The US basketball team kicks off its Olympic adventure against one of the biggest competitors for the gold medal – France. Gregg Popovich and his guys faced many problems in recent days, but they are still filled with optimism and positive energy despite all the negative factors. France hopes to surprise and beat the Americans, but the atmosphere among the Gauls is not even close to what it is supposed to be. They’ve suffered a couple of nasty losses in the prep period, looking disorganized and pale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
| USA <\/th> | France<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> |
|---|---|
| -800<\/td> | +550<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nUSA Looking for Vengeance<\/h2>\n\n\n\nGregg Popovich lost to France at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China in the quarterfinals. Back then, the American team was quite solid, with two players from this roster – Jayson Tatum and Khris Middleton. Popovich told the reporters before this match that his team prepared for France in the last two years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When mentioning the preparations period, things haven’t been smooth for the USA at all. Two losses and two wins weren’t expected, but the positive thing is that as it went by, the Americans were playing better and better, heading for Tokyo with back-to-back triumphs. Though, we need to say that just one of four USA’s games saw more than 91 points.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n |