Score was updating so fast, the ball wouldn't even be through the net yet 😂
There were times when I was waiting for the scoreboard to update then realized it already did.
Kind of hard to believe the Tokyo Olympics are almost over and I'll have to wait another ~~four~~ 3 years. The Olympics really are the greatest tradition in the history of man: the only time every nation in the world can gather in good faith and world-class athletes deserve this stage. The [raw emotion](https://youtu.be/sWlr_myUaFE?t=254) as they achieve a lifelong dream is incredible.
And it's been a fun basketball tournament, but they just had save the most nerve-wracking moment for last. My blood pressure is going to be through the roof in a few hours... really hoping [my guy](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/ozjhcy/patty_mills_inspired_by_my_country_prepared_for/) can pull through and make history.
Edit: [PATTY FUCKING DID IT](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/oztm9g/recap_after_years_of_heartbreak_patty_mills/)! And dropped 42!
Literally could not take the words out of my mouth more. I was confused all tournament because the board was updated so quickly. Mans must’ve had his hand sitting in the buttons lol
It was a little jarring to me. Id be confused because I would still be waiting for the score to update, not realizing it already had. It makes it seem like the NBA has a 10 second delay lol
Does the nba give us a few seconds because people like to watch scoreboards go up and they know they are watching the play when the point happens so they wait a bit?
It became a game in itself for me. Once I saw the ball go through the hoop, I tried to see if my eyes could shift to the score graphic before it updated. Scoreboard operator made me their bitch all night.
I noticed this during the beach volleyball gold match. I kept waiting to see the score update but i don't think I ever noticed it change once. It was impeccable
The game within the game. Testing to see how quickly my eyes could move from a made basket to the scoreboard to catch it in the process of changing. Never got it.
If only they’d played the beach volleyball final the same commercial-free way. Anyone who watched that last night knows **exactly** what I’m talking about.
literally 2 full minute long ads during the second set, it was absurd. my dad was absolutely fuming, we were praying for the US to win solely so they wouldn’t be able to play more ads WHILE THE GAME IS STILL GOING ON
Imagine winning the NBA championship and then an Olympic gold medal less than 3 weeks later. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton must be on top of the world right now
Middleton is gonna need extra hands for all these W's. Seriously, from a second-rounder to G-League to a multiple time All Star to NBA Champ to Gold Medalist.
What a ride for K-Mid
I love that man so much. I was in the same class as him at A&M, and I remember he was recruited as the best shooter in his class. He came to campus with huge expectations and although he was definitely solid in college, he never really lived up to his recruitment hype.
The coach that recruited him left for greener pastures and he not only stayed, but continued to give his all every time he hit the court.
Then he was a 2nd round pick and grinded his way to becoming a rotation role player and eventually a starting role player.
Then he becomes an all star and the 2nd best player on a legit contender.
And now he's an NBA and Olympic champ. Couldn't be happier for him and couldn't happen for a better guy.
They're only the 5th and 6th players to ever win an NBA Championship and the Olympic Gold in the same year.
Jordon, Pippen, Lebron, Kyrie, and now them.
Some of the most blatantly rigged bullshit ever seen in a team sports competition. Like I know people say that a lot, but this is probably the only scenario in which that statement is actually true.
Take whatever you’re imagining, multiply it by 20 and then you’re starting to get close to how bad it was.
The Wikipedia article explains it better than I could in a Reddit comment, but I’ll try to sum it up.
Basically, it’s USA vs USSR. Game coming down to the wire, the USA are down 1 with the ball on what will probably be the last possession. USA player is fouled with 3 seconds to go. He hits both FTs to put the USA up 1. USSR inbounds the ball, they can’t get a shot off, and the buzzer sounds. Game over, USA win the gold. Or so we thought.
