In terms of talent, the Team USA traveling for the Paris Olympics is by far the most supreme. The only worthy comparison seems to be the ‘Dream Team’. That iconic 1992 squad boasted all-time greats Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Magic Johnson to name a few. This time it’s LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. On paper, it’s a tough team to tackle. However, when we consider the evolution of the game, that’s not the case.

During the era of the Dream Team, the opposition was floored when they just saw the icons walk on the floor. Every game seemed to be an exhibition due to their stardom. But now the fantasy of meeting the great NBA players has vanished. Teams are looking to dethrone the giants and claim all glory for themselves. In this horse race, Dan Patrick sees two major threats to the unified Titans on Team USA.

“Okay, France has the home-court advantage. You have to factor that in. If it’s in a different country and France won, if the Olympics were in Brazil and France won, it might be a little bit different. But France at home and you got Rudy Gobert, and you got Victor Wembanyama. So I start there. Buckets are going to be hard to come by if you come inside,” the renowned broadcaster noted.

As a country, France has excelled gloriously in recent years. Even post-Wembanyama, this year’s draft, had three lottery picks from France. As the home side, the French national team has some cannons that are ready to fire. Gobert is a shot-blocking maniac and beside him is Wemby, the runner-up for DPOY behind his counterpart. In between them, the pair blocked a combined 5.7 shots every game in the NBA. Their vigor is bound to be amplified when playing for their country.

Patrick also mentioned another gem within the roster, their in-house Larry Bird, as he claims. “Vincent Goodwill from Yahoo Sports yesterday is like Evan Fournier plays like Larry Bird when it comes to these games,”. There is something mysterious and inexplicable about Fournier. The French guard only averaged 7.2 points with the Pistons this season. Yet in his last three international tournaments, he has been a warrior averaging at least 17 points. There was also a mention of veteran Nicolas Batum.

Accounting for their home grounds of Paris as well as the pool of talent within the French team, Dan Patrick was surprisingly lenient toward the power-packed Team USA. “I don’t think there’s shame in losing. I don’t because look at the number of foreign-born numbers. Look at the number of players from France that are coming into the NBA. And they are going to continue to come in. And France is going to be a power if they aren’t already,” he said.

Apart from France, Dan Patrick and the group saw Canada to be a close rival to the forged Team USA. Before they faced off in the exhibition, the podcaster said, “If Canada wins, like, I wouldn’t be shocked. Would I be surprised? Yeah, I would be surprised because I am told this is the most talented team ever. More so than the Dream Team. All I know is you don’t have Michael Jordan and even Charles Barkley,” he pointed out on the Dan Patrick Show.

Unlike France, who only have four NBA players, Canada is bringing eleven. Their talisman is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a runner-up for this year’s MVP award. In his past two seasons, the versatile scorer has racked up an average of over 30 points per game. Additionally, they will have him partnered with Nuggets guard and clutch phenom Jamal Murray in the backcourt. Talented defenders such as Dort, Dillon Brooks, and Alexander-Walker complete the dazzling Maple roster. In hindsight, the Canadian team would have been a blockbuster NBA squad if Andrew Wiggins had been allowed to travel. Additionally, they also remain the last team to have conquered Team USA during the last FIBA World Cup.

Team USA slay Canada in their opening friendly

As aforementioned, Canada and the USA met during the FIBA World Cup 2023 during the Bronze medal matchup. They both were expected to compete for the gold. However, upsets from Germany and France respectively paved the way for the thrilling matchup to take place in the bronze medal game. Team USA was led by Anthony Edwards and didn’t have the captivating teammates that he will in Paris.

It finished with Canada embarrassing the most prolific basketball nation and fueling them with a desire for vengeance. They achieved some form of it today when Team USA beat Canada in their first exhibition game in Las Vegas. The Maples landed their arrows first though, taking a commanding double-digit lead to open the game. Then came Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry.

Ant’s acrobatic play and Curry’s shooting prowess helped the USA troops pull the game back. From that moment on, there was no stopping them. Edwards topped the scoring charts with 13 points while Curry added a further 12. Lakers forward Anthony Davis was imposing, collecting a double-double and also blocking four shots.

In response, the Canadian team fell apart after their initial spurt. They only managed to shoot 34% from the field for the entire game. Shai was only limited to 10 points attributed to Jrue Holiday’s infectious defense. Raptors’ RJ Barrett was the leading scorer with 12 points. However, the victory, even though against a formidable foe, didn’t justify the star power of Team USA.

They looked sloppy at times and even uncoordinated to start the game. But that is bound to happen. Even though the unit has every possible star of this era, they aren’t accustomed to sharing the floor. With a lineup of exhibitions, the synergy will start to develop.

“The first game was what to be expected. But we’ll have a few chances to work a few things out,” head coach Steve Kerr said regarding their team chemistry. The true potential of this side is still undiscovered. The names and their prominence suggest it’s limitless. What Kerr kindly meant is that come the Olympics, this Team USA will be in fine tune and a seamless system.

While this win is still a confidence booster, Team USA will prefer to demolish their rivals when both have an intent and a place on the podium on the line.