“Go get him!”

Tom Thibodeau’s booming, baritone voice knifed through the air inside sold out Carioca Arena on Saturday as the U.S. team dropped back to play defense early in its Olympic tournament opener against China.

“Stay home!” he barked. “Back, back!” ‘’Get up!” ‘’By yourself!”

Thibodeau didn’t stop, and his commands could even be heard by fans sitting in top rows of the upper deck.

From the opening tip to the final horn in the 119-62 blowout, Thibodeau, a hard-driving, hoops lifer who prides himself on teaching the old-school way, screamed instructions at the American players. They have quickly learned that their Team USA assistant coach — and the new head man with the Minnesota Timberwolves — is demanding when it comes to defense.

“I’m used to Thibs, man,” U.S. center Demarcus Cousins said with a laugh. “That’s Thibs in walkthrough, so we’re used to it.”

And the rest of the world better get used to this U.S. team playing lock-down defense. Armed with unmatched offensive firepower, the Americans, seeking their third straight gold medal, are creating an identity with their backs to the basket.

“We get after it on that side of the ball,” said forward Draymond Green.

They got after China from the outset. Warriors forward Klay Thompson, one of the game’s elite perimeter defenders, made a steal on China’s first possession and the U.S. finished with 15 steals, forced 24 turnovers and held China to 30 percent shooting.

With another roster of NBA stars, there is a continuous red-white-and-blue wave of players flooding in from coach Mike Krzyzewski’s bench. When the U.S. starters needed a break against China, Krzyzewski sent in a fresh group and Thibodeau made sure they knew what they were doing defensively from the moment they stepped on the floor.

From his seat next to Coach K’s, Thibodeau pointed like a traffic cop at a busy intersection, and of course, made certain his demands were heard.

“Thibs is going to lose his voice by the time this is over with,” four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony said. “I think everybody in the world can hear Thibs on the sideline. It’s motivation for us, to know that we have somebody on the sideline that’s in tune to it. He’s pushing us and he’s keeping us uplifted.”

The U.S. plays its next game on Monday against Venezuela, a team it beat by 35 last week despite a poor shooting performance.

Thibodeau, fired last year by the Chicago Bulls after five solid seasons and hired to help toughen the T-Wolves in May, is relishing his role as the U.S. squad’s minister of defense. This is what he lives for, and the chance to mesh a group this talented to play team defense is as good as it gets.