Gold medalists at the end of the Paris Olympic Games, the United States nevertheless had to fight to triumph despite an armada of stars in their ranks.

However, according to a big European name, their domination would prove to be much greater except for one detail.

Having come to France to defend their title and restore their image after a failed 2023 World Championships, they ultimately fulfilled their mission.

The United States indeed retained their status as Olympic champions by winning the final against France (98-87).

However, they once again had to rely on the talent of their biggest stars to avoid experiencing another disappointment on the international stage.

Nikola Vucevic’s cold assessment of Team USA
Led in particular by a legendary trio Stephen Curry-Kevin Durant-LeBron James, Team USA nevertheless had all the trouble in the world winning gold at the Paris Olympics.

She also came very close to elimination against Serbia in the semi-final of the tournament (95-91). A match of immense suspense that Nikola Vucevic did not miss a crumb, and on which he returned to Meridian Sport:

Nikola Vucevic: I thought that Serbia had a serious chance of winning. I told myself that the Americans could be a little too relaxed and just show up, given that they are naturally confident.

But as the minutes went by, it became clearer that they were not really sure of being able to come back to the score. And in the end, it was Curry who decided the outcome of the match.

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The match was decided in the last two or three minutes. Serbia played brilliantly for 37 minutes but dropped a little in level at the end.

They couldn’t make 3-pointers and Team USA’s talent and depth on the bench made the difference. But it was a great game to watch.

So while he also sees increased competition for the US, Vooch nevertheless believes that this is facilitated by the differences in rules between FIBA ​​and the NBA:

Nikola Vucevic: The best European players, the leaders of their national teams, mostly play in the NBA and that has helped a lot, but the national teams have generally become stronger. Basketball is developing on a global scale.

There are players from all over the world in the NBA. On the other hand, if international tournaments were played with NBA rules, it would be much harder for FIBA ​​teams.

First of all, the 3-point line in the NBA is 50 centimeters further from the basket, which is no small feat in basketball.

The three-second rule on defense is no small feat either, and I know what I’m talking about. Offensively, it’s different and defensively, it’s much easier for me to cover spaces here than there.

So the Americans would be much stronger if we played with the NBA rules.

Obviously satisfied with the reduction in the gap between the level of Team USA and the other national teams, Nikola Vucevic nevertheless attributes it in part to the FIBA ​​rules which would favor this.

It is clear that the Americans will have to get used to it.