Archives for August 11, 2024

FROM the LYONS’ DEN in BOSTON – We all should’ve known better. When it came time for the United States Men’s Olympic team to seal a victory, whether it be the semifinals against Serbia or the gold medal game against an incredible, upstart national team of France, there was only one person in the gym to count on.

For the people who are tagged as NBA lifers, we met the guy in 1991 when his Dad, Dell Curry of the hometown Hornets, was competing in the NBA Three-Point Shootout in Charlotte. Dell’s son, Stephen, was pictured sitting right on his Dad’s lap, high-fiving his favorite NBA players and flashing his tremendous smile for all to see.

Young Steph blended in with the thousands of credentialed players, friends, family, media and dignitaries who hovered around the NBA All-Star Game festivities in February of 1991. Quite frankly, this columnist didn’t even think of him again until a phone call came in as Midnight Madness struck for the 2006 college basketball season.

“Do you know Dell Curry,” asked Davidson coach Bob McKillop (my mentor and longtime basketball maven who coached Holy Trinity HS in 1977 and beyond? Of course, McKillop went on to be the decorated (and now retired) head coach of Davidson College and remained in close touch with so many of us on a monthly basis from June ‘77 until today.

“Yes, sure,” was the answer, “but why do you ask?”

“I have his son – who’s going to be a freshman on the Davidson team. He’s the best player I’ve ever had.”

McKillop wasn’t kidding.

Steph Curry led Davidson for three years, including a magical run in the 2008 NCAA’s that brought the Wildcats within a game of the Final Four.

On recall, there were two things that stood out about Steph when he played college ball for Davidson in the Southern Conference.

1. He kept getting better and better. Every game, every year.
2. He was the best shooter anyone had ever seen.

Nowadays, the 36-year old, four-time NBA champion and sure-fire first ballot Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer is known the world around. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the seventh overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. He’s a 10-time NBA All-Star and a two time league MVP. Curry even made the NBA’s exclusive 75th Anniversary all-time team.

Fast forward to his very first (and only) gold medal game for the Olympics, and it was today, Saturday August 10, 2024, in Paris France where Curry proved himself as the undisputed greatest shooter of a basketball the world has ever seen. And, he did it under intense pressure.

France’s amazing 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama tipped in a shot with 2:58 remaining in the fourth quarter of the gold medal game to cut the USA’s lead to three points, 82-79.

It was Curry Time.

Steph drained a three-point field goal with 2:48 to extend the US lead to six, 85-79. Then, after two key free throws by Kevin Durant (“Call him KD Tres Bien”), Curry drained another long three-pointer to create a nine-point cushion with 1:58 remaining in the game.

France would not let up. Wembanyama hit a three-pointer of his own to make it a six-point game with just under a minute remaining.

It was Curry Time, yet again.

With :35 seconds left in the game, the incredible Curry hit his third consecutive shot from “centre-ville” to ice the game for the United States, 96-87. Devin Booker’s lay-up at the :21-second mark closed out the scoring and the USA earned its fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympic Games, making the 2004 bronze medal in Athens seem like a 20-year old fading memory.

Aside from winning the game for the USA, Curry also saved his longtime coach, Steve Kerr, from the embarrassment and criticism he would’ve received upon returning to the States. Golden State’s Kerr – ably assisted by Ty Lue (Los Angeles Clippers), Mark Few (Gonzaga) and Erik Spoelstra(Miami Heat) – juggled line-ups and combinations throughout the tournament, sitting Boston’s Jayson Tatum twice for entire games, including the semis (medal round) when the USA needed an offensive spark and an aggressive, “take-it-to-the-basket” scorer.

Even the great Bob Cousy questioned Kerr’s coaching decisions, stating on radio broadcasts and to the Boston Globe: “This isn’t just a snub,” Cousy said. “This is an embarrassment for that poor kid all over the [expletive] world. The Olympics have gotten that big. Everyone’s going to think that there’s something wrong this this kid.

