The most brilliant superstars of NBA basketball: Living legend LeBron James, 3-point shooting king Stephen Curry, and 12 other Dream Team teammates flew to Abu Dhabi to have a training match here, to prepare. training and friendly competitions to prepare for the Paris Olympics.
The plane carrying the Dream Team landed in the UAE last Friday. After two very active training sessions, today, July 15, the US basketball team will have a friendly match with Australia; and on July 17, they will play against Serbia at Etihad Arena (Yas Island).
The purpose of the training camp in Abu Dhabi is to resolve the smallest remaining problems, and give time for the superstars to learn about each other after an extremely stressful NBA season.
“Living legend” LeBron (Los Angeles Lakers), “King of 3-point shooting” Curry (4-time NBA Champion with Golden State Warriors), and even coach Steve Kerr were seen in relaxed states. Most comfortable and relaxing when present in Abu Dhabi.
The latest version of Dream Team is in very good form and spirit after defeating the Canadian team in the warm-up – preparation match last Wednesday with a “very gentle” score of 86-72; in which, Anthony Edwards (Minesota Timberwolves) scored 13 points.
This is the first time James and Curry have worked side by side with the American basketball team competing in the international arena. Of course, this couple needs a little more time…
Whatever, even though they have only played one match together, they are confident that they will lead the latest version of the Dream Team to win the prestigious basketball gold medal for the 5th consecutive time at the Olympics.
“We know we can play a lot better, but we’ve only been together four days!” James shared after Wednesday’s victory in front of a crowd at the capital’s T-Mobile Arena. including Former President Barrack Obama.
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“All the mistakes in attack, and the loss of the ball. Then we’ll play better than that – but starting with defense. And as long as we stay focused on defense, we’ll have a chance to win every night,” James shared.
Even though he is a superstar offensive player, Curry also agrees that defense is the key to the US team’s Olympic campaign: “We can solve the bottlenecks and attack times, but if we commit Defensively, we will be fine with anyone.”
“There’s always an interesting format when you get this group of guys together. This is a challenge – a challenge to try to find chemistry, which simply means following the flow and rhythm of play,” Curry said.
As usual, the Dream Team’s only goal – and most likely result – at the Paris Olympics is simple: The gold medal. However, at the Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, they could not win the crown easily.
The US team, at the Tokyo Olympics, was at one point 10 points ahead of Spain in the quarterfinals, 15 points ahead of Australia in the semi-finals; and in the final match for the gold medal against France, they only won with a difference of only 5 points.
This is a very clear reminder that the world basketball level has drawn very close together and the Dream Team roster, which is full of NBA stars, is no longer an obvious guarantee of success. However, that’s something Americans don’t want to hear.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say that people are catching up with us, but that will only make us more hungry, more motivated. We respect those guys, but basketball is still here,” said defender Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns).
In the Dream Team squad attending the Paris Olympics, there is another very famous veteran face: Kevin Durant (also of the Phoenix Suns). Coming to the 2024 Olympics, Durant hopes he will win his fourth gold medal and become the first basketball player to do so.
“For sure, this will be history with this team. So, to be honest, I would be happy to be a part of it,” defender Edwards shared, “But I don’t even think about it too much. Just happy to contribute to it.”