Within the midst of his 2nd summer season on the helm of Team USA (and his first Olympics), Golden Express Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had an embattled while hotfoot guiding the People to their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris.
On Saturday, the U.S. survived a courageous push from Team France — within the countries’ 2nd straight gold medal sport pairing on the Olympics — to secure by double digits slack, 98-87. Kerr’s All-NBA Warriors level guard, Stephen Curry, led the draw for the usa, with 24 system on 8-of-14 shooting from the self-discipline (8-of-13 from prolonged vary), 5 assists, two steals, and one rebound.
Read Extra: Stephen Curry, USA Basketball Continue to exist Team France to Get Fifth Straight Olympic Gold Medal
Curry, 36, turned into performing in his first Olympic video games.
All-NBA Phoenix Suns combo forward Kevin Durant made Olympic historical previous by claiming his fourth men’s basketball gold medal. He scored 15 system on 5-of-12 shooting from the ground (3-of-9 from previous the three-level arc) and 2-of-2 defective shooting, while furthermore grabbing four rebounds, passing for four assists, nabbing a steal, and blocking one shot.
Read Extra: Kevin Durant Creates Insane Team USA History With Get Over France
Kerr turned into never going to be severely standard navigating one amongst the most loaded Olympic rosters since no longer lower than the 2008 “Redeem Team” squad, and even probably since the 1996 or ’92 gold medal-a success clubs.
But in probably his most questionable option, Kerr sat Boston Celtics All-NBA combo forward Jayson Tatum for 2 elephantine video games, both in opposition to Team Serbia (the eventual bronze medalists).
“I went with the combos that made sense,” Kerr stated after the first incident. “I felt fancy an fool no longer playing him… [In] a 40-minute sport, you would possibly maybe’t play bigger than 10 [players].”
Read Extra: Will Jayson Tatum Get Playing Time For Team USA in Gold Medal Game Against France?
Tatum did play despite all the pieces for the U.S. as of late, but finished with honest two system on 1-of-3 shooting from the ground, three rebounds, and a steal in 11 minutes.
The two avid gamers to secure Kerr’s ire in opposition to a jumbo-sized Team France (its most attention-grabbing avid gamers are a pair of All-Defensive First Team facilities, San Antonio Spurs huge man Victor Wembanyama and Minnesota Timberwolves Defensive Participant of the Year Rudy Gobert) within the gold medal sport were Indiana Pacers All-NBA level guard Tyrese Haliburton and Boston Celtics All-Defensive Second Team guard Derrick White.
Steve Kerr head coach of United States celebrates after his team’s victory for the length of the Men’s Gold Medal sport between Team France and Team United States on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at…
Christina Pahnke – sampics/Getty Photographs
Kerr coached Team USA to a fourth-space develop on the 2023 FIBA World Cup. That Three hundred and sixty five days’s membership turned into a long way much less huge identify-studded than this season’s iteration.
It’s unclear how prolonged Kerr, 58, will are attempting to terminate on as Team USA’s head coach. But his replacement would maybe maybe furthermore just already be on the bench.
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, who has guided masses of very assorted Heat clubs to 5 NBA Finals and won two, possesses the extra or much less in-sport creativity and positional flexibility wanted on the worldwide stage. Admire Kerr, he’ll invent complex rotation picks.
But now not like Kerr, there would possibly be a honest chance Spoelstra doesn’t basically kowtow to ceremonial begins for veterans. It turned into barely sure that Philadelphia 76ers heart Joel Embiid turned into a dejected fit as Team USA’s starting 5, yet Kerr started him for masses of of the membership’s video games.
Exterior of one terrific 19-level outburst in opposition to Team Serbia within the semifinals, Embiid turned into roundly outplayed by Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA heart Anthony Davis and Miami Heat All-Big identify 5 Bam Adebayo.
