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Patriots Lose to Miami in NFL Opener

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Services Reports) – Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for 202 yards and a go-ahead three-yard touchdown to rookie Jaylen Waddle as the Dolphins spoiled New England’s rookie quarterback Mac Jones’ NFL debut with a 17-16 win over the Patriots in the season opener on Sunday afternoon.

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Waddle, the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft, grabbed his first career touchdown catch with 10:51 remaining in the third quarter to put Miami on top for good at 17-10. Nick Folk‘s 42-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the third and another from 33 yards out at 10:36 of the fourth pulled New England within 17-16.

Tagovailoa, who also had a rushing touchdown, finished 16-for-27 passing and was also intercepted by New England defensive back Jonathan Jones with 8:07 to play in the fourth. Mac Jones and the Patriots drove 41 yards before running back Damien Harris lost a fumble at the Dolphins’ 11-yard line.

Waddle finished with four catches for 61 yards and the score and DeVante Parker had four catches for a team-high 81 yards for Miami (1-0).

Mac Jones, the No. 15 overall pick in this year’s draft, completed 29 of 39 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown in his pro debut. Harris rushed for 100 yards on 23 carries and Nelson Agholor made five catches for 72 yards and a score for New England (0-1).

Miami and New England were tied 10-10 at halftime.

Tagovailoa capped a 10-play, 80-yard opening drive with a three-yard TD run off the right tackle to put the Dolphins up 7-0 with 5:29 to play in the first quarter. Folk kicked a 27-yard field goal to put the Patriots on the board at 10:17 of the second.

Jones connected with Agholor for his first career touchdown pass with 2:30 left in the half to put New England ahead 10-7. The rookie faked a handoff to Harris before firing a seven-yard strike to Agholor.

Jones and Tagovailoa were teammates at the University of Alabama. Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to a national championship in the 2017 season and Jones guided the program to its 18th title last season.

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Ackerman Inducted into Hall of Fame

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UNCASVILLE – (Staff report with Official Big East News Release) – Former NBA executive and first President of the WNBA, former USA Basketball president and current Big East Conference Commissioner Val Ackerman will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of its 2021 class this weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts. She will be inducted as a Contributor. Ackerman previously received the Hall of Fame’s John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

The Class of 2021 enshrinement ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 11.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright is also a member of the 2021 Hall of Fame class. Other inductees of the 2021 class are: Rick Adelman, Chris Bosh, Yolanda Griffith, Lauren Jackson, Paul Pierce, Bill Russell, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber, Howard Garfinkel, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins, Toni Kukoc, Bob Dandridge and Pearl Moore.

“I’m extremely honored by this recognition and will be forever grateful to David Stern and Russ Granik for opening doors for me and allowing me to be part of so many exciting moments in basketball history,” said Ackerman. “It’s been a tremendous privilege to lead the BIG EAST and build on its proud heritage these past eight years, and to be part of the class that includes Jay Wright makes this moment very hard to top.”

Ackerman was named the fifth Commissioner of the BIG EAST on June 26, 2013. She was the founding President of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and is a past President of USA Basketball, which oversees the U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic basketball program. Ackerman also served for two terms as the U.S. representative to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). She has had a long and accomplished career in the sports industry and the distinction of serving in leadership positions in both men’s and women’s basketball at the collegiate, professional, national team and international levels.

Ackerman was named the first President of the WNBA in 1996 and oversaw the league’s day-to-day operations for its first eight seasons. During her tenure, the league expanded from 8 to 16 teams, drew broad national sponsor and network support, established women’s team sports attendance records and maintained successful player labor relations. Ackerman was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and received the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Billie Jean King Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Ackerman served on the USA Basketball Board of Directors for 23 years, including as President for the 2005-08 term, which culminated with gold medals for the men’s and women’s teams at the Beijing Games. She served as a primary NBA liaison to USA Basketball in the early years of the “Dream Team” era and was the driving force behind the 10-month tour of the USA Basketball women’s national team that preceded the 1996 Olympics and set the stage for the launch of the WNBA. She received USA Basketball’s Ed Steitz Award for contributions to international basketball in 2008.

