Veteran United States basketball coach Gregg Popovich insists his team are better for their shock loss to Australia, which has thrown the upcoming World Cup in China wide open.
The Boomers’ 98-94 upset in Melbourne on Saturday was their first ever victory against the USA and snapped a run of 78 consecutive American wins in major competitions and exhibition games.
The defeat came barely a week before the World Cup tips off, where the five-time champions will be defending their title.
Popovich, who has a young squad after a host of high-profile NBA stars opted out, said it was all part of the learning curve, but he wasn’t without a bit of bite at Sunday’s press conference in Sydney.
“They played better than we did — they deserved to win the basketball game,” he said, before snapping back at a reporter’s question regarding their preparation for their Sydney clash against Canada.