Candace Parker has warned Team USA that the pressure surrounding the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup final goes far beyond the opponent standing in front of them.

The United States will face France for the championship in Berlin, attempting to win a fifth consecutive world title and extend its remarkable dominance of the competition.

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Parker believes that success has also made the Americans the team everybody wants to knock down.

“Everybody wants to see USA stumble,” Parker said.

The two-time WNBA MVP explained that years of winning have changed the atmosphere around Team USA whenever it reaches the biggest stage.

Candace Parker says USA has become the target

Parker knows exactly what comes with wearing the national team jersey after winning Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.

She argued that opponents don’t simply approach games against the United States as another fixture because beating Team USA carries a different level of significance.

“When you’re at the top, everybody is coming for you,” Parker said.

That pressure has followed the Americans throughout the tournament, even as they have continued finding ways to advance.

Team USA has faced criticism over performances, rotations and individual players, but it has still reached another final with the opportunity to add yet another championship.

France stands between USA and another title

France now has the chance to produce the result the rest of the basketball world has been waiting for.

The Americans haven’t lost a Women’s World Cup game since 2006 and have won the last four tournaments, creating an era of dominance few national teams in any sport can match.

Parker believes that history means USA can’t afford to treat the final like an ordinary game.

“There’s a target on your back every single game,” she said.

France will enter with nothing to lose and an opportunity to end one of international basketball’s longest winning runs.

Team USA, meanwhile, carries the expectation that anything short of another championship will be considered a failure.