Team USA basketball has looked utterly dominant so far at the 2024 Paris Olympics, going a perfect 3-0 in the preliminary rounds. The Americans beat South Sudan, Serbia, and Puerto Rico all handily and now head into the quarterfinals where they will face Brazil.
It's no secret that Steve Kerr's squad is a clear-cut favorite to win the gold medal this summer and it's hard to imagine anyone beating them in their pursuit of the grand prize. But if Team USA does fail to go all the way, NBA legend Charles Barkley believes they shouldn't be allowed back in the country. While Chuck may not be completely serious, he made it clear there's no excuse for not taking home gold considering just how stacked the roster is.
Via Podcast P presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment:
“Listen if they lose we can't let them back in the country, we can't, I told them they can't come back. I mean because with the team we got I mean it's no excuse for us to lose the gold medal. All they got to do is go out there and play hard, play unselfish because that's really the key. Like we talked about it a little bit earlier, Joel, heck of a player, we're not gonna walk the ball up and down the court to give it to you. LeBron, we're not gonna walk the ball up and down the court same thing. Like whoever is in the game like hey let me just play basketball. It was so easy on the first Dream Team, like yo we got two starting lineups, y'all play the first 10 we play the second 10, let's just play basketball. We're not really going to run no plays because if we play great defense and push it that's all we got to do.”
Interestingly enough, Barkley thinks the States must rely on every single player to do their part, noy just Bron or Joel Embiid. The comparison to the 1992 Dream Team is also eye-opening, claiming they used two different starting fives for each half. Kerr has not done that at the Olympics and continues to figure out what rotations work best depending on the opponent.
Team USA making its presence felt
Serbia was possibly seen as the Americans' toughest test at these Olympics, but they put a beatdown on Nikola Jokic and Co., winning 110-84. Team USA's leading scorers have all come off the bench in Bam Adebayo, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Edwards. Dating back to exhibition play leading up to the Olympics, The States own a perfect 8-0 record.
Now, the favorites must win three games in just five days to take the gold. At this point, Canada is probably their biggest threat, who are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and numerous other NBA players. Offensively, we know the Americans will show up and produce. As Kerr recently pointed out, defense is the focus. Via ESPN:
“We are just completely focused on our defense … and then the beauty of our team and the talent, the depth of our talent is that from one game to the next, we've got lots of guys who have the ability to get rolling.”
Team USA will tip-off at 3:30 PM ET on Tuesday against Brazil.
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