USWNT and US men’s basketball win gold in Paris
Mallory Swanson scored a goal in the 57th minute to lead the USWNT to gold, while Steph Curry and Co. defeated France on their home court to take the overall victory.
PARIS – The sequence was pure Steph Curry.
As France narrowed the United States lead slightly late in the fourth quarter of the men’s basketball gold medal game, Curry fired a barrage of 3-pointers that rattled France and gave the United States its fifth consecutive gold medal.
Curry scored the most points on his team with 24 points – all of them three-pointers – and four of those threes came in the final 2:47 of the game, each one bigger and more important than the last.
The coup de grace came with 35 seconds left. Pressed by Frenchmen Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier, he threw a deep, high-flying 3-pointer that put the USA ahead 96-87.
Curry ran across the field with his hands to his head, making his typical “good night” gesture.
“I was impressed by that,” Curry said.
US coach Steve Kerr said: “He put on a great show in the last few minutes and it was pretty impressive to watch.”
Curry has rediscovered his three-point shot at the most opportune time for the US team. In the first four games of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, he struggled with his shot – his shooting percentage was 35.7% from the field and 25% on three-point shots.
Curry was the star in his next two games. In the semifinal against Serbia, he scored 36 points and made 9 of 14 three-point shots as the USA recovered from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Against France, he converted 8 of 12 three-point shots.
In the final two games of Curry’s first Olympics, he scored 60 points and made 17 of 26 three-point shots.
“The first four games, I had good chances. They weren’t falling, but they were in the rhythm of the offense,” Curry said. “Coach reminded me at a certain point early on that the game will come if you let it, and even I missed shots, I just had to stay focused, and that helped keep me focused these last two games because the game required me to make shots and sink them.”
Kevin Durant called Curry’s performance an “out-of-body experience.” Kerr has seen Curry’s offensive performance with the Golden State Warriors explode like that hundreds of times. But even that was a different kind of Curry performance.
Over the course of his Hall of Fame NBA career, Curry made 17 three-pointers in consecutive games about a dozen times, but never before had he made that many in two consecutive playoff games.
Curry has won NBA titles, been named regular-season MVP and was Finals MVP. Most of the great players of the past three decades have won Olympic gold. But Curry’s Hall of Fame resume was missing an Olympic gold. He gave Kerr an easy pledge after Golden State won the 2022 NBA championship, and when James started texting players about a year ago, Curry was there.
“I realize I’ve never done this before, but if I were healthy and able, I would love to do it,” Curry said.
It wasn’t so much about checking a box on his resume, but rather about the experience, Curry said.
I’m smiling and enjoying the time of my life because this may not happen again. It’s so very, very special. I’m just trying to take it all in,” he said.
He competed in more Olympic events. He saw Simone Biles and Suni Lee win gold medals. And then he had the chance to win gold.
Towards the end of the game, Curry suggested running a side pick-and-roll with LeBron James. In Golden State’s system, Kerr encourages players to speak their minds. “If players are feeling something and they care deeply about it, a lot of times we’ll go with it,” Kerr said. “And I think when Steph said, ‘Hey, let’s do a cleared side pick-and-roll,’ I just said, ‘Okay, just don’t throw the ball to the other team.'”
Curry laughed. It was a little inside joke, since Kerr detests some of Curry’s turnovers.
But the play worked and Curry finished the game with those four 3-pointers.
“Just stay confident, stay present and don’t let the situation get to you,” Curry said. “And we’ve all been in those situations where you just have to seize the moment.”
And Steph Curry is no stranger to this moment.
Get to the heart of the news quickly with the USA TODAY app. Download award-winning reporting, crossword puzzles, audio storytelling, eNewspapers and more.
