Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Basketball – Men – Group A – France v United States – Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan – July 25, 2021. Kevin Durant of the United States and Damian Lillard of the United States look dejected after the match with teammates REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Basketball – Men – Group A – France v United States – Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan – July 25, 2021. Kevin Durant of the United States and Damian Lillard of the United States look dejected after the match with teammates REUTERS/Brian Snyder
It was a nightmare start for Team USA in the Olympics as they lost to France in their opening game. An inspiring comeback by France in the last quarter got the job done.
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Notably, Team USA had not lost in the Olympics since 2004. This marks their first defeat since their 3 gold medal runs. Needless to say, this was not the start Team USA would have hoped for when they started chasing their 4th consecutive gold medal.
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Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Basketball – Men – Group A – France v United States – Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan – July 25, 2021. Damian Lillard of the United States in action with Rudy Gobert of France REUTERS/Brian Snyder
However, an important question that comes up is, has the rest of the world caught up to USA?
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Patrick Ewing says the World has caught up
NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is of the opinion that the world has finally caught up to USA in basketball. Prior to this, USA was the dominating side in basketball for a very long time.
Surprisingly, Patrick Ewing blames the ‘Dream Team’ as the reason for the world catching up. He feels like the world watched how Team USA dominated throughout the years and now seems to have caught up to them.
Will Team USA be able to redeem itself and win Gold or has the world caught up? 🏀
(via NY Post) pic.twitter.com/a3YCY4CX9M
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 26, 2021
Now, this does not seem to be a wrong opinion. Since the Dream Team in 1992, there have been a lot of changes in World basketball.
Notably, the number of NBA players in other teams has increased. Hence, it is not like before where they were facing off non-NBA players.
Currently, Team USA is facing oppositions who are also led by talented NBA players. This makes it difficult for them to dominate the way they used to because the competition is now quite even. USA will need to work harder than before if they want to capture the gold medal in these Olympics.
Imago
1992: Michael Jordan (L), Magic Johnson (M) and Clyde Drexler (R) of Team USA, the Dream Team, sit on the bench during the men’s basketball competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Icon Sportswire)
Evan Fournier leads France’s comeback against Team USA
Although Team USA lost against France, it was not a one-sided affair by any means. USA took a lead at halftime and it looked like they were in the driver’s seat. However, France’s Evan Fournier’s 28 point performance boosted France to victory.
A 16-2 run at the end of the 4th helped France to snatch a win against Team USA. Kevin Durant was in foul trouble since halftime and did not get a lot of play time. Eventually, he fouled out in the 4th quarter.
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Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Basketball – Men – Group A – France v United States – Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan – July 25, 2021. Kevin Durant of the United States on the bench REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Surprisingly, he had a terrible quarter as he was 0-6 from the field in the crucial last quarter. Jrue Holiday continued his momentum from the NBA finals as he scored 18 points. Team USA are now 3-3 in their last 6 games including exhibitions.
Do you think Kevin Durant and his men can bounce back and win the gold medal at Tokyo Olympics? Let us know in the comments below.
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