Team USA earned their fifth consecutive Olympics gold medal after Stephen Curry caught fire during the semi-final and the final, against Serbia and France, respectively. The Golden State Warriors superstar held the best for the final two games after a quiet stint during the preliminary phase and the quarterfinals.
He went for 17 threes in 26 attempts and scored 60 of his total 89 points against Serbia and France, the highest level of competition in the tournament. Curry had an almost out-of-body experience during the final when he smacked France with a flurry of threes to finish the game off.
“We always say you do what the game calls for and what you kind of feel like in the flow. The first four games I had decent looks. They weren’t falling but they were in the rhythm of the offense for the most part,” Curry noted for his early struggles, per FIBA.com.
“Coach reminded me early on that the game will come to you if you allow it. Even if I was missing shots, just stay engaged. That kind of fed in to being locked in these last two games. The game called for me to get shots up and knock them down.”
Curry noted that he let the game come to him during the tournament and did not force his shot, staying in the role and becoming comfortable in it. As a result, he tried to help his team with his unique shot-making from deep.
“The Serbia game was just to keep us afloat until we could get over the hump. And then tonight I was able to close it down. You just stay confident, stay present, and don’t get rattled by the moment,” the Warriors superstar concluded.
Curry knew what he signed up for when he joined Team USA
After an underwhelming performance in the previous World Cup that found the USA out of the top three,. The Americans recruited every possible star they could to assert their dominance in the Olympic tournament.
LeBron James was named the MVP of the tourney, while Stephen Curry was part of the All-Star Five after the end of the Olympics. Both contributed greatly, along with Kevin Durant, who won his fourth consecutive gold with Team USA.
“It’s everything I imagined, and more,” Curry said, per The Athletic. “The guys in that locker room, we all signed up for the mission to continue USA Basketball dominance.
It was a little harder for their team this time, but Team USA retained the top spot in the Olympic tournament as they set to host the next one in Los Angeles in 2028.
