Although Serbia lost to the United States in the group stage by a wide margin (84:110), when Nikola Jokic was on the court, the European team was on equal terms with its rival. Therefore, it was extremely interesting to find out whether Pesic’s team will be able to force a fight with the main favorite of the Olympic Games or whether LeBron James and Co. will make it to the final.
Stephen Curry had the best start of the tournament: the American guard scored eight points, making one shot from the perimeter and two three-pointers. Serbia, on the other hand, always had its own answer. Either Bogdan Bogdanovic will find a free throw, then Filip Petrushev, Ognen Dobrich or Aleksa Avramovic will hit from afar, or Nikola Jokic will score points in the corridor. But Curry was on fire: 14 points in four minutes and 17 in one quarter. However, this did not particularly prevent Svetislav Pesic’s team from dismantling the American defense and winning points again and again. Despite Steph’s incredible performance, the Serbians played an exemplary quarter and won it by 31:23.
Stephen Curry
Photo: fiba.basketball
Serbia set such a pace that the Americans simply could not keep up. The second quarter began with an 8:2 lead by the European team. Steve Kerr called a timeout because the USA was already 14 points behind the opponent. After entering the court, a wild fight began: Bam Adebayo literally fought with Jokic in the fight for position, and each of them fell to the ground. The stands began to chant “MVP, MVP, MVP!” after Nikola made a free throw. Serbia was paralyzed by the American attack. The Stars and Stripes did not shine in defense either: they made mistakes in exchanges and sometimes lost free players at the goal. The end of the quarter was in the hands of the American team, as LeBron James missed a precise shot from behind the arc and scored 2+1 on the pass. Once again, the time of the game went to Pesic’s team: 23:20 and 54:43 at the end of the first half.
The break was good for the USA. The leaders began to act calmer on defense and Curry continued to shoot from behind the arc. The point guard was silent throughout the tournament, but in this game he responded to all the negativity directed at him. The Americans took the initiative and reduced the gap to five points. Vasilije Micic, Bogdanovic and, of course, Jokic kept their team afloat and in the end Serbia fully recovered. Micic and Marko Guduric each scored three-pointers and the Serbians went into the final break leading with a score of 76:63.
Nikola Jokic fights against Anthony Davis
Photo: fiba.basketball
In the final quarter, the Americans showed their character and at the most important moment of the match they managed to score a 10:2 partial. The teams exchanged attacks and LeBron began to take care of the Joker. We have seen this confrontation very often in the NBA in recent years, and now the leaders of the national teams were fighting to reach the final of the Olympic Games. The USA finally tied the match (84:84) and Pesic called a timeout.
The Americans felt the fear of their opponents, after which LeBron, Curry and Embiid went into overdrive, and Devin Booker’s precise shooting from behind the arc also helped. The Stars and Stripes led by four points. The final attacks turned out to be rather chaotic and the Serbians eventually received a foul on Curry eight seconds before the end of the match. The difference again reached four points and in the end the United States won 95:91.
Lebron James
Photo: Alexander Safonov, “Championship”
If it weren’t for Curry, the Americans would have definitely lost this match. Legendary performance by the leader of the Golden State: 36 points, eight rebounds, two assists (12 of 19 field goals). The second top scorer of the match was Bogdanovic, who scored 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. If we talk about legend, we must not forget LeBron. 39-year-old James became the first player in the history of basketball to record two triple-doubles at the Olympic Games. The forward finished the match with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Incredible level of coolness from the King!
Olympic Games (m). Half-finals
August 8, 2024, Thursday. 22:00 Moscow time
United States: Curry, Edwards, James, Durant, White, Haliburton, Tatum, Embiid, Holiday, Adebayo, Davis, Booker
Serbia: Plavsic, Petrushev, Jovic, Bogdanovic, Marinkovic, Dobrich, Jokic, Micic, Guduric, Davidovac, Avramovic, Milutinov
You can say all you want that Anthony Edwards is the new face of the US national team, but today Curry and LeBron proved that it is they who lead the rest, and not someone else. Edwards spent 14 minutes on the court and was not seen at all in the game: two points, two rebounds and one assist. The same certainly cannot be said of Embiid. The center was incredibly useful (19 points, four rebounds) and made difficult shots with the resistance of Jokic. What am I talking about the United States? Take a bow to the Serbians! The European team gave us a fairy tale that lasted three quarters. Before the start of the last ten minutes, everyone who watched the game believed and expected that the Serbians would put pressure on the Americans and disrupt their hegemony at the Olympic Games. It was not enough at all.
Jokic ran 37.41 in the match. Joker gave his all on the court, did everything for the good of the team, but at a key moment Serbia ran out of steam, as Pesic deliberately played with a shorter rotation so that the best players could do their job. And for three quarters they not only held out, but beat the team of NBA superstars, but in the fourth everyone saw everything… Words of gratitude for the tournament and dedication fly to the Serbians. Bravo to all the players, they were one step away from a historic victory, but the United States is in the final of the 2024 Olympics, where it will play against France, which unexpectedly made it to the decisive match. Embiid will play against the French and we will have a brilliant battle.
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A match for the ages: The Serbians outplayed the Americans until the final minutes. But the United States is now in the final.
