Team USA is heavily favored to go undefeated in the ongoing Paris Olympics. This isn't surprising, looking at their talent-laden roster. So far, the Americans have blown out their first two opponents — and that's exactly what Shaquille O'Neal wants to see. During an episode of The Big Podcast, the NBA legend made it clear that he won't be impressed if Team USA fails to win by at least 20 points each game.
“If you don't win by 20, I'm not impressed,” O'Neal said bluntly. “Just think about it. You got the best players in the world on one team. If they win, they're supposed to win. But if they don't win by 20, people are going to talk about them.”
Team USA's Paris campaign so far
Assuming O'Neal's words are taken literally, he was definitely a satisfied viewer during Team USA's opening win over Serbia. The Americans dismantled their foes by 26 points to take home their inaugural victory in Paris. To make things more impressive, that Serbian team included three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Team USA's firepower was just too much, as Kevin Durant and LeBron James combined for 44 points to spearhead the offense.
Moving on to their second game, the Americans faced South Sudan, a team that tested their mettle during an exhibition game earlier in July. This time, Team USA looked better prepared for their foes. Led by Bam Adebayo's 18 points, the Americans led by double-digits for most of the game to garner a 103-86 victory. That's three points shy of O'Neal's benchmark, but maybe he'll be lenient since it was still a one-sided affair.
Team USA will be taking on Puerto Rico on Saturday, and it's expected to be even more of a blowout than their first two games. Puerto Rico has lost to both Serbia and South Sudan, putting them in last place among Group C teams. The Puerto Ricans' defeat at the hands of Serbia, in particular, saw a final score that read 107-66.
A practically invincible lineup
Taking a closer glance at Team USA's roster, there seems to be no dents in their armor. Stephen Curry and Devin Booker — with their deadeye shooting — headline a formidable guard rotation. Add in the ever-athletic Anthony Edwards and an extra playmaker in Tyrese Haliburton.
At the forwards, there's LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum — no further explanation needed.
The trio of Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo make up the bigs. Embiid may be the only seven-footer, but Adebayo and Davis have shown that they're more than capable of taking on taller bigs on the international stage.
Oh, and defense? Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are there to take care of that.
There's a reason why Shaquille O'Neal has high expectations, and it's the same exact reason why everyone expects nothing less than a Gold Medal finish for the star-studded squad.
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