When the ball is tipped in Rio, it will have been 3,607 days since an American basketball team lost a game at a major competitive event. Some of the world’s best players might have declined the opportunity to play on Team USA this summer, but both American squads should earn gold.
Is it still a Dream Team if Steph and LeBron sit? Team USA is going to find out.
The U.S. should easily run to gold, even without a couple of MVPs.
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The men will be led by Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving. Yes, Steph Curry and LeBron James declined to play, but a squad led by Thompson and Irving absolutely obliterated the competition at the 2014 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. They won every game by at least 21 points and took the gold medal game over Serbia by 36. Toss in Durant, Draymond Green and Carmelo Anthony and they should be fine.
Some have lamented the inclusion of not-quite superstars like Harrison Barnes on the American team. But he'd be the best player on almost any other team in the tournament, with the possible exception of Spain. Barnes is America's 12th-best player: The five teams America will face in the preliminary round have 15 NBA players combined.
A smattering of stars will be on other teams -- Pau Gasol will play for Spain, while aged talents Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili will suit up for France and Argentina, respectively -- but most teams are happy to have an NBA role player. With Tiago Splitter out, the host Brazil will be led by Warriors bench guys Leandro Barbosa and Anderson Varejao. Their Golden State teammate Andrew Bogut is still hurt, so the best of the five NBA-ers on Australia's roster is either Matthew Dellavedova or Patrick Mills.
Even with the various dropouts, the men’s team is a far cry from the 2004 Olympic squad that earned permanent infamy for getting blown out by Puerto Rico and losing three of the six games Team USA has ever lost. That was a hodgepodge of randomly assembled players under Larry Brown. This is a team almost entirely comprised of players who have spent years playing for Team USA, in Mike Krzyzewski’s third and final go-around as Team USA’s coach at the Olympics. USA Basketball has figured out a recipe for success, and it involves years of cohesion. This team has that, and should win gold.
One of the best women’s players in the world isn’t playing for Team USA, but that’s because it was impossible to fit all the world’s best women on one 12-person roster. Candace Parker, the two-time WNBA MVP who led Team USA in minutes, rebounds, blocks and assists during a European tour in October, was not picked by Geno Auriemma’s coaching staff. That says more about the unbelievable depth of Team USA than it does about Parker, who has won gold twice. With Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and more, the women’s squad is a true Dream Team.
Their best challenger for both teams is probably Spain. The Spanish men’s team goes 10-deep with NBA talent and has played the USA tight in two straight gold medal games. They know that their chance at winning gold will probably end with Pau’s upcoming retirement, so they’ll be playing to win. Team USA won’t face Spain until at least the quarterfinals, as the two powers were split up in the tournament drawing. The U.S. men tip off their first game against China on Aug. 6.
The Spanish women’s team is led by two-time WNBA All-Star Sancho Lyttle and only lost to Team USA by 13 in the gold medal game at the last World Championships, but the game really wasn’t even that close. Losing by 13 to the U.S. women is pretty good. We’ll get to see whether Spain has made up any ground since then, as the Group B draw pits both powers together in the preliminary round.
Australia has challenged the American women in the past, but their superstar, three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson, has retired due to injury. Her absence should just about end any chance they have of topping Team USA, although there should be a healthy battle for bronze. The US women open against Senegal on Aug. 7.
Much is often made of the differences between international basketball and American hoops, but there aren’t that many anymore, at least in terms of rules. The 3-point line is the same length the WNBA uses, about a foot shorter than the NBA line, and quarters are just 10 minutes long. Players are allowed to touch the ball after it hits the rim, even if it’s above the cylinder, which makes for fun tap-outs and tip slams.
There are 12 teams in each tournament, which is divided into two groups of six. The top four teams in each group make it to the knockout stage, which shouldn’t really be a problem for American teams which will be expected to win every game. The knockouts are where the danger really begins, as a team can see its medal hopes dashed in 40 minutes. But that would take a shockingly bad performance from Team USA and a shockingly brilliant performance from one of their opponents.
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