We got over the fact that Germany and Japan can build better cars than Detroit. But this idea that we can no longer go to sleep at night secure in the knowledge the world’s best basketball is made in the USA? That’s a bummer. The American men had not lost in Olympic competition since 2004, when Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and a 19-year-old James were humbled by Argentina in the semifinals. The embarrassment of that defeat caused leaders of the game to re-dedicate Team USA to the relentless pursuit of Olympic excellence. ““They are better individually,” Fournier said, “but they can be beaten as a team.”Īfter being outscored 16-2 during the final three minutes, 17 seconds of the final period, the Americans trudged back to their locker room, heads bowed in stone-cold stares at the floor.īut after bringing home the gold from Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro, a sense of entitlement and complacency has again seeped into America’s NBA stars, who failed to match the passion and pride brought by Fournier and his French teammates.
