Since time immemorial, the United States has had a huge target on its back. While the rest of the world succeeded in bringing the Stars and Stripes down a notch in international basketball from 2002 to 2006, the Americans bounced back and were the gold standard in Olympic basketball from 2008 to 2020.
As the knockout stages of the 2024 Summer Games kick off, Anthony Davis , a key player for Team USA , anticipates facing opponents who won't concede an inch. In an interview with Andscape, Davis said that the rest of the world sees facing Team USA as their "Game 7 of the NBA Finals."
It's go time
The man known as "The Brow" believes they did well to clean their games up in the group stage, where they won games by an average of 21 points. With the rough-and-tumble Brazil waiting for them in the quarterfinals, AD knows they must step up to the challenge.
"We had three games to kind of just clean everything up. And now, it's go time. We play Brazil. We have to get prepared for them. And we have to play mistake-free basketball and also be as perfect as possible knowing that these teams are also playing for gold and trying to compete," Davis shared .
With the Olympic basketball tournament's knockout stages utilizing an NCAA tournament-style format, Team USA knows that every game is do-or-die and one loss means an embarrassing end to their gold medal hopes. This adds even more pressure to an already high-stakes situation.
"Every time that we step on the floor it's somebody's Game 7 of the [NBA] Finals. We have that mentality to come out and dominate," the nine-time All-Star proclaimed.
Related: Oscar Schmidt shares how beating Team USA after a miraculous 35-point second-half performance was ‘the best part of his life’
Versatility on display
AD has been a starter the moment he set foot on an NBA floor. However, on Team USA, the five-time All-NBA team standout comes off the bench, anchoring the second unit together with Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo. Davis says he has no problem with his role and is willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a gold medal for the U.S.
"I'm an adjustable player, man. I can play with anyone. I can play alongside anyone, start, come off the bench, whatever. I just love to win and do whatever I got to do," the member of NBA's 75th Anniversary team shared. "When you have an unselfish mindset like I do where I don't have to score — I'm a two-way player, so I don't have to score every time down the floor or try to score the basketball. I can let these guys do what they do best, and I can defer to the defensive end and block shots."
AD and the rest of Team USA will indeed be tested in the next few days as they face off against top teams from around the world. However, with their selfless mindset and determination to win, this team has a strong chance of bringing home the gold and etching their names in Olympic and USA basketball history.
Related: "He just changes the game" - Paul Pierce on why Anthony Davis is "the most important player" for Team USA
Most Popular
Comments / 0