Team USA has been the epitome of basketball for years now.
Despite the abundance of talent and the obstacles faced by USA in the past, the country has always been the very best when it comes to putting the ball in the hoop.
Needless to say, fans have been spoiled — and they’re just not accustomed to losing.
So when Team USA lost their first game against France on Sunday, it caused quite an uproar in the community.
Responding to the noise, and the loss, Damian Lillard shared some words to the press:
“And you know who we see each night sometimes in the NBA, they are completely different when they play for their countries,” Lillard said. “They got more freedom, and the comfort level is obvious. So we put ourselves in a dogfight, and they made plays to win it.”
The bottom line is, the Olympics are a completely different beast than the NBA regular season.
Not only are the games called differently, but the guys play with a greater sense of pride.
This year especially, the talent pool around the world seems to be catching up to the USA. In the NBA, international players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokic have taken over.
The gap is smaller than it’s ever been and for the first time in a while, Team USA is really struggling to defend their Gold.
It will no doubt be interesting to see how Dame and the others come out next game, and if they can bounce back and get on the right track.
