RIO DE JANEIRO -- Some at-the-buzzer instant analysis from press row at the Carioca Arena 1 after Team USA narrowly completed a five-game sweep of its fellow Group A residents with a 100-97 victory over France on Sunday:
How it happened: If you were excited for the opportunity to see Tony Parker lead France against his American buddies from the NBA, you'll have to wait until the semifinals of this Olympic tournament.
Assuming France can get that far.
A victory Sunday would have given the French a shot at the top seed in Group A, but France coach Vincent Collet -- despite the encouragement he surely drew from Team USA's struggles against Australia and Serbia -- made the decision to risk nothing and sit Captain Parker.
It turns out that Parker sustained a toe injury in France's victory Friday night over Venezuela, according to a tweet from France's official team account that wasn't issued until the start of the second half.
Despite being fully dressed and taking part in pregame warm-ups, Parker is "out until the quarterfinals."
So ...
Parker's absence definitely dilutes the quality of the win, as does the fact that Team USA had to endure yet another nervy fourth quarter after it appeared it had finally seized control by zooming into a 16-point lead in the third.
To hearten coach Mike Krzyzewski somewhat, Team USA guard Klay Thompson rediscovered his shooting touch after four uncharacteristically chilly performances and finished with a team-high 30 points.
Thompson was shooting a hard-to-believe 15 percent (4-for-26) from the floor and 18 percent (3-for-18) on 3s through four games before this much-needed bust-out. Krzyzewski restored Thompson to the starting lineup after giving that spot to Paul George, which certainly didn't hurt.
But not until a follow slam by DeMarcus Cousins inside the final 90 seconds, good for a 100-90 margin, did the Yanks' lead feel truly safe.
As for that rematch with Parker in the lineup ... stay tuned.
France will have to beat the second-place finisher in Group B in the quarterfinals -- an opponent that won't be determined until after Monday's slate of games -- while the United States (5-0) gets a quarterfinal date with Group B's eventual fourth-place finisher.
Give Collet this much, though: You have to believe that the French just got a major psychological boost for a potential semifinals rematch after they hung in as well as they did with Parker spectating.
If they get there.
The streak: Make it 73 wins in a row and counting for Krzyzewski; 21 consecutive victories in Olympic play, 19 in FIBA World Cup tournaments, 10 in Olympic qualifiers and another 23 wins in exhibition games. The Americans previously tasted defeat in the semifinals of the 2006 FIBA World Championship against Greece and launched this streak on Sept. 2, 2006, with a 96-81 victory over Argentina in the bronze-medal game in Japan.
Play of the game: The French had just cut the deficit to four with crunch time fast approaching. It could have been even closer had Denver's Joffrey Lauvergne not just missed three successive free throws.
So the situation made Kyrie Irving's lob pass to Durant for a crucial alley-oop dunk even more special.
At 85-81, Carmelo Anthony snatched a loose ball and flung a long outlet pass to Irving that sent him lunging toward the sideline to keep the ball in play.
Irving took the pass in and managed to throw a lob to Durant with plenty of loft just as he was flopping onto his belly for the most memorable of his 12 assists.
Numbers game: Kevin Durant had scored in double digits in each of his previous 12 games in the Olympics, so it was a reasonably sure bet that KD was going to manage the nine points he needed against France to move into the top five in all-time U.S. Olympic scoring.
Durant got there by the end of the first quarter in this one and finished with 17 points on 6-for-6 shooting, after he only saw enough of the ball against Serbia to get up four field-goal attempts Friday night.
The current leaderboard:
Irving finished with 12 assists and no turnovers. The most assists Irving has had in an NBA game in which he had no turnovers is 10.
With Parker not playing, France had four NBA players on the court Sunday: Charlotte's Nicolas Batum, Lauvergne and the Utah duo of Rudy Gobert and Boris Diaw.
Sunday's win and Friday's 94-91 escape against Serbia marked the closest Olympic games for Team USA since its loss to Argentina in the semifinals in 2004.
Seventeen of Krzyzewski's 21 Olympic victories lifetime have been decided by double digits. The only exceptions: Lithuania in 2012 pool play, Spain in the 2012 gold-medal game and this week's scares against Serbia and France.
What's next: Team USA will enjoy two full days away from Olympic Park before the knockout portion of the tournament begins.
Wednesday's quarterfinal will pit the Americans against the fourth-place finisher from Group B, which won't be determined until Monday's slate of three games (Nigeria vs. Brazil, Spain vs. Argentina and Lithuania vs. Croatia) completes the schedule in that pool.
Nigeria's 90-76 upset of Croatia on Saturday means all six teams go into the final three-pronged round of games with a chance of finishing in the top four and advancing to the quarterfinals.
Monday will mark the second successive scheduled practice that Krzyzewski has elected to cancel, opting instead for a film session and walkthrough on the cruise ship that is housing Team USA in Brazil. The two-day break Group A teams get before the quarterfinals begin works to the Americans' advantage in this regard, with Tuesday's scheduled practice at the Clube De Regatas Do Flamengo sure to go ahead.