MANILA, Philippines – Basketball has grown in the past 30 years, USA head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged, as Team USA failed to get into the FIBA World Cup final for the second straight tournament.
The Americans on Friday lost for the first time against Germany in FIBA World Cup history, 113-111, while the latter made history with a first-ever finals appearance in the tournament.
It will be an all-European clash for the gold medal on Sunday between Germany and Serbia.
Kerr said that basketball has "been globalized over the last 30 years or so."
"These games are difficult. This is not 1992 anymore," the multiple-time NBA champion coach said at the post-game press conference, a reference to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics dominated by the famed "Dream Team".
"So, players are better all over the world and teams are better. It is not easy to win a World Cup or the Olympic games," he added.
In the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Team USA finished fifth. This time around, they will be battling Canada for the bronze medal.
Despite the loss, Kerr said he is proud of his team.
"This is great, high level competition on the world stage. I think everybody on our team loved being a part of this. A part of competition at this level is you put your neck on the line. And I couldn't be prouder to my guys for how hard they played," the coach said.
"This team is very worthy of winning a championship and we just didn't get it done," he added.
For his part, Team USA's Jalen Brunson said the loss is "going to sting for a little bit."
"It is a tough loss," he added.
Canada and the USA will play each other on Sunday.