Just one more sleep before the 2024 Paris Olympics officially gets underway. All eyes will be glued on the event for the next month or so with a vast majority of them on Team USA Basketball. LeBron James was recently named the flag bearer for the Team USA delegation, but the focus is firmly set on the Olympic Gold. Steve Kerr reminded that once again on the eve of the opening ceremony.

After a flawless but faulty string of exhibition games, Steve Kerr’s team selection and tactics have raised massive question marks. Kerr and his coaching staff stuck to the core of LeBron, Steph Curry and Joel Embiid for all the games and, with Kevin Durant returning to fitness, one can expect Team USA to have 4 out of 5 starters nailed on. But this will not be the NBA playoffs. The madness of rapid-fire one-and-done games is somewhat akin to the NCAA championship. At least according to Steve Kerr.

In a recent interview, Team USA HC opened up about how he would be treating the event and his answer showed nothing but resolve to win. “We’ve got six games. We’ve got to get into the pool play, advance and it’s like the NCAA Tournament. It’s 40 minutes of forced attention and focus and we can’t let teams outplay us effort- and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan,” the Warriors HC said.

Many envisioned this campaign to be a breeze for the stacked Team USA. But the intense competition in the FIBA set-up provided a stern reminder. After barely escaping South Sudan in a 101-100 win, Team USA were pushed to their limits against Germany in a 92-88 win thanks to a late rescue act from LeBron. But in the Olympic Games, one slip can be costly enough, even in the group games and Steve Kerr made sure to emphasize that to keep his team focused.

Steve Kerr rallies Team USA for a successful Gold Medal quest

With a roster stacked with NBA champions, All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, the expectation is nothing less than bringing home the gold medal. But with big names, comes great media interest and Team USA will have no shortage of that. To shield his side from the distractions, Kerr already gave his pep-talk. “All these guys are corporations unto themselves. They have stuff, they have business partners. So, they’re going to be pulled in all directions. Everybody’s got family here. This should be one of the great experiences of our lives,” Kerr said. “But the best way to make it an incredible experience is to win a gold medal, obviously.”

Team USA has been the winners of the last 4 editions and this will give the side a chance to make it 5. This would potentially be the final Olympics run for many on the side, including LeBron James. So going out on a high would be an extra motivation. Team USA will open their fixtures against Serbia on July 28, followed by South Sudan on July 31 and finally Puerto Rico on August 3. Steve Kerr so far has decided against his roulette management style of changing lineups every game and that will be the case in the tournament as well, barring any injury setback. Overall, the challenge for Team USA is not only against the world but against themselves.

And to absorb more interesting stories, watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where the prodigy puts Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr under the pump with loaded NBA questions and more in this video below.