Brian Windhorst thinks Team USA NEEDS LeBron James to DOMINATE to win gold | Get Up

Summary

LeBron James is set to be a flag bearer for Team USA at the Olympics opening ceremonies. Despite a 5-0 record in showcase games, coach Steve Kerr criticizes the team's lack of intensity, urging them to play with more vigor. Team USA faces a challenging opener against Serbia, with star player Kevin Durant showing progress in his injury recovery.

Takeaways

• 🏀 LeBron James is the flag bearer for the United States in the Olympics opening ceremonies.
• 🏆 Steve Kerr's basketball team was 5-0 in their showcase games, despite some inconsistent play.
• 🥇 Steph Curry is focused on winning the gold medal and is looking forward to playing in the gold medal game.
• 🎥 The reporter is standing in front of the Eiffel Tower without a green screen, confirming the authenticity of the location.
• 🤔 Steve Kerr, the coach of Team USA, was initially lukewarm but has become more critical after reviewing the games.
• 🏃 Coach Kerr emphasized the need for Team USA to increase their pace of play and come off the court exhausted.
• 💪 Team USA's advantage lies in their depth and ability to rotate Allstars, which was not fully utilized in games against South Sudan and Germany.
• 🇷🇸 The team is set to open with Serbia, who has a pathway to beat the US under certain circumstances, and Coach Kerr wants them to be prepared.
• 🤝 Team USA has been turning to LeBron James when the going gets tough, highlighting his leadership and experience.
• 🔝 LeBron has been the best three-point shooter for Team USA, which is not his usual role and indicates a need for more scoring options.
• ⚕️ Kevin Durant is making good progress from his injury and could potentially play against Serbia, pending his condition and the team's assessment.

Q & A

Who is the flag bearer for the United States at the Olympics opening ceremonies?

LeBron James is the flag bearer for the United States.

What was the performance of Steve Kerr's team in their showcase games?

Steve Kerr's team was 5-0 in their showcase games.

What is Steph Curry's goal for the Olympics?

Steph Curry has his eyes on winning the gold medal.

What is the significance of the Eiffel Tower in the script?

The Eiffel Tower is mentioned as a real background in the reporter's location, not a green screen.

What was the coach's initial reaction to the team's performance in London?

After the games in London, Steve Kerr was lukewarm and did not criticize his team.

What changed in Steve Kerr's approach after arriving in France?

Upon arriving in France, Steve Kerr became more critical, focusing on the team's pace of play and their lack of intensity.

What does Steve Kerr want from his team in terms of playing time and depth?

Steve Kerr wants the team to play with depth, utilizing their advantage of having five Allstars and ensuring they are exhausted after playing only 20-23 minutes.

Who is a key player for Serbia that could pose a challenge to the US team?

Nicoa Yic is a key player for Serbia who could potentially challenge the US team.

What is the significance of the team's performance in Tokyo in 2021?

The team's loss in their opener to France in Tokyo in 2021 set them back and forced them to scramble and change strategies.

What is the current status of Kevin Durant's injury?

Kevin Durant is making good progress and might play against Serbia if he feels well and practices as expected.

What is the role of LeBron James in the team's performance during tough times?

LeBron James has been the go-to player when the team is in trouble, demonstrating leadership and a strong desire to win.

What is the team's strategy regarding three-point shooting?

The team needs to improve their three-point shooting, as LeBron has been their best shooter so far, which is not ideal for his role on the team.

Outlines

00:00

🏀 Team USA's Olympic Preparations and LeBron's Role

The script discusses the Olympic opening ceremonies and LeBron James' role as a flag bearer for the United States. It highlights the performance of Steve Kerr's basketball team, which was undefeated in their showcase games despite some inconsistent play. The focus then shifts to an interview with Steph Curry, where he expresses his determination to win the gold medal and his anticipation for the gold medal game. The reporter also delves into the behind-the-scenes aspects of television reporting, contrasting real-life settings with the use of green screens. The summary of Team USA's warm-up games includes Steve Kerr's critical feedback on the team's pace of play and his desire for them to be more aggressive, especially considering their depth and the short playing time compared to NBA games. The script also mentions the team's first game against Serbia and the importance of starting strong, referencing Team USA's loss to France in Tokyo 2021. The narrative emphasizes the team's reliance on LeBron James in critical moments, despite the presence of young stars, and the need for better three-point shooting.

