Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

France stuns Team USA, rallies for 83-76 victory

Written by 
Published in Basketball
Sunday, 25 July 2021 08:30

SAITAMA, Japan -- Team USA's invincibility in men's basketball is long gone, and the journey to a fourth consecutive gold medal is already fraught with adversity.

France gut-punched the Americans with a brilliant finish for a 83-76 victory to open the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. It snapped a 25-game Olympic winning streak dating back to 2004 for Team USA.

The final blow came when Evan Fournier drilled a 3-pointer with a minute to play to give the French the lead for good, completing its comeback after the U.S. had a six-point lead with four minutes to play. It was the biggest of his 28 points in one of the finest games he has played in his career.

It was followed by an incredible possession in which the Americans managed to get five shots off and missed them all. The final three were wide-open 3-pointers by Zach LaVine, Kevin Durant and Jrue Holiday.

As amazing as it was to see all those misses, it summed up a stretch run in which Team USA was vaporized in a second half where it was outclassed from the coaching box downward.

Team USA, loaded with offensive talent and built to be the best shooting team in the tournament, didn't make a basket for the last four and a half minutes. Over and over the Americans got open looks and over and over they missed them. The team has various chemistry and timing challenges, but horrid execution cost it badly in this one.

It is the second time in the past three years France has beaten Team USA. The first time was the 2019 World Cup in China, which featured a lesser American team. It mattered not to Fournier, who had 22 points in that game.

Coach Gregg Popovich, who said he'd been thinking about this rematch for years and certainly daily since the game was drawn in February, never discovered how to slow down Fournier as he repeatedly got free for open looks on the perimeter.

French coach Vincent Collet also outmaneuvered Popovich by deploying a super big lineup in the second half by playing 7-footers Rudy Gobert and Vincent Poirier together, zippering shut the American offense.

Holiday, who flew 6,000 miles to Japan and arrived at 1 a.m. on game day, scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the U.S. get in position to win.

But the Americans' main offensive weapons melted down the stretch. Durant played the worst game of his storied Olympic career, getting in foul trouble and shooting just 4-of-12. Damian Lillard was 3-of-10 and was so out of sorts that Popovich took him out of the game late in the fourth quarter.

The Americans now must win their final two pool play games against Iran and the Czech Republic to advance to the medal round.

Read 363 times

Soccer

FIFA donates $50m for Qatar World Cup legacy

FIFA donates $50m for Qatar World Cup legacy

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFIFA launched a $50 million legacy fund for social programmes on We...

Guardiola sorry for self-harm remark after draw

Guardiola sorry for self-harm remark after draw

EmailPrintManchester City boss Pep Guardiola has apologised for suggesting he wanted to hurt himself...

Guardiola's new Man City deal means nothing if stars don't sign extensions, too

Guardiola's new Man City deal means nothing if stars don't sign extensions, too

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsManchester City did the easy part by having manager Pep Guardiola s...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

KD, Beal return as Suns' big 3 leads rout of Lakers

KD, Beal return as Suns' big 3 leads rout of Lakers

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHOENIX -- Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant each scored 23 points and...

Giannis out vs. Heat due to pregame knee issue

Giannis out vs. Heat due to pregame knee issue

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMIAMI -- Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for Tues...

Baseball

Champion Dodgers adding Snell, sources say

Champion Dodgers adding Snell, sources say

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFree agent left-hander Blake Snell and the Los Angeles Dodgers have...

Dodgers split $46M from record MLB playoff pool

Dodgers split $46M from record MLB playoff pool

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- A full postseason share for the World Series champion L...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated