The internet is having a good time Sunday at the expense of Team USA after Kevin Durant and company lost to Evan Fournier and Les Bleus in a group stage match in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to the tune of an 83-76 score. It was the first Olympic loss for the Americans since 2004, and serves as a reason to feel seriously concerned about whether Team USA has what it takes to win the gold in Japan.
If you ask Fournier, the Americans’ Olympics unit is a case of a whole being less than the sum of its parts, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post:
France's Evan Fournier after beating USA Basketball in Tokyo Olympic opener: "They are better individually but they can be beaten as a team."
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 25, 2021
Fournier came up big for the French, as the Boston Celtics shooting guard erupted for 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field, while Rudy Gobert and Nando de Colo had 14 and 13 points, respectively against Team USA.
Man for man, Team USA certainly has a huge advantage in terms of talents over France’s roster, but the latter simply showed better execution in the clutch and more accurate shooting. France’s win also reinforces the idea that the world has finally caught up on the Americans — or at least that the French now have the number of Team USA. It could be remembered that it was also France that eliminated the United States in the quarterfinals of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China.
The good news for Team USA is that the loss to France doesn’t take it out of contention for the gold. The Americans will look to recover on Wednesday against Iran.
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