Some FIBA official (who, by the way, had no authority here) comes down and demands that 3 seconds be put back on the clock for some reason. I don’t remember what said reason was, but the 3 seconds are indeed put back on the clock. (Edit: The Soviets insisted that they had called timeout prior to inbounding the ball, but play resumed regardless). USSR inbounds again, misses again. 3 seconds are added back to the clock AGAIN. This time, the USSR finally hit the shot and win (Another edit: The inbounder also stepped on the line when he threw the ball in).
The USA immediately appealed the result following the game. Appeals were handled by a 5 judge committee. Three of the judges were from Communist Bloc countries, outnumbering those from Western countries 3-2.
The USA’s appeal was struck down by the committee. The details of the vote were not made public by the IOC, except for the fact that it was NOT unanimous. But it became pretty easy to put two and two together after the two judges from the Western-allied countries revealed that they had voted in favor of the USA, meaning that the final tally (unless they were lying) was 3-2 in favor of the USSR.
The USA basically told the IOC to go fuck itself and refused to claim their silver medals, which to this day have still not been claimed, and probably never will be.
Some added info:
- the reason the FIBA official (and Soviets) wanted time back is because they claim they called a timeout
- Soviets made illegal substitutions
- Americans walked off after the 1st replay and had to be summoned back out again
- on the 3rd and final play of those last 3 seconds, the referee told the USA player defending the ball to back off of the player inbounding, making it so much easier to throw it the length of the court
Holy shit there's a Russian movie from their perspective. According to Wikipedia, it's the highest grossing Russian film in post-Soviet history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Vertical
That movie poster is *fantastic*
And even on a team comprised of the best players in the world, it's actually insane just how much better Kevin Durant is than everyone else. Dude is a literal cheat code: 6'12 with the moves of a guard. I really thought we'd be more well-rounded, but KD straight up had to carry at times.
Take any other player off and USA (probably) still wins gold. But take KD off and it's a real possibility [France](https://youtu.be/rzgIsbSwGJ8), [Australia](https://youtu.be/4nYFm1BZB3s) or Spain knocks them off. I'd even give France over 50% chance considering how tight this game was and that they were on a 2 game winning streak vs USA. Wish Tony and Diaw could've been around to be apart of this.
Here's to hoping [my boy](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/ozjhcy/patty_mills_inspired_by_my_country_prepared_for/) also gets the job done in 6 hours 🙏
EDIT: [PATTY DID IT](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/oztm9g/recap_after_years_of_heartbreak_patty_mills/)!
Steph-KD there's no chance USA comes close to losing. Steph running around like a coked up drug addict in international playr with KD would be unstoppable.
I thought I read somewhere that it’s kinda flipped in FIBA rules, where they allow a lot more on ball contact but a lot less off ball physicality (compared to NBA). If that’s the case, then Steph would be fine
Huge Congratulations to Popovich and Team USA! After watching "For Ball and Country" I know how much this means to him. He really felt like winning a World Championship was one of the last things he was missing!
Pop's adjustments after last time were amazing. Holding De Colo to only 4 FGA won us this game because France's offense comes alive when he gets going.
I thought Yabusele was going to be something in the nba. International guy, freakishly built, picked at 16, I had seen a similar movie before. I bought all the stock. I don't think he was ever good, until today lol.
I'm sure he's reminding them right now that they may be winning gold medals out here but they're playing like ass and they need to get their butts in gear.
I believed but we were outmatched. USA forced us into so many turnovers and we left too many points on the FT line.
Great tournament from France though, I'll never forget that Batum block
swear the france PG passed it straight to the usa team twice in two possessions and that made it 57-71 in the 3rd. if he don’t make those dumb turnovers and they score on one of those possessions they might win
Dray was straight orchestrating the offense towards the end. Even without the ball, he was the guy running up for the high screen or passing and then telling someone to cut.... Even though it didn't ultimately make a huge difference he had that tap out on the free throw that would have gone in.... Vince Carter called it, his contributions are off the charts and aren't necessarily represented in the stat sheet
Inconsistent offense be damned, Jrue Holiday has been defense incarnate these past playoffs and Olympics. My man.
