RIO DE JANEIRO -- Some at-the-buzzer instant analysis from press row at the Carioca Arena 1 after Team USA moved to 2-0 in Group A play with Monday nights 113-69 rout of Venezuela:How It Happened: For all the deserved raves going around about its defensive prowess, Team USA tends to take at least half a quarter to get untracked offensively, even against what clearly ranks as inferior opposition.On this night, though, it took the Americans a full quarter to get going.With Venezuela showing the same determination to slow the game down by any means necessary like it displayed in Chicago when the teams met July 29 - while, of course, scrapping as hard as it can -- Team USA unexpectedly found itself locked in an 18-18 tie after a period ... with big men DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan both saddled with two fouls each.Cause for concern is too strong a statement to apply to any area of the Yanks game, since an intensity letdown at the start appeared to be as big a culprit as anything, but the ability of burly Venezuela center Gregory Echenique to consistently draw contact inside did make you wonder if more serious problems loom Wednesday night against the Australia duo of Andrew Bogut and Aron Baynes.You have to believe Team USA will be much sharper from a focus perspective in that one, coming off this (at times) sluggish performance and knowing that Australia -- after beating France and Serbia by a combined 36 points -- has emerged as a legit medal threat here. But this was a frustrating night for Cousins especially; he picked up fouls No. 3 and No. 4 almost immediately in the second and third quarters and was clearly exasperated by the whistles.Carmelo Anthonys 10-point second quarter ultimately helped Team USA restore order, while also enabling Anthony to pass Michael Jordan as the third-leading scorer in U.S. Olympic history. Yet more focus from the jump was expected from the group so early in the tournament.Especially since the Americans already know what gritty Venezuela is all about.We got to get over these slow starts, Team USA star Kevin Durant had said going into this game after a sluggish five-plus minutes against China. I think everybody is just so anxious and excited to play. Hopefully after a couple of games, those jitters just go away and we just play a great game of basketball from start to finish.Paul George scored a team-high 20 points for Team USA, followed by Jimmy Butler (17) Durant (16), Anthony (14) and DeAndre Jordan (14). Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski would later single out Butler and Jordan as key sparks who triggered the Americans eventual surge to a comfortable final margin.The Streak: Thats now 70 wins in a row and counting for Krzyzewski; 18 consecutive victories in Olympic play, 19 in FIBA World Cup tournaments, 10 in Olympic qualifiers and another 23 wins in exhibition games. The Americans previously tasted defeat in the semifinals of the 2006 FIBA World Championship against Greece and launched this streak on Sept. 2, 2006, with a 96-81 victory over Argentina in the bronze-medal game in Japan.Play Of The Game: Give the Venezuelans serious amounts of respect for its pluck.Give em this section of prized real estate, too, on a night they hung in for longer than anyone could have expected.The shot-making of John Cox -- cousin of Kobe Bryant -- is the backbone of this team, which had to make you smile if you were still watching late in the third quarter.Cox drained a long 3-pointer from Stephen Curry range straight on, then followed it up with a nifty runner in the lane, to briefly lower the Venezuela deficit back into the teens (66-47) before the Yanks inevitably pulled away. You can safely assume Bryant was indeed still tuned in given what he tweeted?about his 35-year-old relative.Cox finished with 19 points and Echenique, on top of all those fouls he drew, added 18 for Venezuela.(Honorable mention in this category: Cousins got some some big -- and funny -- consolation hugs from Anthony and Jordan on the bench after he fouled out with just more than three minutes to go. And, yes, it was indeed Echenique who drew Cousins fifth foul.)Numbers Game: The United States is now 5-0 all time against Venezuela in official tournament play, with an average margin of victory of 37 points.A breakdown of those matchups:One of the problems for Team USA in a recent 80-45 exhibition victory over Venezuela in Chicago was its 4-for-25 shooting from 3-point range.The shooting from deep was a little better when it counted: Team USA went 9-for-22 on 3s Monday night.With Brooklyns Greivis Vasquez (foot) forced to pull out of the Olympics due to injury, Venezuela joins China as one of just two teams at these Games with no current NBA player on the roster.Whats Next: Team USA will hold a formal practice Tuesday for just the third time since it arrived in