precious
Achiuwa's block against Kevin Durant's effort was the highlight of the night and should be well on his way to becoming one of Nigerian basketball's most iconic images.
Brown said the Miami Heat rookie is a special talent: "He's extremely important to the program. There's no limit to how good he can be.
"As a young boy, you see talent, you see determination, you see intelligence, you see physical and mental toughness, you see athleticism, length, quickness. You see all those things, and When he puts them all together, he is a dynamite on the floor even as a young boy.
"It's just a matter of him understanding how he can use all those features on the floor every single second. He's still learning, and so I say he's not even close to touching his ceiling.
"And once he's fully figured it out, it's a wrap for anyone in front of him because he's dynamic on the court."
If few people did not know about Achiuva, almost no one would have heard of Caleb Agada, who was not drawn in 2016 and played with Hapoel Bayer Sheva in the Israeli Premier League.
The 6-foot-5 guard was born in Ontario, Canada, and played college ball for the University of Ottawa. On Saturday, when he left for the same 17 points as KD, he turned a few more heads and shot 3-of-3 from the deep.
The old guard did not leave
When Brown named his 16-man roster, some Nigerian basketball loyalists were shocked by the absence of the two most experienced leaders in the team, previous captain Ike Diogu and his assistant Ben Uzoh.
The key question was how this team would perform without its two most important leaders. Of course, their production may not be at the same level as it was in their heyday, but there are no better glue people to hold a team together.
That question was answered vigorously. Ekpe Udoh, Gabe Vincent, Michael Gibbinije and Stan Okoye provided leadership and guidance for the team.
And when that leadership helps Team USA beat it, there's nothing more to add. Diogu and Uzoh are irreplaceable, and their contribution to Nigerian basketball is among the best. But this team's performance showed that the new guard would carry on that legacy.
don't succumb to overconfidence
Nigeria next face Argentina on Monday and then take on Tokyo Group rivals Australia on Wednesday.
Brown said Nigeria will go into the Games with confidence, it will not be about defeating ourselves: "We are a confident group, hopefully not overconfident.
"That's why it's great to have these exhibition games because we can understand where we are. But we're a confident enough group that we know anything can happen at any time.
"We know for sure that whenever we step on the floor, if we do our bit, we're going to stand a pretty good chance of beating anyone in front of us.
"I tell my guys this. If we lose a game every time we step on the floor, at the end of the day, in my opinion it's because we beat ourselves."