Even for Stephen Curry, that Olympic gold medal recreation efficiency was ridiculous

PARIS — “A Gold Medal in 4 Acts,” authored by and starring Wardell Stephen Curry.

Stephen Curry hugged Kevin Durant at midcourt at Bercy Enviornment. They every had maintain of a U.S. flag, that enveloped each of them. That they had received back-to-back NBA championships collectively, after they modified the trail of the league by becoming a member of forces with the Golden State Warriors. Now, they had been celebrating one thing that only some individuals get to do in basketball: win an Olympic gold medal, overseas. And, only a few individuals have needed to do it as, primarily, the highway staff, with a sellout crowd right here doing every thing in its energy to will its beloved French nationwide staff to an unbelievable, titanic upset.

However Curry, merely, wouldn’t permit it.

With 4 3-pointers within the final three minutes, on 4 pictures, another ridiculous than the final, with the final defying all widespread sense and logic, Curry secured the USA’ fifth straight gold medal in males’s Olympic basketball, holding off France, 98-87. It was Durant’s fourth gold medal. His place as the best participant in U.S. worldwide basketball historical past is safe. This was Curry’s first gold. At 36, it might be his solely gold. However he wished this so, so badly, and has wished it for a protracted, very long time.

“We at all times say, you do what the sport requires, and what you form of really feel within the circulation,” Curry mentioned afterward, after he’d hit eight 3-pointers Saturday, to go along with the 9 he’d made within the People’ unimaginable come-from-behind victory over Serbia within the semifinals.

LeBron James was a worthy MVP of the event. What he did throughout this fortnight, at age 39, is solely past description. However Curry was the indispensable man the final two video games, when the medals had been on the road. That he did it after not taking pictures properly in any respect throughout group play is simply a part of the Curry legend.

GO DEEPER

‘All the things I imagined, and extra’: Group USA’s gold medal recreation seals NBA stars’ legacies

“Coach (Steve Kerr) jogged my memory, at a sure level, early, the sport will come to you when you permit it,” Curry mentioned. “And even when I used to be lacking pictures, simply keep engaged. And that form of fed into being locked in for these final two video games, as a result of the sport referred to as for me to get pictures up, and knock them down. … you simply keep assured, keep current, and don’t get rattled by the second.”

There was a cause Curry was so excited — “like just a little child,” USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill mentioned again in April — when he was formally invited to play for USA Basketball, after being injured in 2016, and opting to not play in Japan in 2021. There was little question, as soon as James and Durant dedicated once more to enjoying for his or her nation, that Curry would be part of them.

“And I had two further months to observe,” Curry mentioned, referring to the Warriors not making the playoffs this previous season.

The People had the higher hand for a lot of the recreation Saturday. However a sloppy finish of the third quarter, with extra miscues within the fourth, and the ravenous residence crowd conserving the power up, gave France a gap. And so they took benefit. They minimize a 13-point deficit early within the third quarter to 6 by that quarter’s finish. Then, 5, with 3:32 left. Then, three, on Victor Wembanyama’s offensive rebound dunk with 3:04 remaining. Bercy was berserk. The unimaginable dream, of avenging their 2021 loss to the U.S. in Tokyo, was inside their sights.

“Down the stretch, Steph took over,” Kerr mentioned. “He truly recommended within the timeout, ‘Let me run a transparent facet choose and roll with LeBron and we’ll clear the ground.’ I mentioned OK, as a result of I’ve seen this earlier than, and it normally seems properly.”

Act I

USA 82, France 79, 3:04 remaining

Curry shot-fakes France’s Guerschon Yabusele, then rises proper of the important thing from 26 toes, and, with Yabusele’s palms at his sides, drains a 3 to place the U.S. staff again up by six. He provides the French followers the palms-down, calm-yourselves-down therapy on the best way again up the court docket.

CURRY TIME. 🥶

An enormous three to shift the momentum late. #ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/kDSOCr9bao

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

“Steph earned this, the previous couple of weeks,” Kerr mentioned. “The final couple of weeks, each day, the work ethic. I inform individuals on a regular basis, when Kevin was with our staff, my favourite a part of observe with the Warriors was after observe, watching these two work. It’s not an accident that they’re in a position to do what they’re in a position to do down the stretch of video games. The work, simply watching these two guys, day after day after day, is actually spectacular. I’ve talked about LeBron, throughout this expertise as properly. While you see these guys behind the scenes, and the way exhausting they work, how a lot they love the method of the work itself, all of it is sensible that they’re pretty much as good as they’re.”

