July 30, Paris (Reuters) – Tuesday’s opening pool stage match of the Paris Olympics saw top-ranked Serbia defeat the United States 22–14, living up to its expectations as the favorites for the gold medal in men’s 3×3 basketball.
“Doctor Strange” Strahinja Stojacic and his associates overcame the physical challenges posed by their rivals to defeat the Americans ranked second, who are looking for vengeance in Paris following their failure to advance to the sport’s Tokyo debut.
Earlier in the intense heat of the day, Latvia defeated Lithuania 21-14 to begin their bid to defend the men’s title they won in Tokyo.
Tokyo gold medalists “Robin” Nauris Miezis and “Batman” Karlis Lasmanis combined for 16 points, including five long-range two-pointers, to lead a revamped Latvia squad to victory. It’s the Olympics, so you need to prepare yourself mentally.
This is the most crucial element, according to Miezis. “We have two new players, and I hope they saw how it will go here.”
The women’s defending champions, the United States, had a less than ideal start to the competition as Germany defeated them 17–13 in the opening match. In the luminous twilight ambiance of the famous Place de la Concorde, France’s men defeated Poland 21-19 with a crucial two-pointer, shortly after their ladies lost 19-21 to top-seeded China in overtime.
In the other opening games, the men’s team from the Netherlands defeated China 21-16, the women’s team from Canada defeated Australia 22-14, and Spain defeated Azerbaijan 18-16.
Played on a half-size court with three players on each side rather than five, the 3×3 is a formalized variation of pick-up basketball that has been played on streets and in school gyms for decades.
In normal basketball, a basket from within the three-point line is worth two points; a basket from outside the line is worth one.
The game has a fast-paced atmosphere because to the 10-minute time limit and 12-second shot clock, and courtside DJs pay homage to the sport’s urban, street origins.
The top two teams in each pool advance directly to the semifinals, with the remaining four teams competing for the final four berths.