Australia had just ended the United States’ invincibility.
Patty Mills‘ crazy fourth-quarter run put a dent in the belief the U.S. could send a depleted squad and still win this thing. Or it was concrete proof that this was the case.
With the number of American stars who had decided to skip out on the FIBA World Cup in China and the overall growth of international talent in the NBA and elsewhere, that was probably the case anyway. But it is easy to see other teams circling and believing this is their chance to medal.