Fans were excited when the USAWB comfortably won its first two games against Japan and Belgium in Paris. And now Team USA was ready to assert its dominance in Group C by battling against Germany, who too, had won both their previous games. However, this time Team USA stars had to face a bit of backlash, especially 5x Olympic gold medalist Diana Taurasi, who was blamed for a sluggish start after Germany outsmarted USA to take a 19-16 lead in the first quarter.

“I’m sorry but DT needs to be on the bench. Kah Copper needs some minutes early. JY0 Too. #USABWNT #OlympicGames,” wrote one fan as Taurasi couldn’t open her account in the first quarter. As has been the case throughout the tournament, DT was in her head coach, Cheryl Reeve’s starting lineup. However, fans do not consider DT deserving of the spot anymore.

The 42-year-old is a Team USA veteran and is playing in her 6th Olympic Games. However, she hasn’t been having the greatest of times in Paris so far. She scored zero points in the last game against Belgium. In the opener against Japan, where she played for 15 minutes, she could only score a paltry 4 points. All this amplified the voices of her critics who did not want Taurasi to be in the starting line-up. Therefore, a fan demanded that Kahleah Copper get more time on the court instead.

While Copper didn’t get game time against Belgium, she sure made an impact in the limited time she got against Japan. The Phoenix Mercury star plied her trade for 6 minutes in which she scored 4 points. She attempted just 4 field goals in that game, hitting two of them. Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Copper had 2 rebounds and 1 block. These numbers make her a good fit to replace Taurasi in the starting five for fans as with more minutes, Copper might also amp up her game.

Reeve started the game with Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Taurasi. All of them couldn’t stop the German rampage in the opening minutes, which brought them to the notice of more fans.

Fans slam Team USA for slow start

“Chelsea Gray and Diana Taurasi are moving 1 mph… how are they starting on this team?” a fan slammed Taurasi and Gray – both of whom were in the starting five. Notably, just like Taurasi, Gray had also failed to open her account in the first quarter. Hence, the fan demanded that players with a more defensive mindset should replace the two.

“Gray walks slower than my grandma right now. You didnt want it to bring CC at least bring a back up PG #USABWNT,” one follower took the opportunity to indirectly present Caitlin Clark’s case. Despite her memorable start to life in the WNBA, Clark was snubbed for the Paris Olympics roster, which created a lot of controversy. This fan wanted Clark to be on the team and if not, then another point guard instead of Gray, who, as per the fan, was too lazy to perform her duties.

“If Cheryl Reeve doesn’t get Sabrina into this game and get Taurasi the f*** out of there, USA is gonna lose this game #USABWNT,” one of the fans pointed out that while Team USA was going for their 58th consecutive Olympics win, it wouldn’t be possible if Taurasi continues to play the way she has been. Hence, she should soon be replaced by Sabrina Ionescu, who had scored 11 points against Japan and 6 points against Belgium.

“Chelsea Gray is such a defensive liability on this team smh #USABWNT,” another social media user criticized Gray, who had 2 steals against Japan and one rebound in the game against Belgium. We also need to consider that Gray only recently returned from a long injury layoff. She got injured during Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals and missed the first 12 games of this season.

Taurasi might play a bigger role in the coming games and improve her performance considering it is the last time she plays at the Olympics in red, white, and blue.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.