Golden thriller
In retrospect, perhaps the women’s basketball championship set-to in the Paris Olympics was supposed to go the way it did — with the United States on one side and France on the other. Much was certainly at stake. Heading into the encounter, one team (of red, white, and blue) carried with it a 60-match, seven-Gold streak. Meanwhile, the other squad (also of red, white, and blue) was buoyed by both host-nation pride and a desire to reverse the outcome in the final of the Tokyo Games. Even the big picture — as to which country would emerge on top of the medal tally — depended on the outcome.
To be sure, not a few observers found themselves reeling from the low-scoring affair. Although 24 of the world’s best players were on tap, making baskets appeared to be a challenge. On one hand, the defense was admittedly stellar; as had been the case in other FIBA tournaments outside of the 20,300-strong Bercy Arena over the last fortnight, the referees saw fit to hold loose whistles. On the other, it seemed as if the moment proved too big even for supposed stalwarts; poor execution, uncharacteristic misfires, and sloppy turnovers led to a depressed (and, yes, depressing) 25-25 score at the half.
Fortunately, the contest picked up in the last two periods. The best of the best finally got to separate themselves from the rest. For the US, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and Kahleah Copper got going. For France, Gabby Williams, Valeriane Ayayi, and Marieme Badiane aimed to keep pace. And back and forth the momentum went, leading to a spirited fourth quarter that had four ties, two lead changes, and an advantage that did not go higher than five points either way.
Considering how close the battle was, it’s fair to argue that breaks decided the victor. As the clock ticked to zero, the US celebrated with relief, preserving its reign at the top of the sport via the slimmest of margins. It narrowly avoided overtime, with Williams literally a foot away from having her buzzer-beating heave counted as a three instead of a two. That said, France may not have needed to rely on heroics to stay alive had previous offensive forays not been wasted on ill-advised trey attempts — five consecutive, to be precise, that could have been used on closer tries instead.
The middling manner in which the title tiff unfolded precludes its replay value, but there can be no denying the effort and desire to win of all those who burned rubber. Through all the poor coaching choices by both the US and France, the players managed to lay everything on the line. And, in the final analysis, fans have no right to ask for more.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.