UNDISPUTED host Skip Bayless took aim at Team USA star Kevin Durant.
Colleague Keyshawn Johnson discussed a hypothetical scenario in which Paul Pierce was added to the Golden State Warriors’ dominant team instead of Durant.
“If I put Paul Pierce on the Golden State Warriors with Klay Thompson, Draymond and Steph Curry, don’t you think he could do the same shit?” Johnson asked.
Johnson was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
And Durant referenced some of the other talent available in that Draft class in a response on X.
“If the Jets had taken Jonathan Ogden, Marvin Harrison, Ray Lewis or Eddie George No. 1, they would have been better off… I hate hypotheticals,” he posted.
Durant recently inspired Team USA to a 23-point comeback victory over Serbia at the Paris Olympics.
And Bayless said he found it strange that Durant couldn’t build on his performance instead of criticizing Johnson.
“I’ll say it again about Kevin,” he said.
“He is the thinnest star in the history of the sport.
“Because he had accounts burned and continued to put himself down, to go completely below his all-time great dignity and to engage with no one on Twitter.
“He was doing this yesterday, going back and forth with no one.”
Durant’s return on Sunday was well-received after he lost all five exhibition games in Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi and London.
The scoring power was out due to a calf strain.
Durant didn’t start the game, but he also wasn’t limited in minutes.
According to the NBC broadcast, the USA Basketball team was cautious not to rush the 35-year-old’s return too soon.
But he was on fire at the start of the game against Serbia.
USA Basketball Olympic Schedule
Men
July 28, 11:15 a.m. ET – USA 110-84 Serbia, NBC
July 31, 3pm ET – USA vs. South Sudan, USA Network
August 3, 11:15 a.m. ET – USA vs. Puerto Rico, NBC
Women
July 29, 3pm ET, USA 102-76 Japan, USA Network
August 1, 3 p.m. ET, USA vs. Belgium, USA Network
August 4, 11:15 a.m. ET USA vs. Germany, USA Network
And Dwayne Wade summed up his value to the U.S. team by calling the game on NBC.
“He brings a different dynamic to this team that no one has seen in this tournament,” Wade said.
The US team had an early scare when they fell behind 10-2 and Kerr defeated Joel Embiid.
But LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Durant took over and proved too hot for Serbia to handle.
The final score of 110 to 84 summed up a resounding victory for the American team.
Durant finished with 23 points on 8-9 shooting, while James, who led the team to two wins in London last week, had 21.
‘Ego and other nonsense’
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US basketball team for Paris 2024 Olympics faces “disaster”
According to DailyMail.comthe team could face an “embarrassment” in their quest for Olympic gold this summer.
They quoted a source as saying: “They will never hear the end if they lose, they are supposed to be the best in the world so act like it and don’t let ego and other bullshit take control of what should be automatic. .
“The ego that is within the team, everyone thinks for themselves and not for the team as a whole.
“This can and will be a disaster if they all don’t change their thought process, they will have to play as a team.”
This year’s US team is one of the most star-studded in history, with players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant making up the squad.
He told NBC: “I’ve been building with these guys over the last few weeks and I’m looking forward to getting back on the court. I’m happy to be with the team.
“We talked at training camp about being connected.
“A lot of the other teams have been playing together since they were kids and we were together for a few weeks.
“We had to build that trust very quickly and everyone is playing for each other.”
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