Five things we learned after day three of 3x3 at Paris Olympics

PARIS (France) - It was a 3x3 bonanza on day three at the Paris Olympics, with non-stop entertainment during a massive slate of 16 games as the competition heated up. 

Here are five takeaways. 

Will USA squeeze into the play-in?

After three days of competition, mighty USA are a combined 1-7. No one in their right minds would have envisioned that. 

The USA men are the only team in the entire competition without a win, but they played their guts out on day three and won plenty of admirers. 

But it seems a tough ask to make the play-in at 0-4 and a continual injury cloud over superstar Jimmer Fredette only adds to their woes. 

After injuring his groin late on day two against Poland, Fredette was unable to play against Lithuania and Latvia as USA slumped to a 0-4 record and are on the brink of an early exit. 

Fredette is listed as day-to-day, but his re-emergence in this tournament appears in grave doubt. It would be a cruel blow for the former NBA player, who has dreamed of being an Olympian since he was a kid. 

But a three-man USA fought bravely against Poland with Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis using their vast amount of 3x3 experience to good use. 

But it wasn't quite enough with Barry missing a chance at the buzzer to force OT. 

They weren't nearly done as USA appeared on the brink of a famous victory over unbeaten Latvia with a 19-15 lead. But they ran out of gas and watched gold medalists Nauris Miezis and Karlis Lasmanis put the cape on as they endured yet another heartbreak. 

The outlook is slightly better for USA women, who finally broke their drought with a tough win over Spain to move to a 1-3 record. 

Day three had started badly for them against Australia after a lack of cohesion was evident as gleaned by 11 turnovers to just five.  

WNBA players Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby did shake off their slow starts to the tournament with combined 12 points and 10 rebounds, but superstar Hailey Van Lith had an off game to finish with just two points. 

It put them under pressure against Spain, but USA responded as Howard and Hamby continued to showcase improvement in a tonic for them. There is still life yet for the defending champs. 

 Royalty attend 3x3

It was a day those at La Concorde will never forget. An already incredible atmosphere reached new heights by the presence of a host of big names, highlighted by NBA royalty LeBron James and Kevin Durant. 

Showcasing their pride for their country and sheer love of hoops, James and Durant attended USA women's games much to the delight of an adoring crowd. 

The superstars were locked in and riding USA with every play as they feasted on high quality 3x3 action. 

Their USA teammate Derrick White and NBA/ French basketball legend Tony Parker were also in the building on a special day for 3x3. 

 The stakes have raised considerably 

With so many games on an action-packed day three, the stakes were raised considerably but the unpredictable nature of the draw means it is still a toss up who qualifies for the all-important top six. 

Remarkably only reigning gold medalist Latvia is unbeaten in the entire competition, while USA men's are the sole team without a dub but twice came within an inch on day three. 

It sets things up perfectly for another bonanza on day four, where each team plays twice and every game will matter big time. 

And the picture should be a lot clearer after that as some Olympic dreams will be crushed. 

France's passionate fans are right behind their heroes

It is quite something being at La Concorde when France are in action. Hyped by famous French songs, the bleachers are rocking and fans whipped into a frenzy once their heroes step onto the half-court. 

It becomes a sea of tricolore and the French teams have responded with energetic play to get right behind their teams. The men reached great heights on the opening two days, but found things more difficult on day three against the Netherlands and Serbia. 

The French women, a gold medal contender entering the tournament, have found things a little tougher as evidenced by a 1-3 record. But the magnetic skills of their talented players has electrified the fans and if they can put it together then they might ride a tidal wave of momentum.

France will again look to their passionate fans to give them life on a defining day four.

 Amazing atmosphere continues to light a fuse under 3x3

3x3's first taste of the Olympics with fans has been everything and more. It's not just when France are in action - the bleachers are full for every match with support for every team evident. 

Fans braved blazing hot weather during the day before rain cascaded amid stormy conditions late at night. That didn't deter the hardy fans, who just wanted to experience 3x3 as much as they could.

The good news is we're just getting warmed up and the atmosphere is remarkably going to get even crazier as we inch closer to the business end.

 FIBA