The world reacts to Steph Curry’s Golden Dagger. Plus, an NBA Christmas Day snub
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A foot on the road assured 61 consecutive wins for Staff USA’s ladies’s basketball squad, which now means six gold medals for Diana Taurasi – six!
The Golden Dagger 🥇
Steph Curry put the whole match to mattress
Nuit nuit! 4 years of French honors in highschool informed me that interprets to “Evening, night time.” That’s what Steph Curry stated to Serbia and France in consecutive video games on Staff USA’s solution to the gold medal. The boys’s staff took residence gold for the fifth straight Olympics and the eighth time in 9 Olympic Video games since NBA gamers have been allowed to compete.
I’ve overtly been an conceited American basketball fan, daring the remainder of the world to beat Staff USA. And whereas some may need to give attention to shut contests as proof of the world having caught up, I’ll disagree vehemently. The gold medals are hanging round Staff USA’s collective necks, and I can thank Curry, who went loopy towards Serbia and did it once more within the gold medal recreation towards France. To recap:
- He had 36 factors (one shy of Staff USA’s Olympic single-game mark set by Carmelo Anthony) and went 9-of-14 from deep within the 95-91 semifinal win. USA outscored Serbia 32-15 within the ultimate body.
- Then, Curry continued his onslaught within the ultimate towards France. A primary-time Olympian at 36, he had 24 factors on 8-of-12 taking pictures from deep, together with 4 3-pointers within the ultimate 2:47 of the sport to maintain France at bay. Staff USA ended up profitable 98-87, though France had it all the way down to a three-point recreation with three minutes left.
Each time France seemed like they could make Staff USA nervous, Curry answered with a 3-pointer, together with this “golden dagger” — deemed as such by Noah Eagle on the decision for NBC — through which Curry hit a ridiculous 3 over two defenders to place USA up 9 with 35 ticks left.
Introduced within the nearer. 🎯
🇺🇸 #USABMNT
pic.twitter.com/RxAaKD3J3S— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 10, 2024
Take a look at how absurd that is. Watch the bench react right here. France bought the ball out of Curry’s palms, just for Kevin Durant to pressure it again to his former Warriors teammate as a result of he’s seen this menu from Chef Curry earlier than. (Additionally, shoutout to Eagle, as a result of “golden dagger” is a dope name.)
There was additionally an unimaginable name from the French TV feed that has been taken down from X, however this superb screenshot/meme from the French announcers will dwell on:
All people across the NBA couldn’t assist however be in awe. Curry buried France within the ultimate each time they threatened late, identical to he saved the Individuals along with his taking pictures towards Serbia in a 17-point comeback. And that’s the fantastic thing about Staff USA once they take a match critically, so far as the roster goes: You’ll be able to’t give attention to Curry as a result of 4 different All-NBA-level gamers are on the court docket. If he will get free, you get lower than gold.
To be clear: I’ll not cease being the conceited American basketball fan so long as Staff USA retains profitable gold. There are some distinctive groups on the market to problem, however truly profitable is a completely completely different feat. You’ll want one other generational wave of worldwide hoopers for different nations to maintain up in 2028 in Los Angeles, too. Nuit nuit and good luck.
Talking of a generational wave of hoopers …
Wanting Forward
Constructing out Staff USA’s 2028 males’s squad
Hey, talking of 2028, it’s by no means too early to start out pontificating about which 12 may make that squad. That’s been the dialog effervescent for a while now after the nationwide disaster of “Jayson Tatum didn’t actually play a lot” hit our social media feeds. What if he doesn’t need to play in 2028 now?! And with him reposting Vince Staples saying, “We are going to avenge Jayson Tatum,” possibly that’s the proper concern. It’s the alternative of how Tyrese Haliburton took his lack of taking part in time.
After overlaying the Paris Video games, Joe Vardon wasted no time waiting for 2028, writing right this moment that Tatum goes to be an enormous query mark. Will he or gained’t he play? He’ll be 30 by then and nonetheless lots able to being a key determine for Staff USA, despite the fact that he wasn’t this time.
