So here we are at the quarterfinal round of the Basketball Tournament of the London Olympics. This is the start of the knock out phase so it's "loser-foes-home" time.
The matchups have been finalized so let's take a quick look at what we can expect tonight.
USA vs Australia - What promises to be tan exciting but totally predictable game. Australia will play tough, intelligent ball. Team USA will play offensively brilliant, athletic ball. Athleticism will win.
Key match up - Chris Paul/Deron Williams vs Patty Mills. The Australian guard is, surprisingly, quicker than either and if he can use this to his advantage, we may see Andre Iguodala or Lebron James taking on Mills.
Prediction: USA 110, Australia 78.
Russia vs Lithuania - Exciting match with tons of history. Lithuania is a miniscule country compared to Russia but, historically, it has loads of basketball talent, maybe more than Russia ever had. In fact, back when Lithuania was part of the USSR, a lot of Russian stars came from Lithuania. And, for the longest time, Lithuania basketball has been so much better than Russian basketball. But not anymore. Blatt has transformed Russian basketball with his dynamic system and we may finally see big brother spank little brother's butt.
Key match up - Linas Kleiza vs Andrei Kirilenko. Both are playing extremely well, with Kleiza providing a huge offensive spark while Kirilenko is doing it on the defensive end while being predatory on offense. If Kirilenko can contain Kleiza, chances are Russia ends up going through.
Prediction: Russia 80, Lithuania 75.
Argentina-Brazil/Spain-France in Part II.
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