Kevin Durant wanted the opportunity to be part of the Olympic solution
Reporting from Rio de Janeiro — Kevin Durant really wanted to be chosen for the 2008 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball roster. He had seen the 2004 squad implode in Athens and settle for a bronze medal, and he felt the pain when the 2006 world championships team lost to Greece in the semifinals. He wanted to be part of the solution to a vexing problem but he and then-Seattle teammate Nick Collison were the final two cuts before the Beijing Games.
“I knew I had to wait my turn. But I just wanted to be a part of that,” he said, adding that he didn’t blame Coach Mike Krzyzewski or team architect Jerry Colangelo for excluding him because of his inexperience. “Just knowing that they lost in ’04, and in ‘06 they lost a game, and I wanted to be a part of that Redeem Team.
“So it was upsetting watching it from home, but I told myself to just keep working and at some point my time is going to come. In 2010 it came and I was able to help the team win a gold [at the world championships], and then 2012 and now. So I’m living my dream out. Sometimes you have to wait to get what you want.”
It has been well worth the wait.
Durant, who signed with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent this summer, is single-mindedly pursuing a second straight Olympic championship. He made his intentions clear Saturday, when he scored a team-high 25 points and added a team-leading six assists as the U.S. routed China, 119-62, before a lively crowd at Carioca Arena 1 in the Olympic opener for both teams.
“KD is KD, man. He’s one of the best players in the world,” Krzyzewski said. “When he gets going like that it’s a pretty neat thing to have.”
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The enormous margin of victory was no surprise, given that the U.S. had beaten China by 49 and 50 points in exhibition games last month at Staples Center and Oakland’s Oracle Arena and won its five exhibition games by an average of 43 points. Even China Coach Gong Luming acknowledged through a translator that “the result of the game was expected before the game even started,” so he approached it as a learning experience for his raw, young team.
Durant’s unwavering concentration and selflessness were key factors in preventing Team USA’s 18th straight victory in Olympic competition from becoming just another meaningless rout. He appeared to pick up where he had left off at London in 2012, when his 156 points set a record for a single Olympic tournament. He saved 30 of those points for the gold-medal game against Spain, again recognizing that the time was right for him to dominate.
Saturday’s game wasn’t a big moment in the sense that there was no medal at stake and no serious threat to fend off, but it was the Olympic debut for 10 U.S. players and Durant made sure they put behind them the fun of marching in Friday’s opening ceremony and didn’t let the occasion overwhelm them Saturday.
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Durant’s leadership reinforced a work ethic and staunch mind-set that was put in place during the team’s pre-Olympic camp, when players learned to challenge themselves when no opponent could present a challenge to them. They’ve bought into the idea that if winning requires a player to take on a lesser role than with his NBA team or take fewer shots or play fewer minutes, they’ll do it. And they’ll stay diligent defensively for the time they might need to rely on that part of the game later in this tournament.
Besides Durant’s feats, Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins scored 17 points, Indiana Pacers guard Paul George had 15, Clippers center DeAndre Jordan came off the bench to grab seven rebounds, and players combined for 31 assists on 38 field goals. Those are the kinds of numbers coaches love, and Krzyzewski said he was proud of his team.
“If we keep playing hard and sharing, we’ll keep getting better,” he said. “I like the fact we don’t play the score. We play every play, and that’s what we need to do to win the gold medal.”
U.S. assistant coach and defensive guru Tom Thibodeau praised players’ unselfishness Saturday on both sides of the ball. “To me that’s important. We’re getting a lot from our defense that’s turning into good offense for us,” said Thibodeau, head coach and president of basketball operations of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Even better, they’re not getting blase after so many rollover wins. “We never get bored with the process,” Jordan said.
Durant probably wouldn’t let them. He’s intent on living his dream, and he’s taking his teammates along for the ride.
Follow Helene Elliott on Twitter @helenenothelen
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