Golden Steph: Curry’s late barrage seals another Olympic men’s basketball title, as US beats France

PARIS– Stephen Curry was thinking of this 2 years earlier, after winning his 4th NBA title with the Golden State Warriors. The only thing left for him to win was Olympic gold.

And in the supreme minute, he ensured that medal would be his.

The U.S. is atop the worldwide males’s basketball world when again, after Curry scored 24 points and blazed a trail to a 98-87 win over France in the last at the Paris Games on Saturday night. It was the 5th successive gold medal for the U.S.– and the 17th in 20 all-time looks for the Americans at the video games.

Curry made 4 3-pointers in the last 2:43, consisting of the one that simply sealed the win with 1:19 staying. It put the U.S. up 93-84 and he avoided down the court blurting a scream, shaking his jersey so everybody might see the “U.S.A.” throughout the front.

If that wasn’t enough, another followed with about 30 seconds left– with the “go to sleep” move where he puts his hands on the side of his face.

Excellent night. Video game over. Gold won. Once again.

” For me to get a gold medal is outrageous, and I thank God for the chance to experience it,” Curry stated.

Kevin Durant– the very first four-time males’s gold medalist in Olympic basketball history– scored 15 for the Americans, as did Devin Booker. And LeBron James, using metal gold shoes that required no description, scored 14 for the U.S. as he won his 4th Olympic medal and 3rd gold.

For the 2nd successive Olympics, the French needed to see the Americans hold out U.S. flags in event after the title video game. The French lost to the U.S. 87-82 in Tokyo 3 years earlier, and this one was down to the last minutes.

That is, till Curry took control of.

” I believe we may be the only group worldwide whose fans repent of them if they get a silver medal,” stated U.S. coach Steve Kerr, the Golden State coach whose kept up the U.S. ends now with a 21-3 record and Olympic gold– 11-0 this summer season. “That’s the pressure that we deal with. However our gamers, and you saw Steph, they enjoy the pressure. They value this environment and they were great.”

Victor Wembanyama, in his very first Olympic last, was dazzling for France, scoring 26 points– the second-most ever versus the U.S. in a gold-medal video game, one point behind the 27 that Drazen Dalipagic scored for Yugoslavia in 1976.

Wembanyama covered his face in a towel later as the Americans commemorated. Guerschon Yabusele scored 20 for the hosts.

” For sure, it’s a dissatisfaction since we anticipated we might do it,” France coach Vincent Collet stated. “However we need to acknowledge at the end that they are much better. We are really close … When they make great shots, that’s the distinction.”

The U.S. lead was 14 early in the 3rd, looking poised to retreat. However the offense rapidly went cold and when Evan Fournier linked on a 3-pointer with 3:05 left in the quarter the lead was down to 65-59– a 12-4 run by the hosts.

And with an opportunity to increase double-digits headed to the 4th, a huge U.S. mistake provided France another shock of momentum. Anthony Edwards and Durant got their signals crossed on a pass that caused a turnover, Nando De Colo scored to beat the buzzer and the U.S. lead was just 72-66 entering into the last 10 minutes.

It got as close as 3. No better, thanks to Curry. It was 4 3-pointers in a period of 2:12, and they right away entered into Olympic tradition.

” A huge shot to put us up 6. That sort of settled whatever,” Curry stated. “And after that the rhythm, the avalanche came, and luckily the other 3 entered. That was an amazing minute. I have actually been blessed to play basketball at a high level for a long time. This ranks really high in regards to enjoyment and the sense of relief, getting to the goal.”

It was the 8th time in Olympic history– and Sunday’s ladies’s last in between the U.S. and France will mark the ninth– that the home group got to bet basketball gold.

Home groups are now 5-3 in those video games, 2-1 on the males’s side. The U.S. males and females both won in 1984 and 1996; the ladies of the Soviet Union won in 1980, while Australia’s ladies lost to the U.S. in 2000 and Japan’s ladies likewise lost to the U.S. at the Tokyo Games 3 years earlier.

For James, it was another thing for the neverending list that is his tradition. For Durant, it was history with 4 golds. For Booker, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo, it was a 2nd gold. For Jrue Vacation, it was a 2nd gold to match his spouse– soccer terrific Lauren Cheney Vacation– for the household lead. For Derrick White, Tyrese Haliburton, Joel Embiid and Anthony Edwards, it was the very first Olympic title.

And for Curry, it was a very long time coming. The Olympics never ever suit his schedule previously. The Americans could not have actually been more delighted that he was there for this one.

” It’s whatever I desired them to be,” Curry stated. “And more.”

He compared it to a Video game 7 on the roadway, which it essentially was. He’s had massive success in those minutes: a 50-point outburst to lead Golden State past Sacramento in 2023, and a 27-point, nine-rebound, 10-assist video game to win a do-or-die in Houston in 2018.

And now, this.

” It’s best up there with all of the best video games of his profession,” Kerr stated. “The shot-making was simply extraordinary. However under the situations, on the roadway, in Paris, versus France for a gold medal, this is storybook things. However that’s what Steph does. He likes to be in storybooks.”