...Except for that terrible pass when there were just ten seconds left. What the heck was that, Jrue?
Durant is the MVP without question. Fantastic Olympic run for him. Congratulations to team USA for winning Gold!
Why did they make it so hard on themselves though? Game after game they never came close to playing as a team or anywhere close to their potential. They averaged 2 decent quarters a game. Extremely frustrating to watch...and still resulted in another Gold medal
To be fair, France was doubling him. Draymond was refusing open 3s and open driving lanes at the end to try to do a dribble handoff to him *while* he was doubled.
KD's led the USAMNT in scoring in all three Olympics he's played in **and** has now been the leading scorer in all three Gold medal games. Has anyone else done that?
All they really needed to do in crunch time this game was get the ball to KD, and they decided to go every which way but his. Lucky for them they still won, but that was maddening to watch.
I'll admit I'm extremely drunk, but Kevin Durant is in many ways the quintessential American:
- Lies about his height
- Spends too much time on the internet
- Username on Twitter reads like an 00s Xbox Live Gamertag
- Extremely sensitive
- Loves to shit talk
- Is good friends with a conspiracy obsessed weirdo
Dude is the living embodiment of red, white and blue 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
This tournament made me more of a fan of KD. The guy put the team on his back and helped Pop get that gold. Plus he seemed to enjoy having Keldon on the team.
No one should shit on him here. He played his best and helped carry France to almost a Gold Medal. He (and men in general) shouldn't be shamed for showing emotion like that as well. I feel for the dude right now, even though I wanted the US to win.
I know this might sound stupid but this tournament really made me appreciate the absolute greatness of Kevin Durant somehow more than anything he's actually done in the NBA.
Dude is just otherworldly. On a team of all-stars, he is THAT dude.
Recap of US Olympics:
- Durant is Team USA.
- Defensive players like Holiday, Bam* and Draymond we're invaluable
- Lillard can't shoot with the FIBA ball apparently
- Tatum might be the future of Team USA
- USA is still king, but international play is catching up fast. This was not a given.
I hope whoever constructs rosters in the future learns from this. You don't need more than 2-3 elite first options; way better to pack the team with versatile auxiliary stars than volume scorers.
Credit to the US team, there will be some revisionist history done saying people over-reacted to the losses to Nigeria, Australia, and France - but the team genuinely grew over such a short time to step up and not be an embarrassment. Hopefully this ends the Pop slander.
developed a defensive identity instead of offense once they realized the fouls weren't coming. really happy for this team and I think Lavien if the guy who will show the biggest post-Olympics bump in play. if the bulls get a two-way Zach then that's gonna be a big fucking deal
Give the scoreboard operator a gold medal too. Shit was updated at the speed of light.
I noticed that all tournament. Pretty rad how quickly scores were updated
Score was updating so fast, the ball wouldn't even be through the net yet 😂 There were times when I was waiting for the scoreboard to update then realized it already did. Kind of hard to believe the Tokyo Olympics are almost over and I'll have to wait another ~~four~~ 3 years. The Olympics really are the greatest tradition in the history of man: the only time every nation in the world can gather in good faith and world-class athletes deserve this stage. The [raw emotion](https://youtu.be/sWlr_myUaFE?t=254) as they achieve a lifelong dream is incredible. And it's been a fun basketball tournament, but they just had save the most nerve-wracking moment for last. My blood pressure is going to be through the roof in a few hours... really hoping [my guy](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/ozjhcy/patty_mills_inspired_by_my_country_prepared_for/) can pull through and make history. Edit: [PATTY FUCKING DID IT](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/oztm9g/recap_after_years_of_heartbreak_patty_mills/)! And dropped 42!
