Unselfish U.S. women's hoops heads to 8th straight Olympic final
PARIS -- It's hard to quantify the greatest passing teams in basketball history -- the Argentina men from the 2000s or perhaps the San Antonio Spurs from the mid-2010s have a case. But it is fair to say this version of the Team USA women, full of masters of the art, is among the candidates.
Watching the Americans execute offense and share the ball over the past two weeks in France has been somewhere between a clinic and an exhibition. The ball moves with an unselfishness, confidence and ease that belies the idea that this team was relatively rushed together.
The display Friday night was brilliant and at the same time typical, as Team USA racked up 31 assists on its way to an 85-64 semifinal victory over Australia. The Americans, now winners of 60 consecutive Olympic games, will play against France for their eighth straight gold medal Sunday. The French defeated Belgium 82-75 in overtime to reach their first gold medal game since 2012.
"It speaks to the journey that we've been on that they don't care who gets the credit, they just want to win," coach Cheryl Reeve said. "And we said that we could reach our greatest heights if we could be that. And we've done that, so I'm really proud of us for that."
Breanna Stewart, whose ability to outrun almost everyone on the floor at all times earns her so many good looks, had another strong game with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting with six rebounds and five assists.
Her dominant frontcourt mate A'ja Wilson put in 10 points with eight rebounds. Wilson, who is a little under the weather, wasn't quite as active as usual on offense but still was a major factor on defense with four blocks and two steals.
Jackie Young, whose move into the starting lineup for the medal round has proved to be a shrewd move by Reeve, had 14 points. Kahleah Copper added 11 points off the bench.
"We kind of know what the standard is for USA basketball," said Young, whose defensive ball pressure has been a key part of her expanded playing time. "We just want to keep that going."
The statisticians at the Olympics might be a tad friendly when it comes to charting the assists, but the U.S. is probably deserving of most of the ones in the gray area with the way its players share the ball.
The raw numbers showed the Americans had assists on 27 of their first 28 baskets, a number that is hard to fathom unless you see how Team USA cuts and screens as it operates what can only be described as a beautiful brand of basketball.
"I think we're moving the ball really, really well. I don't think I've ever been on a team that can move the ball like this," Wilson said. "We're always looking for good [shot] to great [shot]. We preach it, but sometimes we don't always uphold it on some teams. But I feel like this team, we're trying to find the best shot on the floor, and I don't think I've ever been on a team that's like that."
In their five games so far at the Olympics, the Americans have assisted on 155 of 173 hoops. They are averaging 31 per game, and their feel for where each other is going to be and their collective willingness to share the ball make it seem as if they could run their offense in the dark.
Friday, there were five players on the U.S. squad who had at least three assists. By early in the fourth quarter, the lead touched 30 and it was time to prepare for the gold medal game.
Australia, which played nearly 32 minutes before getting to the foul line, has relied on 3-point shooting as its best weapon throughout the Olympics. But it went just 7-of-29 against the Team USA defense. The Aussies were led by 11 points from 19-year-old Isobel Borlase.
"This may look easy, but this is anything but easy," Reeve said. "And so I'm super proud of us, the evolution that we've made as a team, and I'm excited that we've got the last stand, if you will, in this campaign to see if we can get another gold medal."