Miguel Ríos warned us decades ago. Old rockers never die, and he himself and his current impeccable condition are there to corroborate it. There are quite a few of them at these Games, and there will be more and more, because thanks to better training, physical and mental care, nutrition and treatment of injuries, careers are getting longer in almost all specialties. Remaining competitive when you are very close to reaching the fourth floor of life is no longer a novelty. There are them in almost all disciplines and countries, and if they are here it is not a bonus, because no qualifying ticket is given to you.
This species is not in danger of extinction, but rather in the reproductive phase and they are usually bad opponents. Just ask Alcaraz. They have seen it all, which allows them to put success and failure into perspective. If they remain active it is because they have not lost their competitive instinct, the main reason that allows them to continue making all the sacrifices that high competition demands. They understand that sooner or later they will be outdone, but that duel must be decided on the track, not by comparing identity cards.
If there is a sport where the gold medals are already predetermined, it is basketball for the United States. They never lose even in four games, but the men’s game is not so simple. After the disaster they suffered in Athens 2004, the United States decided to stop fooling around and bring the best they had, knowing that as soon as they lost talent, they were in danger. Gasol’s Spain reminded them on two occasions of the small margin they had compared to the abyss that separated them a couple of decades ago. For this edition they chose the best of what was available. Legends, all starsemerging and established figures, have left practically nothing at home. Until the semi-final, it was a smooth sailing. And then, almost suddenly, as happens at sea, a Serbian gale arose that for thirty-seven minutes seemed capable of sinking the luxury NBA ocean liner.
Serbia did everything necessary to win. Their talent pool seems inexhaustible. With two talented players like Jokic and Bogdanovic and a group of uninhibited three-point shooters, they were up to seventeen points ahead. The USA was collapsed, stunned, unable to find defensive or offensive solutions, frightened by the evidence of a possible national disaster. Never before has the possibility of a European feat been more palpable. Until Stephen Curry (36 years old), LeBron James (39) and Kevin Durant (35) started playing. rock and roll(with Embid on drums). We are talking about three major players. Curry has changed basketball with his three-pointers, LeBron is the top scorer in NBA history and his career seems to last forever, Durant is probably the most lethal scorer ever seen on the court. First, the point guard was activated, imperial from the first minute. LeBron joined in, doing LeBron, that is, scoring, rebounding and assisting (he completed a triple double) and finally, Durant closed the game with two indefensible shots, a trademark of his.
I admit that my sympathies were with Serbia. Their audacity with a squad that was much inferior to their rivals deserved a reward. I may also feel a certain weariness of always seeing the same team win. And I also think that the referees are not usually entirely fair in their criteria, which ends up irritating me a little. But in the same way, I have to confess that once the game was over, the euphoric hugs that LeBron, Curry and Durant gave each other touched my little heart. And it has been many years and hundreds of games enjoying their talent, rivalry and heroics. Now that I think about it, Curry could be like Mick Jagger, magnetic, always running the show, LeBron looks like Bruce Springsteen, giving it his all at every concert, and Durant is Van Morrison, waiting for his genius, not his smile. Well, that’s it, adorable old rockers who refuse to end the tour and as they once again demonstrated, still capable of giving another great concert.
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