Olympics: USA Basketball Beats France 98-71 In London Olympics Opener

USA began the defence of their Olympic title with a straightforward 98-71 victory over France yesterday.

The US team – made up of NBA stars such as Lebron James and Kobe Bryant – were never really threatened as they began the defence of the gold medal they won in Beijing four years ago.

The reigning champions led by just a point after a hard-fought first-quarter, but from there they out-scored their opponents 30-15 in the second to open up a sizeable cushion.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant scored 22 points in his Olympic debut, Kevin Love added 14 and LeBron James had eight assists as the American men’s basketball team overcame some sloppy moments.

Seeking a second straight gold medal to match the one they won in Beijing four years ago, the Americans expected a tough test from a French team featuring San Antonio guard, Tony Parker and five other NBA players.

Although the US proved the stronger side and were never in any real trouble – they only led 22-21 after one quarter and weren’t without enough flaws (14 turnovers, 26 fouls) to keep coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff from feeling too comfortable.

When asked what made things so different between the first and second half, Coach Mike Krzyzewski said: “First of all, I think France played well defensively.  I thought they put good pressure on us and they didn’t give us second shots.”

“You can talk about Tony Parker and watch him on tape but when you watch him in person, he’s quicker for me.  I think he’s terrific.  We had to make a few adjustments on him.

“I think it was a disjointed half for both teams because of the number of fouls that were called on both teams.   Both ways it was tough to get into a flow – they had a great game plan and tried to adjust to it and overall … they’re good.   We knew that coming in and they didn’t do anything to disprove that to us.”

The second half had the Americans turn the game into something of a dunk contest, with James, Carmelo Anthony and Anthony Davis all thrilling the crowd with spectacular efforts.

Ali Traore had 12 points and Tony Parker 10 for France, who were not helped by the loss of Nicolas Batum through an injury.

First Lady Michelle Obama was on hand, cheering on the U.S. from the sidelines as the nation’s Dream Team.

Mrs Obama hugged the players as they left the court victorious, taking time to congratulate each one with a personal embrace. LeBron James lead the charge toward the FLOTUS, planting a peck on Mrs Obama’s cheek.