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There’s no doubt that the world’s second most popular team sport has become basketball, ranking behind only what every other nation, except America, calls football (or futbol, though it’s known as soccer in the USA). It’s a game Americans assume our teams will always dominate, but the truth is the rest of the world doesn’t lag anywhere near as far behind as it did when the 1992 Dream Team helped launch the sport’s global explosion. While on the surface, the fact that America’s Olympic teams keep winning gold, a quick look behind the numbers will reveal just how much the gap has closed in terms of international competition. While the USA men’s and women’s teams each continued their gold medal streaks over last weekend, it wasn’t nearly as easy as many predicted.
The American men took their fifth straight Olympic gold, while the women’s streak now includes eight straight golds and 62 consecutive victories. Both teams defeated French opponents who were inspired by loud, boisterous crowds of 20,000-plus fans chanting slogans throughout both games. While these wins represent triumphs for each team, neither came without controversy or moments where they were severely tested. The men’s squad had a host of NBA All-Stars on the roster with players like Lebron James and Kevin Durant already being multiple gold winners. Durant ended the competition as the all-time leader Olympic basketball scorer, supplanting the great Lisa Leslie who was at courtside throughout the competition. Although there were some early questions about squad composition when three Celtics were chosen but Jaylen Brown was omitted, the men for the most part romped through the group stage once they began taking things seriously. Prior to that, South Sudan almost pulled off an upset for the ages before a last second James score gave the USA a one-point victory. But when the two teams met the next time, the Americans blew the South Sudanese out as expected.
For much of the competition, first-time team member Steph Curry was rather quiet. But when America fell behind Serbia by 17 points, it was Curry who rallied the troops and helped save the day. His 36 points, coupled with one of the greatest defensive quarters in Olympic history, enabled the USA to come back and oust Serbia 95-91. Curry added another 24 points in the title game, propelling the men’s team to a 98-87 victory.
Early controversy over team selection also dogged the American women, with legions of Caitlin Clark fans asking why she wasn’t on the squad. The American women didn’t get a real test until the finale, when France gave them their toughest challenge ever. Down by 10 in the third quarter, the American women fought back and earned a nail-biting 68-67 gold medal victory. Aja Wilson had 20 points to lead the USA while former UConn star Gabby Williams had 19 for France, including the final five that shaved a six-point deficit down to the one-point outcome. If Williams had not been on the three-point line that game would have went to overtime, and who knows what might have happened.
But the ultimate bottom result was both American teams persevered. It’s most likely the final Olympics for such veterans as James, Durant and Diana Taurasi, concluding a spectacular Olympic career. Taurasi earned a sixth gold medal, making her the most decorated basketball player in the history of the Games. But it’s also an indicator of the torch being passed in women’s basketball. Taurasi not only wasn’t in the starting lineup for the first time since the 2004 Olympics, she didn’t play in the gold medal game. But she was content to cheer on her teammates, as were several equally gifted men’s and women’s stars who played either very little or not at all in these Olympics.
America may still hold the titles, but the time has long since passed when hastily assembled teams of all-stars can just gather for a few practices and blow through the field. America didn’t even medal in the last FIBA World games, and if a similar attitude ever gets adopted regarding the Olympics, the long winning streaks of both teams will come to an end.
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