Latvia has real good shooting big men, who performed spectacularly in front of their home crowd. Very strong perimeter defense from tamayo and aguilar, even at the sf position, is a must. This game will be the moment of truth for both: if they scr*w the perimeter 3point game of latvian bigs with lockdown defense, russian style, these bigs go down in flames.
The latvians are not exceptionally athletic though, so kai and abay can still seal the painted area. Kai can clearly outjump all the bigs of latvia, while abay cant be outmuscled too. Sayang wala si abando at baltazar para tumulong sa perimeter defense work.
Brownlee, ramos and newsome must be the fast-pacing killer guards against latvian guard killers. They have to outdo themselves, as if there is no tomorrow.
Latvia is an all-offense team with an excellent passing game. Only smothering lockdown defense will work against this team who are playing in their backyard. There are great character-building games, and our nt which is rid of hopeless coach seyer, can make this their never-say-die victory moment.
As for less than a day's rest, that is a meaningless and comical constraint for pro athletes. The body will fully recover with straight 6-8 hours sleep, and be injury-free after an hour of after-game cooling down flexibility/ stretching conditioning. Our nt is hardly a senior citizens' team.