While at the helm of the BIG EAST, Ackerman has presided over the rebirth of the conference following its return in 2013 to its original basketball-centric configuration. She led the move of the conference office to its current location in New York City and has managed the BIG EAST’s fruitful partnerships with Fox Sports and Madison Square Garden, which has hosted the conference’s men’s basketball tournament since 1983. Ackerman led the negotiations that resulted in the return to the BIG EAST in 2020 of the University of Connecticut, one of the conference’s charter members. The BIG EAST has maintained its national successes in men’s basketball since reconfiguration, highlighted by multiple NCAA tournament bids and Villanova’s national titles in 2016 and 2018.

Prior to assuming her role with the BIG EAST, Ackerman a widely acclaimed, comprehensive white paper detailing growth strategies for women’s college basketball.

Ackerman attended Hopewell Valley Central High School in Pennington, New Jersey, where she remains the school’s all-time leading basketball scorer. She was among the first female athletics scholarship recipients at the University of Virginia, from which she graduated in 1981 with a B.A. in political and social thought. She was a four-year starter, three-time captain and two-time Academic All-American on the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball team. She was also the program’s first 1,000-point scorer and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 50th Anniversary Team in 2002. Ackerman received her law degree from UCLA in 1985.

Brady Leads Bucs to Win vs Cowboys

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TAMPA – (Staff and Wire Service Reporting) – Tampa Bay place kicker Ryan Succop laced a 36-yard field goal with two seconds left, after Bucs’ aging but amazing quarterback, Tom Brady, passed for 379 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-29 victory over the visiting Dallas Cowboys in the opening game of the 2021 NFL season.

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The win for Tampa began their 2021 Super Bowl defense but the Cowboys did not go down easy as they rallied to take a 29-28 lead when kicker Greg Zuerlein placed  a 48-yard field goal between the uprights with 1:24 remaining in the game before Brady drove the Buccaneers 57 yards on 11 plays to set up Succop’s game-winning field goal.

Brady, 44, completed 32 of 50 passes and was intercepted twice during his 300th career regular-season start. Brady’s compadre from New England, Rob Gronkowski, caught eight passes for 90 yards and two touchdown passes while Antonio Brown (five receptions, 121 yards) and Chris Godwin (nine for 105) also had scoring receptions for the Buccaneers (1-0).

Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw for 403 yards, three touchdowns but one interception on 42-of-58 passing for Dallas (0-1) in his first game since sustaining a severe right ankle injury nearly 11 months ago. Dallas wide-out Amari Cooper had a career-best 13 receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns while his fellow wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, had seven catches for 104 yards and a score.

Tampa Bay led by two late in the game and looked en route to adding to the advantage, but Godwin was hit hard by Damontae Kazee and fumbled at the 2-yard line. Jourdan Lewis recovered in the end zone and returned it to the Dallas 10 with 4:52 remaining. The Cowboys responded with an 11-play, 60-yard drive to set up Zuerlein’s go-ahead kick. The key play was when Prescott connected with Lamb for 34 yards on third-and-11 to the Buccaneers’ 34.

Brady guided the comeback on a night when the Buccaneers were outgained 451 yards to 431. The Cowboys were without six-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin due to a positive test for COVID-19.

In the first half, Brady threw a trifecta of touchdown passes to Godwin (5 yards), Gronkowski (2) and Brown (47) as the Buccaneers built a 21-16 lead. Prescott tossed scoring passes to Lamb (22 yards) and Cooper (5).

 

NBA: Lakers Sign Jordan

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – As expected, the Los Angeles Lakers signed veteran center DeAndre Jordan to their roster, completing a deal that was reported when the Brooklyn Nets traded Jordan last week. The Athletic reported that Jordan’s deal  is a one-year deal worth $2.6 million.

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Jordan, 33, was an All-Star in 2017 as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers and has averaged 9.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots in 13 seasons with the Clippers (2008-18), Dallas Mavericks (2018-19), New York Knicks (2019) and Brooklyn Nets (2019-21). He was a teammate of LeBron James on the USA Basketball national team.

In 2020-21 as a member of the Nets, he averaged 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

He joins a Lakers team that features James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard.

The signing was precipitated by a trade between the Nets and Detroit Pistons Sept. 4, which paved the way for Jordan’s release and eventual signing in L.A.

That deal involved the Nets trading Jordan to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for center Jahlil Okafor and forward Sekou Doumbouya. Okafor was released by the Nets earlier Thursday.

