Steph Curry Explains Why He Took Dagger Shot Against France When LeBron And Durant Were Open

Stephen Curry hit one of the greatest shots of his storied basketball career in the gold medal game for Team USA against France at the Olympics. What made that contested dagger shot all the more special, was that Curry took it despite LeBron James and Kevin Durant being wide-open. On media day for the Golden State Warriors , the two-time MVP was asked what was going through his head as he took that shot.

"I got trapped, threw it back to K, Bron was open on the swing swing but K threw it back to me, so when he did that, that's when your muscle memory takes over," Curry said. "I'm already in motion and do my move or whatever, I see the two guys, but I'm already in rhythm. As long as I get it off, I feel like I'm gonna make it.

"But I see both of them as soon as I'm shooting, their hands up and they both went like this (looking right and left)," Curry continued. "They didn't expect me to shoot it. I'm sure they were ready for a pass back to the weak side."

James and Durant certainly expected the ball to come their way. Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier were all over Curry on that play and for most players in that situation, the right play would have been to pass the ball, especially when two all-time greats are wide open. When you're the greatest shooter ever, though, you take that shot regardless and make it.

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Curry added it was quite special for him, to see LeBron do his "Night Night" celebration after he made the shot. The 10-time All-Star felt that, and the rest of the team's reactions showed just how special that group was.

Curry would end that gold medal game with 24 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, and 2 steals as Team USA won 98-87. The 36-year-old went 8-12 from beyond the arc, with four of those makes coming in the final three minutes. Curry had struggled in the earlier rounds of the Olympics, but as he has done throughout his career, he came up big when his team needed him the most and got them over the line.

Stephen Curry Said The Dagger Against France Is A Top-2 Shot In His Career

Curry has hit many ridiculous shots in his career but even by his own high standards, that one against France was quite special. When asked to rank it, Curry said the "Golden Dagger" is a top-2 shot in his career.

"It's so memorable because of the buildup to that moment. My first Olympic experience, four threes in a row to close out the Gold medal game, and the last one, which was kind of a ridiculous shot even by my standards. All that to say, it's like top two for sure.

"I think the OKC game, which wasn't a championship game, but the Mike Breen double bang, just a loud shout for our rise as a team. But I'd say the Golden Dagger is up there, top two."

I would say those two shots are the best of Curry's basketball career too. While that deep three against the Oklahoma City Thunder was in the regular season, it was still ever so special. I didn't think he was ever going to hit a shot that was comparable to that one, but he did it on the biggest stage of them all.

Related: Kevin Durant On Stephen Curry’s 4th Quarter Against France: “The Greatest Heat Check Of All Time”

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