The Dream Team is still from another planet: fifth consecutive Olympic gold for the USA

Basketball – Paris 2024 Olympic Games – end – day 1

France

USA

A great France crowned the Dream Team in Paris. The war of the worlds was won by the United States. The differences have narrowed, sometimes the two planets almost touch, but the NBA men still rule the roost, unstoppable when they bring out the ammunition. Curry (24 points), Durant (15) and LeBron (14, chosen as MVP) are a wall too high for any mortal, despite the resistance put up by Wembanyama (26) and Yabusele (20), the spearheads of a great France. Fifth consecutive Olympic gold for the USA and fourth final of the Games lost by France, all against the same bone.

A dunk by the Buffalo LeBron and a triple by Wembyama opened the game as if it were an All Star, full of plays that filled the eyes: a dunk by the King on Yabusele, another outside bingo by Durant, the tape by Wemby and the smashed rim… It seemed like a summary of the best moments of the game and not even five minutes had passed. The spectators could not blink. The semi-final against Serbia (bronze against Germany) had served as a warning to the Dream Team, plugged in from the start on a hostile court. The train crash against the fired-up France provided an even start (15-20). The United States bit in defense and France was the same team transformed from Lille to Paris and that eliminated Canada and Germany until it was on equal terms with the empire.

The Dream Team’s artillery was the same as always. But the team was built from behind, an overflowing physical exuberance to steal and run. France also pressed without the ball, and when the United States made several failures from the three-point line, strangely deviated on the perimeter, Vincent Collett’s team poked its head out (25-24). His colleague Steve Kerr called a stop and LeBron returned from the warrior’s rest. And of course, when James is on the court the story is usually different. The star rebounds on his own court, sweeps from coast to coast, penetrates like a missile, wins the basket and the foul in his favor, and shakes his shoulders and chest as if he were the lord of the jungle. He is.

France responded with Yabusele’s inside-outside dance, Lessort’s fervour and some De Colo forays. Durant sharpened his wrist in the outside zone and Yabusele produced one of the images of the night: he received the ball from the outside and attacked the rim with fury to rise above LeBron and take away the shot and the foul. “MVP!” the fans shouted at the Madrid power forward, who finished the first half with another inside foray between James and Anthony Davis (41-49). The two towers stared at each other before the break of a great final. Pau Gasol, Carmelo Anthony, Scottie Pippen did not miss a detail in the front row…

Embiid was booed when he stood on the free throw line (you know, that summer love affair with France but the wedding with the United States). In the area there was a good fight with Yabusele and Wembanyama, a man from the Euroleague and another from the NBA who sold their skin dearly. The Real Madrid player was a torment for LeBron and company because he appeared everywhere. Without making any great acceleration, the constant speed at which the Dream Team traveled did allow them to take bites out of the scoreboard (47-61).

LeBron scored a pigeonhole and Wembanyama raised his endless arms to the ceiling of the Bercy Arena demanding more decibels after a triple from the unicorn. And another from Fournier. France was back on the attack. They had left (59-65). The French team had returned to the game just when it seemed they could say goodbye. They didn’t want a dignified death, but to die with their boots on. The United States’ defensive mistakes ended up granting another opportunity to the home team, spurred on by Fournier (66-72 at the end of the third quarter).

France was demanding the best Dream Team, just as Serbia had demanded it, a symptom of Europe’s strength in the world of basketball. Nothing that the United States has not already experienced in its own flesh. And that it did not experience in those last minutes of the Olympic final, with its rival burning its ships (79-82) to the cry of Allez la France. Both teams were rushing forward, victims of the fatigue of the duel and the tournament. Yabusele stole, Wemby crushed, but in this confrontation the United States always has something more, a sixth gear. For example, four stratospheric triples by Curry in the last two minutes. The trademark of the Dream Team, the trademark of gold.

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