Stephen Curry had therefore saved the best for last… Discreet and at the service of the team during the first round, the All-Star point guard pulled out all the stops to save the United States against Serbia, then to end France's hopes in the final. Notably on this incredible shot with Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum on his back. On double-teams, you learn to give to the free player, and Kevin Durant was all alone. But Curry took this 3-point shot in an acrobatic position, and he air-conditioned the Arena Bercy, which was already not very noisy.
“Whatever shot I take, I think it's going to go in.” he recalls. “It was at the end of a great series of shots. I only saw the edge of the circle, I didn't even see who was in front of me. I knew we were at the end of the possession. But it impressed me… I impressed myself, that's for sure.”
A superb 17 out of 26 at 3-pointers in the semi-final and final!
With 24 points on 8 out of 12 from 3-point range, Stephen Curry really hurt the Blues. Just as he really hurt the Serbs with his 36 points on 9 out of 14 from 3-point range. Clearly, the Parisian baskets worked out for him: 17 out of 26 from 3-point range combined in the semi-final and final, compared to 5 out of 20 from afar in Lille.
“They always say you have to adapt to what the game dictates and stay in the rhythm. In the first matches, I had good positions, but the shots weren't falling in them,” continues Stephen Curry. “Coach reminded me to stay involved, which helped me focus the last two games. The game demanded that I take those shots and I was able to make them. The last two and a half minutes were unique. The guys were cheering me on, we had confidence in what we were doing, and I just responded and had fun.”
More than the gold medal, Curry remembers the Olympic experience
The United States' top scorer in this competition with an average of 14.8 points, Stephen Curry finally won the Olympic gold medal that was missing from his list of achievements. It joins his gold medals won at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
“It’s everything I imagined and more,” he concludes about his first and probably last Olympic experience. “The excitement of accomplishing that with the guys in the locker room was incredible. We all committed to continuing the U.S. dominance, knowing it would be tough. There’s a sense of relief, but also accomplishment. I’ve seen other athletes receive their medals and I always imagined what it would feel like. It wasn’t about adding something to my resume, it was about having an experience I’d never had before. It was a unique moment.”
