“I am no stranger to hard times,” were the first words Brittney Griner spoke at the presser after Russia released her from detention. She spent almost a year facing adversaries at their worst, which made her confess, “I am never going overseas to play again unless I am representing my country at the Olympics.” That opportunity finally came and right now, Griner, as a member of the US women’s basketball team, is gearing up for their first pool play to take place in Lille.

Facing their Olympic rival Japan, Team USA will be looking to overpower them once again. The last time they came face to face, the USA handed a 90-75 loss to Japan in the championship game and secured their ninth gold medal in Tokyo. Moreover, it was Brittney Griner who led the team with 30 points on 77.8% shooting from the field.

Going for her third Olympic campaign, Brittney Griner shared insights on her fellow national teammates. “I think everybody’s ready to just get it going, I think everybody’s tired of the anticipation. Just ready for that horn to go off and the game to start. I mean, we know each other really well,” Griner revealed ahead of their game against Japan. The two teams will lock horns on July 29 at 3 PM ET at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.

Further, BG elaborated on the mental chemistry they share with each other despite being opponents in the league back home.“In the WNBA, we scout against each other so well that we know everyone’s tendencies. So it’s easy when we get together to know what Chelsea wants to do, what A’ja wants to do, what D (Diana Taurasi), Stewie (Breanna Stewart) wants to do. We played together overseas in the Euro League, a lot of us have played together same teams.” 

Apart from being teammates on the Phoenix Mercury for over a decade, Taurasi and Griner were part of the UMMC Ekaterinburg roster that won back-to-back Russian Premier League titles in 2015 and 2016. Moreover, BG was glad to have another Mercury teammate on the Olympic roster this time around in Kahleah Copper.

“I have two of my teammates, lucky to have two of my teammates here so, just being able to mesh is a little bit easier for us I feel like even though we don’t spend as much time together on the team,” Griner stated. Their first Olympic face-off is just hours away, so let’s go over some details one more time.

What lies ahead in Team USA’s path?

Looking at the All-time series record, Team USA holds a 4-1 advantage over Japan in the Olympics since 1976. They also dominated in their only exhibition game against Germany recently held at the O2 Arena in London, where 10 players got their names on the scoring board and 11 of them added at least 1 assist. Off the bench too, Jewell Loyd, Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jackie Young combined for 24 points.

Moving over to Team Japan, they were led by Saki Hayashi and Evelyn Mawuli with 18 points apiece. However, they fell 65-75 to Belgium in their exhibition matchup that took place in Reims, France on July 21. The reason behind this defeat was Japan’s early struggles that led Belgium to build a 26-11 lead in the first quarter itself. Hence, they were able to keep that lead comfortably through the rest of the game. Currently, Japan holds a 6-2 pre-Olympic record, scoring 81.1 points per game.

As a takeaway, Team USA’s uniform distribution of offense is playing a major role in keeping things locked in. Their exhibition game stats recorded as 27 assists and 30 made field goals exemplify just that. Moreover, we might be witnessing A’ja Wilson in full force with the Olympic fuel rushing in her veins as she recorded a 19-point game on 53.8% shooting and 14 rebounds in just 25 minutes of action.

Last but not least, veteran Diana Taurasi has been a part of the Olympic roster since the 2004 Athens Games when this gold-winning streak started. Maintaining a 38-0 record in Olympic matchups, Taurasi’s presence in Paris besides Brittney Griner fulfilling her pledge makes the 2024 Olympics a whole lot more significant and worthwhile.

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