The USMNT narrowly won 101-99 in what should have been a routine game against South Sudan.

Trouble in paradise? LeBron James is angry with Steve Kerr.

Trouble in paradise? LeBron James is angry with Steve Kerr.LAPRESSE

 

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LeBron James is not happy with Steve Kerr. Barely two days have passed since the US men’s basketball team (USMNT) suffered one of its biggest scares in history, and Kerr already had to admit that his mistakes in the game against South Sudan provoked the displeasure of “King James.”

Team USA’s pre-Olympic tour has been far from what anyone would have imagined. The team started with close wins against Canada and Australia. Serbia gave them the first scare of the tour last week by dominating the first quarter, but Kerr’s squad reacted and secured a comfortable 105-79 victory in Abu Dhabi.

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However, Saturday’s game at London’s O2 Arena was a very different story. The South Sudan team gave everything on the court, putting Team USA against the ropes by finishing the first half with a lead of 14 points, after holding an 18-point lead shortly before the end of the second quarter.

The problems on the court were soon reflected on the sidelines, especially when Kerr decided to leave James and the rest of the first team on the bench, sending a more defensively focused team onto the court.

Steve Kerr’s fault

Trailing by 14 points at the start of the second half, Kerr decided to begin with Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Derrick White, and Jayson Tatum. This left LeBron angry and on the bench, giving the coach a look of disgust.

“I don’t think he was really excited about me not starting him in the third quarter, but I thought that next group we put out there really did a good job defensively,”Kerr admitted in statements to the international media after the game.

The quintet led by Tatum and Davis did their job well, but the “King” is not one to feel comfortable just observing. “I looked down a couple of times, and I could see LeBron chomping at the bit to be out on the floor,”Kerr admited.

Finally, when the defensive team managed to put a stop to the Sudanese, Kerr felt that the time had come to return James to the floor, with five minutes left in the third quarter. “As soon as he [James] got out there, he went to work. He was brilliant,” the coach recalled.

In the end, Team USA won 101-99 with a buzzer-beater from James himself, to the relief of Kerr and the fans.

LeBron is excited about the challenge

The “King” has not publicly aired his feelings about being relegated to the bench. On the contrary, he said he was excited to have found an unexpected challenge against South Sudan. “I’m going to be honest: I like those better than the blowouts. At least we get tested,” the forward admitted.

Kerr, for his part, is trying to find the positive side to the result, saying it was a wake-up call for his team. “[It was] a good reminder that when we play against teams, it’s the biggest game of their lives. We have to expect everyone to play like that… The game has gotten better across the globe,” the coach warned.

On Monday the 22nd, Team USA will face Germany, still in London, and on July 28 it will begin its participation in the Olympic tournament with a rematch against Serbia. On the 31st, it will face South Sudan again in the group stage. It only remains to be seen if the team has really learned its lesson.