Winning In A Row, The US Basketball Team Was Too Strong At The Paris Olympics

United States basketball player LeBron James. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The United States basketball team showed their dominance in the group stage of the 2024 Paris Olympics by sweeping three wins, all scoring points above 100, with the last beating Puerto Rico 104-83 in a match at the Pierre Mouray Stadium, Lille, France, Sunday 4 August WIB.

LeBron James and Anthony Edwards became heroes in this match to lead the United States to wipe out the win in Group C with a perfect 3-0 record, as quoted from the FIBA website.

The match, which took place in front of spectators who filled the stadium, showed the toughness of the United States, especially in the second quarter which led them to the lead with a big difference of points.

After being eight points behind in the first quarter, the United States managed to turn things around thanks to LeBron James' brilliant performance.

LeBron, who had lost to Puerto Rico at the 2004 Athens Olympics, seemed determined not to repeat it. In the second quarter, with four minutes remaining, US coach Steve Kerr asked for time and put LeBron back on the pitch.

As a result, LeBron immediately provided three assists in a row, two sinks, two free throws, and one more assist, collecting a total of six points and four assists in a short time. The United States closed the first half with a 64-45 advantage.

Anthony Edwards continued his dominance of the United States in the second half by scoring 26 points in just 17 minutes, making him the player with the most prominent form of the game. Edwards scored 11 of 15 shots, while LeBron accounted for 10 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in just 18 minutes.

The United States' strategy to play fast and take advantage of a larger body size has proven effective against the smaller Puerto Rico defense. They ended the match with a 30-20 advantage in terms of assists.

Even though Puerto Rico had been confirmed eliminated before this match, they still showed high fighting spirit, especially in the first quarter scoring 29 points. Puerto Rico's best player Jose Alvaraado scored 18 points in 22 minutes.

United States coach Steve Kerr revealed that they will focus on the possibility of a match against Brazil in the quarter-finals.

"We've seen almost all the teams, but haven't seen Brazil. They made 18 three-point shots yesterday, and they are the best offensive rebound team in the tournament, so we have to be ready," he said.

An interesting note from this match is that the United States has scored more than 100 points for the 58th time at the Olympics, a record far above other teams that have just achieved it 17 times.

The United States will face Brazil in the quarter-finals which will be held on Wednesday (7/8).