Three minutes before the end, the USA was leading only 82:79 and then it turned out that the French pursuit had awakened a monster. Specifically – Stephen Curry. The best shooter in basketball history hit four three-pointers in two minutes, each one more incredible. It was Curry's show, it was a stamp on the great tournament of the Americans – the 98:87 victory gave them gold. Curry with 24 points and an efficiency of 8/12 for threes was the biggest star of the final. And maybe of the tournament, because in the tight semi-final with Serbia in excellent style he scored as many as 36 points.
The whole world was waiting for this match. The Parisian arena was attended by former great basketball players, including Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker. The head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, and the commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver. Outstanding athletes, TV personalities, and celebrities. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, with his wife, total nearly 13 thousand fans in the stands – the electrifying clash between the USA and France, a repeat of the final of the games from three years ago, aroused great interest. The spectacle was worthy of the Olympic competition for gold, there was no shortage of emotions. But instead of sensation and the victory of France, there was confirmation of dominance, i.e. the victory of the USA.
The biggest stars of American and world basketball – LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin DurantJoel Embiid – secured their team's 17th gold medal in 20 games. They won in Paris, on the territory of a mobilized, experienced team, which was the only one to defeat the Americans in the last five editions of the Olympic tournament. The USA's record since 2008, when the so-called “Redemption Team” with Kobe Bryant and James regained the gold lost four years earlier in Athens? 35-1.
This 35th Saturday victory did not come easy for the Americans, but the match went well for them. The US basketball players, who won the semifinals by a large majority match They were losing to Serbia and eventually won 95:91, they started the final very focused and imposed their conditions. They played aggressively in defense, accelerated the pace of the attack, scored a lot of points on the counterattack and dominated. But not enough to escape France.
It is true that at the beginning of the second quarter it was already 24:17 for the USA, but the hosts responded with an 8:0 burst and took a small lead. The match was even, the result was close to a draw with a slight indication for the USA. When Guerschon Yabusele flew over James playing in golden shoes, dunked the ball with a foul, and then used a free throw, the Americans led 40:36 two minutes before the break.
However, they had a great ending, thanks to Stephen Curry and Devin Booker, they were winning 49:41 after the first half. The former scored six points by halftime, but also had five assists, the latter threw 13 points. The driving force of the American team was James, and on the other side, Yabusele (15 points) and Victor Wembanyama (13) stood out.
At the beginning of the second half, the French stars were playing at a high speed, but there were simply more American stars. Curry, who was hitting threes, was joined by the more active Joel Embiid, who was constantly booed by the French crowd after he became a French citizen, but chose to play for the USA. His shots also gave the Americans a 61-47 lead.
But France fought back. The stands were constantly chanting “Allez les Bleus!”, the hosts were making up for the losses. After a three-pointer by Evan Fournier, they came close to 59:65 in the 27th minute, to which James responded with a three-pointer of his own in a flash. However, in the last action of the third quarter, Anthony Edwards lost the ball, and Nando de Colo managed to score points for France – after 30 minutes it was only 72:66 for the USA.
The Americans, although they could not afford a moment of respite, controlled the result. Important three-pointers at the beginning of the fourth quarter were hit by Durant and Jrue Holiday, James showed an impressive dunk, shouts of “USA!” broke through the chants of the French fans for a moment. But only for a moment, because after several losses of the American basketball players, the French started to make up for the losses again – three minutes before the end after points by Wembanyama they came close to 79:82.
And then began the incredible Curry show described at the beginning. The Americans won 98-87 and deservedly won Olympic gold. Booker and Durant scored 15 points for the USA, James threw 14, also had six rebounds and 10 assists. Wembanyama scored 26 points for France, and Yabusele added 20.
The bronze medals at the Paris Games were won by Serbia, who defeated Germany 93:83 in the match for third place.