The Pistons also received $5.78 million, as well as second-round picks in 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2027.

Celtics Make Williams Deal Official

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BOSTON – (Source: Official Team News Release)  – The Boston Celtics extended the contract of center Robert Williams III. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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“Rob has worked hard to turn himself into a very impactful player, and his talent and selfless play give him an even higher upside to reach going forward,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. “Rob has embraced being a Celtic from day one. He is a great teammate and is completely committed to getting better. We’re excited that he will continue to do so here in Boston.”

Originally selected by the Celtics in the first round (27th overall) of the 2018 NBA Draft, Williams III has averaged 5.7 points on 72.0% shooting, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.5 blocked shots, and 14.7 minutes in 113 games (16 starts) over three seasons in Boston. He has increased his scoring, rebounds, and assists in each year since joining the NBA.

Playing in a career-best 52 games (13 starts) in 2020-21, Williams III produced a career highs in points (8.0 ppg), rebounds (6.9 rpg), assists (1.8 apg), steals (0.8 spg), blocked shots (1.8 bpg) and minutes (18.9 mpg) last season. The Shreveport, LA native tallied a career-high 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting on April 2 vs. Houston, making him the first Celtics player in franchise history to produce 20+ points, 8+ rebounds, and 8+ assists while shooting 100% from the field.

Williams III set (modern-day) franchise marks during the 2021 NBA Playoffs as well, becoming the first Celtics player ever to record nine blocked shots in a postseason game during the team’s series-opening game against the Nets on May 22. He played in three games during that First Round matchup, averaging 6.3 points (64.3% FG), 5.0 rebounds, and 15.3 minutes. (Note: Legendary Celtics center Bill Russell surely topped the numbers in the days before the NBA charted blocks).

Red Sox vs Texas Rangers Postponed as Henri Approaches

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BOSTON – (Source: Official Red Sox News Release) – The Red Sox-Rangers game scheduled for today, Sunday, August 22, at Fenway Park has been postponed due to the potential impact of Hurricane Henri in New England. The current forecast calls for several bands of moderate to heavy rain throughout the day and sustained winds of 30-40 MPH in the Fenway area with more severe conditions including several inches of rain, flash flooding and hurricane force winds expected to the south and west. State and local officials are asking all residents to use caution throughout the day on Sunday and only travel if absolutely necessary.

Sunday’s game has been rescheduled for Monday, August 23, beginning at 1:10 p.m. Tickets for Sunday’s game will be good for admission to the rescheduled contest. Fenway Park gates will open 90 minutes before first pitch at 11:40 a.m.

There is rain in the forecast for Monday, so check listings and here on Digital Sports Desk.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – August 15

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While We’re Young (Ideas)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs start next weekend at The Northern Trust at Liberty National in New Jersey. The 2021 playoff will be the first since 2009 without popular golfer Rickie Fowler. Fowler missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship – as he shot (71-72) – and failed to qualify for postseason for the first time in his 12-year PGA Tour career. … Fowler endeared himself to the Boston faithful when he bought a dozen bottles of “Dom” after his 2015 Deutsche Bank Championship. We later thanked and then advised him, “We’d be happy with a case of Sam Summer, and you could’ve saved yourself $2,500.”

The FedEx Cup Playoffs are only three rounds:

  1. August 19-22: Northern Trust (New Jersey)
  2. August 26-29: BMW Championship (Maryland)
  3. Sept. 2-5: Tour Championship (Georgia)

After a brief break from the Tour, the United States and Team Europe will play for The Ryder Cup from September 21-26 at Whistling Straits at Kohler, Wisconsin. That’s only 35 days away. Kohler is a 9-iron from Sheboygan and an hour drive north of Milwaukee.

JUSTIN ROSE RECEIVES PAYNE STEWART AWARD: In recognition of his character, sportsmanship and commitment to charitable giving, Justin Rosewas named the 2021 recipient of the PGA Tour’s Payne Stewart Awardpresented by Southern Company. Rose will be honored on Tuesday, August 31, at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in conjunction with the TOUR Championship. The ceremony will be televised live on Golf Channel as part of a “Golf Central” special from 7-8 p.m. EDT at the Southern Exchange in downtown Atlanta. … The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the Tour to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically 22 years ago during the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999. … On October 25, 1999, NTSB investigations found that Stewart’s private plane lost pressurization and back-up oxygen on a flight from Orlando to Dallas. The Learjet 35 eventually crashed near Aberdeen, South Dakota after military jets followed and attempted to examine the aircraft. The captain, first officer and four passengers (including Stewart) passed away.

