Team USA avenged their opening defeat to France and captured gold!
The NBA stars previouslyfell to the Frenchon July 25, marking the first time the U.S. men’s team lost in the Olympics since 2004.
“This one feels good because we went through a lot. We had a lot of first-time guys on the team, new experience for everyone on the team, COVID, the kind of bubble we were in, no fans, no one expecting us to lose,” Durant told reporters after the win.
“We heard it all over the past few weeks about our team. To fight through this adversity against a great team like these guys … to come together so fast — it was beautiful to see, it was beautiful to be a part of,” the Brooklyn Nets star said.
“I’m so proud of this team. The coaching staff prepared us so well every single day, even some days when we didn’t feel like practicing but it was worth it in the end. I’m so glad. I’m ready to go home and celebrate,” Durant shared, raving about the pride he has for his Tokyo teammates.
“I love our country and this team is just amazing, it’s just incredible. “How we came together. The adversity that we went through, so many people doubting us early on too. We get that support from our families, our friends, you know it’s bigger than us. We wanted to come here finish it and look alive,” the athlete added.
Along with veteran captain Durant, two-time Olympian Draymond Green led the team of mostly first-timers: Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Jerami Grant, Keldon Johnson, Zach LaVine, Damian Lillard, JaVale McGee and Jayson Tatum.
McGee of the Denver Nuggets and his mother Pamela McGee, a former WNBA player and 1984 Olympic medalist, are the first mother-son duo to win Olympic gold in basketball.
“It’s an amazing feeling man. I got a gold medal, my mother’s got a gold medal. You can’t really explain it, just knowing you’re the best in the world,” McGee told reporters. “If that don’t add to the resume, I don’t know what will. It’s a family resume. That’s what it’s all about, in the end, is family.”
With this gold medal, Holiday and Middleton, who are both first-time Olympians, add to their winning streak a month after becomingNBA champions with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Two days after we won we had to fly out here, so it’s definitely a great summer but I gotta get to the point where I can actually enjoy it,” Holiday told reporters after the victory.
“It’s a different experience compared to others, I mean, different teammates. But the journey has been fun so far,” Durant told reporters two days before the gold medal game. “It’s rare, you know, that guys come in and do it four straight times, especially after what, 2004 I think [when the U.S. won bronze]. It’s a tough run for us. For us to be back is exciting.”
Booker, 24, spoke highly of Durant’s leadership in Tokyo. “You get that same spirit and vibe and energy from him off the court. He’s been in this situation before, and he’s leading us as such,” the Phoenix Suns star told reporters on Thursday. “I think these games are really meaningful to him and the whole team. He’s been a great leader for him, we feed off what he does and we feed off of that energy.”
In Tokyo, the U.S. team only lost to France in their group stage, later defeating the Czech Republic and Iran. Then, the Americans won the quarterfinal game against Spain and the semifinal against Australia.
Speaking about the team’s commitment to succeed at the Olympics, coach Gregg Popovich told reporters on Thursday that “from day one they realized that they really wanted to be here.”
“These guys all sacrificed … It was a tough season, with COVID and everything. It was just incredible to me that a couple of guys,” the San Antonio Spurs head coach said. “Like Khris Middleton, his wife gave birth and he came the next day, you know after the [NBA] finals. It was pretty big sacrifices – I guess more for his wife than him now that I think about it. So I’ll take the credit away from him and give it to his wife.
Popovich, 72, continued, “You can tell that they wanted to be here, they wanted to make a statement, they wanted to play together. In limited practices, we’ve still worked very hard on what we have to do, and they haven’t missed a beat. They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them, and been so coachable. I just believe in them.”
To learn more about Team USA, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics now on NBC.
source: people.com
