Shaquille O'Neal Gives An Unfiltered Opinion On Team USA At Olympics

Despite their status as the best team in the world, there are a lot of people not quite satisfied with Team USA. They're in a unique position where fans aren't satisfied with just wins. Fans expect Team USA to be dominant, no matter who they're facing.

So when Team USA won two of their tune-up games in just single digits, alarm bells started ringing. While they've recovered quite nicely in the Olympics, Shaquille O'Neal reminded Team USA of the lofty expectations on them.

"If you don't win by twenty, I'm not impressed," Shaq said on his podcast The Big Podcast. "You've got the best players in the world on one team. If they win, they're supposed to win. But if they don't win by twenty, people gon' talk about it."

For years, Team USA dominated the Olympics and most international basketball events. The 2012 Olympics saw the US win gold with an average margin of victory of 32.1 points. They've had some close calls here and there, but they've still won gold.

Over the last few years, though, Team USA's stranglehold on the international scene is starting to loosen. They were eliminated early in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, placing just seventh after a quarterfinal loss to France.

2023 was a bit better for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup, but they still missed out on the podium. They were eliminated by Germany in the semifinals and lost to Canada in the third-place match.

Team USA did retain their gold medal in the 2020 Olympics, but their undefeated streak also ended after a shocker to France in the first game. As a result, all eyes are on this year's team.

They've started off on the right track, breezing through Serbia and South Sudan with an average margin of 20.5 points. Their final group stage game will be against Puerto Rico, with a chance to secure the top seed on the line.

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