Team USA and New Zealand are playing live on the FIBA basketball World Cup 2014 schedule and the game is live on ESPN2 from TV and WatchESPN online starting at 11:30 am ET from Bizkaia Arena in Bilbao from the host nation Spain after the United States won over Turkey and now Anthony Davis, Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving and James Harden will be looking for another win.
The United States is one of the best teams in the tournament and they come into this game with some momentum after a comeback win against Turkey. The two teams faced off in a rematch of the 2010 finals and the US pulled it out after coming into halftime down five, as the team was able to get things going in the second half. The team was down six at one point, but eventually they pulled away and that came after a big win against Finland earlier in the tournament.
The team beat Finland by 60 and they had a much tighter game here and now they have NZ on the schedule and the team will not overlook them. The team had a 16 point swing late in the game and they were helped along by Anthony Davis, who had 19 in the second half and is looking like the best player on the team. Kenneth Faried made a major impact with 22 points and while the team opened slow, they got things together to turn it around. The team hasn't lost since back in 2006 and the team is starting to take major shape with Kyrie Irving leading the way at point with Derrick Rose.
The US won over Turkey for the gold four years ago and now they are looking to get back to that game so they can defend the title. The team has a strong base and the United States knows that they are a threat along with Spain in the tournament. New Zealand comes in without a win and the US is clearly the favored team and this is another chance to get things going for the team as they have three games in three days in this stage.
Derrick Rose is coming back from two years of dealing with injuries and that is one reason why the team has used Irving so much. Kyrie has turned into a fantastic player and he is one reason why this team is so strong. Losing Kevin Durant and Paul George was tough for this team but they were able to adjust and now young players have stepped up like Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins as well as Andre Drummond. Kenneth Faried has been a revelation so far and Mason Plumlee has also stepped things up.
The United States are the favored team in this tournament and they are not taking anything for granted. The team has an easy game here before matchups with the Dominican Republic and then against Ukraine and after that starts the playoff round. The group stage moves into the round of 16 and then after that will be the quarterfinals and the semis before the final for the gold medal game and that will be on September 14.
Check here for the Team USA and New Zealand live coverage from ESPN.