05:01

🤕 Kevin Durant's Injury Update and Team USA's Strategy

This paragraph provides an update on Kevin Durant's injury status, noting that he has shown good progress after participating in a scrimmage and is expected to practice the following day. The team is cautious due to Durant's past calf injury and subsequent Achilles injury in 2019. The script suggests that Durant's readiness to play in the game against Serbia will depend on how he feels and the team's assessment of his calf's health. The music in the background signifies a transition, possibly to further discuss the team's strategy or other related topics.

Keywords

💡Olympics opening ceremonies

The Olympics opening ceremonies mark the official start of the Olympic Games, where athletes from various countries gather to participate in the event. In the script, it is mentioned that LeBron James will be a flag bearer for the United States, indicating his prominent role and the significance of the event in showcasing national pride and unity.

💡LeBron James

LeBron James is a professional basketball player and is often considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. The script highlights his role as a flag bearer for Team USA, signifying his leadership and influence both on and off the court.

💡Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr is a basketball coach for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA and is mentioned in the script as the coach of Team USA. His coaching style and strategies are discussed, particularly his critical assessment of the team's performance in warm-up games and his desire to see them play with more intensity and pace.

💡Showcase games

Showcase games are exhibition matches that serve to display the skills and abilities of the teams before the main competition. The script refers to Team USA's performance in these games, which were a mix of impressive victories and close calls, indicating areas for improvement.

💡Steph Curry

Steph Curry is a professional basketball player known for his exceptional shooting skills. In the script, Curry is quoted discussing his aspirations for the gold medal, demonstrating the competitive spirit and high stakes of the Olympic Games.

💡Green screen

A green screen is a technology used in film and television production where a green background is replaced with other images or scenes. The script humorously clarifies that the reporter is not using a green screen but is actually standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, adding a personal touch to the report.

💡Warm-up games

Warm-up games are matches played prior to the main event to prepare and gauge the readiness of the teams. The script discusses Team USA's performance in these games, highlighting the coach's concerns and the team's need to improve their pace and intensity.

💡Nicola Jokić

Nicola Jokić is a Serbian professional basketball player and is mentioned in the script as a key player for Serbia. His presence on the Serbian team adds a competitive edge and is a factor that Team USA must consider in their strategy.

💡Injury

Injuries are a common concern in sports, affecting players' performance and availability. The script discusses Kevin Durant's injury and his progress, emphasizing the importance of player health in the context of high-stakes competitions like the Olympics.

💡Three-point shooter

A three-point shooter is a player who specializes in scoring from beyond the three-point line in basketball. The script notes that LeBron James has been the best three-point shooter for Team USA in the warm-up games, which is unexpected given his usual role and the team's need for diverse scoring options.

💡Calf injury

A calf injury refers to any damage or strain to the muscles at the back of the lower leg. The script mentions Kevin Durant's calf injury and the cautious approach taken by Team USA and the Suns, especially considering Durant's past injury history and the importance of ensuring his health for the Olympics.

Highlights

LeBron James will be a flag bearer for the United States at the Olympics opening ceremonies.

Steve Kerr's basketball team was 5-0 in their showcase games.

Steph Curry is focused on winning the gold despite inconsistent play.

The reporter is standing in front of the Eiffel Tower without a green screen.

Team USA had a challenging few weeks with some close calls in warm-up games.

Coach Steve Kerr was initially lukewarm but later became more critical of the team's performance.

Kerr emphasized the need for Team USA to play at a faster pace and be exhausted after games.

Team USA's advantage is their depth and ability to rotate Allstars.

Coach Kerr wants the team to be more focused and intense from the start of the Olympics.

Serbia is considered a potential threat to Team USA with the presence of Nikola Jokic.

Team USA had a strong performance in Abu Dhabi, defeating Australia.

The team had a lapse in focus during games against South Sudan and Germany.

Coach Kerr is using his experience from Tokyo to make adjustments for the Olympics.

Team USA had their most aggressive and high-energy practice since going overseas.

LeBron James has been the go-to player when the team faces difficulty.

LeBron has been Team USA's best three-point shooter in the warm-up games.

Kevin Durant is making good progress from his injury and may play against Serbia.

Team USA is cautious about Durant's calf injury due to his past Achilles injury.

