#Usa basketball free

'Kevin Durant is exactly who we thought he was,' said Draymond Green, who won two titles with him in Golden State as well as the 2016 Olympic gold. It goes into all the players.'ĭurant's teammates were eager to give him credit, which he characteristically tried to shrug off. 'The relationship he builds with teammates, the respect he garners, the joy he has in playing, it's like osmosis. The way he works on his game is more impressive,' Popovich said. 'KD is not special because he's so talented. Once again the Americans struggled shooting in the first half - they were just 4-of-18 from 3-point range, making it 10-of-48 in the first half of the past three games - and it was Durant who saved the day. That went to Durant, who exhausted himself early as he hunted for shots while looking to get the U.S. Gobert finished with 16 points but wasn't able to be a difference-maker.

#Usa basketball free

But Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich was willing to play the percentages, as Gobert, a weak free throw shooter, went just 6-of-13 at the line. Gobert drew nine fouls in the game, and Durant had to take three of them. Durant was a target as France forced switches that repeatedly got Durant on 7-foot-2 center Rudy Gobert, a move intended to get Durant in foul trouble. I'm grateful we all committed to it, we stuck with it and we finished it off.' Tokyo 2020Īll the news from the Summer Games in Tokyo on ESPN: Read more »ĭurant scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half, relieving the stress on a team that was facing a bruising French team that had a big size advantage and intended to use it. 'When you're a part of a team that's evolving by the second, it's amazing to see. 'This is one of those special journeys,' Durant said. When he flew to Japan with his teammates less than three weeks ago there were only eight of them on the plane, and no one knew how or if they could come together after some downright shaky play. This one felt different to Durant, who wrapped himself in the American flag after avenging Team USA's loss to France earlier in the event. A few hours before the game, he agreed to a new $198 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets. This was his third gold to go with two NBA titles. No one had more perspective on it than Kevin Durant, who added a glorious chapter to his Olympic career by scoring 29 points to finish off a brilliant tournament.