“FORE” MORE YEARS (of eligibility): ESPN is reporting that former NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2013) JR Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T and intends to join the historically Black university’s men’s golf team if he gets clearance from the NCAA. … North Carolina A&T athletics spokesman Brian Holloway told ESPN that Smith is officially enrolled in the school and has petitioned the NCAA to be eligible to play. Smith’s clock to compete as a collegiate athlete has not yet started because he went to the NBA after high school. Athletes, in most cases, get five years to complete four years of eligibility. … Smith played 16 NBA seasons since getting drafted by New Orleans out of St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ) in 2004. In a journeyman style, he made stops with Denver, New York and Cleveland but won an NBA title with the Lakers and LeBron James in the NBA Bubble of 2020, the Cavaliers and LeBron James in 2016 and was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2013 with the Knicks.

STAY IN THE PRESENT: The list of Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement presenters was released this week and it always provides a little insight into how the new Hall of Famer made it to the corridors of immortality in Springfield, Massachusetts. A quick look at this year’s presenters shows that Rick Welts, an inductee in 2018, will have a busy night as he’s been asked to present both Val Ackerman (former NBA attorney, the WNBA’s first President and current Big East Conference Commissioner) and also NBA All-Time great and perhaps the Greatest NBA Player of All-Time in Bill Russell. Russell was inducted as a player in 1975 and this year will be enshrined as a head coach. Welts was a ballboy for the Sonics and met Russell at an early age.

Here’s the full list of inductees and presenters for the September 10-11th Induction ceremony to be held at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut with the formalities in Springfield.

  • Val Ackerman, presented by Russ Granik (’13), Rick Welts (’18)
  • Rick Adelman, presented by Vlade Divac (’19), Jack Sikma (’19)
  • Chris Bosh, presented by Ray Allen (’18), Pat Riley (’08)
  • Bob Dandridge, presented by Oscar Robertson (’80)
  • Cotton Fitzsimmons, presented by Charles Barkley (’06), Jerry Colangelo (’04), Phil Knight (’12)
  • Howard Garfinkel, presented by John Calipari (’15), Grant Hill (’18), Bobby Hurley (’10)
  • Yolanda Griffith, presented by Van Chancellor (’07)
  • Lauren Jackson, presented by Sheryl Swoopes (’16)
  • Clarence Jenkins, presented by Wayne Embry (’99)
  • Toni Kukoc, presented by Michael Jordan (’09), Jerry Reinsdorf (’16)
  • Pearl Moore, presented by Sylvia Hatchell (’13)
  • Paul Pierce, presented by Kevin Garnett (’20)
  • Bill Russell, presented by Charles Barkley (’06), Julius Erving (’93), Spencer Haywood (’15), Alonzo Mourning (’14), Bill Walton (’93), Rick Welts (’18)
  • Ben Wallace, presented by Larry Brown (’02)
  • Chris Webber, presented by Isiah Thomas (’00)
  • Jay Wright, presented by Charles Barkley (’06), Bill Cunningham (’86), Herb Magee (’11), George Raveling (’15)

BOSTON MARATHON: Instead of training in the dead of winter and in freezing cold conditions, the Boston marathoners are running up Heartbreak Hill in Newton in 90-degree heat as they prepare for the October 11th race day. Yes, instead of running on Patriots’ Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, they’ll be running on Indigenous Peoples’ Day (formerly Columbus Day) which is celebrated on the second Monday of October. In 56 days, 9,215 runners will truck out to Hopkinton, Mass to begin the race. … The 2022 Boston Marathon is scheduled for April 18, 2022, to be staged on the traditional Patriots’ Day in the Commonwealth.

A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO SALE: The return of starting pitcher and staff ace Chris Sale means the world to the Boston Red Sox. His 5.0 innings of six-hit, two earned run pitching earned a “W” on Saturday, anchoring Boston’s 16-2 thrashing of the hapless Baltimore Orioles. Sale struck out eight batters walked none but let up two homers in his first big league outing in 732 days, dating back to 2019. His recovery from surgery seems complete. … That should be enough for the fans of the Red Sox, but what about the people who bought their furniture at Jordan’s during the “No Hitter” promotion? … Remember? If the Red Sox “no hit” an opponent from now through October 3, all the furniture purchased would be free of cost. Certainly, the return of Chris Sale changed the odds for the furniture buyers of New England.

