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PARIS – The morning after the United States men’s basketball team came back strong to beat Serbia in an epic and thrilling Olympic semifinal, the Americans began to face what awaited them in Saturday’s game. for the gold medal.
That is to say, a physical and fierce France that flies high. . . here in France.
At first, Stephen Curry compared it to the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament, when his Davidson Wildcats went from 17 to beating Georgetown, only to face a playoff game (the Sweet 16) against an unknown opponent (Wisconsin) a few days later.
“The challenge is to turn the page and prepare for a new team,” Curry said.
He then compared it to an NBA Finals closing game on the road, where “we know the crowd is going to be loud and obnoxious to them, just like they are,” Curry said.
“I bet the 12 of us could place a game where we would be in a hostile environment, whether LeBron [James] comes for us [Golden State] in 2016 or we go to Boston [in 2022], ,” he said.
So that’s necessarily what the American team is up against: the NCAA tournament regime only in a road-based environment like the NBA Finals. Other than that, it’s fine: just a legacy and expectations and, of course, a gold medal.
“Exactly where we need to be,” coach Steve Kerr said. “. . . It’s a wonderful moment in everyone’s career. “
These are wonderful races, remember. The United States has 4 NBA MVPs on the roster: Curry and LeBron joined through Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid. Everyone is a star. The squad together has 15 NBA titles, adding Kerr, who has won five as a player and 4 as a coach.
They know, as Serbia has shown, that this is a new era of Olympic basketball in which there is no guarantee of American dominance, but expectations remain: gold or oneself. The United States has won 16 of the 19 Olympic Games in which it has competed. , adding 4 in a row since the “Redeem Team” of 2008.
“You know the history of USAB and the wonderful good luck it has had since 2004,” Curry said. “There’s a tension that’s part of it. “
For France, it’s different. Yes, because the French are the hosts and have stepped up their game in the knockout stages to make anything seem possible. Even so, they enter as losers with 16. 5 points.
“Part of a dream has come true. . . said Frenchman Victor Wembanyama. “It’s an opportunity to make even more history. The national team, this jersey brings us this other power that we don’t find anywhere else, and we can see it. , how intense we have been in the last two games. It’s something we all feel.
“As patriots, we love our jersey,” Wembanyama continued. We love our country. We are in a position to do as much as that.
The French will be very motivated and even if the Americans have a much bigger team on paper. . . so did Germany and Canada, who felt the surges and surges of French intensity in the semi-finals and quarter-finals, respectively.
“Strong” is how Kerr described France’s style, aided by FIBA officiating and a point of contact that the NBA doesn’t have. “They are very physical. They play incredibly loud. That’s what comes out in the film.
No one has those days for Guerschon Yabusele, a 6-foot-8, 271-pound giant who played for the Boston Celtics and now plays for Real Madrid of the Spanish League. He had 17 points and seven rebounds against Germany and 22 and five against Canada. He plays ruthlessly both ends of the court.
Then his defensive partner in crime, 6-9, 256-pound Mathias Lessort of the Greek League, who bulldozed his way against both teams.
“They were aggressors and they were hitting us in the mouth,” Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after the loss to France. “They played harder. They were the aggressors at both ends of the field.
They will benefit from abundant merits in the field: enthusiasts cheering, singing and drumming. There is a wonderful fan base for basketball in France, and this French team – led not by NBA stars Rudy Gobert and Wembanyama, but by blue-collar staff – has captured the country’s imagination.
“The enthusiasts kept me from crying,” Wembanyama said. “I thank you so much for being who you are and for being who you are: this opportunity, this thing that we all experience. ”
What you are experiencing is an opportunity for each and every one. The same goes for Americans, who will take advantage of each of their experiences.
“Playing France in Paris in a gold medal match,” Kerr said. “It’s much better. “
Except for having it.