Crew USA, with Olympic hopes teetering, turned to an unlikely place — protection

PARIS — The gold medal — the explanation why USA Basketball is what it’s, and does issues the way in which it does — was slipping away.

For half-hour, Serbia had fully outclassed the U.S. males’s Olympic crew. It wasn’t shut. Nikola Jokić was doing his finest impression of a human satellite tv for pc, along with his countrymen, simply as his NBA teammates do in Denver, maneuvering round his large screens to search out wide-open photographs. He was dealing; they have been hitting dagger after dagger. They usually have been pounding them down at an alarming price for the U.S. males. By means of three quarters, Serbia was 15 of 30 from deep. That’s usually dying for an opponent: excessive quantity and excessive makes. Serbia led by 13 factors coming into the fourth quarter.

“They have been good,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr mentioned of the Serbians. “They performed an ideal recreation. Our coaches have been saying, ‘Villanova-Georgetown.’”

The People didn’t appear like a crew that had any solutions.

However what they discovered, because it turned out, was a degree of protection that isn’t usually related to the 5 guys who performed many of the fourth quarter: Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Anthony Davis performed the primary four-plus minutes of the fourth earlier than Embiid got here in for the final 7:19.

Among the many non-Davis quintet, solely James has been a first-team All-NBA defensive choice — and he received the final of his 5 first-team awards 11 years in the past. Let’s be trustworthy. Embiid is understood for mauling opponents within the paint with the rock, not locking them up on the perimeter. Curry, as he displayed Thursday, is the best shooter within the historical past of the NBA. KD has been underrated at instances defensively throughout his profession, however his Instagram deal with is Straightforward Cash Sniper, not I Flip Off Your Water. Booker splashes and drives; he doesn’t lock individuals up. And LeBron is … 39.

However that quintet bared their defensive tooth within the final 10 minutes Thursday and clawed their means again into the sport. There was nothing fairly in regards to the U.S. effort within the fourth quarter. It was physicality and tenacity and getting means uncomfortable to be able to obtain their objective.

The Serbs went 0 for 9 from deep within the last 10 minutes. Sure, Curry was spectacular offensively, with 36 factors, together with 9 3s. His taking pictures stored the US within the recreation within the first half. However the U.S. crew’s unimaginable fourth-quarter comeback, and its 95-91 victory, sending it to Saturday’s gold-medal recreation in opposition to host France, was all about defensive coronary heart.

“I feel that we simply upped the stress,” Durant mentioned. “We made them flip the ball over. And we contested their photographs. We knew, sooner or later, the photographs that they have been making, it’s a battle of averages. You’re going to begin to miss a few of these photographs. We tried to climate that storm. And in addition, once you’ve received Steph flattening 3s like that, you’ve received Guide making massive 3s, Joel making massive shot after massive shot. I feel all of us made some well timed photographs. And received out on the break and was capable of get it going.”

The People switched every part defensively, with James changing into their major submit defender in opposition to Jokić, the three-time NBA Most Helpful Participant. Embiid received in a stance and flattened out Serbia’s high perimeter threats on switches. Booker harassed Serbia’s robust level guards, and blew up a few of Serbia’s double-screen units, forcing their guards to shoot late within the shot clock. KD received in Bogdan Bogdanović’s shirt. Curry, as is his wont, didn’t get abused on post-ups or get buried on screens. The People have been capable of, lastly, pace Serbia up, get it out of the consolation zone that allow it play free and simple for 3 quarters.

“That lineup, with AD, ‘Bron, KD, myself and Guide, there was somewhat bit extra ball stress,” Curry mentioned. “We switched greater than we did the entire recreation, simply to attempt to hold our bodies on our bodies, even when you have a small guarding Jokić or guarding the opposite massive fella (Nikola Milutinov). You don’t surrender any benefits. After which, we simply made them take robust photographs. The primary half, one small breakdown, and someone had an open look, and it went in, over and over and over. Fourth quarter was robust photographs. We nonetheless couldn’t rebound, so we have now to scrub that up. However, stress and depth. And we had a whole lot of pace to show protection into offense, and that helped us.”

Embiid did yeoman’s work on the perimeter whereas James battled behind Jokić within the paint. He blocked Serbia’s Ognjen Dobrić on a jumper, resulting in a James drive that tied the sport up at 84 with 3:41 left. James received back-to-back rebounds that ignited fast-break baskets — a Curry 3 that put the U.S. up 87-86 and his personal coast-to-coast drive and rating to place the US up three on the 1:59 mark.

LECAPTAIN AMERICA!

Crew USA extends their lead over Serbia. #ParisOlympics

📺 NBC, USA Community and Peacock pic.twitter.com/FvYRv6Mw8f

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2024

Curry then ripped a Bogdanović move and was off to his personal races, moving into for one more fast-break hoop to make it 91-86 with 1:44 left. After a Serbia timeout, Durant jumped Bogdanović at midcourt, forcing an over-and-back violation.

“We tried to make them make robust 2s over size,” Booker mentioned. “Placing LeBron on Jokić, placing KD on Jokić. …. we’ll take these robust 2s over the 3-pointers they have been getting.”

These guys wouldn’t be on this crew in the event that they weren’t über-competitive. They’ve delight. Durant spoke movingly afterward of the delight he has sporting the U.S. jersey, and the way the Olympics can, possibly only for a short time, bridge a number of the fierce and terrible divisions we have now in our nation. There was one thing fairly particular in regards to the final 10 minutes of basketball at Bercy Enviornment on Thursday evening, when the deepest and most prolific offensive crew within the Olympics discovered its means by forgetting about methods and rotations and dug down so very, very deep to maintain its dream of defending its gold medal from Japan in 2021 alive.

Protection does nonetheless win championships, in spite of everything. Or not less than hold you alive for one more crack at one.

GO DEEPER

U.S. males escape Serbia as Steph Curry takes over

(High photograph of LeBron James and Stephen Curry: Harry Langer / DeFodi Pictures through Getty Pictures)