U.S. males escape Serbia as Steph Curry, LeBron James take over in Olympic semifinal: ‘That was particular’

PARIS — They wanted the Avengers.

The U.S. males, whose NBA titles, MVP awards and Olympic golds precede them, didn’t put on masks or capes, however they stormed Bercy Enviornment within the fourth quarter Thursday to raise Workforce USA over Serbia 95-91. The win — certain to be an immediate traditional — places the U.S. into the gold-medal recreation in opposition to host France.

A few of the biggest gamers of all time, and positively the faces of a golden period within the NBA that’s watching its sundown, overcame not only a 17-point deficit, however a Serbian staff that Workforce USA coach Steve Kerr described as enjoying “good.”

Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid — 4 former NBA MVPs on the ground for the fourth quarter of a livid comeback that was wanted to stave off a reordering of the basketball universe.

Not solely is the U.S. chasing its fifth consecutive gold medal, however a staff of 11 NBA All-Stars with the aforementioned names on the marquee couldn’t lose in a semifinal with out being labeled a failure.

As a substitute, these 4 males and the others who joined them at occasions on the courtroom carrying the American white uniform delivered a efficiency that will probably be remembered for a very long time.

“Serbia was good right now, and I’m actually humbled to have been part of this recreation,” mentioned a hoarse Kerr, in an enormous scrum of media on the enviornment’s loading dock. “It’s one of many biggest basketball video games I’ve ever been part of.”

Curry scored 36 factors — one shy of Carmelo Anthony’s U.S. Olympic document — together with the go-ahead 3 with 2 minutes, 24 seconds left and two foul photographs inside 10 seconds that sealed the win. Curry’s level complete was not solely essentially the most by any U.S. participant this summer season, however he eclipsed his complete for his earlier 4 Olympic video games mixed (28 factors).

STEPHEN. CURRY. TEAM USA LEADS.#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC, USA Community and Peacock pic.twitter.com/C4MUUl1v78

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

James delivered a triple-double with 16 factors, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. He has the one two triple-doubles in U.S. Olympic historical past with the final coming 12 years in the past in London. James tied Thursday’s recreation at 84 with a driving layup at 3:41, and it was his go to Curry that assisted the go-ahead 3. James guarded reigning NBA MVP and Serbian famous person Nikola Jokić within the fourth quarter, which the Individuals received 32-15.

After all, Jokić has three MVPs and an NBA championship. Pause to think about the league royalty on the ground at one time — not all on the identical American staff — duking it out in a recreation that simply matched the depth of a recreation late in an NBA Finals.

“I imply, I’m 39 years outdated going into my twenty second season. I don’t know what number of alternatives and moments I’m going to get like this to have the ability to compete for one thing — compete for one thing huge and enjoying in huge video games — and tonight was an enormous recreation,” James mentioned.

Embiid performed his finest recreation with Workforce USA, scoring 5 of his 19 factors in an electrical fourth quarter wherein he made Jokić work on the defensive finish. He shot 8 of 11 from the sphere, added 4 rebounds in 27 minutes and delivered a monstrous, athletic-looking dunk wherein he soared over a defender because the U.S. tried to rally within the third quarter.

Durant is the Individuals’ all-time main scorer and he’s attempting to change into the primary Olympic males’s participant to win 4 golds. This was considered one of his worst video games for Workforce USA, however seven of his 9 factors got here within the fourth quarter. He was scoreless at halftime and didn’t get his first bucket till late within the third. However on protection, Durant was choosing up full courtroom as a part of a relentless comeback.

The Serbians’ 17-point lead was within the second quarter. They have been forward by 15 with 32 seconds left within the third and hit 15 3s, performed via Jokić and capitalized for 3 quarters on the wide-open photographs he created for teammates.

Till the Avengers arrived.

😤😤😤 1 extra!! pic.twitter.com/AUSTn9WDFk

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 8, 2024

“They’re a extremely good staff and it’s laborious to beat the staff 3 times however to come back again the best way we did — I’ve seen a variety of Workforce USA basketball and that was particular,” Curry mentioned.

The USA will play France in a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics last from three years in the past after the French surprised World Cup champion Germany 73-69.

For Serbia, Jokić had 17 factors and 11 assists and Bogdan Bogdanović added 20 factors — throwing taunts at James and doing Anthony’s “3s to the dome” celebration with Anthony watching courtside. Aleksa Avramović scored most of his 15 factors with 4 3s within the first half.

