Carmelo Anthony reacts to Team USA's loss to Germany, explores the return of NBA superstars / News - Basketnews.com

One of Team USA's top all-time scorers, Carmelo Anthony, paid tribute to Serbia and Germany for reaching the FIBA World Cup final.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Carmelo Anthony, the second-highest scorer in Team USA Olympic history, offered his insights on the loss to Germany in the FIBA World Cup semifinal, 111-113.

Player of the Game EFF 26 Daniel Theis Points 21 Accuracy 10-15 Rebounds 7 Assists 2

FIBA hosted a Talk Show featuring the three World Cup 2023 ambassadors: Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, and Luis Scola.

Melo shared his opinion about Friday's results that stunned the basketball world, with Germany and Serbia advancing to the title game.

"It's an upset. Let's be quite frank, it's an upset. We don't want to sugarcoat it. When you have that gold standard, that's what you're reaching for. Anything other than that, it's an upset," a three-time Olympic gold medalist Melo was plain and simple.

"I don't want nobody to sugarcoat that the USA wasn't an upset. You have to take your hat off to Germany and Serbia. They had really good games. Those are upsets. But that's good for the sport. For FIBA, basketball, and fans, to let everybody know that the rest of the world is here to play," he added.

"Everybody now has to think with a different approach to how to win the gold medal. Guys are getting better. The game is growing globally. At the end of the day, everybody can go out there and win a gold medal," said Melo.

"I would love to send the cream of the crop out there every year to compete at the highest level. But we have to respect those guys that are here too. Those guys are professional players. You can't send the powerhouses every time. If we talk about the development, we're developing those guys to be able to compete around the world. We take our losses with our wins, and we move on," Carmelo Anthony concluded.

Team USA got eliminated from the race for the title in the back-to-back FIBA World Cup competitions.

Carmelo Anthony

Position:SFAge:39Height:203 cmWeight:104 kgBirth place:Maryland, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Melo shared his perspective when asked whether this served as a wake-up call for NBA superstars to unite and construct a formidable Team USA.

Even though Carmelo had won three gold medals in his national team career, he also faced a shocker in the 2006 World Cup when he and his team suffered a semifinal loss to Greece, a pivotal moment before the birth of the Redeem Team.

"I just want to clear out. I don't think that, as American basketball players, we think that we can't lose. The fear of losing is what drives us and keeps us going to want to win and feel so bad after the loss. We do a great job as the USA Basketball organization in respecting the game. Those guys will come to play for that bronze medal, because they understand what it means. I don't think those guys came to the World Cup thinking it will be a clear shot," Melo said.

"As far as the best guys, we have 450 NBA players. You don't know the injuries or what guys are going through. I understand what it means to put that jersey on, but everybody has their own thing going on and their reasons why they decide to come or not."

Carmelo doesn't believe that the NBA stars disrespect their opponents on the international stage.

"I will say the respect level for the international game around the world from American players is a lot different than it was 15-30 years ago. Now, guys know we got to compete. We play against these guys every single night in the NBA. We know these guys, we scout them for eight months. When we come here, they’re here playing for something different, and we respect that mindset," said Carmelo.

He offered full support to the current USA team of Steve Kerr.

"We have to keep encouraging this team right here. We can’t overlook these guys who are right now working hard, competing. Even if they lose, they are still here, they’re committed. The fans of the Philippines have seen these guys. As much as we want to talk about 1992 and our years, I think we have to stay in the moment and focus on these guys. Let’s encourage these guys to win the bronze medal," he said.

Carmelo was asked about advice to the Team USA players heading to the bronze medal game versus Canada.

"Go play ball. We're here to play basketball. This is what we do. We have to dig deep, find ways, and come together to win basketball games," Carmelo said.

"When you have Germany to beat you at your pace and your game, that's a different type of game. They don't win that game if they don't play the Team USA way. Because you have to score many points to beat the USA. But Germany deserved everything they're getting. We lost, we choked that up, we'll go out there, and we'll try to go there to win against Canada," he concluded.

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