“It was therapy for me after making a big change in my life”, Durant said after the USA’s gold medal victory over Serbia. Then he tried crouching.
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As head coach of the U.S. National Team, Krzyzewski led the United States to five gold medals (three Olympics, two FIBA World Cups (formerly World Championship)) and one bronze (2006 FIBA World Cup).
A Serbian team that tested the U.S. squad before falling 94-91 in a group stage game – the closest call yet in the Americans’ long Olympic win streak – stayed close for barely a quarter before the National Basketball Association playmakers went wild. “I want to see their level raised”.
“I wasn’t being myself”, said Durant, the 27-year-old former University of Texas star. I’ve seen the worst and I’ve seen the best. Just because it’s ‘Melo, I would love to pass him. I got away from that a couple of games, but when knockout rounds started …
“There’s no greater honour than to coach your country’s team, and to coach the United States team with not just their level of talent but commitment that these guys have shown”.
It was also the farewell game for United States coach Mike Krzyzewski, who will be replaced by San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. But with their most recent showing in Rio now complete, the luster of Team USA is once again being questioned despite their gold-medal finish. And what Anthony said after that loss stuck with Krzyzewski so much that he used it to sum up his time with USA Basketball a decade later.
Since the 1992 Dream Team, the level of global talent has grown exponentially, and the 2004 games were a watershed moment for USA Basketball as Argentina’s golden generation proved that the Americans could no longer skate by on talent alone. But when Team USA is interested and cares, it imposes its will.
Nobody on Team USA would disagree.
Durant led the team with 155 points over eight games, scoring 71 of them in the final three matchups.
It might as well have been game over–the second half felt like a formality.
Would the USA men win by more than the 29 the US women won by against Spain a day earlier? The U.S. reserves scored 55 points compared to just 23 points for the Spanish bench. DeAndre Jordan jumped around like a kid fueled by chocolate and soda. At just 27, Durant has his eyes set on Tokyo in 2020 and he can challenge those other three for the title of the best.
“We said it was a learning experience and our guys did learn”, Krzyzewski told NBC.
The U.S. men have always been an unstoppable force, taking gold in 15 of the 18 Olympics in which they have participated.
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Thompson scored 17 in the first half, including a 3-pointer with 26 seconds left that made it 45-39 at the break. I’m excited for me but also for the other guys who never experienced anything like this. “Of course, it wasn’t as easy as we would have liked it, but this journey we had in Rio, starting in Vegas, you can’t ask for anything more than that”. “I’m here today three gold medals later”.
