Joao Cardoso, the Brazilian international who put Rudy Gobert on a poster in Paris Olympics, admitted it was a cool highlight. Cardoso said he also felt excitement when he saw in front of the rim.
Brazil might have lost against France in its first game of the 2024 Paris Olympics, but Joao Cardoso, who is also known as Maozinha Pereira, might have created a highlight of the tournament.
At first, Cardoso made a steal and finished the play with an incredible poster on Rudy Gobert, which ended up as a 2-and-1 play.
"Like I said, it was just me giving my all," Cardoso said after the game. "Our coach always preaches about us giving 150%, and whatever minute we get on the court, we gotta take the most advantage of it. Of course, it's very cool."
"It's a very cool highlight, but we just do what we gotta do to try to win. So, yeah, it was a very cool moment for me, my first points as well, but at the same time, I just cannot dwell on that a lot and be prepared for the next game," Cardoso continued.
So, what it's like when you go for a dunk and see Gobert in front of you?
"Just excitement," Cardoso said about his emotions at the time. "I knew I could make that dunk. I trust myself more than anyone else. I was confident, and everything worked out."
However, the highlight was shortly followed by a lowlight. After dunking on Gobert, Cardoso went to the free-throw line, and his trip ended in an airball.
"I believe I was not mentally focused," admitted the Brazilian international. "Of course, it was a very good moment for me, and then I just had to stop and shoot the free throw. I was not focusing on the ball, on my shot, or anything else. I think I just threw it, I don't even remember like thinking about it. So yeah, I gotta change that."
However, the highlight began with the steal from Victor Wembanyama. Apart from that, Cardoso also shared what was the plan for defense against Wemby.
"We know he's a very good player. He can play on the post and outside the 3-pointer. In the beginning, we were trying to push him as far back as we could. I saw the opening, and then I just went for the steal, and everything worked out," Cardoso said.
For those who Googled "Who is Joao Cardoso?" or "Who is Maozinha Pereira?", here's your answer.
"I would just say [that] I'm a down-to-earth guy who tries to live in the moment and always do my best," he said. Hopefully, everyone who watches me can see that through the TV or live in the stadium."
"I always try to give my best no mattes what the situation is, what the score is. I'm just trying to do whatever I can and help the team out," Cardoso concluded.
Game highlights
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