The finalists of the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics were announced on Thursday. In the first semi-final, the French team defeated Germany 73:69.
The opponent was determined in the match between Serbia and the United States. The American “dream team” is considered the clear favorite of the tournament. But the Serbians played an incredible match.
Already in the first quarter, Svetislav Pesic’s team managed to gain an 8-point lead – 31:23. And the Serbian team went into the big break with an 11-point lead (54:43).
During the break, the audience was able to witness a performance by dancers who, to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, performed a fragment of Swan Lake.
In the third quarter, the Serbians continued their tactics, attacking more often with three-point shots. And this allowed them not only to maintain the lead, but also to move two points further ahead on the scoreboard.
Unfortunately, the fairy tale for the Serbian national team ended in the last ten minutes. The Americans made an excellent start, significantly reducing the gap. And in the end, the American team was able to equalize the score and take the lead. After that, the Serbians began to rush, make mistakes in attack, and Steve Kerr’s team brought the game to a 95:91 victory.
Stephen Curry scored 36 points for the winners, LeBron James scored a triple-double: 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. The Serbians have 20 points thanks to Bogdan Bogdanovic.
The United States and France will meet in the final on August 10, while Serbia and Germany will play in the third-place match.