HURT LOCKERS: Unfortunately, the 2021 MLB season will also be remembered for the rash of injuries to Tier 1 star players such as Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna, Jr. (ACL), the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts (hip) or New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom (among many others). … If you remember, the NFL suffered a string of injuries to star-level talent last season with NY Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley, Charlotte’s RB Christian McCaffrey, Dallas’ QB Dak Prescott, SF 49ers’ defensive-end Nick Bosa, among many others.

CELTICS RE-LOADED: In the early part of the off-season, the Boston Celtics, under former head coach and new head of basketball ops Brad Stevens, by-passed any serious endeavors in free agency, unloaded oft-injured guard Kemba Walker and re-acquired C/PF Al Horford to solidify the rotation. … This week, Stevens worked around the edges and obtained some depth at the guard position with Dennis Schroder (1-year at $5.9m), while adding much-needed rebounding with the acquisition of C Enes Kanter, a member of the 2019-20 Celtics and signed rookie forward Sam Hauser to a two-way contract.

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Whether You Count Five or Seven Straight, It’s Pure Perfection for USA Basketball Women at Olympics

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SAITAMA, (JAPAN) — (Source: Official Team release and Staff Reporting) – For the USA Basketball program, it was an Olympic Games where two goals were met.

For the men, it was a journey.

For the women, it was perfection.

Reaching a goal, a gold, or perfection is hard to achieve once, much less five or even seven times, marking decades at the highest level of international competition.

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But for Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, Sunday at the Tokyo Olympics marked a perfect ending to an unblemished career with the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team (6-0).

The dynamic backcourt duo made Olympic history by winning their fifth gold medal as the top-ranked Americans won their team-sport record-tying seventh straight gold with a 90-75 triumph over Japan (4-2) at the Saitama Super Arena, near Tokyo, Japan.

“No, not in my wildest dreams,” Bird said of if she ever thought of winning five gold medals. “That’s what makes it even more special. I never thought it was a possibility.”

Added Taurasi: “We were just asked, ‘What did you think in 2004 when you won your first one?’ I thought that was our last one. Fast-forward 17 years and to be able to do this five times, I think it’s a testament to USA Basketball culture, the great players we played with, coaches and staff. There’s a lot of people to thank today.”

Brittney Griner is among those people. The 6-foot-8 post player scored 30 points — a record for an American in a gold-medal game — for the U.S., which exploited its size advantage time and again. The silver is the first medal Japan has won in five Olympic appearances.

“It means a lot to me,” Griner said of her second Olympic gold medal. “A lot of people have put in a lot of hard work and dedication to get here, to get us to seven. And just to be a part of that, I’m honored.”

In addition to winning gold for the ninth time in 11 Olympic trips, it was the 55th consecutive Olympic victory for the U.S., with 38 of those coming with Bird and Taurasi on the roster. Delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bird, 40, has said Tokyo was her last Olympics, while Taurasi, 39, has not made it official but has dealt with injuries in recent years, including her hip in the Olympics.

Bird and Taurasi broke a tie with four-time gold medalists Teresa Edwards (1984-2000, one bronze), Lisa Leslie (1996-2008) and Tamika Catchings (2004-16) and joined Edwards as the only five-time Olympic medalists in Olympic basketball history regardless of gender. Sylvia Fowles, 35, who became part of the Olympic team in the cycle after Bird and Taurasi, joined the exclusive four-gold club.

“Somewhat the same,” Fowles said of how she views her most recent piece of history, “but humbling at the same time, just to see yourself go through that switch of being the youngest and turn into a veteran and having the younger players under you come in and having to talk more and all those good things. I can say it definitely has been a whirlwind.”

The U.S. matched the record of seven straight golds in any Olympic team sport set by U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Teams, a streak that started with the debut of the sport in 1936 through 1968.

It also was the swan song for Carol Callan, director of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team program since its inception in 1995. She is stepping down to focus on her role as president of FIBA Americas.

