By Adry Torres

The knock on Carmelo Anthony has always been his penchant for not passing the ball and taking questionable shots.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

It’s an analogy I’ve heard pundits and prognosticators lean on all the time when analyzing a team’s chances in an upcoming game…

“If (insert favored team here) players their ‘A-Game’ then they’re sure to win.”

Other than being a lazy analysis, its also problematic to thoroughly comprehend what in the heck exactly is someone’s A-Game. It reminds me of when Bobby Knight used to talk about showing a “gameface” then making funny contortions of his face. Cracks me up every time.

You know what didn’t crack me up? USA’s offensive explosion on Nigeria, as their 156-73 victory was as preposterous as the final tally looks. Here’s “The Five” from Thursday’s trouncing.

1. That Might Be The Greatest Shooting Performance From A Team Ever: Sometimes there’s nothing that needs to be said. This is one of those times. I’ll just let the stats tell the story.

Team USA’s field goal shooting: 59-83 (71.1%)

Team USA’s three-point shooting: 29-46 (63.0%)

Team USA’s free-throw shooting: 9-14 (64.3%)

Only 9-14 free-throwing shooting? That’s just unacceptable USA. *kicks an empty soda can in anger*

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

Its funny how you can win by 47 points and still have people say that you “struggled” in a basketball game. Such is like for Team USA, as the 54-point favorites over Tunisia missed the mark by 7 on Tuesday in their 110-63 victory. Team USA was ahead with a shocking 46-33 advantage before the floodgates opened it up in the second half. The second unit turned it on with a 21-3 run and the nail was officially in the coffin.

So much so that the Tunisian players plotted on getting their shoes autographed by Kobe Bryant, and were successful.

Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love led the Americans with 16 points apiece, and the team will have an impromptu day of rest before taking on Nigeria on Thursday. Here are some quotes from the players and coaches involved in Tuesday’s Pool A contest at the 2012 Olympics in London.

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By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For FOX Deportes

One thing USA Olympic men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski would like to see from his team going into the London Games is defensive intensity. He broke it down with the points Brazil scored in four quarters against the Americans.

“If this team doesn’t have that, we’re going to get scored on,” Coach K said. “Twenty-seven points in 10 minutes and 42 in 30, it’s a huge difference.”

The squad of NBA stars went from out of sync in the first quarter to forcing turnover after turnover throughout the rest of the game. The USA won 80-69.

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By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For Fox Deportes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Carmelo Anthony held a small American flag uniform patch in one hand, realizing that clutching it was the best way for him to keep it safe.

For this was a uniform accessory that truly has meaning, a flag from a U.S. military serviceman that presumably will be sewn onto the USA Olympic basketball teams’ (men’s and women’s) jerseys to be worn in London.

Saturday in the nation’s capital, the NBA superstars who make up the USA squad – and one rookie, center Anthony Davis – held a practice leading up to Monday’s exhibition game against Brazil in Washington. It was a treat for select American military personnel and their families, who packed the D.C. Armory to see the gold-medal favorites in action as the main attraction of Nike’s World Basketball Festival.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

If you were not aware, Team USA Basketball has officially begun their training to prepare for the 2012 London Olympics. Team USA is the clear favorite to bring home the gold once again, to no one’s amazement, although many of the potential team members will have had just a few weeks to rest and recover from a hectic 2011-12 NBA campaign.

One of America’s leaders on this 2012 team will be the man with the Puertorican flag tattooed on his shooting hand, Mr. Carmelo Anthony.

For Anthony, this will be his third rodeo with the Men’s Olympic team. In 2004, he was a rookie on what some would call America’s biggest international embarrassment. USA would relinquish their hold on the gold medal in 2004, sustain an overhaul of USA’s entire organization, and in 2008 Carmelo was not only a captain of the squad, but arguably the team’s most dominant player. The Redeem Team wrecked havoc on all comers and the USA brought home their first gold medal in an international competition in 8 years since the 2000 Olympics.

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