Team USA took the court in London’s O2 arena against South Sudan, but things are going south, literally for Joel Embiid and Co. In the first half, Steve Kerr’s men are trailing by 58-44. No one saw it coming from miles away, but that’s how unpredictable things are in international basketball. The fans certainly were not ready for this after the storming win over Serbia a few days ago. It’s only half time and the fans have had enough of this disasterclass. The South Sudan outfit was scoring at will with the likes of Embiid, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, the big men trio of the front court. That was enough for the fans to spring into action and convey their disapproval of the whole debacle.

Fans rip into Team USA for the awful first half against South Sudan

“USABMNT bigs are awful. Embid, Davis and Bam are playing like they have a stomach bug,” wrote a disgruntled fan on X after witnessing the harrowing effort defensive efforts. AD, who was one of the shining lights of the team in the previous 3 games, struggled big time to cope with the South Sudan assault. Adebayo also showed up in the Serbia game, but he has been a shadow of himself so far.

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“We can’t be getting cooked by South Sudan,” wrote a baffled fan during the first half. Without even possessing the size to match Team USA, South Sudan ran rings around them. Steve Kerr, after seeing the alarm bells go off, made some quick changes, but the gap only kept growing.

Someone went as far as saying, “Team USA shouldn’t be allowed back in America especially Steve Kerr,” after he changed all the five starters in one go. The move looked like a drastic one to send out a whole new bunch to cope with the South Sudan onslaught, but Plan B was just as ineffective as Plan A. Even doubts were creeping in if Kerr and his assistants even had a plan to begin with.

“God Embid is AWFUL. How about you put the three Celtics together and let them go win this game,” proposed an X user. Embiid has been in below-par form so far in the exhibition games. Understandably, critics tore him apart and this game will only amplify that barring a stark improvement deeper into the game. The Celtics 3 of Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, fresh off a championship win, could be more effective together than what Embiid is offering in the disoriented play.

“South Sudan is killing us right now,” added a bemused fan after witnessing the lacklustre showing from Team USA. In the early goings, South Sudan was relying on 3-pointers, but they had to pivot from that plan after unsuccessful attempts. Since then, the team has only driven through the lane to wreak havoc among the USAB ranks with no countermeasures in sight.

The pressure was on from the first minute and South Sudan refused to relent, prompting a fan to post, “USA getting smacked right now SMH.” The expectation was the opposite of it for the Team Avengers, but South Sudan flipped the script on the USA heroes.

“WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON”– this comment alone summarized the feeling among the fans who were keeping an eye on the proceedings. Many expected it would be a cakewalk for the USB team, but that has been far from reality. After the struggles in the Australia game, South Sudan yet again exposed Team USA to the harsh reality of international basketball, where status and legacy count for nothing.