The opening day of basketball gave us a little bit of everything as the United States and Australia claimed wins.
Advertisement
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Kevin Durant looks ready to lead a new group of Americans to the gold-medal podium. “This is business for us”.
The leader of this team, Anthony, who is going for his third gold medal, is one of the all-time great Olympic players, and his command of worldwide game was on display. But with China serving as Team USA’s opening opponent Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Coach K did the normal coach-speak.
The last time the China and the U.S. clashed on the Olympic stage was 2008 in Beijing in an intriguing matchup played in front of a standing room only crowd that included U.S. President George W. Bush and an estimated one billion television viewers.
Other than some possible gripes about where the ship is docked – it’s at Pier Maua in Guanabara Bay, one of the heavily polluted waterways in the Rio area – it’s unlikely the men’s or women’s teams will be echoing the sort of complaints the Chinese or Australian delegations (among others) have shared since arriving at the Games.
It appears the US women will also be living aboard the Silver Cloud, according to media reports. “I’ve been watching, seeing what teams have been doing and I’ve been waiting to see if the opportunity presented itself where I think I could fit”.
Kevin Durant led the way for Team USA with 25 points in just 22 minutes, the most time any of the 12 USA players spent on the court. Michelle Kasold scored for the USA on a penalty corner with 10:26 to play. “Every team is here for a reason”.
The United States is expected to win the most medals among the 306 events. “If you don’t, you’ll get beat”. On Wednesday, she noted that the two squads enjoyed the chance on the charter from Houston to Rio to get acquainted and swap stories. They will have their first news conference in Rio on Thursday.
Anthony stayed on a cruise ship in his first Olympics, when they finished third in 2004 in Athens. He cited “their ability to spread the floor; they have a lot of big guys who can shoot the ball; and their guards are super aggressive attacking”. “There’s so many different restaurants and places for us to hang out”. “It’s not like we’re cruising around”.
“It’s pretty cool. We’re in a hotel on water”, Durant added.
Every player on the US roster got on the score sheet in the opener with four getting into double figures led by Kevin Durant with 25. “The boat is super cool”, Jordan said. He plans to leave better than he came in. “So I know what it felt like to be at the bottom and I know what it feels like to be at the top of the game and the world”. “It’s cool to have a fraternity of guys who have won a gold medal”.
Johnette Howard is an award-winning writer and author who previously worked for Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, and Newsday.
Advertisement
Kevin Durant reacts after a three-point shot against China in the men’s preliminary round Group A match at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1 on August 6, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
