American superstars are getting drunk on the edge of hell.
What a shock that would have been: In the Olympic semi-finals, the US basketball team is on the brink of elimination before the assembly of superstars manages to take it to the next level. The stars and their coach are euphoric after a great comeback.
The team sent to the Olympics in Paris by the USA is the most spectacular assembly of basketball superstars since the "Dream Team" that won gold in Barcelona in 1992: Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant - they have all come together for the gold mission.
It is the most high-profile traveling circus in sports, each player is a one-man show that can thrill fans around the planet. Anything other than the title is unimaginable. And then it's almost over, much too early: Against Serbia, which also has the best basketballer in the NBA, Nikola Jokic, the team they had previously overwhelmed 110:84 in the group phase, the USA is trailing by 11 points with seven minutes to go in the semi-final.
It took three quarters, then they finally put on the big show that drove the fans in the Bercy Arena wild. In the end, they turned a 13-point deficit at the start of the final quarter into a 95:91 victory. They had played themselves into a big high, led by the outstanding James, in a long disappointing match, just in time to prevent an Olympic disaster.
A failure is unimaginable and yet it was so close. Kerr had explained in preparation after a hard-fought test match victory against Germany that his team still had "another level" in them. He then corrected himself immediately. "We have two higher levels in us - but as always, it depends on the entire team." Together, they finally found the next level.
Kerr feels "honored"
James tied it at 84:84, super shooter Steph Curry put his team ahead for the first time in ages (87:86). They grinned and laughed during their comeback, the atmosphere in the final minutes was magnificent. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time," Curry said later. The hall was boiling, it was trembling, and the outstanding individualists spread team spirit like rarely seen in the history of the great US teams.
"I really feel honored to have been part of this game," said US coach Kerr afterwards. "It was one of the greatest basketball games I've ever been a part of. They were perfect. They played a perfect game." For context: Kerr once played for the Chicago Bulls, the most spectacular basketball team of the late second millennium.
Alongside Michael Jordan, the best player the sport has ever seen, Kerr won three NBA titles, deciding the 1997 Finals series with a personal shot in the last second of game six against the Utah Jazz. After switching to the San Antonio Spurs, he won his fourth championship in a row in 1999, and his last in 2003. As a coach, he led the Golden State Warriors to three championships. Kerr knows what he's talking about.
Better than the Dream Team?
Another Win, Damn Another Win. Steph (Curry) and Joel (Embiid) saved us today, James roared in the locker room of the multimillionaires who now see what money can't buy. Curry, who scored 14 of the first 15 points of his team and ended up with an incredible 36 points, top scorer of the nail-biting game, raved: "Given that we're all superstars and hall of famers in our respective teams, and what we've all achieved, the willingness is there, and that's how you win," said the long-range shooter who sealed the nerve-wracking game with two successful free throws. "Coming back like we did was something special." Kevin Durant, who hit crucial shots from mid-range in the final quarter, found his teammate's performance "godly".
Legendary coach Svetislav Pesic, who once led Germany to the European Championship and now wanted to lead the Serbs to a sensation, had declared before the tournament: "This American team is better than the original Dream Team of 1992." They eventually lived up to that expectation and are now playing for their fifth consecutive Olympic title. The USA last missed the gold triumph in 2004, with the bronze medal from Athens 2004 being a great humiliation for LeBron James.
Embiid Steps Up
While James, the greatest among the global superstars who had so far sailed through the tournament, produced the fourth triple-double (16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) in Olympic basketball history, it was another who became the match winner, one they boo in France: Joel Embiid, who has been passionately jeered by his countrymen throughout the tournament, "was everything," James praised the 30-year-old from the Philadelphia 76ers. "He made every big shot." Embiid, who also holds French citizenship, had flirted with playing for France - but ultimately chose the US team. They haven't forgiven him in France.
Now Embiid played a crucial role in ensuring the gold mission didn't end in disaster: he made nine of eleven shots for 19 points, with the USA outscoring the impressive Serbs by 17 points in his 27 minutes of play. In defense, Embiid put in one of the best games of his career against Jokic, who had been named the most valuable player in the NBA three times in a row. "He showed why he's one of the greatest to ever touch a basketball," Kevin Durant told "The Athletic" after the win. "He finished, hit shots, and got those guys in foul trouble. He was incredible tonight."
Now Embiid and his ecstatic teammates face the ultimate challenge: on Saturday, the star lineup plays against hosts France and their prodigy Victor Wembanyama. The 2.24-meter tall rising superstar, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, is preparing his opponents for a big duel: "In our national anthem, we speak of blood," Wembanyama said after the narrow win over the German team (73:69). "We're ready to spill blood on the court. It's no big deal. If it helps us win gold, I'm ready. Bring it on."
You can hear the excitement in Curry's voice as he says, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time," following their remarkable comeback.
Kerr, with a deep sense of appreciation, expresses, "I really feel honored to have been part of this game."