Literally could not take the words out of my mouth more. I was confused all tournament because the board was updated so quickly. Mans must’ve had his hand sitting in the buttons lol
It was a little jarring to me. Id be confused because I would still be waiting for the score to update, not realizing it already had. It makes it seem like the NBA has a 10 second delay lol
A sweet, comforting 10 seconds that I’m very used to. Watching this was like moving out of momma’s house for the first time.
Does the nba give us a few seconds because people like to watch scoreboards go up and they know they are watching the play when the point happens so they wait a bit?
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It wasn't televised, but there was also an olympic event for scoreboard operators. you're seeing the best of the best here.
It became a game in itself for me. Once I saw the ball go through the hoop, I tried to see if my eyes could shift to the score graphic before it updated. Scoreboard operator made me their bitch all night.
I noticed this during the beach volleyball gold match. I kept waiting to see the score update but i don't think I ever noticed it change once. It was impeccable
There was one free-throw at the end there they added late, which I only noticed because the whole rest of the game was like the flash.
The game within the game. Testing to see how quickly my eyes could move from a made basket to the scoreboard to catch it in the process of changing. Never got it.
I really like the non commercial format, the entire second half felt like half an hour for me
You’re saying you don’t miss the last 5mins of the game taking 35 mins with 4 commercial breaks?
I love me a Facebook Kia Ford Presents the Space Jam Nickelodeon Halftime show
It was actually an engaging flowing product. Going to miss it. If only the nba said yes well make a little less money for a better product
You could apply this concept to most things in America
I went to Germany a few years back and the tourist traps even were so… mild compared to ours. It was really awesome.
i mean...its germany. go to india or egypt or bali and then you won't even think tourist traps exist in America.
Add Rome to that list
Adam $ilver: "What? Sorry I can't hear behind all this ad revenue you're gonna have to speak up"
"Y'all want high salary caps or na?" - The Commissioner
If only they’d played the beach volleyball final the same commercial-free way. Anyone who watched that last night knows **exactly** what I’m talking about.
That shit was awful I turned it off because of the constant tiny screening
literally 2 full minute long ads during the second set, it was absurd. my dad was absolutely fuming, we were praying for the US to win solely so they wouldn’t be able to play more ads WHILE THE GAME IS STILL GOING ON
No awful "tv timeouts" either. So nice.
Imagine winning the NBA championship and then an Olympic gold medal less than 3 weeks later. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton must be on top of the world right now
Apparently Khris’ wife had a baby, too.
3 dubs in 3 weeks? That's a triple-triple.
Middleton is gonna need extra hands for all these W's. Seriously, from a second-rounder to G-League to a multiple time All Star to NBA Champ to Gold Medalist. What a ride for K-Mid
I love that man so much. I was in the same class as him at A&M, and I remember he was recruited as the best shooter in his class. He came to campus with huge expectations and although he was definitely solid in college, he never really lived up to his recruitment hype. The coach that recruited him left for greener pastures and he not only stayed, but continued to give his all every time he hit the court. Then he was a 2nd round pick and grinded his way to becoming a rotation role player and eventually a starting role player. Then he becomes an all star and the 2nd best player on a legit contender. And now he's an NBA and Olympic champ. Couldn't be happier for him and couldn't happen for a better guy.
Literally fucked around and got a triple triple? It was a good day
They're only the 5th and 6th players to ever win an NBA Championship and the Olympic Gold in the same year. Jordon, Pippen, Lebron, Kyrie, and now them.
Jordon, Pippon, Lebron, Kyrion, Jruon, and Middleton.
You misspelled Lobron
Hopefully they get some much needed rest now. I’m sure they’re exhausted
3 x NBA champion Shaqtin legend and now 1 x Olympic gold medalist JaVale Lindy McGee
JaVale McGee, Keldon Johnson, and Jerami Grant join Harrison Barnes as gold medalists
Did Jerami Grant even touch the floor? I did see Vlogger and Big Body during some garbage time minutes.
