Team USA must keep pressure on Germany, coach Steve Kerr says - ESPN

MANILA, Philippines — Entering the medal round of the FIBA World Cup, Team USA made a resolution: If the Americans were going to go home without the gold medal, it would be because they got beat playing their game not bending to the opponent.

Pressure, speed and relentless play. That's what they put on the Italians in a blowout victory in the quarterfinals and what they vow to do, again, when they face Germany in the semifinals on Friday (8:40 a.m. ET, ESPN2).

That mindset had eroded a bit as the tournament wore on, first in an uninspiring win over Montenegro that put them in the quarterfinals and then in a loss to Lithuania. The U.S. seemed to bend a little, as it worried about the opposition's size, and played a little tighter and less within its system of attacking to fatigue and then substituting in a fresh set of NBA players.

«We have so many guys with speed and quickness and ballhandling ability,» Team USA coach Steve Kerr said. «It's always easier to attack a defense that's not set than one that's set. So that's been a theme for us.»

Kerr and his strong staff of assistants — which include LA Clippers coach Ty Lue, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Gonzaga coach Mark Few and longtime NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy — emerged from film study before the 37-point win against Italy with the intention of re-invigorating Team USA's identity. They did so with an aggressive defensive game plan featuring halfcourt traps that contributed to 30 fastbreak points — exactly what Kerr and his staff wanted.

Germany presents a different challenge as the only team without a loss in the World Cup, boasting a perfect 6-0. Though not a great offensive rebound or particularly dangerous shooting team, Germany has a size advantage.

And they have