BARCELONA, Spain -- Some at-the-buzzer instant analysis from press row at the Palau Sant Jordi after Team USA opened the single-elimination phase of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup with a 86-63 trouncing of Mexico in the Round of 16:
How It Happened: Team USA finally managed the fast and aggressive start it failed to muster in multiple group games, scoring 13 of the game's first 15 points and ultimately cruising to the expected hammering of Mexico in the teams' first meeting in a game of World Cup or Olympic magnitude in nearly 50 years, dating all the way back to 1967.
Maintaining intensity for the full 40 minutes was naturally going to be a challenge for the Americans against a thoroughly overmatched foe that clearly couldn't hurt them, but the blips never lasted too long or threatened to cause any significant worry.
The only semblance of a disappointment would be the fact that the one player on the other side Team USA was most aware of -- Mexico center Gustavo Ayon -- still managed to shake loose for an impressive 25 points and seven rebounds in the free-agent big man's last widely televised audition of the summer for a new contract.
Star guard Steph Curry, who sank six 3-pointers and finished with a team-best 20 points, asserted in a halftime interview with ESPN that Team USA could live with Ayon's production since its "defense on everybody else is pretty solid."
As Curry also rightly noted: "He’s getting a lot of touches, so he’s going to have some points."
However ...
Ayon's success against the Americans' frontline does have to be noted, since they'll eventually have to try to contain two higher-caliber bigs in the same game in that expected championship showdown with Spain's Gasol Brothers on Sept. 14 in Madrid.
The good news: Curry appears to have shaken free from his early tournament slump, busting out for those 20 points inside three quarters while the other half of Golden State's Splash Brothers -- Klay Thompson -- added 15.
The Streak: Make it an even 60 wins in a row and counting for Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski. That includes 42 consecutive victories in Olympic and FIBA tournaments and another 18 wins in exhibition games. The Americans last tasted defeat in the semifinals of the 2006 FIBA World Championship against Greece in Japan and launched this streak on Sept. 2, 2006, with a 96-81 triumph over Argentina in the bronze-medal game.
And, as a bonus, Kyrie Irving started at point guard as promised after his ‎hard fall Thursday against Ukraine and logged 24 incident-free minutes, though he was spotted holding his back on a couple occasions during rest spells on the bench.
Play of the Game: He didn't get the foul, but Curry did come away with a memorable rainbow 3 right in front of the Team USA bench that swished through for a 50-27 lead even as he was landing on his back at the feet of his coaches.
He drained two triples early on to get Team USA going, then threw in three more in that third quarter to snuff out any hope of a competitive second half. Team USA's lead rose as high as 37 points before Mexico closed the gap in garbage time.
So, yes, it would appear Curry's slow start in this tournament -- during which he missed 13 of his first 17 shots from the floor in the Yanks' first two games -- is indeed a memory. He doesn't deny that it's been an adjustment getting reacquainted with the lighter Molten ball which FIBA employs.
"It’s definitely different," Curry said. "It gets slippery out there sometimes when it touches a jersey or whatnot. [But] at this point, everybody is playing with the same basketball, so you got to be ready.
"It’s different for sure, but we’ve been playing with it for almost a month and a half now –- most guys a little bit longer getting ready for World Cup -- so we’re used to it. But it’s still different."
Numbers Game: The game was played in a tidy one hour and 29 minutes, which didn't officially set a record but sure felt like one.
The shooting struggles continue for Derrick Rose. He went 0-for-5 from the field against Mexico to drop to 8-for-37 and a success rate of 21.6 percent for the tournament.
"‎The goal is to win gold," Rose said in the mixed zone afterward, insisting yet again that he's content to be a role player who focuses on pushing the ball or pressuring it defensively in this early stage of his comeback from two lost seasons.
"People forget about the stats when you win."
But the constant energy and relentless athleticism supplied by Kenneth Faried resulted in another eight-point, eight-rebound performance that has become the norm from the Denver Nuggets' big man.
It was indeed the first meeting between the North American neighbors at the Olympic or World Cup level since 1967, but it was also the fifth overall. The previous four were Team USA wins (at right).
What's Next: For the first time since the tournament began last weekend, Team USA is looking at a 48-hour break before its next game, which comes Tuesday here in the quarterfinals against the Slovenia-Dominican Republic winner.
It'll be a welcome rest, too, after six games in eight days.
The Americans, don't forget, have already beaten both of those teams handily this summer. As part of its four exhibition games to prepare for this World Cup, Team USA posted a 43-point win over the Dominican Republic at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 20 and a 30-point win over Slovenia in its first game on Spanish soil on Aug. 26.
