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How I Predicted USA Basketball Would Win Gold

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Earlier on in this Olympic journey, it didn’t seem so certain. It didn’t seem so easy. There were doubters, naysayers, and it seemed like the faithful may have lost their faith. 

Taking into consideration the two early losses during the preliminary stage, and then the HUGE loss to France in the Olympic opener, how could I come out with such a bold prediction? How I could I predict that Team USA would win gold right after the devastating loss to France? Who would tweet something like that out there, and risk making a huge fool of themselves- ESPECIALLY- when so many were saying exactly the opposite??

And here’s my favorite: 

So, allow me to explain myself. 

This is all about failure. 

For some, failure is crushing. It’s the end of the road. It’s where you pack your bags and go home. Leave the sandbox to the big boys.

For others, failure is a learning experience.

Team USA is full of great players, and they have a Hall of Fame coach. But, the identity of this team was always going to be in the hands of one guy: Kevin Durant. 

The question really came down to this, How would Kevin Durant react to failure? As the leader of the team, the way KD reacted to failure was going to guide Team USA through the duration of the tournament. 

Now, this is where I want to point out something very, very important that I think most people have overlooked. The most important failure was not either loss during the prelims. It wasn’t even the loss to France. No, the most important failure for these Olympic games took place on June 19, when the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Brooklyn Nets in game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. 

Think about the circumstances KD found himself in during these Olympic games. He came so close to the NBA finals, and now-at the Olympics- his team was showing signs of un-greatness. 

For KD, failure presented him with the type of rich learning experience that few get to experience. The devastation of losing to the Bucs primed him for the Olympic stage. 

He replaced the The Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy, with a gold medal for Team USA.

Not a bad tradeoff. In fact, who do you think people are most likely to remember four years from now? The 2021 NBA championship team, or who won gold in Tokyo? 

Ok, now here’s my suggestion to lock down Team USA gold medals for generations to come. 

And this is all about failure too.

Why not recreate the same circumstances KD found himself in for future NBA players? In fact, instead of one or two players from a losing NBA semi final team, how about a whole team of them? 

Here is my proposal: During the Olympic year, you take the two losing teams from the respective conference finals and put them in a one game play off. The winner goes to the Olympics. The whole team-coaches included.

You would have a built in team of players who have played with each other all year, their system is already in place, their coaches are already in place, and their FAN BASE is already in place. 

The play-in game would be a spectacle which could even rival the NCAA championship game. 

It would create an energy around the Olympic team going into the Olympic games that would potentially match the original Dream Team. 

And instead of just one KD, imagine a whole team of KD’s! Seeking out redemption with an Olympic gold medal.

It could work.