By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Rosters are confirmed, teams have traveled to Paris, and after the opening ceremony, everything will be set for the highly anticipated start of the 2024 Paris Olympics basketball tournament.
Team USA is defending the gold and entering the group phase in Lille after winning all five games during the preparation period. Head coach Steve Kerr believes his side is yet to play its best basketball.
“We have another level we can get to,” Kerr said. “It’s time to lock in, that’s for all of us—coaches and players—to get to that point mentally and strategically.”
The team, filled with NBA stars, had tense moments against South Sudan and Germany during preparations. Kerr said he believes those lapses won’t follow the team to the Olympics.
“We need 40 minutes of focused attention and effort,” Kerr said. “We can’t let teams outplay us in terms of effort and energy, as they did.”
After playing in Abu Dhabi and London, the gold medal favorites will travel back and forth for the first three games by train, in a private car, and keep their hotel in Paris. After the group phase at Pierre Mauroy Stadium (built for soccer but has a retractable roof), the medal round will shift to the French capital.
“We’re here. We’ve got six games. We get through pool play, advance, then it’s the NCAA tournament,” Kerr added.
Asked which country he’s most looking forward to playing, four-time NBA champion of Golden State Warriors Steph Curry said: “Whoever’s in the gold medal game.”
The team missed Kevin Durant during the preparations, but the Phoenix Suns superstar still joined the team in Paris after recovering from a calf injury.
“There are no expectations other than he’s supposed to practice, we’ll scrimmage, then take it day by day,” head coach Steve Kerr said.
Durant believes he’s on the right track.
“Each day is getting better. Another intense practice, and we’ll see how it feels,” the top Olympic scorer of USA basketball concluded.