The men’s basketball final between Team USA and France will take place on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
On most nights, Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert start for the Timberwolves. On Saturday, Edwards and Team USA will face Gobert and France in the men’s basketball final in Paris, where a gold medal is on the line.
While both have helped their countries reach the final on the world’s largest stage, Edwards and Gobert — who, along with Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love, are the only Timberwolves players to have played in the Olympics — have had distinct paths to the final and levels of success.
Edwards has shown to be one of America’s most efficient scorers. Edwards’ Olympic career has included a game-high 26 points in their final group-stage game against Puerto Rico, followed by a 17-point performance in the quarterfinals against Brazil. Edwards scored two points and played 13 minutes in Thursday’s epic semifinal comeback victory over Serbia.
Gobert, meanwhile, started all three of France’s group-stage games, averaging six points per game as the French won 2-1. But Gobert has found himself on the bench in the knockout phase, playing only 3 minutes, 41 seconds in a quarterfinal win over Canada and 5 minutes, 9 seconds in France’s semifinal win over Germany. Gobert’s limited role has not been without controversy. Gobert has been hindered by a finger injury that he claims necessitated surgery; however, France’s coach Vincent Collet later denied Gobert’s allegation, stating that he was benched for the game against Canada. That will undoubtedly be a storyline to follow ahead of the gold medal game. To compete with Edwards and a U.S. team loaded with talent, including the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum, whose lack of playing time has also been controversial, the French will most likely need Gobert in the lineup, and for him to perform admirably.
Even with a talented U.S. team, Edwards created waves ahead of the Olympics by stating that he still saw himself as the best choice. Edwards has certainly played like it, as evidenced by his performances against Puerto Rico and Brazil, and he is one of the team’s leading scorers.
There will be plenty of drama in the gold medal game, but one of the most exciting aspects for Timberwolves fans will be watching Edwards and Gobert compete. Edwards and the United States will face Gobert and France on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST in a game broadcast on NBC.
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