So in the end, Larry Ellison had more money than the Islands of New Zealand. Not to take away from the tenacity, ability and courage of the crew, but in the end, the faster boat won. The engineering and technology (and money) that Oracle Team US brought to the table were just too much for the NZ team. Whatever changes Oracle made on the lay day made the upwind speed of Oracle 17 insurmountable. In the upwind legs, it was not strategy that won, but boat speed. Granted, Oracle figured out (probably through engineering simulation) that if you foiled lower upwind you gained a bit of speed.
It would be nice in the next AC if at least half of the American crew happened to be Americans. Get the kids on the water!