Suddenly, the USA Men’s National
Basketball Team looked vulnerable and were on the brink of losing –
something that was unfathomable coming into the Olympics. Not only
did Team USA bring their best players and the best roster possible,
they also had been dominant to start the tournament. However,
Serbia did their homework after facing them for the third time and
played a perfect game.
However in the end, Team USA
eked out a tough 95-91 win over the Serbians to book the gold medal
rematch against hosts France. It did not come easy at all for the
Americans after trailing by 17 in the second quarter and trailed by
13 points going into the 4th. What did Serbia do right,
then?
The Serbians were making every
shot attempt in the first half, shooting a blistering 9/19 from
three. The Americans were not bad either, making 8 threes, however
they just could not get stops on the other end.
That brings the question, how
did Team USA mount the huge comeback?
It all started with Golden State
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who poured in 36 points with 9
impressive threes. He kept the game close in the 1st half with a
barrage of threes to counter Serbia, and he made the three that put
the USA for good in the 4th. Curry then had a breakaway layup and
sank two pressure-packed free throws to seal the deal.
Sixers superstar and NBA MVP
Joel Embiid played his best game of the Olympics with 19 points,
making big shot after big shot in the 4th quarter in Team USA’s
comeback. Embiid also played phenomenal defense against rival
Nikola Jokic, providing the size and physicality that threw Jokic
on some possessions.
LeBron James was his usual
dominant and captain self, making history as the only player in
Olympics history to record multiple triple doubles. James first did
it in 2012 and then he had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists
against the Serbians. James scored on two coast-to-coast layups in
the 4th that sparked the run and bring the crowd to their feet,
with chants of U-S-A breaking out in the Bercy Arena.
Kevin Durant, who struggled in
the 1sst half, bounced back big time to finish with 9 points
including the dagger at the end of the game when he broke down a
Serbian defender and raised up for the midrange
jumper.
With the win, Team USA sets up
the gold medal match against France on their home turf. Team USA
and France faced each other in the Tokyo Olympics gold medal game,
with Team USA eventually taking home the gold. France aims to
redeem themselves in front of their fans this time
around.