The Individuals blew out Serbia in two video games earlier this summer season, together with in the beginning of the Olympics. It was nearly just like the Serbians sandbagged these video games. Their actions have been a lot sooner they usually used Jokić to dictate the tempo of play extra, which led to so many open 3s for teammates.

Serbia thrived within the first quarter regardless of Curry’s early onslaught. He opened the sport by scoring 14 of the Individuals’ first 15 factors and drilled 5 3s within the quarter, however the Serbians compelled turnovers with their ball stress and poked quite a few holes within the Individuals’ normally stout protection.

Serbia’s 31-23 lead on the finish of the primary quarter ballooned within the second. The Serbians linked on 10 3s within the first half whereas the Individuals have been caught in too many choose and rolls worrying about Jokić.

James’ and-1 on a vicious put up transfer in opposition to Bogdanović made it 54-43 Serbia at halftime. James scored 9 within the half, sufficient to go Anthony (336 profession factors) for second place in U.S. males’s historical past in Olympic factors. The Individuals received as shut as six factors within the third, however a brutal, four-point play on a 3-pointer and foul shot by Marko Gudurić made it 76-61 Serbia with 32 seconds remaining within the third.

Olympic Legends.

🇺🇸 #USABMNT #Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/KJOv9Y0Z2u

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 8, 2024

“They have been good,” Kerr mentioned. “They performed an ideal recreation. Our coaches have been saying Villanova-Georgetown (1985 NCAA title recreation received by Villanova) for all of our older readers and viewers on the market.

“However they performed the proper recreation they usually compelled us to achieve the very best stage of competitors that we might discover. And our guys have been unbelievable in that fourth quarter they usually received it achieved.”

The sport might have turned for good early within the fourth on what primarily turned a 6-point play for the U.S. Trailing 78-67, Durant knocked down his solely 3. Virtually instantly, Jokić was whistled for a foul on Anthony Davis, and with the ball again and just one extra second off the clock, Devin Booker banged in a 3.

“It was an enormous sequence for certain, and we would have liked it,” Kerr mentioned.

Curry was capturing  5 of 20 on 3s on the Olympics earlier than Thursday’s recreation. He was an afterthought on offense within the Individuals’ earlier three contests. There have been myriad discussions in regards to the different methods Curry was impacting the U.S. offense as a result of he wasn’t scoring.

Earlier this week, Kerr went as far as to say that he wasn’t ready for a kind of “Curry video games” the place the sport’s biggest shooter ignites as a result of the Individuals knew they wanted to hold their hats on their protection. However there was no defending Serbia for 3 quarters. They wanted Curry simply to remain inside shouting distance.

After which with all of these former MVPs on the courtroom collectively, every of them cooking in his method, it was Curry who delivered two of the sport’s greatest baskets.

“You reside for these moments,” Curry mentioned. “About two minutes into the sport tonight you understand I’m getting seems to be. They’re enjoying a unique sort of protection on us and clearly, they have been scoring like loopy. … I shot 3 times final recreation and I wasn’t seeking to drive it as a result of that’s not what the sport known as for.

“In order that’s the great thing about Workforce USA and FIBA and this entire expertise. Each recreation has been any person totally different and it’s going to be any person totally different hopefully with all people contributing on that facet.”

As a substitute of hand-wringing and soul-searching for the Individuals between now and the Los Angeles Olympics, they’ll give attention to a rematch with France and one other gold medal. The ambiance for Saturday’s recreation will probably be not like any a Workforce USA participant has confronted.

Enjoying for the gold medal, on the opposing staff’s dwelling courtroom within the coronary heart of Paris with reigning NBA Rookie of the Yr Victor Wembanyama, a Parisian, on the ground. Followers will boo Embiid louder than they ever have as a result of now it’s not nearly him choosing the U.S. over France for these Olympics.

It’s about enjoying for the gold with who received them there, in opposition to the American staff of behemoths that confronted and handed a take a look at within the semifinals.

“I wager you all 12 of us might discover one recreation the place we went right into a hostile atmosphere,” Curry mentioned. “LeBron coming into our place in 2016 (Recreation 7 of 2016 NBA Finals), whether or not it’s me, us (Golden State Warriors) going to Boston (Recreation 6 of 2022 NBA Finals).

“Wherever you purpose it, any person’s going to have a constructing that they went into and needed to get a win and we’re all going to need to do it collectively in opposition to France on their very own courtroom.”

Maybe with masks and capes this time.

Required studying

(Photograph: Aris Messinis / AFP by way of Getty Photos)