Kevin Durant didn't fully understand that he would be playing three Olympic basketball games 130 miles from Paris until he showed up for Team USA's training camp last month in Las Vegas.
“I never thought I'd come to a city like this,” Durant said. “But Lille has been amazing to us. I love it here.”
It's not that USA Basketball was keeping the unusual format for these Olympics (pool play in Lille before moving to Paris) a secret, but it wasn't exactly publicized in the “Come Play for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics” brochure.
But as Durant said, the picturesque city in northern France, with a charming downtown and a giant retractable dome on its outskirts, was the perfect host to the basketball world over the past eight days. There was good food, friendly hosts and an unexpectedly fantastic venue with more than 27,000 fans at every Team USA game.
And the Americans ran riot during their stay in Lille, winning three games by an average of 24 points. Here are the key takeaways from the U.S.'s 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico, a win that catapulted them into the quarterfinals as winners of Group C.
Embiid continues his dialogue with the French
This game was all set up for Joel Embiid. Puerto Rico was the smaller team on the field, and getting Embiid going was clearly a key part of the game plan. His teammates looked for him early and often, and he took 14 shots (second on the team) while scoring 15 points.
He was booed, but in true Embiid fashion, encouraged to jeer by the crowd. Embiid’s decision to play for Team USA instead of France is an old story at this point; he has spoken about it and explained it repeatedly since last fall, when he made his announcement.
The decision was, and will remain, controversial, especially if the U.S. faces France in a rematch of the 2021 gold medal game, a possibility that hinges on the draw. But Embiid spoke out again after the exchange with the wider audience.
“Like I said, it was a tough decision, but it's all about comfort,” Embiid said. “I know these guys. [American teammates] “For a long time I felt more comfortable than on the other side. I had some concerns with the other side. So, like I say, the comfort level was huge. I always say I'm going to be where they want me and these guys wanted me.”
There is some coded language in the text, as there were questions about whether Embiid would have fit in on a French team that already featured two star centers in NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. There have been some passive-aggressive comments about it for months, and Embiid joined in.
One thing is clear: Embiid does not regret his decision and is happy to return the favor to the French fans.
“I mean, I play in Philadelphia. They boo their own players,” Embiid said. “Sometimes, it seems like our fans are more against us than our opponent. But like I said, it's all love, that's all, because they want to push you.”
A look at the US table
The Americans have secured the top seed in the Olympic tournament and are on the same side of the bracket as Serbia. The U.S. will play Brazil at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday and the winner will face the winner of the Australia-Serbia match on Thursday.
Team USA has played five of the seven other teams left in the field this summer, but Brazil is not one of them. The Brazilians have just one current NBA player, Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos, on the roster. But it is a veteran team led by 41-year-old former NBA guard Marcelinho Huertas.
In their crucial win over Japan to qualify for the quarterfinals, they made 18 three-pointers and former NBA player Bruno Caboclo scored 33 points in that win. The Brazilians also lead the group with an average of 13 offensive rebounds per game, which is a sore spot for the U.S. after allowing 16 more offensive rebounds than they have gotten as a team.
Serbia remains a threat, even though the U.S. has beaten it twice this summer by more than 20 points. When NBA MVP Nikola Jokic played the Americans in the group stage, the teams were evenly matched; and when he was on the bench, Serbia was outscored by 26 points. In a potential semifinal, Jokic might barely get off the court.
On the other side of the table are Canada, a team packed with talent, and world champion Germany, the other two undefeated teams in the group stage. The United States will only have to beat one of them to win gold. This is one of the reasons why coach Steve Kerr wanted to secure the top spot.
The holidays will return
Jrue Holiday did not play Saturday because of a sprained ankle but will return Tuesday, Kerr said.
“He would have played if it had been a medal match,” Kerr said. “But it made sense to give him the night, a couple more days to recover.”
LeBron on retirement
After being knocked out of the Olympic singles tennis tournament by Novak Djokovic this week, legend Rafael Nadal has expressed his frustration at being constantly questioned about his retirement plans.
After a brilliant week of play in which he averaged 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 64% shooting, LeBron James was asked if he could relate to being asked a lot about his retirement.
“To be honest, I don't get asked for it a lot,” James said. “Everyone expects me to play 10 more years for some weird reason.”