The Individuals would, theoretically, want somebody like Tatum to tackle a a lot larger function in 2028 due to the fellows leaving the squad.LeBron James might be 43. Steph Curry might be 40. Kevin Durant might be 39. These guys gained’t be on the staff … proper? At the least for the sake of argument, let’s say these three first-ballot Corridor of Famers gained’t be there. And we’re unsure if Joel Embiid might be both. Let’s additionally acknowledge Victor Wembanyama might be 24 then and stated he’s already “fearful” on behalf of France’s opponents subsequent time.
So, what does this squad doubtlessly appear to be? Will Jaylen Brown nonetheless be screaming “conspiracy” in 2028 and decline if he’s prolonged an invite to affix up? From the present squad, Devin Booker (27 years previous), Anthony Edwards (23), Anthony Davis (31), Bam Adebayo (27), Tyrese Haliburton (24) and Tatum (26) can be my locks. That’s six guys proper there. I don’t suppose Jrue Vacation (34) or Derrick White (30) will nonetheless be within the combine.
Let’s discover six new guys. It was fairly clear from the Staff USA choose staff matchups that Cooper Flagg is already destined for this USA life. Let’s slot him in. There’ll must be a few lead guards, so listed here are some candidates:
Let’s choose Brunson and Fox right here. This appears to suit the mould for what Staff USA tends to search for, except we see extra development from Younger as a frontrunner and defender within the subsequent couple years. Or possibly Morant if he stops getting in hassle? Now, we want some extra dimension to throw into the combination for bigs and even simply wings/forwards. These are some choices:
- Paolo Banchero:Nice expertise within the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
- Jaylen Brown:Simply recover from it.
- Jabari Smith Jr:Truly an ideal “function participant” huge for this staff.
- Chet Holmgren:Our hope towards Wemby?
- Zion Williamson:Simply be wholesome.
- Jalen Williams:Already an ideal wing for this.
- Brandon Miller:May be an ideal wing for this.
- Evan Mobley:If he can hit jumpers by then, he’s a lock.
- Ace Bailey:One other a kind of 2025 prospects to eye.
- Herb Jones:One other excellent function participant wing for this.
- Mikal Bridges:Additionally bought some good expertise in FIBA play.
We’re taking 4 right here, so I’m grabbing Chet, Flagg, Mobley and Brown. Meaning we’ve bought them plus Ant, Hali, E-book, Bam, Forehead, Tatum, Brunson and Fox. Is that adequate for gold? This was so much tougher than I assumed it might be. I, too, am mad at myself for the snubs right here.
Christmas Record
The NBA palms Thunder a vacation snub
We must be getting the 2024-25 NBA schedule any day now, with the Olympics over and the WNBA firing up once more in just a few days. However due to Shams, we already know the Christmas slate of video games. These are the 5 reported matchups the league has deemed must-see tv:
You’ll discover the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder (final season’s West No. 1 seed) and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are nowhere to be discovered. Uh … why? The Knicks are at all times there — and force-feeding us Wemby on TV is one thing I’ll at all times welcome. The Wolves and Mavs are a rematch of the convention finals, so I get that. The brand new-look Sixers make sense as a Celtics opponent, so long as Embiid is wholesome. We’re going to get LeBron towards Curry. We don’t have a lot of these left, in order that’s cool.
The Thunder towards the Celtics can be a greater recreation, although. Additionally: Nikola Jokić is the most effective participant on the earth, however have the Suns earned their stamp to be a Christmas Day opponent? OKC most undoubtedly bought snubbed and must be a staff the NBA is embracing and selling earlier than the dumb CBA breaks up its core.
Bounce Passes
Who’re you taking first in an NBA 21-and-under mock draft?
Staff USA referred to as themselves The Avengers. It type of works.
Even for Steph Curry, that gold medal recreation was absurd.
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(Prime picture: Michael Reaves / Getty Pictures)
