Kevin Durant will captain the US team that will compete in the Tokyo Olympics. The 32-year-old Nets star is aiming for his third Olympic gold after those he won in 2012 and 2016. Durant also won the 2010 World Cup with the United States, where he was named Player of the Tournament. This season he led the Nets, who were eliminated by Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Also on the team will again be Draymond Green, who won the gold medal in Rio 2016. The latest losses added to victims of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving were to Stephen Curry and James Harden. The US team was disappointed in its last competition, the 2019 World Cup, in which it finished seventh after losing to France and Serbia.
The American team will include many stars in Tokyo such as Damien Lillard, Bradley Beal, Pam Adebayo and Jason Tatum. Kevin Love, who won gold in London 2012, is back in the group that will be led by Greg Popovich. Three coach-callers continue to play in the conference finals: Chris Middleton, Gro Holiday with Milwaukee, and Devin Booker with Phoenix.
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La 12 jugadores que forman la lista del equipo estadounidense son: Adebayo (Miami), Beal (Washington), Booker (Phoenix), Durant (Brooklyn), Grant (Detroit), Draymond Green (Golden State), Holiday (Milwaukee), LaVine (Chicago), Lillard (Portland), Love (Cleveland), Middleton (Milwaukee) and Tatum (Boston).
Atlanta takes advantage of Milwaukee
Trae Young propelled the Atlanta Hawks to a first victory over the Milwaukee Bucks (113-116) in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The 22-year-old goalkeeper dominated the game and led his team’s attack. He added 48 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds. The Bucks defense didn’t stop Young’s persistent offensive actions who collected 34 shots from the field and 12 free throws. The match was too close and the Bucks was on the verge of forcing an extension, but Khris Middleton missed the treble in the final trumpet. The differences were minimal. Giannis Antetokonmo trimmed the Hawks’ lead by one point five seconds before the end, (113-114) and a second later Young scored two free throws and set up a 113-116 that ended up being the final.
The Falcons have achieved six victories and only lost in the away matches they played in playoffs. “Since I was in high school, I have always loved to play away from home,” Young said. “I loved playing against an opponent and against a large crowd. This unites more for the team you are playing for.” Besides him, John Collins was distinguished by 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Capella with 12 points and 19 rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic started but had a knee injury and only played six times and scored four points.
The Bucks focused their attacking abilities on two players, Antetokounmo, with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists, and Gro Holiday, with 33 points and 10 assists. Middleton was below his usual averages. He closed with 15 points after missing the nine three-pointers he threw. He was one of the main responsible for his team’s poor final balance of max with just 8 hits in the 36 triples he tried (22%). The Hawks weren’t much better on the field in 8 out of 32 (25%).
The Hawks have not won a conference away game in a conference final in over 50 years. They reached the East Finals in 2015, but were swept away by the Cleveland Cavaliers from LeBron James. The Hawks last reached the final in 1961, three years after they won their only title, when the franchise was still in St. Louis.
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