Paris 2024 Paralympics | Wheelchair basketball: We attended a match by the American men's team, double title holders

Paralympic champions at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games, Team USA is a self-proclaimed candidate for its own succession in wheelchair basketball. Drawn in Pool B alongside Spain, the Netherlands and Australia, the Americans have so far impressed with two wins from as many games played. In particular, they are relying on their solid collective experience.

An unbeatable start

When the American starting five was announced, it was easy to imagine how apprehensive the Dutch were about their second group match on Saturday 31 August. All the players took part in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. Others are on the bench, so it's hard to do better than that for collective reference points. In a packed Arena Bercy, Jake Williams' team-mates were quick to prove it.

Although they conceded the first points, on an early basket by Robin Poggenwisch, the men in blue went on to show off their talent to the full. Initially inaccurate in front of the basket, they relied on an intractable defence in the first quarter. The Netherlands didn't score a single point for almost nine minutes and saw their opponents take off. At the end of the first ten minutes, Team USA led 17-4. This was a better start than the 66-55 victory over Spain in their first match. The same scoreline that enabled the Netherlands to beat Australia.

A slight dip in performance...

In front of a home crowd that was clearly behind them, the reigning world champions gradually fell off the pace in the second quarter. Their defence was no longer so imperious, and the Americans were committing more and more fouls. Dutch playmaker Mendel Op den Orth took full advantage (19-29 at half-time). He was the match's top scorer with 26 points. That's 76% of his team's points.

... only to come back stronger

So to counter the Orange's leader, the American blue chips woke up, after having been able to keep their heads above water during the weaker periods. Jake Williams, who had already scored 22 points and 7 rebounds against Spain, got into his stride (17 points). His team-mates Brian Bell (18 points) and flag-bearer Steve Serio (13 points) followed suit. Rather than looking for the difference on the outside, they often found the solution in the middle, with deep passes to the basket. It was a recipe that worked, and allowed them to maintain a certain gap in the score (43-32 at the end of the third quarter). Managing the game, confident but not over-playing, Team USA got on with it.

An experienced and confident team

With the team working as a whole, the American individuals stepped aside and showed their efficiency to take the lead at the end of the game. In the last ten minutes, the Netherlands scored just one basket, a two-pointer, unable to improve on Robin Op den Orth's exit. In the end, the score was 60-34, thanks in no small part to an unstoppable start and finish from the two-time defending Paralympic champions.

The American mission

At the end of the game, as the players shook hands, the positions of the two teams contrasted. While the Dutch gathered by their bench to debrief the game, the Americans left the field immediately. On a mission to win their third title in a row, the day's event is over. There is one more to come. It will involve a final group match and finals in the quarter-finals. Faced with such mastery, their main rivals, the British and Japanese in particular, may well be apprehensive.