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Team USA Men's Basketball achieved gold medal status after their victory over France at the Paris Olympics. Although LeBron James won the MVP, it is fair to assess whether the team would win a gold medal without Stephen Curry. A prominent podcaster went even further about how low Team USA finishes without the Golden State Warriors star.
"If Team USA brings Damian Lillard instead of Stephen Curry, LeBron is going home in disgrace with a bronze medal," Andrew Sharp, co-host of the Greatest of All Talk podcast, said in a recent episode. Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports James guided Team USA through the Olympics, even in the showcases leading up to the grand event. However, the steady hand didn't strike any "death" blows in Paris.
Furthermore, James lacked the signature game of his Olympic counterpart Curry. In the semifinal against Nikola Jokic-led Serbia and the gold medal game vs. France, starring Victor Wembanyama, Curry stirred the drink and put the lid on both teams.
Combining for 60 points in the final two Olympic matches, Curry's shooting from 3-point range saved Team USA. Down 17 points to Serbia, Team USA looked dead in the water, even with Curry's 17 points in the first quarter. However, Team USA's fourth-quarter comeback wouldn't have the legs without Curry keeping the first quarter relatively close, considering the rest of the team didn't have it in the first half.
Joel Embiid and James in the fourth quarter perhaps would have happened, but it would have been too late for such an effort. Related: Stephen Curry Sacrifices Ego Not Decency In Curry's first and last Olympic campaign, he saved the country from embarrassment and James from further ridicule regarding the ongoing GOAT battle with Michael Jordan..