USA Men Get The Gold

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SAITAMA JAPAN – (SOURCE: Official Team News Release) – Three players in the NBA Finals. Two more who had to leave the team during training camp. Two exhibition defeats. One Olympic loss. Countless doubters. Four weeks after the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team partially came together for the first time as a team, all that adversity did was make what transpired Saturday at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 all the more special.

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With Kevin Durant scoring 29 points, including two free throws with 8.8 seconds left to seal the win, the U.S. (5-1) won its fourth consecutive gold medal, fending off France (5-1) 87-82 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The Americans now have 16 golds from the 19 Olympics in which they have participated.

Durant has played a major role in each of the last three golds, and he’s now tied with Carmelo Anthony for the most gold medals in Olympic men’s basketball history. The Brooklyn Nets’ superstar scored 30 points in each of the prior two gold medal games.

“I hate to compare stuff because you know everything is its own moment,” Durant said, “but this is one of those special journeys that it’s just hard to describe, because each and every one of us put in that work every single day, from the coaches, to the trainers, to the players. We all came in with that goal of, ‘Let’s finish this thing off. Let’s build a family. Let’s build this team. Let’s grow this team every day.’ And when you are part of a team that’s evolving by the second, it’s just amazing to see.”

For U.S. coach Gregg Popovich, one of only five coaches with five NBA championships, the Olympic gold medal fills one of the few voids on his long resume. As a player for the U.S. Air Force Academy, he did not make the 1972 U.S. Olympic team that controversially lost to the Soviet Union in the gold-medal game.

“You know what sayonara means? That’s how I’m feeling right now,” Popovich joked before turning serious. “I agree with these guys. Every championship is special, and the group you’re with is special. But I can be honest and say this is the most responsibility I’ve ever felt, because you’re playing for so many people that are watching and for your country and other countries involved. The responsibility was awesome, and I felt it every day for several years now. I’m feeling pretty light now and looking forward to getting back to the hotel and having something.”

Popovich likely will celebrate back at the team hotel with Jerry Colangelo, whose run as managing director of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team program ended with Saturday’s victory. He took the position in 2005 after the Americans lost three times and earned bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Colangelo was the architect behind these four consecutive Olympic golds and two FIBA World Cup titles.

Milwaukee Bucks teammates Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, who joined the Olympic team in the early-morning hours before the U.S. played France in pool play on July 25, became the fourth and fifth players to win the NBA Finals and an Olympic gold in the same year (joining Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Kyrie Irving). Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns also played in the NBA Finals shortly before flying to Tokyo.

“Getting in at one in the morning, me, Book and Khris, and then playing that night against France, losing that game and then being able to go through the rest of the tournament and then winning the gold medal game,” Holiday said of his whirlwind summer, “I don’t know — I guess me thinking about it, and me telling that story, man, that’s a hell of a summer.”

Jayson Tatum had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Holiday added 11 points and five rebounds and Damian Lillard had 11 points for the U.S. Rudy Gobert had 16 points and eight rebounds and Evan Fournier also had 16 points for France, which won its third silver medal in 10 Olympic appearances. The French also won silver in 1948 and 2000.

The 32-year-old Durant became the career U.S. Olympic scoring leader and the first American to score at least 100 points in three separate Olympic Games.

“Kevin Durant is exactly who we thought he was — one of the greatest players who ever played this game,” U.S. forward Draymond Green said of his former Golden State Warriors teammate. “One of the most special guys you’ve ever seen lace their shoes up and take a basketball court.”

Added an emotional Colangelo: “He’s a very special guy. He loves the game, he loves USA Basketball, and he’s just got that kind of character.”

As if the gold medal wasn’t enough motivation, the Americans also wanted to show their loss in the pool-play opener to France was due more to coming together swiftly after a delayed NBA season than a true representation of their talent. In that 83-76 loss on July 25, the U.S. lost a late seven-point lead and watched France close the game on a 16-2 run to snap the Americans’ 25-game Olympic winning streak.

“I remember we had a team meeting after the first game against France, Pop wasn’t there,” Durant said of the game in which he scored only 10 points and was in foul trouble. “You know when you have a team meeting, you’re kind of at the bottom. So, we just worked our way up from there. Everybody just committed to doing what’s best for the group, no matter what. It was just amazing to see that clock run down to zero and us celebrate like that and then celebrate in the locker room. It was just incredible, man.”

