US basketball players become world champions: something to rave about

What happened in the locker room during half-time? That's what they all wanted to know after the game and the winners' ceremony in the Berlin Arena near the Ostbahnhof very late on Sunday evening. In the second quarter of the World Cup final, it briefly seemed as if France could stop the Americans' run of dethroning the “Queens of Basketball” over the last 16 years. And in doing so, they also took revenge for the narrow defeat in the final of the Olympic Games in Paris two years ago (67:66).

The throws are falling, the defense is sitting. The threesome rate among French women has now reached almost 60 percent. “Les Bleues” even lead over a long distance. And then comes the break, the third quarter, and the USA wins the World Cup for the fifth time in a row. In the end, the clear 97:79 does not reflect the excellent performance of the French team at times.

From the start, the final promises an even higher level of play than any other game in the tournament before it. No wonder, after all, even in the French squad, two thirds of the team play in the WNBA. Sue Bird, Dirk Nowitzki, Dennis Schröder, Pau Gasol, all the stars and over 12,000 fans are there to watch it. It is France's first ever World Cup final, but they are not intimidated by the top favorites - at least in the first half.

But whatever was discussed in the locker room, after the break the USA stepped up a gear, one too much for the French team. “We put the pedal to the metal and drove away,” US coach Kara Lawson couldn’t describe it better. Although the second quarter was actually her favorite, it showed how resilient her team was.

There is no denying that the USA simply have incredible quality in their squad. But Lawson and Breanna Stewart, MVP of the tournament and now world champion for the fourth time, couldn't stop raving after the game. The brief shock in the group phase when they almost lost a game against Italy also seems to have been forgotten.

“Stewie” is an incredible player who can play any position just to win, says Lawson. “The face of US basketball for the last 14 years.” To which Stewart counters that she also wanted to win for Kara because she was such a great coach. Then she also praises the young players who are so combative.

One of them is superstar Caitlin Clark, who actually fell short of her expectations. In the final she is only on the floor for 13 minutes. Although she played stably throughout the tournament, she didn't deliver the big show that some fans might have hoped for. In the final, Jackie Young shone alongside Breanna Stewart for the US team; plays 29 minutes, scores 18 points and is rightly named Player of the Game.

The most notable youngster in the final, however, comes from the French team and is called Dominique Malonga. At just 20 years old, she took on responsibility again in the fourth quarter when everything seemed lost, fought her way under the basket just as well as she scored from the three-point line, and even forced the USA into a timeout. With 21 points she surpassed star player Gabby Williams. We'll be hearing a lot more about Malonga in the WNBA; she's already known there because of a successful dunking in the game.

And what happened during the half-time break? Coach Lawson doesn't remember, she just mentioned the tactics. Stewart corrects: “Kara told us that France will no longer be able to keep up by the fourth quarter at the latest.” In addition to their sporting strength, this is probably what makes the US team so invincible: the certainty that they will always win in the end. Or as Stewart adds: "We want the whole world to know: The US team always wants gold. No matter what the situation is in the game, I always think I have a chance to win." This is a winning mentality that is almost unpleasant. But that's how you get gold.