Team USA's 105-78 semifinal win over Argentina on Wednesday dimmed the fears kindled by a too-close-for-comfort stretch of group play. But it didn't extinguish them.
Still, credit the U.S. for finally making good on all the talk—from the exhibition slate to now—of buckling down on D.
"Defensively is where we have to man up," Paul George told reporters after Team USA sneaked away with a three-point win over Serbia on Friday.
"We can outscore teams," Klay Thompson told reporters after narrowly escaping against France on Sunday. "But that's not going to win us a gold.