In a surprising turn of events, Team USA exited the FIBA World Cup on Wednesday, following a loss against France. The quarterfinal game, which took place at Dongguan Basketball Center in Dongguan, China, saw France walk away with a 89-79 victory, ending USA's 58-game international winning streak in non-exhibition games featuring NBA players. France will face off against Argentina in the semifinals on Friday, while Team USA will play Serbia for a consolation game on Thursday.
The loss dashes hopes of Team USA achieving their sixth consecutive gold medal at the FIBA World Cup. And while fans may be disappointed in the team's performance, no one can be that surprised after so many elite players dropped out ahead of the tournament. Couple that with the rest of the world only getting stronger, and Team USA's loss just doesn't feel so shocking.
After the loss, some people praised France's play, while others trolled the four Celtics on Team USA. Check out some reactions below.
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In a recent interview with the Undefeated, former NBA commissioner David Stern commented on the amount of players who dropped out of Team USA. "FIBA made a mistake moving the World Cup into odd years," he explained earlier this week. "And as a result, you are asking players to play in the FIBA world championship, play in the season and then play in the Olympics. And I think that pushed a lot of players to feel that they should make a choice between back-to-back years of international competition. And that’s it."