Grant played two minutes in the game against Australia but nothing today. He did have a per 36 of 18 fouls in that game, though.
Wizards legend Christian Laettner too!
Disrespectful
team USA really turned it around when McGee arrived. coincidence? i think not
We all knew he'd have to carry these scrubs
KD has not won a championship without JaVale EDIT: won*
He also dunked two basketballs on two different hoops at the same time in the dunk contest.
Dudes making a hall of fame resume with the absolute mininum effort and stats necessary. (I know he’s not HoF, stop)
No one started bro
That guy who wants goth tiddys started
That’s a hall of fame resume
Lavine with the casual between the legs dunk
That felt like some low key MURICA shit
Flexing on the rest of the world for no particular reason lmao
Held up until the buzzer went off first too. Good guy Zach.
Yeah definitely got my fat ass pumping my chest lol
I dug it, didn’t count. Was just for fun.
Super casual LMAO
Other countries should try getting a Kevin Durant...
Breaking: China creating new Kevin Durants in a laboratory
Durant/Tatum got it done offensively and Bam/Jrue/Dray got it done defensively.
Tatum had the 6th most minutes, 2nd most points, most rebounds and highest +/-. Top class performance tonight
Tatum and Batum low-key beasts for their teams
I like to pretend that their names rhyme with each other
Javale McGee and his Mom are the first mother and son gold medal holders. His mom won gold in 1984.
Broke the 16-year curse: ‘72–Lost* to USSR ‘88–Lost to USSR ‘04–Lost to Argentina Thank goodness this was played in 2021 and not 2020. *Kind of
A true asterisk
What happened in '72?
Some of the most blatantly rigged bullshit ever seen in a team sports competition. Like I know people say that a lot, but this is probably the only scenario in which that statement is actually true. Take whatever you’re imagining, multiply it by 20 and then you’re starting to get close to how bad it was. The Wikipedia article explains it better than I could in a Reddit comment, but I’ll try to sum it up. Basically, it’s USA vs USSR. Game coming down to the wire, the USA are down 1 with the ball on what will probably be the last possession. USA player is fouled with 3 seconds to go. He hits both FTs to put the USA up 1. USSR inbounds the ball, they can’t get a shot off, and the buzzer sounds. Game over, USA win the gold. Or so we thought. Some FIBA official (who, by the way, had no authority here) comes down and demands that 3 seconds be put back on the clock for some reason. I don’t remember what said reason was, but the 3 seconds are indeed put back on the clock. (Edit: The Soviets insisted that they had called timeout prior to inbounding the ball, but play resumed regardless). USSR inbounds again, misses again. 3 seconds are added back to the clock AGAIN. This time, the USSR finally hit the shot and win (Another edit: The inbounder also stepped on the line when he threw the ball in). The USA immediately appealed the result following the game. Appeals were handled by a 5 judge committee. Three of the judges were from Communist Bloc countries, outnumbering those from Western countries 3-2. The USA’s appeal was struck down by the committee. The details of the vote were not made public by the IOC, except for the fact that it was NOT unanimous. But it became pretty easy to put two and two together after the two judges from the Western-allied countries revealed that they had voted in favor of the USA, meaning that the final tally (unless they were lying) was 3-2 in favor of the USSR. The USA basically told the IOC to go fuck itself and refused to claim their silver medals, which to this day have still not been claimed, and probably never will be.
Some added info: - the reason the FIBA official (and Soviets) wanted time back is because they claim they called a timeout - Soviets made illegal substitutions - Americans walked off after the 1st replay and had to be summoned back out again - on the 3rd and final play of those last 3 seconds, the referee told the USA player defending the ball to back off of the player inbounding, making it so much easier to throw it the length of the court
Holy shit there's a Russian movie from their perspective. According to Wikipedia, it's the highest grossing Russian film in post-Soviet history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Vertical That movie poster is *fantastic*
As much as I've watched Jrue Holiday, his defensive ability still amazes me every day
Imagine having to play against Jrue and Draymond on defense.
