They earned the USA men’s basketball team its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal Saturday, holding off a feisty French team 98-87. The final at Paris’ Bercy Arena went down to the wire.
Stephen Curry led the way with 24 points for the American team, four of those points coming on clutch three-pointers in the waning minutes. Those crucial shots allowed Team USA to finally break away from France after an intense duel that had kept the outcome in suspense and showcased the talent of both teams.
The Americans started off hot, building a 14-point lead early in the game, before seeing that dwindle to just six heading into the fourth quarter. A French team powered by Victor Wembanyama’s 26 points cut the deficit to just three with only minutes remaining. It looked like France might pull off a historic upset with seconds ticking off the clock, but Curry was far from finished.
“Just kept our composure,” said LeBron James after the game. “We’ve been in tight games throughout the tournament, and we knew we were going to get everybody’s best shot. It was all about staying composed and willing our way to victory.”
It saw the host nation, France, playing great all through to the final and then recording wins over Canada and Germany. French fans were fantastic to the very end, creating an electric atmosphere in the arena still not enough to stop Curry when it counted most.
It was basket for basket and lead exchanges through the first few minutes. A surge of French offense temporarily gave them the lead in the second before it was answered by a Devin Booker three, and Team USA was right back out in front.
France’s Fourth-Quarter Surge
France locked down on the defensive end in the fourth, and the Americans could come no closer than the margin stayed at most of that quarter. USA coach Steve Kerr said about France’s challenge, “France found something in the last couple of games. They were physical at every position and put a lot of pressure on us in the fourth.”.
But it was Curry’s brilliance that finished the night off. Down the home stretch, one shot after another was launched home to finally cement another gold for the United States.
“Obviously, I understand that was going to be a tough task with some great teams that we were going to face,” Curry said. “So, at the end, there’s a kind of relief, but it’s more like accomplishment in terms of knowing what we were able to do.”
Curry recalled competing at the Olympics, before adding, “I’m having the best time of my life because you know this might not come around again.
After this victory, Team USA defends its title in men’s Olympic basketball, and this golden moment will be a high point in his already Hall of Fame career for Curry.
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