It was, as the FIBA announcer Jeff Taylor said, a “play for the ages.” With 4.2 seconds left in regulation and Team USA down three in the World Cup bronze medal game, Mikal Bridges stood at the foul line, having made his first shot. But he knew that even if he made his second free throw, his team would still be down by two with virtually no chance of tying the game.
So, Bridges deliberately missed and in a flurry of pure basketball, secured the offensive rebound, raced into the corner just beyond the 3-point line and fired over Dillon Brooks, the crowd insane and the bright lights of the basketball world focused solely on him.