USA Basketball fans finally got to see their men’s Paris Olympics squad take the floor for the first time in Wednesday night’s friendly against Canada in Las Vegas and the results were pretty mixed.
While Team USA won comfortably, 86-72, it’s clear there are still. few things to iron out. Joel Embiid looked completely lost playing under FIBA rules and was a bit sloppy with 15 turnovers. Both will likely get better with practice.
One thing that doesn’t need cleaning up? Steph Curry’s timing on throwing lobs to LeBron James.
The two superstars couldn’t hide how giddy they were to finally be on the same team after years of playing against each other at the highest levels. That was easy to spot on the court, too, as James tried (and failed) to hit Steph for an open 3-pointer. Curry, however, didn’t miss when tossing alley-oops to LeBron — and the look of satisfaction on both of their faces was worth the wait.
CURRY TO LEBRON 🔥🔥
📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/AjcjOADSKw
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 11, 2024
It almost makes you wish the Warriors had been able to complete a trade for James at the deadline last season.
The two were still giddy about the play when asked about it on the court in a postgame interview.
"We just want to win gold. Whatever that takes."
LeBron James and Steph Curry joined @Kristina_Pink after @usabasketball's win over Canada 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/S117PY4L2H
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 11, 2024
“I missed him in the first half on a wide open three that I threw out of bounds, but he was able to connect with me on the lob,” James said. “It’s fun. We play the game at a high level but more importantly we just play the game that we love the right way and that’s the result of it.”
We’re likely to see a lot more of this over the next few weeks in Paris. Which may help explain why USA is such a heavy favorite heading into the Olympics.
