Team USA finishes atop 2024 Olympics medal count; NFL preseason Week 1 takeaways

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🇺🇸 Good morning to everyone, but especially to …

TEAM USA

After more than two weeks and hundreds of events, the top of the 2024 Paris Olympics medal count came down to a matter of inches … and a whole world of heartbreak for the hosts. France women’s basketball pushed Team USA to the limit, ultimately falling one point short, 67-66. Down three, Gabby Williams chucked up a last-second shot that went in, but it was a 2-pointer with her feet on the line. It’s the eighth straight gold medal and 61st straight Olympic victory for the U.S. women, who were led by tournament MVP A’ja Wilson‘s 21 points and 13 rebounds.

That gave the United States 40 gold medals, tying China for most. The United States dominated the overall medal count with 126 total; China was second with 91.

There was no shortage of drama in the men’s basketball final, either. Stephen Curry, playing in his first Olympics, nailed four late 3-pointers in a stunning display to close out Team USA’s 98-87 win over France. Curry struggled in Team USA’s first four games, but was magnificent in the semifinal and final. Like his career as a whole, Curry was jaw-dropping, Brad Botkin writes.

• Botkin: “Given the stage and stakes, it was possibly the greatest two-game run of Curry’s career … The actual feat of scoring 60 points over 63 minutes of world-class basketball with a gold medal hanging in the balance is incredible no matter how you do it, but what has made Curry maybe the most uniquely exhilarating basketball player we’ve ever seen are the pyrotechnics of his production. … It was just such a fitting way for Curry to get his first gold medal, by taking control of not just a game, but of an arena, of an entire basketball world, and leaving it speechless.”

Curry, of course, wasn’t alone. LeBron James won tournament MVP honors, and Kevin Durant became the first man with four Olympic basketball golds. Simply put, they all did what all-time greats do, Bill Reiter writes.

The USWNT also won gold over the weekend, beating Brazil, 1-0, behind Mallory Swanson‘s goal and Alyssa Naeher‘s goalkeeping heroics, which led to a 10/10 player rating in Sandra Herrera’s estimation. With their redemption arc complete after a 2023 World Cup letdown, the USWNT can focus on 2027, Pardeep Cattry writes. Lindsey Horan agrees, and with Emma Hayes leading the way, the possibilities seem endless.

Here’s more from Paris:

• The closing ceremony featured Tom Cruise jumping off the stadium’s roof and musical numbers from Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Red Hot Chili Peppers, H.E.R. and Billie Eilish hitting the stages in Paris and Los Angelse.
• Here are Team USA athletes’ bonuses for winning medals.
• Matt Norlander shares his 24 most unforgettable moments from the Paris Games. 
• After winning gold, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif filed a complaint claiming she was the subject of online harassment. Here’s the background.
• Tyrese Haliburton has jokes.
• Guerschon Yabusele hopes to parlay a strong Olympics into an NBA return.

👍 Honorable mentions

• Jerry Jones tried to clarify his CeeDee Lamb comments.
• Jim Harbaugh will be an honorary captain for Michigan‘s season opener. Lol.
• The Yankees made a trade.
• Here are Matt Snyder’s latest MLB Power Rankings. 
• The Seahawks traded Nick Harris to the Browns.
• Jeremiah Smith understands the hype … but isn’t getting caught up in it.
• Aaron Rai won the Wyndham Championship amid a wild finish.
• Vergil Ortiz Jr. captured the WBC interim title at 154 pounds with a majority decision over Serhii Bohachuk in a potential Fight of the Year.

🤸 And not such a good morning for …

JORDAN CHILES

The torch has gone out, and the Paris Olympics are officially closed, but a week-old gymnastics controversy remains very much open. After initially missing out on a medal — and then getting one thanks to a scoring change — Jordan Chiles is being told to return her bronze medal from the floor routine.

