PARIS — American basketball powers continue to dominate; team wins fifth straight men’s basketball gold medal.
Over the last thirty years, the world has seen significant progress with emerging talents and evolving teams that hold great potential. It is now five straight Olympic golds for the USA after a hard-fought 98-87 victory over the resilient and prideful host nation of France on Saturday.
The indelible moment came from Stephen, who made four uber clutch 3-pointers in a two-minute second stretch of the fourth quarter to turn away a French uprising. Curry assured his first gold with a ridiculous fall away bomb over two defenders after a behind-the-back dribble, silencing the home fans with his “put them to sleep” trademark move. “Before every shot you take, you believe it’s going in,” said Curry.
After making nine 3-pointers in the semifinals and putting in 36 points, Curry made 8-of-12 triples in the final for 24 golden points. “I’ve witnessed that from Steph several times, yet it always remains thrilling,” remarked Team USA coach Steve Kerr. “Basketball is a worldwide sport filled with outstanding talent, but we still believe we possess the best players.”
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While Curry was the hero, Le Bron James named Olympics MVP after scoring 14 points with six rebounds and 10 assists. It added to his 4 NBA MVPs, 4 Finals MVPs, 3 NBA All-Star Game MVPs and the only In-Season Tournament championship in history.
James averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists on 66% shooting in the Olympics. “I’m simply living in the moment, feeling incredibly humble that I’m still able to play this game and perform at a high level,” James stated.
It was the biggest game in the lives of each French player, and they played admirably, pressing the U.S. throughout a tight second half. Using pressure defense disturbed Team USA and forced 17 turnovers, the biggest flaw in the game that kept the door open for the home team as they repeatedly chopped the lead down.
