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WORDS used by foreign media announcers/broadcasts to describe STEPH during and after the last two games:

EXTRATERRESTRIAL AND ALIEN (most-often)

OUT WORLDLY

INCOMPARABLE

GREAT

EXTRAORDINARY

GAMECHANGER

INIMITABLE

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But not MVP.

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Most thought he was the FINAL MVP, but, I am OK with LBJ...it is not relevant...STEPH shone on the world stage, the brightest star; as bright as a demi-god...

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Aug 11Liked by Eric Apricot

That game was so so so much fun. To finish the way it did, with those 4 amazing Steph shots, just about fried my brain. I was positively giggling. My friends were accusing me of being an absurd Steph fan-boy and I could only agree. I felt the love and I felt it deeply. For me, the greatest Olympic moment of my life. Hell yea.

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At the tail end of the careers, I just want to see more of Curry KD James (play together on a team. Maybe they can band together for one last hurrah as real underdogs in a couple year’s time.

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There's always the 3 on 3.

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There's no way Steph can handle the Jimmer Freddette role

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Kerr got so much hate for his minutes allocations, especially in terms of Tatum, but I don't really see a problem. #1, the game is just short at 40 minutes. Meaning for a lot of these guys fatigue was probably not a big factor. The guys who got the most minutes were pretty consistently the ones who played the best. Admittedly I don't know crap about FIBA, but from what I've gathered watching the games, the removal of 3 second defensive violation can significantly alter the optimal strategy and skillset needed. Seems like you want 1 guy who can just camp the paint and stop any drives (AD). Since the paint is always covered, you want guys who can best spread the floor (Curry, Booker, KD). KD is extra good because if they both camp the paint and run off the 3, he is the mid range god. LeBron can play the "Jack of all trades" role and there seems to be value in that. Tatum basically would fill that same role, but as a lesser version of how Bron was playing (especially in playmaking). Or in scoring, a lesser version of how KD was playing. So seems totally logical he would only fill the void of the 10-ish minutes those guys needed to rest.

Main problem I had was I just didn't like Embiid's play style and would have been fine with DNPs from him. But, I think he held is own alright, even if I think someone like AD is way more optimal in the role (and AD did get a lot more minutes than Embiid tonight).

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The lack of a 3 second rule is huge and negates a lot of the Kerr/Warriors playbook on offense. It's just really hard for a cutter to get a clean run at the basket. Conversely , having somebody that is really tall that can just stand near the basket and tip in misses seems to work really well.

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Yeah not just cutters to the basket, but the whole idea of a ball handler driving to the basket seems significantly limited in FIBA. Which in the NBA, is one of the great skills of the large wings and guards (Tatum, Edwqrds etc.) to be able to attack the basket. LeBron had success on the Olympics with it, but mostly in transition before a 7 footer can sit in the paint. In general the 3 second rule difference seems to make athleticism less important on offense, aside from transition, which makes sense why teams full of experienced sharpshooters can challenge USA dominance. And also why Kerr preferred to play guys like Booker who were just deadly when left open for 3, vs a Tatum who might not be able to capitalize quite as much on open 3s.

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Tatum didn’t hit a single shot attempt that wasn’t at the rim this entire Olympics. Playing him was absolutely futile

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Aug 11Liked by Eric Apricot

Steph was +20 against Serbia and +20 today, both game highs. A plus/minus monster even with the best of the best.

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Aug 11·edited Aug 11

LOL, STEPH....DUH, I guess he is MR. CLUTCH after all....it took a COUPLE of fine OLYMPIC games for the world to PUT TO REST some US MEDIA BAD RAPS for good. I loved to hear foreign media talk about how he CHANGED the game... SPECIAL to watch this ERA'S TWO perennial TEAM-FIRST MVPs do their thing, MAKING everyone around them better....along with KD, THE ERA'S GOAT THREE MUSKETEERS playing together on the world OLYMPIC stage for the first time, and delivering some amazing all-time stats...GREAT STUFF

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Props to Serbia and France for the legit great games they played... the last two games meant sooo much more than if it was just the USA cruising through some blowouts or having to rectify their own poor play.

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I'm literally begging for a competitive game for the women tomorrow.

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Wemby is gonna be so scary in 4 years on this stage. Being able to tip out on D or tip on O is such a massive advantage for him.

