Stellar Wembanyama performance not enough as killer flaw loses France the gold

In what was one of the most thrilling matchups we've ever seen, the San Antonio Spurs' big man Victor Wembanyama and Team France fell just short 98-87 in the gold medal game versus Team USA. There was tons of pressure for Victor and France as the hosting country. However, Wemby didn't fold under the bright lights, as he recorded 26 points and seven rebounds on 11-19 shots in the title game.

But it would come down to the last minutes, with the greatest shooter of all time, Stephen Curry, hitting four consecutive threes in a row, including a step-back three over Nic Batum and Evan Fournier, to ice the game and seal Team USA's fifth straight gold medal.

While it was exhilarating to see America reign over the basketball world once again, this game was a nail-biter and one that France could have stolen. Sadly, one flaw in a winnable game ruined their chances of shocking the world.

France failed to continue executing through Wembanyama

When Victor was on the floor, there was no doubt that a significant factor in France keeping this game as close as it was was his performance. Despite that, multiple times throughout the night, France failed to continue running their offense through the Rookie of the Year winner.

Wemby was looking to do it all on the offensive end, scoring and playmaking in his attempt to bring home the gold. Every time he stepped out on the floor, he was doing it all, keeping the game close and staying hot. Yet France wasn't letting him take them to victory, as he stayed hot every time he checked into the floor.

Now, basketball isn't an individual sport, and guys like Evan Fournier and Guerschon Yabusele also played massive roles in keeping this game competitive. Still, when a guy like Wemby is leading the charge every minute he's on the floor, you must keep getting the ball in his hands, whether you're expecting him to score or create opportunities for his teammates.

We saw flashes of this trait last season, but Victor is one of the most unselfish players you can find on the basketball court. He always has a past-first mentality, and there were times when that came back to haunt him. Because as many times he took advantage of the Jrue Holiday mismatch, there were a few times that he passed on the matchup he could've easily won.

Regardless, Team France missed many opportunities. If they had been a little more intent on getting the ball to the hot hand throughout the game, they could've had a real shot at pulling off the upset.

Nevertheless, France was one of, if not the sole Cinderella story of the Olympic Games, as their path to the silver medal went through teams Canada, Germany, and the newly classic battle with the USA to overperform in front of their home crowd. At the end of the day, Steph Curry was inevitable, and the entire country got to share the same joy that Warriors fans have had all these years, which normally is a pain to endure.

Wemby and France will be back in 2028, and it will be scary to see how good he's become in the next four years.