Team USA's experience at the FIBA World Cup has not been boring, to say the least.
The Americans have lost an exhibition game, required a last-second free throw to avoid a defeat in a group-play game, and on Saturday morning, got in a physical confrontation with Greece.
Sacramento's Harrison Barnes was at the center of the disagreement.
In the final minutes of Team USA's 69-53 second-round victory, Barnes stole the ball and raced for a breakaway dunk, but as he rose off the ground, he was pushed in the back by Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of reigning NBA MVP Giannis. A common foul was called on the play, but Team USA's anger at the dangerous foul persisted till after the final buzzer had sounded.
After the game ended, Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared to exchange some words before being separated by coaches and referees. The teams then skipped the traditional postgame handshake, as Team USA remained on the court while Greece retreated to its locker room.
Barnes was uninjured on the play and finished with nine points and seven rebounds in the victory, but he still sounded a bit irked when asked about the foul.
"The game was over; probably a frustration play," Barnes said. "Apologies only go so far. If I don't get up and something would've happened, apologies aren't going to help us in the next game. Luckily everything is all good."
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Team USA (4-0) can clinch a quarterfinal berth Monday with either a win over Brazil, a Greece win over the Czech Republic, or through a three-way tiebreaker, if necessary.
