It will be five consecutive golds, with four of them for Kevin Durant, something that no one has ever done. It will be. Because no one doubts this Dream Team, so battered in the World Championships (hasn't won since 2014), affronts that they accept and gather, using them to fuel their motivation, with revenge as a stimulus, so American. No one doubts that in the Olympics, the USA Team does not fail even though everything around them has the NBA scent. All 11 opponents already have NBA players (up to 52...), even debutant South Sudan, the heirs of Manute Bol; Spain, with only Santi Aldama, is now the most lacking in that sense.
Since Athens 2004, the USA has only lost one Olympic game, in the Tokyo opener against France. Perhaps the only rival that can threaten them this time, spurred on by national pride but above all with the giant Victor Wembanyama, one of the big names of these Games. Also, Canada, a kind of USA Team 2 under Jordi Fernández. And, to start, this Sunday (5:15 p.m.), Serbia with Nikola Jokic.
Waiting for the start and with doubts about some of the preparation results (barely managed to defeat South Sudan by one point, who was leading by 14 at halftime), the American showcase shines brightly, with flagbearer LeBron James leading the way and the powerful novelty in the paint, not without controversy (born in Cameroon and flirted with joining the French team), Joel Embiid. Also present are the aforementioned Durant, Steph Curry seeking his first gold, Jayson Tatum or Anthony Davis. A roster ripe for comparisons. And none as recurrent as that of the original Dream Team.
The spark was ignited by the veteran Svetislav Pesic, Serbian coach, who never shoots without a bullet. "This team is stronger than the Dream Team," he states. He was the German national team coach back then and today will see for himself if his words hold true, which were quickly responded to even by the opponents. "Our team is undoubtedly as strong as the Dream Team, but in 1992 the world was not as good as today, far from it," reasoned Steve Kerr, who adds: "At that time, only Yugoslavia could have posed a challenge to the Americans, but Serbia and Croatia had just gained independence. That's why they were never threatened. Our team may be equally strong, but the overall level has evolved. In Paris, we face a much more difficult challenge."
And, although the comparison is enticing, it's hard to imagine that this team, which lost Kawhi Leonard to injury, can captivate in the same way as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and company did in Barcelona. The depth of that roster can never be surpassed (Barkley, Olajuwon, Karl Malone...). The Dream Team, which would have also set a record for selfies, started the Olympic tournament by winning 46-1 against Angola (eventually 116-48), of which Charles Barkley left a historic quote: "I don't know anything about them, except that they are in trouble." Chuck Daly's team ended up winning all seven games with an average margin of 43.8 points (something that won't happen this time) and without calling a timeout. In the final at the Olympic Stadium in Badalona, Drazen Petrovic's Croatia resisted for 10 minutes (23-22) and ended up losing by 'only' 32.