Paris.- That’s what Stephen Curry imagined a couple of years ago, after winning his fourth NBA championship. All he needed was Olympic gold.
And at the climax, the sniper made sure that the medal would be his.
The United States is at the top of international basketball once again after Curry scored 24 points and set the tone for a 98-87 victory over France in the final of the Paris Games on Saturday night.
It was the fifth consecutive gold for the United States — and the team’s 17th in 20 appearances at the Games.
Curry went on a rampage with four three-pointers in the final 2:43 of play, including the shot that sealed the win with 1:19 to play. He put the United States up 93-84, and he marched around the Arena de Bercy court to shout and stick out his chest, displaying the initials “USA” on his jersey.
If that wasn’t enough, the point guard followed up with another three-pointer — with 30 seconds left — and followed up with the “going to sleep” gesture in which he puts his hands on the side of his face.
Good night. End of the match. Gold won. Again.
“To get a gold medal is something that is crazy to me,” Curry said. “I have to thank God for giving me the opportunity to experience that.”
Kevin Durant — the first man with four gold medals in Olympic basketball history — scored 15 points for the United States, as did Devin Booker. And LeBron James, who stepped out in self-explanatory gold sneakers, added 14 to earn his fourth Olympic medal and third gold.
For the second consecutive Games, the French had to watch the Americans wave their flags after the championship game. The French lost 87-82 to the United States in Tokyo three years ago and this match provided drama until the final minutes.
Tension that lasted until Curry decided to put things right.
“I think we’re the only team in the world whose fans are embarrassed by a silver medal,” said U.S. coach Steve Kerr, whose tenure as coach ended with a 21-3 record and an Olympic gold — 11-0 this summer. “That’s the pressure we face. But our players, and you saw it with Steph, relish the pressure. They love these moments and they were fantastic.”
Victor Wembanyama, in his first Games, was brilliant for France, scoring 26 points. The San Antonio Spurs prodigy’s output was the second-highest against the United States in a gold medal match since Drazen Dalipagic’s 27 for Yugoslavia in 1976.
Wembanyam covered his face with a towel as the Americans celebrated. Guerschon Yabusele added 20 for the hosts.
“It is certainly disappointing because we had the expectation of being able to do it,” said France coach Vincent Collet. “But we have to admit that in the end they were superior. We were close… When they hit fantastic shots, that was the difference.”
The U.S. led by 14 early in the third and looked headed for a comfortable victory. But its offense cooled and Evan Fournier hit a 3-pointer with 3:05 left in the fourth and the French closed to within six.
With a chance to pull away by double digits heading into the final period, an American lapse gave France hope. Anthony Edwards and Durant got tangled up on a pass and Nando De Colo capitalized on the loose ball to score just before the buzzer, putting the U.S. up 72-66 heading into the final 10 minutes.
France came within three. But they couldn’t push any further because of Curry. His four three-pointers in a span of 2:12 will go down in Olympic history.
“A huge basket to put us up six. That calmed everything down,” Curry said. “Then it was a matter of rhythm, a rush and thankfully the other three went in. It was an unbelievable moment. I’ve been blessed to play basketball at a high level for so long. This ranks high in terms of the euphoria and the sense of relief that we’ve reached the finish line.”
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