The talent gap between the international basketball teams is indeed closing. The ’92 Dream Team faced 9 NBA players during the Olympics in Spain, but Team USA will be going up against over 60 NBA players this time around in France. In short, the gold medal isn’t an easy objective anymore. But the good thing is, Stephen Curry is aware of it. The Chef enjoyed the opening ceremony, but as countries were making their appearances on the respective boats, Curry, along with A’ja Wilson, was asked how the squad plans to look forward to this tournament.

Now, no one can deny that the amount of talent this year has been quite vast in the Olympics. We saw South Sudan almost pull off one of the greatest upsets in history in the exhibition game against the USA. Germany was also quite close to shocking the USA yet again. But the Americans have accepted the competition and are motivated. “We’re motivated like we understand that the gap is close. There’s a lot of talent, a lot of NBA guys we’ll be playing against, representing their country. So we know it’s not going to be an easy task. We’re all here ready to compete… Put our egos to the side at the same time… I think we’re pretty motivated to get it done.” said Curry.

It’s good to see that the squad is aware of the competition as they did get a taste of it in the exhibition. And this mentality will help them, as they prepare to play Serbia on Sunday. They’ll also meet Puerto Rico in the group stage followed by South Sudan. The Americans will have to top their group if they need a chance at better matchups in the quarter-final round. It will be quite the battle to witness once they clear the group stage and enter their final matchups.

Steph, James, and KD are all looking forward to stepping onto the court and sharing the ball, although there are still concerns about KD’s fitness. There are a few things the USAB team can change going into the tournament. If KD becomes available to play against Serbia, he should be coming off the bench, prioritizing his health. It won’t be optimal in the long run if Durant makes an immediate comeback. Stephen Curry, meanwhile, will have to take some extra responsibility.

Stephen Curry will have to bring his A-game

In the last two exhibition games, Curry seemed to have slowed down a bit. It was because of the double-teams and tough off-ball defense. And why not? He’s the greatest shooter the game has ever witnessed. So, there will be double teams and rough off-ball defense all over him. Regardless, he will have to take the load off LeBron by the time they reach the quarter-final round. Initially, the games might seem easy to handle, but they will get tougher as the tournament progresses.

The Olympics are no joke this year. Players are competitive and have closed the gap, as mentioned by Curry. The fact that Team USA is concerned about their opponents tells a lot about the international competition. It will be interesting to see the Dream Team on the run for gold, as they face Serbia in under 48 hours. What are your thoughts on Team USA’s chances? Let us know in the comments.

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