Afrigather The U.S. males’s Olympic basketball workforce received a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal on Saturday evening at Bercy Area, besting France 98-87 in entrance of a raucous hometown crowd. The sport was a rematch of the Tokyo gold medal recreation three years in the past, and as soon as once more, France couldn’t match the American firepower, which is chock-full of future hoops Corridor of Famers.
Stephen Curry led a balanced U.S. assault with 24 factors, together with 4 essential 3-pointers late within the recreation. He merely took over the sport. Curry completed with 8-threes on the evening, and relished each second of destroying France’s upset desires.
Group USA continued its run of world dominance on the boys’s facet, ever because the workforce misplaced two preliminary spherical video games on the Athens Olympics—together with a blowout loss to Puerto Rico—and fall within the semis to Argentina. The U.S. received a bronze medal in these Video games, then revamped this system, getting the nation’s greatest gamers to decide to enjoying world competitions commonly. That is LeBron James’ third Olympic gold medal. Kevin Durant, the all-time main Olympic scorer in U.S. historical past, now has 4. That’s an all-time Olympic document for a males’s participant.
This Olympic gold, nevertheless, is a primary for Stephen Curry, the two-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA champion who revolutionized basketball along with his long-range taking pictures stroke. Curry was essential to the workforce’s thrilling 95-91 comeback victory in opposition to Serbia, taking pictures 9-for-14 from lengthy vary Thursday, and making two free throws with 8 seconds left to seal the victory.
“I understood the second and the stakes and the uncomfortable nature of being down for a lot of the sport and having, you realize, 10 minutes to return again,” Curry mentioned after that recreation.
“I got here into this expertise considering that this is able to be my one and solely time to play within the Olympics and expertise the stage,” mentioned Curry. “In order that was a part of my sense of reduction and pleasure. I don’t wish to be on the primary workforce since ‘04 that did not make it to the gold medal recreation and get a gold medal. My one alternative is right here. That stuff, you are fascinated with whilst you’re nonetheless simply making an attempt to have enjoyable enjoying the sport that you realize.”
All Olympic event lengthy, the U.S. workforce introduced right into a next-man-up mentality, whether or not leaning on Durant to make 8 straight pictures in opposition to Serbia within the opening recreation, or Curry to assist bail the U.S. out of the semis along with his flurry, after struggling to shoot along with his regular effectiveness for many of his time in France. James recorded a triple-double—16 factors, 12 rebounds and 10 assists—in opposition to Serbia within the semi.
“There’s strain,” mentioned Curry. “Whoever the 12-man group was, we’re all right here to win. We’re all giving up lots of time over our summers. We perceive the pleasure of representing your nation. We perceive the expectations. So there’s lots of like-mindedness there that, actually, we do not even have to talk about.”
Saturday’s win additionally grants USA’s Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, a measure of satisfaction. Throughout these Video games Embiid, who was born in Cameroon however holds citizenship within the U.S. and France, has been heckled by French followers due to determination to play for the U.S. relatively than the host nation. Nothing modified on Saturday: the Bercy Area followers have been delighted when younger French phenom Victor Wembenyama, for instance, stripped the ball from Embiid as he tried to shoot within the first quarter.
“They’re gonna boo me. I am gonna return at them and inform them to suck it,” mentioned Embiid earlier than Saturday’s gold medal recreation.
On Friday, Curry was requested about his takeaway from the comeback that enabled Group USA to play for, and in the end win, the Olympic title. “The entire fourth quarter was unreal,” mentioned Curry. “I am positive it’s going to hopefully when we’ve got a medal round our neck, gold, tomorrow you’ll reminisce on all of it.”
Let the recollections start.
