Lithuania stunned Team USA in the closing game of the second round of FIBA World Cup (110-104) which turned out to be another classic when these two teams meet.
USA head coach Steve Kerr like the game even though his team suffered its first loss of the tournament.
“I liked the game. I liked what happened tonight,” Kerr said during the postgame press conference. “Because this happened so quickly. Bringing together of a team, you practice for a few weeks and you play for gold medal. Happens quickly.
“And it’s different. FIBA’s different from the NBA. And that’s a big focus for our team. We talk about it every day. But these guys have to feel it. They have to feel how good these teams are.
Kerr also gave props to the opponents. “Lithuania is a brilliant basketball team,” he continued. “They move, they shoot it, they cut hard. Really well coached.”
Despite the loss, Kerr saw positive in this game as a lesson to learn from going forward, especially with how not to start games relaxed.
“So it was good for us,” the 9-time NBA champion said. “I hate losing and probably won’t sleep much tonight, but for us to get better, we needed to feel this we needed to respond the way we did.
“And next game we have to start the way we did in the second half. We can’t ease-in to the game at all. So I’m hoping that this is a lesson and we get better from this.”
Lithuania will meet Serbia in European classic and USA will take on Italy in the quarter-finals.
