The Tokyo Olympics is starting to wind down. Medals being won left and right by countries in all different kinds of sports. Medal counts as it stands now is USA with 98 but China leads the way in Gold Medals with 36, five than the USA. The USA still has an opportunity to catch China in Gold Medals as there will be at least opportunities. Two of those opportunities comes from the sport the USA has dominated for years and that is basketball.
USA Women's Advance to Gold Medal Game
The USA Women came into this Olympics eyeing a seventh straight Gold Medal with the leadership of Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird going for their unprecedented fifth Gold Medal. Suffering an exhibition lost to Australia heading into Tokyo raised mild questions, but no one was going to doubt this team with Bird, Taurasi, and Dawn Stanley as the head coach.
The ladies went 3-0 in preliminary round defeating Nigeria by nine, host nation Japan by 17, and France by 11. The spotlight has not been on Bird and Taurasi, but on the front-court with Brittney Griner, A'Ja Wilson, and Breanna Stewart. A'Ja Wilson led the USA their win over Nigeria in her Olympic debut with a double-double. From there Breanna Stewart took the lead in wins over Japan and France.
In the Quarterfinals, the ladies took cared of Australia by 24 points with all-round effort. Now, earlier this morning the ladies took on Serbia in the Semifinals and same result. Dominating performance in a 20-point victory led by Brittney Griner to place the team in the Gold Medal. The team will meet the host nation, Japan once again, but this time it's for Gold and their 55th straight Olympic Game win . The size of the USA team is the key and different in this Olympics and will need to be one more time.
Gold Medal Game: USA vs. Japan Saturday 10:30PM
Men Play for Gold Tonight
The USA Men's journey to the Gold Medal Game was not as smooth as the ladies made it seem. The men are going for their fifth straight Gold Medal. The men came into Tokyo having lost two of three exhibition games. Three of the players didn't arrive to Tokyo until Game One of the Preliminary Round against France. The game against France resulted in a lost. After that lost, the team had to heard the criticism all the way back home.
"This is not the best team we could have sent."
"This team is full of individuals."
"This team is terrible and Pop shouldn't be the coach."
After than the USA Men went on to roll both Iran and Czech Republic by average of 44.5 points to move on to the knockout stage. They draw a tough draw for the Quarterfinals with Spain.
Against Spain in the Quarters fell down 10 early, but managed to get the game tied at the half. In the second half, the USA took over outscoring Spain by 14 point to win 95-81 to advance to the Semifinals. In the Semifinals the men took on Australia, one of the teams to beat the USA in the exhibition. The USA struggled out the gate again, finding themselves down 15 halfway through the second quarter. The USA was able to get the Aussies' lead down to three at the half. Just like the Spain game, the USA took control in the second half with a 32-10 third quarter that give the USA an 19-point lead. The Aussies couldn't fight back as the USA went to win 97-78 to advance to the Gold Medal Game.
Gold Medal Game will be against the team that beat the USA, France. Thanks to Nicholas Batum's block shot as time expired to send France to the Gold Medal Game over Slovenia and Luka Doncic, who had a triple-double in the game.
Gold Medal Game: USA vs. France tonight 10:30PM on NBC
Tonight the men go for their fifth straight Gold Medal and the ladies going for the seventh Gold Medal tomorrow night.