The Road To Gold Is Set And Team USA's Path Shows Why It Pays To Be The Best
Just like we saw with the Celts run to the NBA title this past Spring, it pays to be the #1 overall seed. Even if you're someone who believes that Team USA's path in the knockout round doesn't really matter given how much better they are than the rest of the field, there's no denying that this is an extremely favorable bracket as they now begin their quest for their 5th straight Gold Medal.
That doesn't mean they shouldn't respect their opponent and it doesn't mean they can't be upset if they play like assholes, but just in terms of sheer talent, the two sides of the bracket aren't exactly the same. Having to potentially deal with Jokic will always be a cause for concern given he's the best player on the planet and Serbia played Team USA even in their Group Stage matchup with Jokic on the floor, but the second he comes out is always going to be the story with them.
Australia played Team USA close in their tune up game (98-92), but I'm not sure they have the shooting to match up unless someone like Patty Mills turns into the type of FIBA monster he can sometimes morph into. Brazil has size and physicality, but considering they had a negative point differential (-7) in the Group Stage I think Team USA should be fine there.
On the other side, good luck trying to figure out how that shakes out.
In my opinion, the story of this stage has to be Greece getting in (even if they needed some standings help). They tie Brazil with only one (1) NBA player on their roster, which compared to the rest of the field (US - 12, CAN - 10, AUS - 8, FRA - 5, GER - 4) is a pretty big deal once you get to this point in the Games where talent is so important. The thing is their NBA player is not some bench warmer who doesn't really play in the league, it happens to be one of the most dominant basketball players on earth who has essentially put Greece on his back
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like we aren't hearing enough about how insane Giannis' Olympics have been so far. He leads everyone in points per game (27), barely trails Jokic in terms of efficiency (90 vs 89), and as you can see has a wide lead in terms of TS% despite playing with absolutely zero spacing. It's going to be extremely tough for Greece to take down the defending World Champs in Germany, but I think we've learned by now that it's certainly possible Giannis goes nuts and is the best player on the floor, and if his teammates just do the bare minimum and make the occasional 3PM, anything can happen.
But around here, we don't really care about the rest of the field. We care about Team USA asserting their dominance and securing Gold, and it feels like we're on a crash course for either USA vs GER or USA vs CAN, which are two matchups that certainly will not be easy.
Team USA may have gotten the favorable draw, but it means nothing if they can't capitalize on it. Take care of your shit, stay healthy, and then get ready for what should be a fun as hell Gold Medal matchup no matter who makes it through the other side
3 wins down, 3 wins to go.