Brazil, then moves on to Wednesday nights date with Australia in a showdown of Group As two 2-0 unbeatens.Lots more on the Aussies mindset can be found here, but this much we already know: Itll be the toughest test of the summer so far for the Americans after two games at these Olympics and five exhibitions that featured only one opponent out of seven -- Argentina -- that can be considered any sort of threat to medal here in Rio.Defense, as youve surely gleaned by now, is Team USAs calling card, but the Boomers feel the same way about their game.We pride ourselves on our D, Australia assistant coach Luc Longley said Monday. So well get a good measure of how good our defense is or isnt in a couple days. Cheap Air Max 270 Australia . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Discount Shoes Australia . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. http://www.discountaustraliashoes.com/ . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Discount Air Max 270 . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Outlet New Balance Melbourne . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. The Lodha Committee has asked two Indian banks not to disburse funds from the BCCI accounts to the state associations with regard to two financial decisions taken at the boards emergent working committee meeting on September 30.At the meeting on Friday the BCCI decided that all its full members - with the exception of the out-of-favour Rajasthan Cricket Association - would get INR 10 crores as an increment to the state associations existing infrastructure subsidy of INR 60 crore. The working committee also decided that money received from the broadcaster as compensation for the cancellation of the Champions League T20 would be distributed among the BCCIs full members.The committee said it had issued such a directive to the banks because the BCCIs decision to disburse such funds was not in line with the recommendations of the Lodha report, which the Supreme Court said the board must adopt in its order on July 18.It has come to the notice of this Committee that certain decisions have been taken at the Emergent Working Committee meeting of the BCCI on 30th September 2016 to disburse large funds to the various member associations, the Lodha Committee said to Bank of Maharashtra and Yes Bank in an email that was also copied to BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry and chief executive Rahul Johri. You are aware that by way of this Committees direction dated 31.8.2016, no further decisions were to be taken regarding the future apart from routine matters. The disbursement of these amounts are not routine, and in any case, not emergent.The banks were told that the BCCI had breached the Supreme Court order by failing to comply with the first round of timelines set by the Lodha Committee, the deadline for which was September 30. At its special general meeting on October 1, the BCCI accepted some of the Lodha Committees recommendations when the court had said it had to implement everything it had passed.You are also aware that the BCCI has chosen to breach the judgment of the Honble Supreme Court as well as the first set of timelines set out by this Committee which includes the Fund Disbursement policy to be framed by 30.dddddddddddd.9.2016, the committee said in its email. As the status report is to be taken up for directions by the Honble Court on Thursday, 6.10.2016, you are hereby directed not to take any steps towards financial disbursement of the amounts as resolved/approved after the direction dated 31.8.2016. Any violation of this direction will be placed before the Honble Supreme Court for appropriate directions.The emergent working committee meeting, which preceded the SGM that was eventually adjourned on September 30, was not made public by the BCCI. It is understood that the agenda and the minutes of both the working committee meeting as well the SGM, which eventually took place on October 1, were not sent to the Lodha Committee.The Lodha Committee, ESPNcricinfo has learned, was concerned about the two specific financial decisions because they involved large amounts. In the BCCIs annual report, released on September 23, Chaudhry had said the board received a compensation of INR 1607.58 Crores (net of payment made to foreign boards) on account of termination of the rights agreement for the Champions League Twenty20, which was discontinued last year.As for the infrastructure subsidy, BCCI president Anurag Thakur had said that it would be increased to INR 70 crore from the 2016-17 financial year - INR 10 crore more than what the board had decided in the annual report.The subsidy is granted to states based on the claims and relevant documentation submitted, along with independently authenticated certificates of chartered accountants, which should meet the norms set by the board. ' ' '