The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, were branded as Paris 2024. The Games ended with the closing ceremony last Sunday, amid wide-ranging entertainment, and the official passing of the Olympic Flame from representatives of Paris to representatives of Los Angeles, host of the 2028 Olympics.
That’s right, the Summer Olympics are “Coming To America.” But that’s a story for another day. This conversation is an ode to Hoops Heads. As an OG fancier of the game, my favorite moments were the combination of Gold Medals that American Men and Women collected on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Both American squads took the best shot from their Home Team counterparts. Team USA Men held off the Frenchmen, who were led by NBA Number 1 Draft Pick, and Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, of France and the San Antonio Spurs. The Frenchmen were within striking distance with less than 3 minutes to play. That’s when the greatest shooter God ever created, Steph Curry, hit 4 consecutive 3, varying in degree of difficulty from average (for him) to amazing (for anyone, even him), leading the Americans to a 98-87 victory, and clenching the Gold Medal. The game was played at Bercy Arena in Paris and was the 5th consecutive Gold Medal win for the American Men.
Arguably, their semi-final game against the Serbians was their toughest game of the tournament. Team USA trailed for all but a handful of minutes in the 40-minute game, including being down by as many as 17 points, and by 11 entering the 4th Quarter. Serbia featured Nikola Jokić, also known as the best player in the world today, along with a team of fellow countrymen totally committed to upsetting the Americans. For the vast majority of the game, it looked as if they would succeed. Finally, in the 4th Quarter, Team USA found the necessary defense, bolstered by the offense of its 4 NBA MVP’s (LeBron, Step, KD, and Embiid) to overcome the Serbs, outscoring them 32-15, and winning by a score of 95-91. With the win, KD won his 4thGold Medal, the most in Olympic Men’s Basketball History.
On Sunday, in the signature event of the day, and the final event of the Games, the American Women took on the Women of France, in another matchup against the Home Team. It was the first time in Olympic History that teams from the same two countries played in the Gold Medal Basketball Games. The game was hard-fought. In fact, while it marked a 61-game winning streak for American Women, and culminated in their 8th consecutive Gold Medal, breaking a record 7-in-a row won by American men from 1936-68, it was also just the third time in 61 games Team USA was held to a single digit win.
The game literally went down to the wire. Gabby Williams, a former UConn star playing for France, took and hit a shot at the buzzer. Her foot was on the three-point line, making the shot a 2-pointer, and allowing the American Women to exhale, and escape with a 1-point victory, 67-66, and their record 8th consecutive Gold. It also marked the 6th Gold Medal for Diana Taurasi, who did not play in the Gold Medal Game. She is now the most decorated Women’s Basketball Player in Olympic History.
Paris proved to be a great venue for American athletic competitors. Team USA tied China with 40 Gold Medals, and outdistanced their Chinese rivals 44-27 in Silver Medals, and 42-24 in Bronze Medals. Team USA collected 126 total medals to China’s 91. It’s fair to say, Team USA contemplated the XXXIII Olympiad and thought…”Paris: Home Away From Home!”
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