“Not playing Tatum at all says to the world, ‘Not only is he not top five, he’s not good enough to get into a close game.’ I can’t figure out Kerr’s thinking, and he’s done it twice, so he obviously feels strongly about it.”

One thing is for sure, the snub to Tatum spoiled a golden year for Boston Celtics basketball. Kerr’s coaches decision will follow Tatum all around the NBA next season and the storyline will build to a crescendo when the Celtics meet the Golden State Warriors, two times in the 2024-25 regular season. When you’re hearing it from The Cooz, you’re in trouble.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Fighting against every ounce of common sense in my mind and keeping to an iron-clad rule of never, ever stating that the most recent occurrence is the “best,” there’s a constant thought and growing conviction to call the 2024 Paris Summer Games the very best of my lifetime.

It’s damn near impossible to top the 2000 Summer Olympics, held in Sydney, but somehow the beauty of Paris – placing the scenic views of the Eiffel Tower just ahead of the Sydney Opera House, on the shore of Sydney Harbor. While the 2000 Games were outstanding, Paris 2024 was backed-up by incredible performances across the great span of sporting events.

Paris 2024 got off to a rocky and worrisome start as a terror attack struck the French rail lines on the day before the Games began. But, the organizers endured and the athletes took over the show.

The long list of Olympic stand-out performances is even too much list all of them for this week’s While We’re Young (Ideas), but let’s look at just a few from swimming, athletics (track and field), volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s gymnastics with a once-in-a-generation performance by the USA’s Simon Biles and a follow-up by Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade was simply amazing.

Tennis saw 37-year old Novak Djokovic earn the gold, while men’s golf saw once-in-three-generations professional PGA Tour player, Scottie Scheffler, come from behind to earn his golden token.

Add the story of the USA’s Noah Lyles, competing after contracting the COVID-19 virus and trying to gut-it-out, while a hometown hero from France, Léon Marchand, was winning gold in the swimming pool.

Add USA swimming legend Katie Ledecky, along with Bobby Finke and Nic Fink and there was more to marvel at in the pool.

Looking back at last week’s missive, both swimmer Nic Fink (son of NBA events superstar, Peter) and soccer mindfielder Samantha Coffey (daughter of former New York Daily News columnist and dear friend Wayne Coffey) earned gold medals. Fink added a silver, too.

TIDBITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: Here’s a couple more notes from the Men’s Basketball Tournament which concluded in Paris on Saturday:

Final Standings of the Men’s Basketball at Paris 2024

1. USA

2. France

3. Serbia

4. Germany

5. Canada

6. Australia

7. Greece

8. Brazil

9. Spain

10. South Sudan

11. Japan

12. Puerto Rico

Surprisingly, the Most Valuable Player award went to the USA’s Lebron James over Stephen Curry. How did that happen? I do NOT know, unless they voted over the entire tournament and not the medal round games.

The five tournament All-Stars: James, Curry, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic,Germany’s Dennis Schroder and France’s Victor Wembanyama. This reporter would’ve had Curry as the MVP and France’s Guerschon Yabuseleon the All-Star list over Schroder.

The “BIGGEST” take-away from the Paris Summer Games, maybe across any sport, was the play of Wembanyama. Although he was totally distraught after the gold medal game, and actually seeking consolation from his fellow NBA stars, like Kevin Durant, Wembanyama, age 20, showed a passion and sheer love of the game that is refreshing, today, but will be a force to be reckoned with starting tomorrow. The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama led the French team in scoring with 15.8 points, rebounds at 9.7, assists at 3.3, steals with 2.0 and blocks with 1.7 per game. However, his 26 points, seven rebounds and two assists in the gold medal game proved there’s a superstar in the making. In fact, he’s made.

The hometown French crowd at Bercy, singing La Marseillaise (see last week’s Words & Music section) as the Bleu accepted their silver medals was a sight to be seen and put a finishing touch on the Paris Games that have edged the 2000 Olympics in my mind.