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Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
MANILA, Philippines — The FIBA World Cup format can be cumbersome to follow, particularly for American fans — and even Team USA players themselves, who are used to a linear bracket format.
So just to make it clear: The big games have started.
If Team USA (3-0) beats Montenegro (2-1) on Friday (4:40 am ET, ESPN2) at the start of the second round, it will essentially lock down a spot in the quarterfinals next week. A loss doesn’t necessarily knock the U.S. out, but it could be harmful to positioning and trigger a series of tiebreakers.
With wins Friday and over Lithuania (3-0) on Sunday (8:40 am ET, ESPN2) to complete the second round, the U.S. will essentially lock down the de facto No. 1 seed going into the quarterfinals. It will mean a more favorable spot in the bracket and extra rest between the quarterfinals and semifinals.
“We went over the format today with the team in the film session,” Team USA coach Steve Kerr said a day after a 48-point win over Jordan locked the Americans’ perfect record in first-round pool play. “And yeah, we want to win both games to put us in great position. The guys are aware.”
Naturally, progressing in the tournament means better competition. Montenegro is led by Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, who is having a great World Cup and is averaging 20.7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. Montenegro also has the best backcourt the U.S. will have faced, led by American-born point guard Kendrick Perry.
Lithuania is led by New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas, who is averaging 13.7 points and 10 rebounds and is an expert at drawing fouls on the interior. The Lithuanians have a huge front line and lead the World Cup in rebounding.
To get ready for this challenge, Kerr experimented with some bigger lineups against Jordan.
“I think knowing the personnel on the opponent, for sure there’s an immediate respect level from guys going against them in the NBA,” Kerr said. “Because the hard part is when you go into a game and there’s a great player who these guys don’t know and he’s got a last name with lots of letters and you have to refer to them as No. 5 or whatever. And our guys aren’t ready for how good this player is, and that’s a huge challenge in this tournament.”
Kerr said Thursday that he plans to stay with his new starting lineup that has Josh Hart at power forward with Brandon Ingram going to the second unit. It may be counterintuitive to play Hart, who is undersize at that spot, against bigger teams, but Hart has been a force on the boards in the tournament, picking up 12 on Wednesday against Jordan.
“Josh has a strength and a tenacity to him that sometimes overcomes a height disadvantage. He’s used to guarding bigger guys with all the switching that happens in the NBA,” Kerr said. “I really liked the lineup shift for [Ingram]. The game was much smoother. … I know he enjoyed it.”
Ingram supported the decision. He got to handle the ball more and operate in space, leading to five assists in 15 minutes. He also scored seven points.
“I felt good out there. It was different coming off the bench. I hadn’t done that since my rookie season,” Ingram said. “I was able to get prepared for it. It was just a different lineup, and I was excited for the opportunity.”