Steph Curry’s Golden Dagger Put France To Sleep In Olympic Gold Medal Game & The Reactions Are Hysterical

Matt Fitzgerald·
CULTURESPORTS
·
Steph Curry
NBC

In the span of about 130 seconds of actual game time, Steph Curry hit everything he looked at from beyond the arc. Four attempts. Four critical makes. None more impressive than the “golden dagger” to clinch Team USA’s fifth straight men’s basketball gold medal in a 98-87 win over France.

All told, Curry knocked down eight treys on the afternoon. He finished with a team-high 24 points to help offset Victor Wembanyama’s 26 for the Summer Olympics hosts. As clutch as LeBron and Steph were in the Americans’ rally to defeat Serbia in the semifinals, the latter’s shotmaking display on Saturday was just a reminder of how Curry is the greatest shooter in the sport’s history. It ain’t close.

You could actually argue the “golden dagger” accounts for all four of the bombs Curry knocked down in the final three minutes. I’ll give you all four shots in a row below, but first, just look at how beautiful this graphic is:

How about the resume Curry keeps adding to? Given the ankle injuries he had to start his career, I legit can’t believe he’s this good this many years in. But it’s freaking awesome to see.

France put up a hell of a fight for a squad without anyone of note other than Wemby. But man, what a cool thing it is. I’ve always liked Steph — he’s probably the easiest superstar to like, how could you not? — and at least for this Summer Games basketball tournament, Americans everywhere who aren’t Warriors fans are thrilled to have him on their side.

That’s one of the prevailing themes of the reactions to Curry’s latest scoring eruption, which is a singular phenomenon unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed in sports. Another overarching sentiment is reverence for just how incredible Steph is as a shooter. I almost can’t say it enough because he’s that damn good.

Shout out to the Warriors X/Twitter admin for gathering several NBA players’ thoughts, too. Man what a rush. I’ll say it for as long as he’s playing: Steph Curry is one of those generational athletes who, when they’re going off, make more people want to stop what they’re doing and tune in so they don’t miss it? I’ve felt that way ever since he willed Davidson to the Elite Eight during his college days.

That old magic was on full display in the final two games of the Olympics, culminating in a well-deserved gold medal for a first-time Olympian in Curry. The Golden State legend took full advantage of his golden opportunity.

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