LILLE (France) - When these guys from the United States are out there on the floor, even a blowout game has your eyes glued to the court, because you still might get something special.
On Saturday afternoon at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium, it was Anthony Edwards going crazy, scoring 26 points in just 17 minutes of action against Puerto Rico. The only player with more points in such a short run at the Olympics was Carmelo Anthony, when he had 37 in 14 minutes against Nigeria in 2012.
From one Anthony to the other, generations have changed, but the talents are always there. Almost superhuman, judging by Ant's flight for the massive windmill dunk in the second half.
"I already told KD, after the timeout, if I get a break, I'm gonna windmill it. I wanted to go between the legs, but I didn't try it in a minute, so I ain't gonna embarrass myself," he laughed with the media members after the game.
You waited a long time for a big dunk like that?
I've been waiting, I've been waiting... I wanna dunk on somebody, but I didn't get the lane yet. I'm glad I got that one. Hopefully I catch somebody in the next three games.
You closed out the group stage at 3-0. How did it feel on the court?
It felt good. It's gonna be different every night, tonight was my night, the first night was KD's, the second one was Bam's, so it's not about getting mine, it's just the ball was finding me. It was swing-swing, and I was the recipient for all those swing-swings, and I was able to knock it down.
Are you happy with the way the team has been playing through the first phase?
We're playing good, gotta clean up sloppy turnovers, on my behalf. Pass the ball a little more, defend a little better, but we'll be alright.
Is the elimination stage going to be tougher now?
Of course, it's the knockout rounds. All the teams that are in it are really good teams, they've got NBA players, and they compete at a high level, so it's supposed to be hard.
You've talked about wanting to play with Kevin Durant. Is it everything you imagined and dreamed of?
Hell yeah! Him, and LeBron, they are the best two people. Team players, they always wanna see the person next to them shine, and I'm the same way. It's perfect. It's perfect.
What's it like sharing the court with LeBron?
He loves to pass it to me. I love to catch it and shoot it. I told him, if you ain't got a shot, I'll find one.
Compared to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, how much is this experience different for you?
I'm playing alongside the greatest players of all time. And I'm able to go see ping pong - or table tennis. I went once, because they told me the other round that I was going to go to, the USA people weren't playing, so I didn't go. I think the championship rounds are (on Sunday), if I'm not mistaken. I'm hoping. I'll be there if it is.
Did you talk to your Minnesota teammate Rudy Gobert during the Olympics?
I talked to him when I first got here, but no - we're competing against each other, we're not talking. He knows I wanna see him. It means a lot for him, I know he loves playing for France every year, and he's looking forward to it. I know before it started, like mid-season, we're talking trash to each other, and he was like, they gonna beat us, so I'm looking forward to playing against France.
FIBA