Act II�

USA 87, France 81, 2:10 remaining

This time, Curry shot-fakes Nicolas Batum, then steps to the facet from 27 toes. “Bang,” as Mike Breen would say. As he runs again up court docket, Curry factors to his chest and says one thing to the U.S. bench. It appeared he was saying, “They’ll’t guard me!” Possibly he mentioned, “They’ll’t (bleeping) guard me!’”(Though, Curry doesn’t cuss a lot in any respect, actually.) At any fee, it’s changing into clear that he’s appropriate, and the French can’t (bleeping) guard him.

Intermission

Through which varied Olympic teammates speak in regards to the biggest shooter in NBA historical past …

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers: “I’ve seen it earlier than. Totally different uniform, although.”

Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns: “Out of physique expertise.”

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves: “I used to be in a position to witness greatness. … Watching Steph? Hey, I used to be simply telling him, ‘Boy, you loopy, bro.’ Shorty went loopy. I ain’t acquired nothing to say about it. He’s who he’s, you’re feeling me?”

Bam Adebayo, Miami Warmth: “I used to be form of like, ‘What the f—?’ However, then I needed to bear in mind who was taking pictures it. And we’ve all seen him do unimaginable issues like that.”

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers: “Like I mentioned, it’s enjoyable to be on (his) facet. Huge pictures after massive pictures. And the extent of issue of these pictures, and the second, it was great.”

Act III

USA 90, France 84, 1:43 remaining

This time, it’s Nando de Colo within the crockpot. Curry, shot pretend, pulls up … you know the way this goes by now, proper?

Cooked de Colo.

The U.S. is again up 9, with 1:18 to go. And Curry begins screaming — a primordial kind of yell, that “Og,” dwelling in Spain’s Atapuerca Mountains, could have screamed when the rocks he had been rubbing collectively for every week lastly flinted, and there was fireplace, and Og may lastly cook dinner the mastodon he’d killed every week in the past. Or, it may very well be the yell of a 36-year-old man who’d desperately wished to be an Olympian for thus lengthy, and hadn’t been in a position to, however was lastly doing so in essentially the most wonderful manner potential in what is going to possible be the final two video games of his Olympic profession.

Act IV

USA 93, France 87, 0:55 remaining

France, a sensible, veteran staff, coached by a legend in Vincent Collet, now double-teams Curry, sending each Batum and Evan Fournier at him off the choose and roll. They’re “blitzing” him, in NBA parlance, making an attempt to make him go the ball to another person. As well as, the shot clock, now the scale of a small hovercraft positioned on Curry’s again, was ticking down towards zero. However Curry goes behind his again, takes a dribble proper of the important thing, and lets it fly, over each Batum’s and Fournier’s outstretched arms, from someplace close to Good.

Splash.

“THE GOLDEN DAGGER!”

Steph Curry that’s totally ridiculous. 🤯#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/8hIN8tgmfK

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

“Each shot you are taking, you suppose it’s moving into,” Curry mentioned. “That was on the finish of a strong flurry of pictures,” Curry mentioned. “On the finish of the day, all I noticed was the rim. I didn’t see who was in entrance of me. I knew it was form of a late-clock scenario. That impressed me. I impressed myself, for certain. For certain.”

And he gave an entire nation the night-night, as he ran again up the ground. Good effort, France, good effort.

“Actually, I advised him, ‘No manner you making that,’” Edwards mentioned. “‘Trigger he threw it up excessive. However, he chilly. He chilly.”

An apart: A France staff with Nolan Traoré, a near-lock to be a top-five choose within the 2025 NBA draft after enjoying subsequent season for the French staff Saint-Quentin, working the purpose in 2028 for France in Los Angeles, with Wemby and Rudy Gobert and Bilal Coulibaly and Yabusele, and possibly Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher and Tidjane Salaun by then … properly, let’s simply say that may be a hell of a rematch between the U.S. and Les Bleus. And if Embiid pulled an final Heel Flip, a la Hogan at Bash on the Seashore in ’96, and determined to play for France? Sacré Bleu!

Will Curry be in Los Angeles, at 40? I imply, Durant didn’t rule it out when requested, and he’s been enjoying for USA Basketball for 14 years. Who is aware of what Chef Curry can cook dinner up subsequent?

“It’s every thing I imagined, and extra,” Curry mentioned of this, his first Olympic expertise. “All of us signed up for this mission, to proceed USA Basketball’s dominance. Clearly, I understood it was going to be a extremely powerful activity, with some nice groups that we had been going to face. It’s a way of reduction, on the finish, but it surely’s extra like a way of accomplishment, clearly figuring out what we had been in a position to do. I’ve seen the medal ceremonies at different occasions. I’ve seen (Durant) get all three of his. I’ve watched it and envisioned what it might really feel like. It wasn’t actually like knocking one thing off of my resume, it was extra ’trigger I haven’t skilled it but, and never figuring out what it was going to be like. … All the things was eye-opening, from begin to end.”

(Prime photograph of Stephen Curry: Christina Pahnke – sampics / Getty Photographs)