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“Damian Lillard or Kevin Durant should hit the game-winner”: Team USA has conflicting opinions on who needs to hit the final shot during Tokyo 2020

Samir Mehdi
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“Damian Lillard or Kevin Durant should hit the game-winner": Team USA has conflicting opinions on who needs to hit the final shot during Tokyo 2020

Team USA seems to be conflicted on whether they want Damian Lillard or Kevin Durant to take the final shot with the game on the line. 

Team USA is filled to the brim with talent and with a roster consisting of players who are all used to being ‘the man’ on their respective teams, it’s interesting to ponder upon who the ‘alpha’ is on their squad. Damian Lillard has been seen at postgame pressers as the sole player next to Coach Pop while Kevin Durant seems to be the go-to bucket getter for the Americans. 

During their semis against Australia, Kevin Durant was undoubtedly the best player on the floor, dropping 23 points to go along with Devin Booker’s 20 to come back from down 15. With Team USA fighting for Gold for a fourth straight Olympics, NBA and basketball fans have yet to see who takes the final shot in a game as most of their bouts have not been close.

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Team USA players themselves seem to be a bit conflicted on this well, as they were asked this same question prior to their game against Australia. 

Kevin Durant or Damian Lillard needs to take the final shot according to Team USA players. 

In a video that was uploaded to the USA basketball TikTok page, Team USA was asked who they believe should be given the green light for a potential game-winning shot if the game were on the line. Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and Jayson Tatum, all hilariously chose themselves while Zach Lavine gave props to Dame.

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Lavine’s logic was sound in that, Damian Lillard has hot two game winners over his teams so he gives the nod to him. Draymond Green seems to be fine with either Kevin Durant or Dame taking the shot while Bam Adebayo is riding with the former during this hypothetical. 

In all fairness, Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard have been clutch throughout the entirety of their careers. They’ve hit go-ahead shots in the regular season and in the Playoffs, all of which have been iconic in their own right. Team USA would more than likely be comfortable with either of them taking the shot as it would be as good of a shot they could get. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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