Durant’s leadership is what sets him apart, Popovich said.

“KD is not special because he’s so talented,” he said. “The way he works on his game is more impressive, the relationships he builds with teammates, the respect he garners, the joy he has in playing. It’s like osmosis, it goes into all the other players and allows you to develop a camaraderie and an enjoyment to be together. That sort of love of the game and love of people is what makes him more special than as a player.”

There were the usual ups and downs in the gold medal game. The U.S. had another slow start, but quickly righted itself with a 16-6 run to close the first quarter up 22-18. Unlike the last two contests, the Americans did not fall into a double-digit hole, instead going up by as many as 13 points before settling for a 44-39 halftime advantage. The U.S. led 71-57 in the third quarter, before France’s Nicolas Batum hit a 3-pointer followed by another at the buzzer by teammate Thomas Heurtel that trimmed the margin to 71-63.

It set up a fourth quarter that was eerily reminiscent of the previous matchup. This time, however, the U.S. was a more cohesive unit and didn’t go cold down the stretch, even when France pulled within 85-82 on two Nando de Colo free throws with 10.2 seconds remaining.

Durant made his two free throws with 8.8 seconds left, and then Batum air balled a 3-pointer that set off a gold medal celebration.

JaVale McGee, named to the U.S. roster when Bradley Beal and Kevin Love had to withdraw, joins a unique group. His mother, Pamela McGee, won gold with the U.S. women’s basketball team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. They became the first American mother-son duo to win gold in any sport and the second in Olympic history. The other was Valentina Rastvorova (team foil fencing, 1960) and son Yevgeny Grishin (men’s water polo, 1980).

Delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic and facing adversity throughout this journey, the Americans relish this gold medal as much as any NBA championship.

“It’s great,” Green said. “It’s a challenge to do special things. I know it seems as if it’s come easy for so long. I played in 2016, it wasn’t easy then. It wasn’t easy this year, but nothing special, nothing is worth having that you don’t have to fight for. If it’s worth having, you got to fight for it. We fought. They fought. I think the better team came out the gold medalist.”

USA Women’s Hoops: One Game Away

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SAITAMA, JAPAN – (Source: Official USA Basketball News Release) – Just one more victory, and the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team will secure its place in history, and a couple individuals will put a final stamp on their international legacies.

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Behind double-doubles from Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart, the U.S. (5-0) displayed dominant defense in stopping Serbia (3-2) 79-59 in Friday’s Olympic semifinal game at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Up next is going for a seventh straight gold medal, a feat accomplished by just one other team in Olympic history in any sport. The U.S. will take on either France (2-2) or host Japan (3-1) in the gold medal game, which is Saturday at 10:30 p.m. (EDT) (11:30 a.m. on Sunday morning in Japan). The U.S. edged both teams in pool play.

Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird also could claim their own spot in the record books. The American backcourt duo could win a fifth gold medal, which would give them the most golds of any basketball player in Olympic history. They currently share the mark of four golds with Teresa Edwards , who played for the U.S. in five Olympics from 1984-2000 and also won a bronze.

The U.S. women would match the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team’s streak of seven golds in a row, accomplished by winning the first seven golds (1936-1968) after the sport’s Olympic debut.

Friday’s win over Serbia was not one that will hang in the Louvre. The Americans shot 48.4% and committed 17 turnovers to just 12 for Serbia. But the U.S. defense picked up the slack, holding Serbia — which won bronze in 2016 at Rio in the country’s Olympic debut — to 30.2% shooting.

Griner had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Stewart 12 points and 10 boards, and Chelsea Gray added 14 points for the U.S.

“It wasn’t our best overall performance,” USA coach Dawn Staley said. “I thought we did a tremendous job defensively, just making it really hard for the Serbian team to get off clean looks. Offensively, I just thought we put enough points on the scoreboard to win. It wasn’t as clean and fluid as we would like, but at this stage of the game, you’re going to have to win a lot of different ways, and we found a way to win.”

Playing in a tough group might have been the best way for the U.S. to prepare for the knockout round. The U.S., France and Japan, three of the four semifinalists, all played in the same group, with Japan beating France in pool play.

“I think since we entered the knockout rounds, we’ve come to each game with a little more focus, so you’re seeing the results,” said Bird, who had eight points and four assists.