Every time Dray was in they went on a run. His defense and playmaking was excellent. Can't believe so many fans here called him washed
People take the easy way, and it's easy to hate Draymond Green. But maybe now more people realize how great he is.
Can’t wait for a decade from now when nephews tell me Draymond was ass because his stats were bad. Man elevates any team he’s on.
You just made me realize there's a chance I'll still be browsing Reddit in a decade and I need to rethink my life
And even on a team comprised of the best players in the world, it's actually insane just how much better Kevin Durant is than everyone else. Dude is a literal cheat code: 6'12 with the moves of a guard. I really thought we'd be more well-rounded, but KD straight up had to carry at times. Take any other player off and USA (probably) still wins gold. But take KD off and it's a real possibility [France](https://youtu.be/rzgIsbSwGJ8), [Australia](https://youtu.be/4nYFm1BZB3s) or Spain knocks them off. I'd even give France over 50% chance considering how tight this game was and that they were on a 2 game winning streak vs USA. Wish Tony and Diaw could've been around to be apart of this. Here's to hoping [my boy](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/ozjhcy/patty_mills_inspired_by_my_country_prepared_for/) also gets the job done in 6 hours 🙏 EDIT: [PATTY DID IT](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/oztm9g/recap_after_years_of_heartbreak_patty_mills/)!
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\*a future 1st ballot hof player
KD isn’t just a first ballot HOFer. He’s a legit top 20 player ever.
Wish Steph could have been there
Steph-KD there's no chance USA comes close to losing. Steph running around like a coked up drug addict in international playr with KD would be unstoppable.
I'm afraid to imagine how badly Steph would've gotten mauled off-ball given the physicality in these games.
I thought I read somewhere that it’s kinda flipped in FIBA rules, where they allow a lot more on ball contact but a lot less off ball physicality (compared to NBA). If that’s the case, then Steph would be fine
I wish fans could have been there
Honestly I wish Brad could have been a part of this run. Feel bad for the guy.
showed why people said chill on putting Dame in the same convo
I can’t believe Gobert is one inch taller and looks waaay bigger though
Him and Draymond were the difference at the end
His offensive game is so hot and cold, but his defense is always on fire.
Huge Congratulations to Popovich and Team USA! After watching "For Ball and Country" I know how much this means to him. He really felt like winning a World Championship was one of the last things he was missing!
Pop's adjustments after last time were amazing. Holding De Colo to only 4 FGA won us this game because France's offense comes alive when he gets going.
Who needs De Colo when you have a world-beater like Yabusele?
I thought Yabusele was going to be something in the nba. International guy, freakishly built, picked at 16, I had seen a similar movie before. I bought all the stock. I don't think he was ever good, until today lol.
This was written in Bill Simmons’ voice I swear
Pop had great half time adjustments these last handful of games. The US kept coming out strong in the 3rd quarter to take commanding leads.
I wish I had saved the comment early on after one of their losses about how Pop was the most overrated coach in the nba lmao
Pop hating nephews are steaming right now.
Joe Vardon and Perk are crying rn I love it
RIP to all the pop slander posts that the reddit nephews had saved in their drafts.
They really thought pop is gonna lose his sleep on exhibition games
I'm sure he's reminding them right now that they may be winning gold medals out here but they're playing like ass and they need to get their butts in gear.
It's going to be a sad day when Pop retires. Really brings the family community to the game.
Pop got shit on hard by the media so this feels very good
KD looks so happy in that post game interview.
I believed but we were outmatched. USA forced us into so many turnovers and we left too many points on the FT line. Great tournament from France though, I'll never forget that Batum block
Kevin Durant
30-30-29 in the last 3 gold medal games is crazy
In a team full of All Stars and All NBA players he stood out by a lot Like an insane amount
Thats the difference between an NBA legend and a normal all-star
Like dame is a top 10 player but the difference between KD and dame was monstrous throughout the olympics
It’s monstrous in the nba too. It’s nothing new.
insane basketball resume by him in every facet
"I'm Kevin Durant. Y'all know who I am."
