Report Card: USA 98, France 71

USA

98

Final

71

France

STARTERS

	Chris Paul, G 2-4 FG | 1-2 3PT | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 5 PTS Maybe this is just who CP3 is going to be for Team USA. He played fine, but he still wasn't the guy we see in the NBA who always has the game in the palm of his hand. He plays good perimeter D and makes smart decisions, but he's not in charge here.
	Kobe Bryant, G 2-6 FG | 2-5 3PT | 4-4 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 10 PTS For the first time in his career, Kobe is a third option on this team — his role is to provide another scoring outlet after LeBron and KD and take his shots when they come. He did that well today, playing within the flow of the game and getting to the line.
	Kevin Durant, F 6-13 FG | 3-5 3PT | 7-7 FT | 9 REB | 2 AST | 22 PTS Now that's what we call an Olympic debut. Durant attacked relentlessly, shot well from deep, and lived at the stripe. He also came up big in the paint, pulling down 9 boards and registering 2 blocks. He did it all, and France simply didn't have an answer.
	LeBron James, F 4-6 FG | 1-2 3PT | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 8 AST | 9 PTS Team USA's undisputed floor leader. He does it all — handles the ball, initiates the offense, sets the tone on D, and sets up his teammates. He may not have scored much today, but he did throw a wicked 50-foot bounce pass that made me scream with joy.
	Tyson Chandler, C 3-5 FG | 0-0 3PT | 2-5 FT | 9 REB | 3 AST | 8 PTS A nice bounce-back game from Tyson. He still didn't play much, but it wasn't because of foul trouble. He was aggressive on both ends, and he scored, passed, rebounded, and defended beautifully. Imagine what he could have done with more than 11 minutes...

Pre-Game Primer: USA vs. France

Olympic Basketball Arena
London, England

Time: Sunday, 9:30 a.m. EDT

TV: NBC Sports Network

This one counts. I know we've all spent plenty of time picking apart and overanalyzing Team USA's five games to this point, and that's been a worthwhile exercise. But this is why they played those games — to prepare for the day when the games would actually matter, when the quest for another gold medal would officially begin. That day is Sunday. To be sure, it is still only pool play — a loss in this initial phase won't single-handedly doom the United States' chances like it will farther down the road. But at the same time, if you're coach Mike Krzyzewski and the crew, you don't want to risk dropping games here and drawing a less favorable seed in the single-elimination portion of the tournament. You don't want to make your road to the podium any harder than it has to be. This one counts. It's go time.