The veil of invincibility that has followed USA basketball for more than a decade has never been threatened the way it has in the Tokyo Olympics.
Team USA's journey towards these Olympic Games has been marred with hurdles and inconsistencies. Most of the harsh criticisms against the Americans have been warranted as they hobbled their way through the exhibition games and especially after losing their tournament opener against France. Recollections of the program's bronze medal finish in 2004 have hovered like a bad cloud.
That being said, however, the USA can still cement its title as the best basketball country in the world by defeating France in the finals on Saturday (PHT) at 10:30 AM. Winning trumps everything and a gold medal will silence the doubts.
Facing the French not only offers redemption and revenge for the American's earlier loss but it represents their fiercest challenge in the Olympics.
Evan Fournier is the Les Blues' leading scorer throughout the Games, averaging 19.2 points on 47.9 percent shooting. Nando De Colo is the second offensive threat, putting up just a shade under 14 points while dishing out a team-high 6.0 assists. These two will be the focal point for the French offense and you can bet Team USA will surround them with their defense.
Jrue Holiday, who is arguably the best defender in the tournament, will spearhead the defensive effort. Though listed at 6-foot-3, he has deceptive strength and can guard taller, stronger opponents. He can guard the 6-foot-5 De Colo and switch on to 6-foot-7 Fournier.
The lack of size has hurt the USA on certain occasions in the tournament, but they may have found a remedy after their semifinal bout against Australia. Kevin Durant made the headlines because of his scoring outburst, but it overshadowed the tremendous defensive effort that left the Boomers in shambles.
Led by Holiday, Durant, and Draymond Green, the USA went overdrive with their switching defense. They made up for their lack of rim protection by being quicker and more aggressive. They followed the game plan of shutting down Patty Mills while staying in tune with the Australian shooters. If Holiday and company can come out with the same type of effort, it's going to be a long night for the French.
On the flip side, the primary focus of France will undoubtedly be Durant. Team USA's all-time leading scorer has continued to elevate his game especially when his team needs him the most. When they were down against Australia, head coach Gregg Popovich was fine with giving the keys of the offense to Durant. And credit to one of the deadliest scorers in the game, he went into a higher gear and nobody could stop him.
Durant is scoring 19.0 points per game on a crisp 53.7 shooting clip. But it's not so much the raw numbers that Durant is putting up, but it's the when and how he decides to go on a scoring binge. Every time the Americans desperately need a basket, he swoops in like a superhero and delivers. He can shift the momentum of a game by scoring seven straight points on his own. His scoring prowess is the difference-maker heading into the gold medal game.
Stopping Durant is the top priority of France. The defensive assignment not only falls on Nicolas Batum, though he will be the primary defender, but it's going to be a team effort in attempting to slow down KD. That means Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Guerschon Yabusele, and 3-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert will all have to be in sync. France did a brilliant job in shadowing Luka Doncic in the semis. They didn't entirely stop Doncic as he got a triple double, but they didn't allow one man to beat them. They have to do the same versus Durant.
The upcoming gold medal game will be a nip-and-tuck affair and it will boil down to which team can execute better. The USA will come in as favorites but the French are an equally worthy opponent that can take home the top prize.
Gone are the days that Team USA can simply brush off opponents. Lopsided international victories are now a luxury. It is no longer surprising to say that "other countries have caught up."
But if Durant and his team can claim the gold, it will simply mean that the USA is still the best basketball team in the entire world.
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