Basketball – Paris 2024 Olympic Games – first_round_groups – working day 1
As his career winds down, LeBron James seems to be possessed by an ever-growing appetite. Nearing 40, the King is chasing his third Olympic gold, the fifth in a row for the United States, and has become the undisputed leader of his team. With the flag at the opening ceremony over the Seine, with his political speech and, of course, with the ball in his hands. His 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists crowned the resounding victory of the team coached by Steve Kerr against Serbia, which is by no means a modest team, but the runner-up in the world championship. He was accompanied at the top of the statistics by Kevin Durant (23 points), and opposite him emerged Nikola Jokic with another record of service to match: 20 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Serbia woke up with a 10-2 lead. The preparation phase had already given the Americans some signs that not everything would be as easy as Durant had predicted, assuring that the goal was to win every day “by 40 or 50 points.” They soon found out. Pesic’s team dominated the rebound, a facet that sometimes marks the voracity of the teams and the sacrifice of their defense. Here too, the different view of the two worlds on their sport can be seen. If in the NBA the attack and the collection of points are rewarded over the back cut, especially in the regular phase of the championship, in the FIBA universe there is no building that is not first built on the foundation.
The United States reacted quickly and maintained control of the game but did not get too far ahead. Jokic kept his fists up against Anthony Davis and Embiid. Serbia showed good ball circulation and a team-oriented performance. It was Jokic serving the team and not the other way around, a blessing when dealing with such an intelligent player. The frame cannot contain King James, however, when he steals and heads to the basket. He is alone but it seems like a stampede.
The sequence is often repeated. A slap in the face at the World Cup is followed by redemption at the Olympics. The United States team competes at the World Championships. The Dream Team parades on the Olympic catwalk. As if they were different organizations. NBA stars are more excited by one gold medal than another. Kerr’s team finished fourth at the last World Cup after three defeats, against Lithuania, Germany and Canada. The Games are something else and since that fabulous final in Beijing 2008 against Spain, they have not won any other metal than the most precious. The road to a fifth consecutive title began against Serbia and with LeBron making it clear who is in charge.
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