‘Living legend’: Fans, NBAers in awe of Curry’s clutch three-point flurry
When the United States needed to fend off a late run by France in the Olympic gold medal game, who did the Americans turn to? Stephen Curry.
The end of an era, forever enshrined in gold.
When this American team was put together, there was no goal in mind, no medal in mind, no result in mind other than this one. If Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Steph Curry team up, for the first time in their careers, anything but first place is a complete and utter disappointment.
No three players have defined the last decade-plus of basketball more than them — it’s only right they finish the story together, etching a place not only in the history books but in the collective psyche of fans, putting to bed any future “what ifs.”
Battles between the three have been appointment viewing. From the Thunder-Warriors rivalry in the mid-2010s to the string of four-straight Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals, their paths were always destined to cross, and basketball is all the better for it.
To see it end like this is just that much more special. A 98-87 win over host nation France in the gold medal game, with the timeless trio still playing to the best of their abilities.
Now maybe this is all overly dramatic. All three players are aging, but decline just isn’t in any of their collective vocabularies. There are still a few years of beautiful basketball left in their tanks.
After all, look at their totals from the win over France. James finished with 14 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. Durant had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists.
And Curry… Steph Curry. It’s almost unbearable that this is the first time he’s donned the stars and stripes at the Olympics. The best shooter of all time finished with 24 points, all of which came from three-pointers. But his performance in the third quarter was the stuff of legends, as he took over in the final stretch with 12 points in perhaps the best three minutes of basketball he’s ever played.
Unlike Robert Downey Jr., James likely won’t be making a return to the Avengers in another role. And maybe that’s for the best: 39 might be the new 29 for the timeless superstar, but his storied career with Team USA wrapped up with a perfect ending. What need is there for him to run it back?
Durant, meanwhile, is already the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. at the Olympics and earned his fourth gold medal, breaking a tie for the all-time mark with Carmelo Anthony.
If this is the last we see from all three era-defining superstars, let it be known that it was everything and more. When current generations of fans look back on it, they’ll do so with a heart full of appreciation and eyes full of nostalgia. When future generations of fans watch the documentary of this last dance years from now or catch fan edits on TikTok, the magnitude of this game, and this era, will resonate endlessly.
If this is all we get, at least it was perfect.
Victor Wembanyama’s time is coming
There’s no more appropriate juxtaposition than pitting the U.S. against France.
France, long since a basketball powerhouse, looks like a country destined to take over the game in the coming years.
Leading that rush to global supremacy and world domination is the alien Victor Wembanyama.
Though he couldn’t snatch glory away from the old guard in this game, Wembanyama’s impact was felt immensely and he made it clear, through his play, attitude and emotion after the loss that his time is coming. Tears flowed after the loss. The world isn’t ready for his revenge.
Standing at seven-foot-four, shrinking was never in the cards. Wembanyama announced himself with a ridiculous game-high 26 points, scoring in ways that only he can on 11-of-19 from the field and three-of-eight from deep. He also managed seven rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass, and took full advantage of the FIBA tip-in rules, using his perplexing length to dump in anything at the rim.
This was the biggest game of the 20-year-old’s young basketball career and he shined, asserting himself as the next face of basketball and giving the world a taste of what’s to come on the international stage once the next generation of French hoopers begins to stake its claim.
With Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Pacome Dadiet, Tidjane Salaun and Nolan Traore all coming down the pipeline, it’s clear that the window has only just started to open.
Who takes the torch for USA Basketball?
“I won’t be there.”
It was always unlikely that LeBron James would suit up for Team USA at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but who are we as NBA viewers to not live in denial?
The ageless wonder confirmed his stance for 2028 to USA Today‘s Drew Weisholtz before the Paris games.
As stated previously, Durant (35) and Curry (36) are also aging stars who don’t seem likely to don the stars and stripes again.
But the U.S. has always been a “next guy up” program, routinely churning out the next faces of basketball to take up the mantle and keep the sport singularly dominated.
In recent years though, the game has evolved to take on an international make-up, with most of the best current players in the NBA being non-Americans.
That begs the question, who will be next to shoulder the load for the States on their home soil in four years?
If this tournament was any indication, a lot of the presumed next guys looked somewhat unprepared.
Jayson Tatum, though a superstar at the NBA level, finished Saturday’s game with two points and had two DNPs against Serbia at these Olympics. Anthony Edwards, one of the most electric players alive, struggled mightily with decision-making and shot selection and was a non-factor in the team’s last two games. Tyrese Haliburton, the next great American point guard, had as many DNPs as appearances at this tournament and finished it averaging 2.7 points per game.
Even Joel Embiid, who joined the team as a naturalized player, has suggested that he might play for home country Cameroon at the next Olympics.
Though the majority of NBA talent still comes from the U.S., there are more questions than answers as to how the team moves on from guys like James, Curry and Durant.
As the rest of the world continues to improve and the older stars on Team USA age out, could it be that the American dynasty peaked on Saturday?
Fast Breaks
• Someone please give Guerschon Yabusele an NBA contract. The “Dancing Bear” had a stellar run to close the Olympics and showed up in the final to the tune of a physical and gritty 20 points.
(He also posterized LeBron James, but for the sake of the documentary in 20 years, let’s just pretend I didn’t see it.)
• As much love as Anthony Edwards gets for having face-of-the-league potential, Devin Booker is still the best shooting guard in the NBA. His 15 points, six rebounds and three assists while staying as steady as it gets on both ends were severely underrated in this win.
• Should Joel Embiid be allowed to egg on the booing crowd if he only finishes with four points? Wembanyama dominated his could-have-been teammate and gave French fans a great silver lining.
• Rudy Gobert, so confusing. What happened to the four-time NBA defensive player of the year down the stretch at these Olympics? After playing a combined nine minutes in the two previous knockout stage games, he was on the court for 12 this time around but finished with a paltry two points and three rebounds. Is it time for France to phase out one of its stalwarts?
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