Transcripts

the start of the Olympics opening

ceremonies where LeBron James will be a

flag bearer for the United States as for

his basketball team Steve curr's team

was 5-0 in their showcase games and

despite some inconsistent play Steph

Curry still very much has his eyes on

the gold he was talking to reporters

before the games in Paris begin here's

what Steph said and who are you looking

forward to the most to play

against whoever's in the gold medal game

great answer thank

you all right and so we've got more

answers to get to Brian wior has drawn

this assignment for us and and I want to

take everyone a little bit behind the

scenes in television okay there are

sometimes when you will see a reporter

or someone on TV and they're sitting

they're like that is that really the

Eiffel Tower behind them and there's

actually a green screen it's not real it

is fake Wendy this is real you are

legitimately standing directly in front

of the Eiffel Tower are you not

currently if you want the honest answer

I'm sitting but yes there's no green

screen this is actually a railing right

here it's right across the send behind

me okay right across the sand so you are

having yourself a pretty good week so

far the Team USA has had a very

interesting few weeks talk to me about

what Steve Kerr said because I mentioned

that Team USA was 5-0 in these warm-up

games but there were some close calls

what is the coach

saying yeah after those two games in

London where they won barely over South

Sudan and then had the the four-point

win over Germany I would say Steve Kerr

was kind of lukewarm he what didn't

really criticize his team when they got

here to France two days ago there was a

major shift and he has really been a lot

more critical I'm not sure if it was a

strategy or if it was because he

reviewed the tape or what but he

definitely was trying to send a message

to them specifically he didn't like

their their pace of play he frankly said

they were doging it basically said they

were jogging said that he wants them to

be coming off the court exhausted that

they're only going to be playing 20 23

minutes not a 30 35 minute stretch like

you would play in an NBA game and their

advantage is their depth and their

ability to put five Allstars in for five

guys coming out he didn't see that

against South Sudan and Germany and

starting on Sunday when they open up

with Serbia who frankly greeny I think

there's a pathway for Serbia to beat the

US under certain circumstances he wants

to see them kick it up so they've gotten

here to Paris they've gone across three

continents to play their exhibition

games they've done the ceremonies after

tonight he wants him to focus on

business and boy did he make that clear

the last two days a reminder that Serbia

has nicoa yic so I mean we're talking

about arguably the best player in the

entire world that the US will open with

this wasn't a planned question but you

watch you see so much international

basketball do you agree with Steve cerr

like as you were at these games you're

watching them have they not been laying

it all out there the way he is

suggesting you know greeny in Abu Dhabi

last week they played really well they

they beat Australia pretty handily it

got close at the end but they won that

game really well and then they got their

first look at the serbians and they

pretty much blew them off the court and

I think they got to London where they

enjoyed it being there and I think they

just let their guard down in those two

games I I think what Steve cerr is he

just wants to get them refocused because

look Team USA in Tokyo in 2021 lost

their opener to France and it sort of

set them back a little bit and had them

scrambling and changing things up their

hardest pool play game is again right

out of the gate against Serbia he does

not want there to have to be an egg laid

and a loss on them until they kick into

gear so I think what he's doing is he's

using his experience to tr from Tokyo

when he was an assistant to change this

time and I'm going to be very interested

I want to see how the team responds he

is basically going to the whip here he

wants his team to react I will be

interested to see if they react

yesterday they had faren away their most

aggressive and and high energy practice

that they've had since they've come

overseas so the the team is trying to

respond what has been unquestionable is

when the going has gotten tough they've

turned to LeBron I don't care how old I

mean and we all understand how old he is

and everything else they have all these

young stars who we keep talking about

being ready to take over the NBA but

when the chips have been down they have

gone to LeBron

yes yes I think that's the biggest

takeaway for me from these exhibition

games when they were in trouble of

losing and first off they didn't want to

lose they cared about these games the

ball went to number six and I think if/

when they get in trouble in the Olympics

whether it's in the pool play or in the

metal round the ball's going to go to

number six and look they had one last

second shot where they were down inside

20 seconds needed a basket LeBron took

it and so I think you will see that uh

you know come back they they also need

to shoot better from three-point range

because greeny LeBron's been their best

three-point shooter thus far that is not

what you want to see that is not his

role on this team so in general there

needs to be more options than LeBron but

he wants this this reminds me of the

inseason tournament last year when he

just decided I'm not losing this that's

the energy he's playing with in these uh

warm-up games so far and quickly how

about Kevin Durant what is the situation

with his

injury yeah so good progress he went

through that scrimmage yesterday

assuming no setbacks and he's able to

practice tomorrow I think there's a good

chance he could play for Serbia but they

do want to see how he feels today but

going through two scri two days in a row

in the full scrimmage yesterday was the

best sign yet he thinks he's ready to go

I think it's more of whether TM USA and

the Suns believe that calf is healthy

because as you know greeny 2019 came

back from a calf injury and had that

catastrophic Achilles so just with that

history I think they want to be extra

cautious

[Music]