(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Team USA men’s basketball is just one win away from an Olympic gold medal, and it can claim one on Saturday with a victory over France.
Some have referred to this iteration of Team USA as “The Avengers” because of the large number of veteran NBA stars and superstars who quickly committed to playing for it just after the United States failed to medal at last summer’s FIBA World Cup.
Veteran ESPN journalist Ric Bucher suggested on Fox Sports 1’s “Speak” that this version of Team USA should be called the “Redeeming Team” because it has been the elder statesmen who have gotten it to this point.
.@RicBucher reacts to Team USA’s win over Serbia.
“We should call this the ‘Redeeming Team.’” pic.twitter.com/j8tr0ELUbI
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) August 9, 2024
Normally, players in their 30s turn down the opportunity to play in the Olympics because of the wear and tear they have accumulated, but one has to applaud this group for being patriotic and helping to revitalize United States basketball after its weak showing last summer.
In Thursday’s semifinal matchup against Serbia, it fell behind by 17 points and trailed by 13 at the start of the fourth quarter, and it looked like it was on its way to a repeat of 2004, when it lost to Argentina in the semifinal round and had to settle for a bronze medal.
But Stephen Curry went off for 36 points, and at various times during these Summer Games, Kevin Durant has gone into volcano mode, while LeBron James has taken on point guard duties.
These future Hall of Famers have sacrificed a full summer of recovery, strength and conditioning to help our country go after a fifth consecutive gold medal, and they could experience their shining moment just hours from now.
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