• One week ago, Chiles finished her routine and received a 13.666. That was fifth, slightly behind Romania‘s Ana Bărbosu and Sabrina Voinea (13.700), who were tied for third based on total score alone. Bărbosu’s execution score was higher than Voinea’s, though, which meant she finished third, and she celebrated accordingly
• However, Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi requested to file an inquiry regarding the difficulty of Chiles’ routine, and upon review, the judges added another 0.1 points to her difficulty. That gave Chiles a 13.766 score and the bronze behind Rebeca Andrade (gold) and Simone Biles (silver). Inquiries are a regular occurrence, and while it created an awkward moment at first, Biles took to the podium and received the medal.
• On Saturday, however, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Landi’s request came four seconds after the one-minute inquiry deadline. The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique amended the standings, and the International Olympic Committee ordered Chiles return the medal, which will be rewarded to Bărbosu.
• On Sunday, though, USA Gymnastics submitted video showing Landi filing her requests 47 seconds after (and again 55 seconds after) Chiles’ score was revealed.

We’ll see where this goes, but it’s unfortunate for and unfair to both athletes involved.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

• The 49ers canceled joint practices with the Saints as injuries mount.
• Several Olympics women’s basketball stars criticized the WNBA’s prioritization rule. 
• It doesn’t sound like Jasson Domínguez will get a call up.
• The Dodgers‘ pitcher injuries continue with River Ryan‘s season over.
• The skidding Braves blew a lead in historic fashion against the Rockies.
• The Padres‘ winning streak ended in bizarre fashion.
• Rueben Owens (lower body) is expected to miss the entire season.

👀 Projecting 2028 Team USA rosters for basketball, flag football, baseball

The countdown to the 2028 Los Angeles Games is officially on, and we already have our eyes on the rosters for two of Team USA’s gold-medal standard bearers: men’s and women’s basketball.

For men’s basketball, 2028 comes into immediate focus, especially with James and Curry unlikely to play, Durant uncertain and the world continuing to catch up. Victor Wembanyama, in fact, was warning opponents “everywhere” of what’s to come. Sam Quinn projected the 2028 men’s Team USA roster, and wings will be a priority. One intriguing name is …

• Quinn: “Fortunately, we have another wing coming up through the pipeline who should be an All-Star by 2028 and fits like a glove: Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City’s budding star wing is a low-volume 3-point shooter, but made 48.7% of his wide-open triples last season. Guess what kind of shots tend to be available for Team USA? He’s a versatile defender who can create his own look, but is used to playing in a relatively egalitarian system in Oklahoma City, so he won’t mind if his touches vary from game-to-game.”

On the women’s side, Jack Maloney says Caitlin Clark is a near lock after a controversial snub this time around. The true locks, in Jack’s opinion, are …

• A’ja Wilson
• Breanna Stewart
• Napheesa Collier
• Jackie Young
• Sabrina Ionescu

There will be plenty of star power joining those groups in 2028 with flag football and baseball debuting. Cody Benjamin has 13 NFL stars who could make sense, led by …

• Benjamin: “Lamar Jackson — Speed and agility take precedence over physicality in flag football, and the Ravens star has long set the standard for dual-threat signal-callers. He’ll be 31 in 2028, but like Michael Vick before him, Jackson’s also got effortless arm strength. There isn’t a more dynamic prospect to man the starting quarterback spot, even looking a half-decade ahead.”

Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Paul Skenes would lead Team USA … if MLB lets them play, Dayn Perry writes. Judge says he’d be “all in.”

🏈 NFL preseason Week 1: Caleb Williams shines, highlights

Week 1 of the preseason is in the books, and pick No. 1 looked the part. In limited action, Caleb Williams threw for 95 yards, added 13 more on the ground, produced plenty of highlights and landed atop Josh Edwards’ rookie quarterback rankings for the week.

• Edwards: “Chicago did a good job of moving the pocket for him and allowing him to make throws in space. He showed good arm strength drilling a pass to D.J. Moore, who had sat down in tight coverage. In last week’s ‘Hard Knocks,’ Williams worked on sliding and put those drills to the test against the Bills.”

We also have an in-depth look at all six first-round quarterbacks, and the general consensus is it went well! Yay!

Here’s more from Week 1:

• Highlights from around the league
• Sauce Gardner had high praise for Jayden Daniels.
• Sadly there were plenty of injuries to go around, including Marquise Brown (sternoclavicular joint dislocation) being hospitalized and Troy Fautanu suffering a knee injury.
• The Chiefs got burnt by the new kickoff rule. The referees were initially confused, too.

📺 What we’re watching Monday

⚾ Rangers at Red Sox, 7 p.m. on ESPN