Serio, a four-time Paralympian, put the US squad on his back offensively with 28 points and 9 assists. To start the game, Serio scored or assisted on 16 of USA’s 18 first quarter points. His teammates would need his poise to deal with the emotion that Japan played with in their first ever Paralympic final. That passion would get the Japanese team out to an 8-0 run at Ariake Arena to start this final.
One of the sources of the early USA offense came
from John Boie. As a low point player, he creates assists that do not show up on the stat sheet. He was adept at sealing off the defender to create a lane for Brian Bell on multiple plays in the first. He also hit back-to-back shots, including receiving the ball on the right block and rolling to the left and putting up a shot usually only seen in a game of “H-O-R-S-E”, a right-handed reverse on the left side.John Boie, first time Paralympian, talked about competing on this stage with Team USA.
“Man, it took a long time to get here, and it’s really a surreal feeling. The journey to get here is amazing,” he said.
For Japan, the tandem of Reo Fujimoto and Hiroaki Kozai would set the pace offensively. They would account for 17 points with Fujimoto looking for mismatches and Kozai hitting big shots from the outside.
Matt Scott reflected on Japan’s inspiring performance
“Hiro was amazing today, hats off to him. A gold medal isn’t supposed to be won easy, nobody’s here on accident they deserve to be here, and they played extremely well.”
The third quarter would belong to Steve Serio who would score all 13 of America’s points. The degree of difficulty on some of the shots he made was just incredible. He opened the quarter with a dribble drive from the left wing attacking two Japan defenders and scored. Serio followed that up with a 3-pointer from the right wing. Throughout the quarter, Serio’s teammates would look for him, often with the shot clock under five seconds.
Time and time again, Serio would deliver when Team USA needed his leadership most.
“You’ve gotta trust the work that you put in over two decades time and know that you can make that shot at that moment for the team. It really comes down to the work and preparation when no one is watching in an empty gym,” said Serio.
Despite the wheel print that Serio was having on the game thus far, the Japanese squad would enter the fourth quarter with a one-point lead. After a timely bucket from Jake Williams and an ‘And 1’ created by Serio, USA would tie the game at 50-50. The teams would exchange baskets until a Serio steal and two successive baskets from Jake Williams. From that point, USA would not relinquish the lead.
In order to secure the victory, Serio would need to continue his clutch performance. He made another outside shot on the assist from Brian Bell and iced the game with three clutch free throws.
Ron Lykins had nothing but praise for his co-captain.
“He really stepped up on the offensive end for us for us, knocked down some really key shots. 3 or 4 of them that he hit with the shot clock going down and he didn’t have a shot and he somehow created it and knocked them down. Without those, we’re in trouble,” he said.
The road for any medalist in Tokyo was not an easy one. USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball did not have an easy path during this tournament with tough matchups in both pool play and the elimination round. After the game, the athletes would once again have the opportunity to celebrate their hard work and gold medal results.
The accomplishments for this program did not end after the final buzzer. USA’s Matt Scott was selected by the USOPC delegation to carry the flag as they enter the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The entire sport and those who play it in the USA can celebrate with and for Scott.
The 5-time Paralympian reflected on what this means to him.
“It means so much to me just because the athletes that I’ll be leading are all so courageous. Everybody here that competed at the Games this year are courageous, the resilience that we’ve all had to face in the last 18 months is just incredible. So, to be chosen to be the face of that and hold the flag high when we leave this is incredible. Being able to do so in style with a gold medal around my neck says it all,” said Scott.
Team USA was able to defend their gold. With the quality of competition improving each year across the globe, this is an amazing feat. The core of this team was able to stay together throughout a tumultuous period and leverage their defensive identity to secure the win. This is the 9th gold medal earned by USA Men in Paralympic Competitions.
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