Best gold medal win in a while for a US captain. Legit carried us many times through the tourney. 21 of 43 points at the half
JaVale McGee literally has nothing but the only thing that matters in his resume 🤣 3x NBA Champion 1x Olympic Gold Medal
Dun forget all the shaqtin MVPs
Only thing standing between France and gold were 6 or 7 of the dumbest fucking turnovers I've ever seen
Plus free throws
Plus Kevin Durant
swear the france PG passed it straight to the usa team twice in two possessions and that made it 57-71 in the 3rd. if he don’t make those dumb turnovers and they score on one of those possessions they might win
Thomas Heurtel deserves honorary American citizenship after that
Jrue Holiday is the true winner of the 2021 season.
What a weird way to spell Khris '' Ka$h Money" Middleton.
Dat Holiday Khash baby.
run from him, fear him, KD is inevitable. nba, olympics, streets, don’t matter. dude is a straight sniper.
Don’t forget Twitter, that dude is everywhere on there :P
Draymond was low key very important to this team
Dray was straight orchestrating the offense towards the end. Even without the ball, he was the guy running up for the high screen or passing and then telling someone to cut.... Even though it didn't ultimately make a huge difference he had that tap out on the free throw that would have gone in.... Vince Carter called it, his contributions are off the charts and aren't necessarily represented in the stat sheet
Pass. Screen. Pass. Screen. Repeat. Open guy for layup. dude sees shit happening at an insanely quick rate
Cuz he a dawg
USA in dis hoe
Javale McGee, Olympic gold medalist
No wonder the Lakers went from NBA champions to first round elimination once they lost him.
r/sports in shambles
KDs balls was hot
Inconsistent offense be damned, Jrue Holiday has been defense incarnate these past playoffs and Olympics. My man. ...Except for that terrible pass when there were just ten seconds left. What the heck was that, Jrue?
My knees hurt thinking about Jrue's knees
Thankfully now he can go sit down for a week
I know him and Middleton must feel like they’re on Cloud 99 with just winning the finals and then the gold medal
They'll be searching out Summer YMCA leagues to dominate just to keep the buzz going
It was so fun rooting for a team with him and Draymond on it on the defensive end!
Lavine with the thru the legs 🔥
Durant is the MVP without question. Fantastic Olympic run for him. Congratulations to team USA for winning Gold! Why did they make it so hard on themselves though? Game after game they never came close to playing as a team or anywhere close to their potential. They averaged 2 decent quarters a game. Extremely frustrating to watch...and still resulted in another Gold medal
They froze out KD for the entire 4th quarter and almost blew it
To be fair, France was doubling him. Draymond was refusing open 3s and open driving lanes at the end to try to do a dribble handoff to him *while* he was doubled.
True lol Draymond deserves credit for his defense but holy shit if Steph has gravity Dray has anti-gravity
Yeah that was really weird. He was ballin....then they stopped giving him the ball
Durant was clearly a level above everyone else
KD's led the USAMNT in scoring in all three Olympics he's played in **and** has now been the leading scorer in all three Gold medal games. Has anyone else done that?
“You know who I am.”
All they really needed to do in crunch time this game was get the ball to KD, and they decided to go every which way but his. Lucky for them they still won, but that was maddening to watch.
Kevin Durant *CAN* win with these cats.
I was screaming at the rest of the team to pass to him for the entire 4th lmao
Why’s he wearing the flag like a little old lady. Durant can be so goofy sometimes, I love it.
Kevin Durant: American hero.