I was thinking in four years it’ll be tough but I saw Kevin Peltons projected lineup on ESPN and was reminded we’ll have Chet Holmgren on that team for sure. He’s gonna be a phenomenal Olympic player too. Should be fun

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Article on ESPN locked.

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author

I was thinking that it’s possible that in 2028 the US may not be the favorites, with the loss of LBJ-KD-SC and the rest of the world catching up

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Yeah, could be. The Redeem team in O8 was stacked, but this era of five straight has really been propped up by KD over the last four. He is probly the best Olympic basketball player ever. (I mean if Curry played more than once, who knows? Would’ve been so fun every time.)

But KD with his size, shooting and defense is not only perfect for international ball, but is perfect for a US team that always needs to come together on the fly. He greases the wheels for cohesive play, and is as good an answer as any to “what do we do if things aren’t going well?”.

It is why a guy like Chet excites me. He’s a perfect international big guy and will help that cohesion.

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Chet should be interesting, but in 4 years team USA may also lose AD, who seems to be a more proven perfect big (international and otherwise). Should be fun to watch, and will have home court advantage, but it's hard to imagine the 2028 squad will be better than this one overall.

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Chet’s shooting will be huge. He’s built for it. They’ll have Bam too most likely and Bam was great.

Where US often struggles is when they either don’t have size or the size is rim runner types who can’t shoot or pass.

So for sure not as stacked, but if the back line is taken care of there’s always enough wing and guard talent to build a tough team.

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Curry sharpshooter off the bench

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No way, that's impossible!

That is, the "LBJ won't play in 2028" part is impossible, the rest of it could happen.

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The DNP-lumbago thing might get him in the games, though.

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And Embiid playing for Cameroon.

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Aug 11Liked by Eric Apricot

Booker to the Warriors confimed.

r/nba

3 hr. ago

Alternatively_Built_

emoji:lal-1: Lakers

[Golliver] USA's Steve Kerr at the end of his press conference: "Devin Booker is an incredible basketball player. Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that."

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He would legit be a great #2 for Steph if the Suns implode again this year

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Yea somehow got Booker to play D consistently, and team offense, as well as standard shooting reliability.

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Tampering alert!

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He really was

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Aug 11·edited Aug 11Liked by Eric Apricot

I hope someone puts together a video with reactions to Steph’s last shot from around the world in different languages, like was done for the double bang game.

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You see KD's reaction? Pretty cool.

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Aug 11Liked by Eric Apricot

Just finished the replay (was following the gamecast while at the Giants game today). Unreal.

I am happy for USA basketball; Kerr was right that the pressure for these guys to win gold is immense. But as a Steph Curry fan, I am over the moon. I LOL'd when they put on the screen the stats of his first four games vs. his stats for the last two games. He was biggest in the big games, once again. The idiots who have criticized him as 'not clutch' look stupider by the game. That fourth three-pointer late in the game with two defenders draped all over him was a moon shot; that it went in was perfect. Pure entertainment.

A few other reflections:

- I softened on LeBron during these Olympics. Yeah, he's a prima donna, and I hate his passive aggressiveness. But he showed up night in and night out during these games and was willing to put the team on his back early and will the team to victory when they were still figuring it out. He's gained my respect. He has always been a great performer on the court. But his leadership really showed in this one.

- I also softened on Kevin Durant. I said I'd always be grateful for him and continue to root for him after he left the Warriors. That was sort of true. I have remained grateful and have rooted for his individual success. But I also held a grudge for his walking away, especially to go treasure hunting with f'ing Kyrie Irving. But I was really and truly rooting for him in this one and rejoicing in his success. Come home, Kevin. You know you don't belong in Phoenix.

- Steve Kerr should be sainted for graciously enduring all of the criticism he takes. He has already been incredibly, unreasonably successful. He doesn't have to take on these extra assignments. He knows if he wins that he won't get much credit; "look at all of the talent he had; of course he won," they'll say. And if he loses... It's nothing but downside. He /knows/ he's going to be criticized and nitpicked no matter what he does. And yet he keeps doing it, doesn't whine about or take shots at his critics (no matter how ridiculous), and wins a LOT. He is a heck of a coach, and we're blessed to have him.

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I enjoyed the hell out of rooting for KD and LeBron.

LeBron’s career has been so long and he became a rival, but I really rooted for him through the first half of his career. Fun to watch him here in the late stages.

