Led by Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert, and Nic Batum, France has defeated Team USA in their first basketball game of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This is USA Basketball's first loss in the Olympics since the infamous 2004 USA team.
As you all undoubtedly remember, the infamous 2004 USA squad finished with a disappointing bronze medal after Manu Ginobili gave USA a 30 piece. Manu, along with Luis Scola and Andres Noicioni, led Argentina to their first gold medal in basketball. Although being regarded as a weaker USA team, they were still led by 2 MVPs in Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson.
Despite the proclamations from r/nba that "world fucked", Team USA appears to be very much beatable, losing exhibition games to Australia and Nigeria and now a real one to France.
Of course, those that follow international basketball knew the USA was vulnerable when they finished 7th at the 2019 FIBA World Cup (their worst placing in history), dropping games to Serbia, France and Australia.
Fortunately for the Americans, they were placed in the easiest group and play the Czech Republic and Iran next, both of which are guaranteed wins. The top teams in other groups (Australia, Spain, Slovenia) will almost certainly try to tank games to avoid the possibility of playing USA in the first round, as the group winners and 2nd place finishers in each group are randomly paired for the knockout stage.
EDIT: If you're looking for a secondary team to cheer for in addition to the overwhelmingly favorites, there is no one more deserving than Olympic Patty and Australia, long overdue for their first medal in basketball. After years of heartbreak and horrific officiating, it's now or never for Patty Mills to get his medal.
https://www.pulse.ng/sports/more/argentina-is-the-4th-best-team-in-world-basketball-but-nigerias-dtigers-just-beat/px5fg3t?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-2021-07-13
7 minutes into the game Health officials have walked on to the pitch and are trying to remove the Argentina national team players that play in the Premier league after the game has already begun.
Edit: Romero, Martinez and Locelso are walked off and the rest of the team is following them. after the game has already begun.
Edit: Romero, Martinez and Locelso are walked off and the rest of the team is following them.
I think this will resonate for foreseeable future like the Raptors championship run. Soccer viewership, interest, and participation will rise even more so.
Our men's program specifically since we have so much NBA talent, completely dropped the ball. It would have been huge for basketball in this country. Makes me sad :(
Source From Marc Stein's Newsletter "The Stein Line" - Pop's likely USAB successor: Steve Kerr
Full Quote:
> Golden State's Steve Kerr has emerged as a favorite to succeed San Antonio's Gregg Popovich as head coach for the USA Basketball senior men's national team, league sources say.
> Miami's Erik Spoelstra is another natural candidate for the position, sources say, but prior experience on the national team coaching staff, given the vagaries of the international game, is believed to be a key prerequisite in the search led by new USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill.
> Kerr was an assistant under Popovich on the Olympic team that overcame a loss to France in its opener in Tokyo to win the United States' fourth successive gold medal in men's basketball. Kerr also coached alongside Popovich at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China, where a team weakened by the absence of numerous star players posted the worst showing (seventh) for a USAB team since NBA players were allowed to start playing Olympic basketball at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Spoelstra coached the USAB's select team in last summerβs mini-camp but was not on the bench with the full senior squad.
> In a subsequent interview with my longtime Bay Area colleague Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Kerr affirmed his interest in taking over for Popovich.
> "Of course I'd be interested,' Kerr told Kawakami. "I mean, who wouldn't be?
