Inside The Warriors

Steve Kerr's Honest Assessment Before USA vs. Brazil Olympic Quarterfinal Game

Golden State Warriors and Team USA head coach Steve Kerr spoke before the Paris Olympics knockout round

Joey Linn

Jul 31, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States head coach Steve Kerr in the second quarter against South Sudan during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Jul 31, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States head coach Steve Kerr in the second quarter against South Sudan during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
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After a perfect 3-0 record in the Group Phase, Team USA will face Brazil on Tuesday as the top seeded team in the Paris Olympics quarterfinals. USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr will see one of his Golden State Warriors players on Tuesday, as young forward Gui Santos leads Brazil in minutes per game at the Olympics.

Speaking with reporters (per ESPN's Brian Windhorst), Kerr shared an honest assessment of this Brazil team before the big quarterfinals battle.

"They're very physical," Kerr said on Sunday, per ESPN. "I think they're the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the tournament. They've got a lot of really good shooters, and they just play hard. They compete play after play, so we'll have to be ready for their physicality and their shooting, and we need to be on edge and ready for them because they're not going to back down."

United States head coach Steve Kerr
Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States head coach Steve Kerr during the second quarter against Puerto Rico during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

USA Basketball has been heavily favored to win gold, and their performance in the Group Phase has only reinforced that belief. Not only is Team USA undefeated at the Olympics, but all three wins have come in convincing fashion.

Brazil enters Tuesday's game with a 1-2 record, having lost to both France and Germany before defeating Japan. While they have some talented players with NBA experience, Brazil will be the heavy underdogs in this game against USA.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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