You Win Some, You Lose Some.

Yesterday afternoon, the USA Basketball National Team did their best to make their first game in the FIBA Americas tournament exciting for their fans. Everybody knows that blow-outs are not all that much fun to watch, so Team USA kept it close against Cuba . . . even trailing their opponent well into the fourth quarter. However a couple of critical 3-pointers by veteran Olympian Katie Smith sparked a USA run that allowed the USAers to escape with the win, 85-79.

After traveling 28 hours (by way of Jupiter?) to arrive in Valdivia, Chile and only a couple of practices, and then having to face an experienced Cuban national team that's been together for quite some time, the USA's slow start was, perhaps, not as unexpected as one might think. Hopefully, yesterday's narrow escape will help the team to settle down, focus and take care of business when they face their second opponent of the tourney, Jamaica, in a late-lunch event today (NBAtv, 1:30 PM).

Meanwhile, the USA Soccer National Team was not so lucky, as they fell to Brazil in their World Cup semi-final this morning. It's never a good omen when your opponent's first goal is scored by a player on your own team (don't you just hate when that happens?) and, unfortunately, that's how today's contest started. Then, before half-time, the incredible Marta (who actually plays for Brazil), notched her first goal of the match, sending the USA team into the locker room down 2-0. In basketball terms, that's kind of like being down by 15 or more at the half-way mark. Not good. And there were no miraculous comebacks on today's schedule for the Americans. In the second half, Brazil added to its lead and advanced to the World Cup final against Germany, beating the USA by a final score of 4-0.