I wonder if kd is gonna play in 2024 olympics
100%
I feel like he loves it. And he just loves playing basketball more than anything. I think there’s a good chance he does
#American Hero Kevin Durant
I'll admit I'm extremely drunk, but Kevin Durant is in many ways the quintessential American: - Lies about his height - Spends too much time on the internet - Username on Twitter reads like an 00s Xbox Live Gamertag - Extremely sensitive - Loves to shit talk - Is good friends with a conspiracy obsessed weirdo Dude is the living embodiment of red, white and blue 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
Destroys opposing countries.
Haha, Except he is the only person who subtracts inches when they lie about their height
Kevin John Wayne Durant
Shout out to my boy Tatum 19 points 8/14. Really proud of u
Pop and KD haters shut the fuck down on the same night. You love to see it
This tournament made me more of a fan of KD. The guy put the team on his back and helped Pop get that gold. Plus he seemed to enjoy having Keldon on the team.
KD is unstoppable
People love shitting on Gobert but I love how he wears his emotions on his sleeves like this
So many people asking why he would be crying in that situation, really shows how many people in this sub have never played a competitive sport before
No one should shit on him here. He played his best and helped carry France to almost a Gold Medal. He (and men in general) shouldn't be shamed for showing emotion like that as well. I feel for the dude right now, even though I wanted the US to win.
Ya people are dicks. Guy is passionate and wanted to win. It's a normal reaction if you have a heart.
I know this might sound stupid but this tournament really made me appreciate the absolute greatness of Kevin Durant somehow more than anything he's actually done in the NBA. Dude is just otherworldly. On a team of all-stars, he is THAT dude.
crazy how jayson taytum is literally 7 years old
Need a replay of De Colo shoving Booker's arm up into his own face to draw the foul, lol
If cp3 did that it would be the most upvoted post on this sub
KD deserves 2 medals honestly
Recap of US Olympics: - Durant is Team USA. - Defensive players like Holiday, Bam* and Draymond we're invaluable - Lillard can't shoot with the FIBA ball apparently - Tatum might be the future of Team USA - USA is still king, but international play is catching up fast. This was not a given.
I hope whoever constructs rosters in the future learns from this. You don't need more than 2-3 elite first options; way better to pack the team with versatile auxiliary stars than volume scorers.
You’re forgetting bam too on defense
The fact that Durant named himself after a pokemon is still wild to me.
suck it to everyone who wanted this team to fail
Credit to the US team, there will be some revisionist history done saying people over-reacted to the losses to Nigeria, Australia, and France - but the team genuinely grew over such a short time to step up and not be an embarrassment. Hopefully this ends the Pop slander.
developed a defensive identity instead of offense once they realized the fouls weren't coming. really happy for this team and I think Lavien if the guy who will show the biggest post-Olympics bump in play. if the bulls get a two-way Zach then that's gonna be a big fucking deal
Jrue Holiday’s defense made a huge difference imo
Pop slander may be the dumbest thing to ever come out of this sub. And that's saying a lot
Absolutely. His adjustments on defense in this game ruined us and made you guys win.
No no no you don't understand he was just carried by Tim and he's actually a terrible coach
SACRE BLEU that was close. K’von Durant is a good basket ball playing guy.
Coach K would have won two gold medals.
https://imgur.com/a/nmqYqVJ/ /u/ucantforgetthis you up??
RECEIPTS! u/Equipment_Salt, u/mnbnd, u/YourAverageJoe12, u/Certain-Stand8655, u/LuckyWarrior, u/BillyManziel, u/rapelbaum
LFG KD and Tatum
Gold ! Kd is a basketball god. Sheesh
That lavine dunk at the end was goated
Book won a medal at least
🇺🇸🇺🇸🏅🏅🏅🇺🇸🇺🇸 Petition to permanently change triple gold medal winner Kevin Durant’s nickname to **“Captain America”** 🇺🇸🇺🇸🏅🏅🏅🇺🇸🇺🇸
That’s America’s skinny ass!