KD is just the best all time at “uh oh this possession is f***ed just throw me the ball and I’ll rise up and knock down a jumper”.

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Agree and ive never been able to hate LeBron at all. Even in 2015-17 against the Dubs I couldn’t deny that he was playing amazing basketball, physically dominating and mentally tough.

I liked how Kerr said that this is the only team in the world that if they win the silver, all their fans are ashamed of them. The pressure is crazy.

Also big shout to France and to the much maligned French coach. He figured out that Rudy is fool’s gold or at least that he had more logical lineups — and don’t blame Wemby or Yabusele, those boys came very close

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where does Steph rank among the greatest *entertainers* of all time?

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Well he doesn't dunk so there's that.

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It’s a great question. I’ve said many times that when the Warriors are cooking they’re the best show on TV.

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Sports entertainment or entertainment? Like head to head with Jerry Garcia type deal?

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yeah, all entertainment (we can limit ourselves to the mass media era, don't need to rank him with Homer I guess)

so like, Michael Jackson is in tier one

what tier is Steph in?

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Aug 11·edited Aug 11Liked by Eric Apricot

Bang, bang, bang, bang. Those four threes at the end of a gold medal game ... name a more iconic Olympic moment by any basketball player. (Any country?)

Kobe had his little four point play moment. Charles Barkley elbowed an Angolan in the ribs. Jerry West dominated. KD put up steady numbers again and again.

But we just watched Steph fire off dagger after dagger when he was needed most; he stepped up in crunch time in two straight games, the very last shot being a moon shot from the hip with two great defenders draped all over him. They were only up three when he started his run, and no other guy in blue seemed to want the ball. Plus he was shouting over to Draymond, shimmying, and hitting 'em with a night-night.

Steph has already done such amazing things in the NBA, it's hard to put his shooting here into context. I'm just thinking if the NBA didn't exist, how big this would be in Olympic lore, how much it would be replayed, forever. It may yet be.

There are more iconic Olympics-only athletes like Jesse Owens or Carl Lewis or Mark Spitz or Simone Biles, but for a guy playing a team sport with so many other stars, Steph sure shone most brightly. When you've had Steph's career, not much you can do to increase the hype -- unless you do what he just did.

Instantly iconic.

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The most iconic moment in Olympic basketball history is the KGB refs literally erasing a USA win not once, but twice in 1972. But I prefer the Curry bangs

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YEah I was actually going to list the Doug Colliins team but it was more ref iconic than player iconic, wouldn't you say?

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Perhaaaaps. The long outlet pass into the uncontested layup (via a ref insisting the defender to come over to him) is iconic as a play

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Hoops Tonight uSA-France reaction: https://youtu.be/231X3PW3DHw?si=R9NM9HUHUOYmdR_s

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Aug 11·edited Aug 11

Thanks for posting this. It's basically a Steph/Lebron/KD slobber-fest, but I loved it.

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Kerr sucks. Should have benched Curry.

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Aug 11Liked by Eric Apricot

Comments from others out there that I enjoyed. . .

@eliwoods5583

Not a Warriors fan, but tonight I understand what it’s like to be a Warriors fan. Steph is a cheat code and rooting for him is exhilarating!!

@jeffreyhurst7231

At 2:45 --- LEBRON TO CURRY TO DURANT.... You will never hear that again, ever. I'm just glad I was here to witness it.

Jubal C.

Never been a basketball fan……but now I am. Amazing stuff!

Amy P.

As a Rockets fan, the Warriors were always in our way to a championship. Steph was never on my short list of favorite players. But this Olympic run? The last game? Today? I literally love Steph Curry.

Craig A.

I am happy that fans who got sick of the Warriors during the Curry dynasty got to see how much fun it can be on the other side.

Łukasz M.

I was lucky enough to watch Michael Jordan in his prime - and his is an unquestionable GOAT to me - but there has never been anything in basketball comparable to Curry flurries!

Kevin G.

Watching Steph is an absolute joy when it isn’t against your team. He is incredible 🇺🇸

Anonymous U.

The US Men's basketball team is NOT old. They are GOLD.

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😊 here's an sbnation name that some might remember:

Xiane: Steph remains a cheat code. Sorry world.

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sirhoneydip:

"i literally thought, 'I remember hating this during the finals"

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