As we entered into the Olympics, there were plenty of concerns about Team USA’s Men’s Basketball team.
Yes, they were riding in off of a 25 game winning streak. But they were also missing a bunch of their stars. There was no LeBron James. There was no James Harden. There was no Steph Curry. There was no Dwyane Wade. No Carmelo Anthony.
All of the big stars we were used to seeing just weren’t there anymore with the exception of Kevin Durant. This team felt like Kevin Durant and a bunch of guys despite the squad having stars like Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum and more.
It just didn’t…feel the same. And then the unthinkable happened — they lost to Nigeria in their first exhibition game. Then they lost again to Australia after that. Then, once Olympic play actually started, they lost to France.
Everyone started to pile on. This team wasn’t built right. There were too many stars who weren’t doing the little things. The rest of the world was catching up.
Gregg Popovich said it himself to reporters in Tokyo, per the AP.
“The gap is smaller and smaller every year as far as talent is concerned,” U.S. coach Gregg Popovich said.
And you know what? He’s right. The talent around the rest of the world has gotten a lot better. Teams are catching up.
You’ve got teams in France, Spain and Australia with tons of NBA talent like Nic Batum, Joe Ingles, Patty Mills, Ricky Rubio and more. You’ve also got Slovenia with Luka Doncic, who can be the best player int he world on any given night.
Ben Simmons didn’t play this year. Neither did Giannis Antetokounmpo. Canada is only getting better. The rest of the world has improved and will continue to do so.
But Team USA’s run here makes it clear: As good as the rest of the world is getting, the United States is still comfortably better than their best.
Kevin Durant said it best himself in his Instagram Live session. It’s still not close.
“this skill is unmatched.” pic.twitter.com/cq4vSZyKFJ
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) August 7, 2021
“They had some power rankings out. They had us fourth. Behind Slovenia. Talking about they catching up to us, like, are you serious? This skill is unmatched. You dig?”
He’s right. It is unmatched. And, despite a shaky start to the Games, they proved it.
Team USA’s margin of victory over the rest of the field through their five games of Olympic play was 20 points after their 87-82 win over France. It just wasn’t close. Kevin Durant was the best player on the floor in every game and that’s really all they needed to happen.
This isn’t to say that the path they took was easy. That isn’t true at all. They certainly had their struggles and they’ve alluded to them throughout the process. But they still dominated. And they won gold. At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.
So is the rest of the world better? Absolutely. But Team USA is still the best. And it’s not close.
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