The 33rd-ranked basketball team in the world, South Sudan, almost pulled off a surprising win over the United States NBA team on Saturday but ultimately lost 101-100 in a London warm-up game for the Olympics.
Although Team USA has appeared unconvincing at times in wins and has recently flattered to appear convincing on a few occasions.
Watch a snippet of Team USA and Team South Sudan Olympics Warmup NBA game below
In the closing seconds, a late basket by LeBron James saved the team’s embarrassment, and head coach Steve Kerr accepted responsibility for his team’s complacency.
After an 8-0 scoring spree in the second half, South Sudan, who had led 58-44 at the break, was set to pull off one of the biggest upsets in international basketball history when James came to the team’s rescue.
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With eight seconds left at the O2 Arena, the all-time NBA scoring guru scored the game-winning basket with a driving layup.
“The ending was good for us—just to feel that and to feel what it’s going to feel like in Paris,”
US coach Steve Kerr stated. “We had a good experience.
It’s a good reminder that everyone should play as though it’s their greatest experience when we play against teams.”
“South Sudan was incredible,” Kerr went on to remark.
“I did a poor job of getting my team ready.
It is my fault that we did not pay enough attention to what they are capable of.
“I believe that was a major factor in South Sudan’s early confidence-boosting.
“Once we turned it up in the second half, they had already knocked down a bunch of threes and were feeling really good about themselves.”
With 20 seconds left, J.T. Thor, who plays for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, made a three-pointer to give South Sudan a 100-99 lead.
South Sudan had one last possession after James made the game-winning basket.
However, Carlik Jones missed a jumper with six seconds left, and Wenyen Gabriel missed two put-back tries prior to the final buzzer.
The two-time Olympic winner and four-time NBA champion James said,
“We have to continue to take a step forward,” which ignited the victory.
We have maybe two weeks together, but many of the teams we play have been practicing for months in advance,
so every game and every film session is an opportunity for us.
Without going back, we must strive to make the most of it.”
Following the game, several fans posted their opinions on X.
Screenshots of a few of the comments are included below.
On July 31 in Lille, the United States will play South Sudan once more in the Olympic group rounds.
