Think Team USA has a lock on gold? Here's how LeBron & Co. could get beaten

VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France — Limit LeBron James. Limit Steph Curry. Limit .

And Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid and Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum. And on and on and on. When put that way, the idea of beating the U.

S. men’s 5x5 basketball team at the seems daunting if not impossible. Beating the U.

S. team loaded with All-Stars won’t be easy, but it’s doable. South Sudan and Germany proved that in exhibition games in the past week – (with a chance to win on the game’s final shot) and Germany fell 92-88.

Both teams provided a blueprint for upsetting the heavy gold-medal favorite. Serbia will be first up when the . How a team can beat the U.

S. at the 2024 Paris Games: Germany and South Sudan made enough 3-pointers to keep it close. The U.

S. will put up points with its elite scorers even if it’s not shooting great, so an opponent will need to keep up. Hitting 3s is one way to do that.

Germany shot just 44.4% from the field and just 28.9% on 3-pointers.

However, it made seven more 3s than the U.S. South Sudan shot 42.

4% on 3s, making 14 – also seven more than the U.S. In five exhibition games, the U.

S. was even in 3s made against , Serbia, Australia, South Sudan and at 48 apiece. Getting hot from 3 will give a medal contender an avenue to victory against the U.

S. The U.S.

assembled 12 players who have not played together as a full squad. Sure, and Steph Curry were teammates with Golden State, and Durant and Devin Booker are teammates with Phoenix, a.