It was the Stephen Curry show in Paris tonight! With all eyes on Bercy Arena for the highly anticipated Team USA vs. France encounter, the game delivered everything that was expected of a gold medal match. While the Americans were dominant for most of the night, there was a moment when they seemed to lose their footing as the hosts cut down the lead to just 6 points. But that’s when Steph took over and scored four crucial three-pointers in the final 2:43 minutes to get Team USA back on track. Surprisingly enough, Steph was so locked in that he even took on the responsibility of Coach Kerr and strategized a brilliant play that made all the difference.

While France was making a late run and trying to get back in the game, Steph suggested to Steve Kerr during a time-out to run a pick and roll play with LeBron James that would get him open for a three-point attempt. Confident in the superstar’s abilities, Kerr agreed, “I said, okay, let’s do that.” And the risk paid off as the play led to a dagger three from Steph and got him going.

Once the set play was executed perfectly, Steph knew it was time for him to take over. With a little over one minute remaining in the game, he pump faked the French defender and pulled up from deep once again to extend Team USA’s lead to 9 points. Even NBA legends Carmelo Anthony and Scottie Pippen, who were sitting courtside, were forced to leave their seats and appreciate the greatness. But arguably Curry’s toughest shot of the night came with under 40 seconds remaining as he put two defenders on skates and hit an unbelievable fadeaway for the final dagger. Celebrating his clutch performance with the iconic ‘Night-Night’ celebration, Steph finished with 24 points and Team USA won the game 98-87.

Steph talks about his clutch performance and gold medal win

From setting up plays to executing them on the court, Steph did everything tonight to win his first Olympic gold for the country. Talking about how crucial his four late threes were, he said, “A big shot to put us up six. That kind of settled everything. And then the rhythm. The avalanche came, and thankfully the other three went in. That was an unbelievable moment.” Even head coach Steve Kerr who let Steph run the show appreciated his ability to show up every time his team needs him, “I think we might be the only team in the world whose fans are ashamed of them if they get a silver medal. That’s the pressure that we face. But our players, and you saw Steph, they love the pressure. They appreciate this atmosphere and they were fantastic.”

Moreover, knowing that this could very well be his first and only chance to win a medal at the Olympics, Steph was just humbled by the experience after achieving his goal, “I’ve been blessed to play basketball at a high level for a very long time. This ranks very high in terms of excitement and the sense of relief, getting to the finish line.” With two historic performances in Paris and adding the only hardware that was missing from his trophy cabinet, Steph has added another chapter in his already Hall of Fame worthy legacy.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger