Team USA men’s basketball: Devin Booker, Steph Curry lift team
Steph Curry praising Booker and giving the team momentum
PARIS — I just finished writing about one major upset in Olympic team sports Thursday — the three-time defending gold-medal champion U.S. women’s water polo team losing to Australia in the semifinals — when I got a text from my dad about another close call.
The star-studded U.S. men’s basketball team survived a thriller against Serbia in Thursday’s semifinals, storming back from 17 points down to win, 95-91.
I’m a basketball guy at heart, so I decided to watch some of the game when I got back to my hotel room late Thursday. I dozed off somewhere in the first half, but finished watching it over breakfast Friday before heading to cover a few wrestling medal matches in the afternoon.
What a game. I have a few thoughts:
LeBron James is amazing
I don’t know if he’ll go down as the first- or second- or third-best player of all-time, but there’s no other word to describe what he’s doing at 39 years old. James’ physicality has always been a big part of what has set him apart from his peers, and Thursday he imposed his will offensively down the stretch, while occasionally banging in the paint with Nikola Jokic on defense. He posted the fourth triple-double in Olympic history — he has one of the other three — and while that will only be a footnote in his legendary career, it was evident what winning another gold medal will mean to him.
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Steph Curry splashes
The greatest shooter of all-time. I don’t think anyone can dispute that.
Nikola Jokic had help
Jokic’s greatness is undeniable as a three-time NBA MVP, but Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is a baller, too.
From title to DNP
I can’t imagine what must have been going through Jayson Tatum’s mind logging another Did Not Play in that game. Tatum is coming off an NBA championship run with the Boston Celtics and can barely get on the court in the Olympics. It has to be humbling and frustrating, and a ball of other emotions all rolled into one.
USA men’s basketball roster in 2028 Olympics in L.A.
And lastly, this is such a star-studded U.S. team with James and Curry and Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid, I wonder who’ll represent the U.S. in Los Angeles in 2028, and what this country’s place will be in the international basketball landscape then.
Tatum is 26, which means he’ll be 30 when the next Olympics roll around. Anthony Edwards, 23, should be back and in the prime of his career then. Tyrese Haliburton, 24, (who logged a DNP like Tatum) presumably will be, too. Devin Booker will be 31 for the next games, but could co-star with Edwards and Tatum in L.A. But the U.S. is about to experience a drain on its Olympic roster.
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James, Curry (36), Durant (35) and Anthony Davis (31) are probably in their final games, and Embiid could be, too, given his age (30) and injury history. There’s a pipeline of talent waiting in the wings to be sure, but some of the NBA’s biggest stars — Jokic, Luka Doncic (Slovenia), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), Victor Wembanyama (France), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) — hail from other countries.
I’m not predicting a fall from gold medal contention, but it’s worth noting the U.S. finished fourth in last year’s World Cup and fourth in the FIBA under-19 world basketball standings. Regardless of who was playing in those games for the U.S., it’s notable because there are really good basketball players elsewhere around the world.
The U.S. has great players, too, and surely adding a player like Jalen Brunson or Jaylen Brown or Ja Morant — or all three — will make them medal favorites again.
But this team has one more game in it, Saturday against France (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC). Enjoy it, because it may be a while before we see a collection of talent like this again.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
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Publish date : 2024-08-09 23:05:00
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