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. They’d gained back-to-back NBA championships collectively, once they modified the trail of the league by becoming a member of forces with the Golden State Warriors. Now, they have been celebrating one thing that only some individuals get to do in basketball: win an Olympic gold medal, out of the country. And, only a few individuals have needed to do it as, primarily, the highway group, with a sellout crowd right here doing the whole lot in its energy to will its beloved French nationwide group to an unbelievable, titanic upset.
However Curry, merely, wouldn’t enable it.
With 4 3-pointers within the final three minutes, on 4 pictures, yet one more ridiculous than the final, with the final defying all frequent sense and logic, Curry secured the US’ 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 needed this so, so badly, and has needed it for an extended, very long time.
“We all the time 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 together with the 9 he’d made within the Individuals’ 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 just past description. However Curry was the indispensable man the final two video games, when the medals have been on the road. That he did it after not capturing effectively in any respect throughout group play is simply a part of the Curry legend.
GO DEEPER
‘Every thing I imagined, and extra’: Crew USA’s gold medal sport seals NBA stars’ legacies
“Coach (Steve Kerr) jogged my memory, at a sure level, early, the sport will come to you for those who enable 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 known 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 slightly 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 doubt, 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 additional months to apply,” Curry mentioned, referring to the Warriors not making the playoffs this previous season.
The Individuals had the higher hand for a lot of the sport Saturday. However a sloppy finish of the third quarter, with extra miscues within the fourth, and the ravenous dwelling crowd conserving the power up, gave France a gap. They usually took benefit. They lower 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 not possible 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 effectively.”
Act I
USA 82, Francy 79, 3:04 remaining
Curry shot-fakes France’s Guerschon Yabusele, then rises proper of the important thing from 26 ft, and, with Yabusele’s arms at his sides, drains a 3 to place the U.S. group again up by six. He provides the French followers the palms-down, calm-yourselves-down remedy on the way in which 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 few 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 group, my favourite a part of apply with the Warriors was after apply, watching these two work. It’s not an accident that they’re capable of do what they’re capable of do down the stretch of video games. The work, simply watching these two guys, day after day after day, is admittedly spectacular. I’ve talked about LeBron, throughout this expertise as effectively. If 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 smart 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 ft. “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. Possibly he’s saying, “They will’t guard me!” Possibly he says, “They will’t (bleeping) guard me!’”(Though, Curry doesn’t cuss a lot in any respect, actually.) At any charge, it’s turning into clear that he’s right, and the French can’t (bleeping) guard him.
Intermission
Wherein varied Olympic teammates speak concerning the biggest shooter in NBA historical past …
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers: “I’ve seen it earlier than. Completely different uniform, although.”
Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns: “Out of physique expertise.”
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves: “I used to be capable of witness greatness. … Watching Steph? Hey, I used to be simply telling him, ‘Boy, you loopy, bro.’ Shorty went loopy. I ain’t obtained 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 keep in mind who was capturing 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 large pictures. And the extent of problem of these pictures, and the second, it was super.”
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 understand how 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 hearth, and Og might lastly prepare dinner the mastodon he’d killed every week in the past. Or, it might be the yell of a 36-year-old man who’d desperately needed to be an Olympian for thus lengthy, and hadn’t been capable of, however was lastly doing so in essentially the most wonderful means attainable in what’s 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 group, 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, attempting 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 completely ridiculous. 🤯#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/8hIN8tgmfK
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
“Each shot you are taking, you assume it’s getting in,” Curry mentioned. “That was on the finish of a stable 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.
“Truthfully, I informed him, ‘No means you making that,’” Edwards mentioned. “‘Trigger he threw it up excessive. However, he chilly. He chilly.”
An apart: A France group with Nolan Traoré, a near-lock to be a top-five choose within the 2025 NBA draft after enjoying subsequent season for the French group Saint-Quentin, working the purpose in 2028 for France in Los Angeles, with Wemby and Rudy Gobert and Bilal Coulibaly and Yabusele, and perhaps Alexandre Sarr and Stephane Risacher and Tidjane Salaun by then … effectively, let’s simply say that might 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 Seaside 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 prepare dinner up subsequent?
“It’s the whole lot 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 very powerful process, with some nice groups that we have been going to face. It’s a way of reduction, on the finish, however it’s extra like a way of accomplishment, clearly understanding what we have been capable of 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 understanding what it was going to be like. … Every thing was eye-opening, from begin to end.”
(Prime picture of Stephen Curry: Christina Pahnke – sampics / Getty Pictures)