The Americans are 2-0 at the FIBA World Championship, and today they’ll face their toughest test to date, as they take on international power Brazil. Here’s ESPN’s preview of the Brazilians:
Even with the talent displayed by Marcelinho Huertas, Leandro Barbosa and Splitter, Varejao is still the key to this team, no matter which way we look at it. In his participation in a recent friendly tournament in Logroño, Spain, Varejao’s defense was the factor that kept Brazil in the game after the absence of Nene and Splitter.
In the highly physical international play, there may be no one better than the Cleveland Cavaliers power forward to keep a team together and provide scoring opportunities for Splitter and Barbosa.
The only gray area is in the team’s adjustment to Magnano, who replaces Spain’s Moncho Monsalve, who took the helm in 2008, failed to qualify the team to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and then had to leave the job because of health concerns.
Anyone would say that changing coaches midway through an Olympic cycle is hard and that it affects the players, who probably got used to a style of work and professional trust. And this is where Magnano may run into problems.
The game is on ESPN at 2:30 PM ET.
