Dwyane Wade hugged a smiling Stephen Curry.
LeBron James was crowned with “MVP” chants in France.
On a day when Kevin Durant returned to the hardwood to dominate the first half, the biggest symbol of Team USA’s dominance wasn’t a game-high 23 points from the Slim Reaper or The King nearly achieving a triple-double in the Olympics opener.
It was the player who didn’t even have to play as the United States destroyed Nikola Jokic and Serbia 110-84 in Lille.
Joel Embiid was loudly booed by French fans and had little impact in the 26-point blowout.
But Jayson Tatum is a four-time All-NBA selection, All-Star Game MVP and reigning NBA champion.
Tatum — who’s one of the best players in The Association — stayed on the bench the entire time.
“There’s greatness on the floor,” said Durant on Eurosport, after sinking 8-of-9 shots and hitting all five of his 3-pointers.
So much greatness that Kerr used a starting lineup that baffled some fans, and Team USA still won by almost 30.
Such an overloaded roster — one already compared to a legendary 1992 Dream Team — that Tatum’s absence wasn’t felt, even though he was 100 percent essential to the Boston Celtics winning the recent NBA championship.
Durant was billed on social media as the “Last Avenger” the squad was waiting for.
With Marvel’s superhero movie franchise back in the news — Robert Downey Jr is set to play Doctor Doom in a new run of flicks — Team USA in 2024 is being compared to an almost unstoppable collection of huge names.
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Thanos isn’t around in these Olympics.
If Team USA keeps clicking like this, it’s easy to envision Durant winning his fourth gold medal and James claiming his third.
“We really got The Avengers on Team USA,” a fan posted. “This is wild.”
Team USA shot 62.3 percent from the floor and a super-smooth 56.3 percent on 3s.
Jokic, like Tatum, was an afterthought and his 20 points barely made a dent.
Up next for James and Durant is South Sudan, who nearly pulled off a huge upset in London at the 02 last week.
Team USA might need Tatum on the court for that one.
Or at least a better game from Embiid.
