Three-on-three basketball, added to the Olympics in Tokyo as a crowd-pleaser, finally took to the court in front of a live audience and to a relentless soundtrack on a steamy Paris night on Tuesday.
All 16 teams played in eight quick-fire games that ended with a heavyweight contest between the two top-ranked teams, with Serbia galloping to a 22-14 victory over the United States.
Each game is a maximum of 10 minutes. The short court and the 12-second shot clock ensure the basket is under a relentless, though not always accurate, bombardment. Close-range scores count for one point and longer-distance efforts are rewarded with two.
Both the defending champions were in early action. The USA women opened the evening by shooting 13% from the two-point line and losing 17-13 to Germany.
Cierra Burdick of the USA said her team had not had enough time together: "I knew it was not going to be pretty."
Men´s champions Latvia then landed the 3x3 equivalent of a knockout, ending their match three seconds early when they hit 21 points as they beat neighbours Lithuania, 21-14.
Top-scorer Nauris Miezis, one of two holdovers from the quartet that won in an empty stadium at the Covid-affected Tokyo Games, enjoyed playing before fans.
"Now there are spectators. There are a lot of them," he said. "This game is quick, with a lot of highlights. This bumps up the energy."
Latvia face the Netherlands next.
The energy rose at the end of the evening.
In the penultimate match, France, tied at 19 with Poland, kept trying do-or-die two-pointers until Lucas Dussoulier sparked pandemonium with the winner with more than 90 seconds left.
A Worthy name
The final match started faster and sharper than any of the previous games.
The US, led by basketball´s top-ranked 3x3 player Jimmer Fredette, traded punches with Serbia for five minutes before unravelling as second-ranked Strahinja Stojacic took over.
Serbia won in just seven minutes and 27 seconds.
"They played a really good game," said 35-year-old Fredette. "It´s good to get the rhythm of how we´re going to play. It´s a little bit different from a regular tournament."
Earlier, the world´s third ranked player, Worthy de Jong, caught the eye not just with his dunks as the Dutch beat China 21-16.
He is named after former Los Angeles Lakers star James Worthy but his look -- a cropped hairdo with blue tulips dyed into the peroxide -- was more reminiscent of another NBA forward Dennis Rodman.
"It would have been to obviously, to pick a Dutch flag or Olympic rings, orange or whatever," said De Jong, one of the Dutch flag bearers in the opening ceremony.
"This colour´s called Delft Blue. It´s porcelain, tiles and stuff. I thought that would have been the best fit for a subtle tint of the Dutch in us."
The four temporary arenas at Place de la Concorde were frying pans in the sudden burst of 35C Paris heat on Tuesday. The 3x3 court has the only covering, a tented roof court that protects the players -- and the giant screens -- without obscuring the view of, or offering shade to, the spectators.
Games are played to a relentless soundtrack of beats and live commentary.
"I just zone it out," said de Jong.
