Crazy and emotional is what the US team brought in a spectacular comeback victory over Serbia in the men’s basketball semifinals of the 2024 Olympics.
When the final whistle blew and victory was in the hands of the American team, LeBron James stroked his silver-flecked beard, bowed his head and let out a long breath.
They were tired and almost exhausted by Serbia, a very strong opponent from Europe led by the duo Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
But under great pressure in terms of scores, the entire US team did not panic, did not rush, and especially did not give up, creating a classic comeback in the 2024 Olympic semi-finals.
“This is definitely a game we will remember forever ,” Kevin Durant said.
Kevin Durant celebrates with LeBron James
The Americans trailed by 17 points in the first half, then by 15 in the third quarter and by 11 with eight minutes left, but Steve Kerr’s team still managed to complete the comeback, winning 95-91 to advance to the final.
The core of the fourth quarter that helped the US team explode was a 24-8 scoring streak, achieved by a 5-man lineup including Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
They brought everything from the little things like trying to contest every ball, making every screen, to the bigger things like defending Jokic and Bogdanovic.
Serbia’s biggest lead over the US was 17 points. The advantage remained at 11 points at the start of the fourth quarter before they let the US come back.
And when the opportunity came, the world’s top basketball superstars LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant took turns scoring, drowning out all of Serbia’s efforts to win the final victory.
“We can look back on this game and see it as a lesson and a place where we were tested to the extreme ,” Stephen Curry said after the game.
“And we will also think of it as one of the most memorable games for this group, being behind the whole game and still coming back to win.”
On the other side of the front line, the Serbian team came very close to creating an earthquake in Paris. They played a near-perfect match, effective in attack and quickly broke the US team’s strategy.
A 15-2 run at the start of the second quarter and a 9-0 run at the end of the third kept Serbia in the lead. But in the fourth quarter, Nikola Jokic picked up his fourth personal foul and couldn’t defend as well as he had initially.
This negative energy spread to the offense when Jokic and his teammates only had 4 successful shots in more than 7 minutes, creating the foundation for the US team’s 24-8 score streak and then losing the game.
Bogdan Bogdanovic (right) leads Serbia with 20 points
Stephen Curry finished the game with 36 points, 8 rebounds and 9 successful 3-pointers in 33 minutes. Behind him was Joel Embiid with 19 points (8-11 FG).
LeBron James made history with his second triple-double of the Olympics, scoring 16 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Kevin Durant contributed 9 points with 4-8 FG.
Nikola Jokic scored 17 points and had 11 assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic led the team with 20 points and 3 assists. Shooter Aleksa Avramovic scored 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists with 4-6 3PT.
