The U.S. males’s Olympic basketball group gained a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal on Saturday night time 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 night time, and relished each second of destroying France’s upset goals.
Workforce USA continued its run of world dominance on the lads’s facet, ever because the group 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. gained a bronze medal in these Video games, then revamped the program, getting the nation’s greatest gamers to decide to taking part in world competitions repeatedly. That is LeBron James’ third Olympic gold medal. Kevin Durant, the all-time leading Olympic scorer in U.S. historical past, now has 4. That’s an all-time Olympic file 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 together with his long-range capturing stroke. Curry was essential to the group’s thrilling 95-91 comeback victory in opposition to Serbia, capturing 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, , 10 minutes to come back again,” Curry mentioned after that recreation.
“I got here into this expertise pondering that this could 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 aid and pleasure. I don’t need to be on the primary group 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 attempting to have enjoyable taking part in the sport that .”
All Olympic event lengthy, the U.S. group introduced right into a next-man-up mentality, whether or not leaning on Durant to make 8 straight photographs in opposition to Serbia within the opening recreation, or Curry to assist bail the U.S. out of the semis together with his flurry, after struggling to shoot together 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 stress,” 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 satisfaction of representing your nation. We perceive the expectations. So there’s lots of like-mindedness there that, actually, we do not even have to discuss.”
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 choice to play for the U.S. relatively than the host nation. Nothing modified on Saturday: the Bercy Area followers had 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 Workforce USA to play for, and finally win, the Olympic title. “The entire fourth quarter was unreal,” mentioned Curry. “I am positive it will hopefully when we’ve got a medal round our neck, gold, tomorrow you can reminisce on all of it.”
Let the reminiscences start.
