The U.S. men are favored for basketball gold at the Paris Games but many challengers await them

There is one goal, and it’s always the same goal for USA Basketball. “We have a lot of respect for those guys, but basketball still lies here.” Call that the mission within the mission for the U.S. in Paris: Winning is the goal, but there’s also a clear sense that it’d be nice to remind the rest of the world that — while there are great players hailing from all over the planet — no nation can put together a roster like the one the Americans have for these games. “It’s going to be historic for sure with this team, so I’m just happy to be a part of it, honestly,” said U.S. guard Anthony Edwards, one of the Olympic rookies on the roster. Just happy to be a part of it.” There is history on the line: Durant could become the first men’s player with four Olympic basketball golds, James is seeking a fourth Olympic medal and the Americans are trying to win five Olympic titles in a row for the first time since winning the first seven competitions held from 1936 through 1968. “Only when we got done did we realize what we had done as a group, not just the accomplishment of winning gold but realizing the chemistry we had as a team.” Jokic, Group C Nikola Jokic didn’t even play for Serbia when his nation won silver at the World Cup last summer; adding him to the mix obviously makes that team look even tougher on paper.