PARIS (Diya TV) – For the fifth straight Olympics, no one could knock off the Americans on the hardwood. 

In a gritty 98-87 win over France, the USA established themselves as the top dog once again behind a second consecutive heroic performance from Stephen Curry. After hitting nine threes in the semifinals against Serbia, Curry followed it up by hitting eight threes, with half of them coming in a two minute stretch that ultimately decided the game. 

“I’ve seen that from Steph a few times but it never gets old,” USA coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s a global game with a lot of great players, but we still feel we have the greatest players.”

After two vintage performances from Curry, it was LeBron James who took home Olympics MVP honors. As USA’s most consistent player and captain, James averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 8.5 assists through the tournament run. After the game, James attributed the win to the team’s calm during the storm.

“We just kept our composure,” James said. “We have been in some tight games throughout the preliminary games, and we had a tight game against Serbia so we knew we were going to get everybody’s biggest punch, so it was all about staying composed and willing our way to victory.”

The French put up a great fight in this one despite the loss. Led by 20-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama, who had 26 points, France had the U.S. on the ropes and nearly pulled off the upset in front of the home crowd. 

“France found something the last couple games, you know, changing the rotation, their starting lineup, really, you know, being physical at every position,” Kerr said. “And I thought they did a great job in the fourth quarter of putting pressure on us, you know. And, you know, they finished the third quarter strong too. There were several moments where it felt like we were going to push it from 10 to 15 and we were going to be in the clear. We just couldn’t get there.”

It’s another gold medal to add to the collection for USA, while France should be considered a threat moving forward after back-to-back losses in the gold medal game.