boutons_deux
07-10-2011, 04:40 PM
The safest pick turned into the biggest upset of the tournament. Russia beat the United States and advanced to the semifinals after being close to elimination just a few days ago. The Russians completed a very good game offensively and eliminated a poor American team.
Russia was clear about what they needed to do. Lots of activity off the ball, good ball distribution, smart decisions and outside shooting. Players cutting to the basket found uncontested layups easily. Dmitry Kulagin was there to make the difference in 1vs1 situations when Plan A didn't work. The outside shot (12/29 in three's) worked nicely, especially in the first half, when Russia opened a 10-point gap right before halftime.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-berman/u19-championship_b_893846.html?view=print
Russia was clear about what they needed to do. Lots of activity off the ball, good ball distribution, smart decisions and outside shooting. Players cutting to the basket found uncontested layups easily. Dmitry Kulagin was there to make the difference in 1vs1 situations when Plan A didn't work. The outside shot (12/29 in three's) worked nicely, especially in the first half, when Russia opened a 10-point gap right before halftime.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-berman/u19-championship_b_893846.html?view=print