France vs USA
The USA will see a familiar foe in the men’s basketball final as they’re about to square off against the hosts of Olympics 2024.
Steve Kerr and co. have gotten this far by going undefeated since they formed their superteam of NBA stars this summer, and they are one win away from completing their unprecedented Olympic gold medal five-peat.
Standing in their way are France, who had their share of ups and downs in the competition. After dispatching the defending FIBA World Cup champions, Germany, in the semi-finals, Les Bleus are confident heading into the gold medal match.
Before the start of this tournament, many expect the USA to get back on top of the basketball world with yet another gold, but can France produce a massive upset on Saturday?
Talking Points
Vintage performances for Team USA
The USA were in danger of suffering a humiliating defeat in the Olympic semi-finals when they found themselves down by 13 points in the final period against Serbia. However, the Stars and Stripes rallied back, courtesy of their veteran stars.
With eight NBA MVP awards between them, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid restored order by creating numerous Olympics 2024 highlights.
With 3:40 left, LeBron James drew level at 84 with his left-handed layup, then Steph Curry drained his ninth three-pointer of the night with 2:20 to go to give them an 87-86 lead. James and Curry had a couple more clutch baskets, and Kevin Durant hit a pull-up jumper with 34 seconds left to ice the game.
Steph Curry led all scorers with 36 points and went 12-for-19 from the field, including nine three-pointers. He also had eight rebounds and two assists.
Joel Embiid had his best game of the tournament with 19 points. LeBron James recorded 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists to become the first player in history to record multiple Olympic triple-doubles, while Kevin Durant added nine points.
Despite the game getting younger and younger nowadays, it was the old heads who got the job done for Team USA.
Will France bring back their Twin Tower combo?
France are in this position because head coach Vincent Collet made the bold adjustment of benching Rudy Gobert for the past two games, despite his NBA Defensive Player of the Year credentials.
With Gobert on the bench, Les Bleus’ spacing improved drastically, as Isaia Cordinier and Guerschon Yabusele thrived with their new roles, with Victor Wembanyama as their lone big man.
Against the bigger and taller USA, France have an interesting dilemma. Should they stick to the same formula that got them here or bring back Gobert to a certain degree?
My bet is they’ll stick to what works, and that means that Victor Wembanyama has to play a whole lot better against the USA on Saturday, starting by shooting at a high percentage from the field and the free throw line.
History
This game is basically the rematch of the Tokyo Olympics gold medal match three years ago, and of course, it was the United States who won with a score of 87-82.
France were confident in the buildup to that game, as they were able to end the USA’s 25-game Olympic win streak, beating them 83-76 in the group stage.
And even before that, France eliminated the USA in the 2019 FIBA World Cup quarter-finals, snapping the Americans’ streak of 58 straight wins in international competition.
Winning the silver medal is France’s best finish in the Olympic men’s basketball competition, and they have achieved it three times prior to this weekend (1948, 2000, and 2020).
Meanwhile, bringing home another gold medal for the USA will be extra special for Kevin Durant since it would make him the second player in national team history alongside Carmelo Anthony to have four Olympic golds under his decorated resume.
What are the odds?
The Olympics 2024 odds have the USA as the favourites to come out victorious this weekend. According to SBOTOP, you can bet -16.50 at 2.04 in their favour in the Asian Handicap market.
However, don’t be surprised if this ends up being another close game, similar to the semi-finals, although basketball fans around the world will be shocked if the Americans don’t come away with the gold medal.
Despite having world-class talent from both sides, this might turn out to be another grinded-out affair due to FIBA rules. With that said, you might also want to think about going for Under 177.00 at 1.97 or Under 178.00 at 1.82.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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