Steph Curry is arguably the best pure shooter in the world, but the 6-3 guard from San Francisco Warriors never got to blow up in this Olympic basketball tournament until Thursday.
Curry exploded for 36 points on 12 of 19 shooting and made nine international three- point shots as Team USA survived a major scare, rallying from a 17- point first half deficit to defeat Serbia, 95-91, in the semi-final’s tournament in Paris. The Americans will face host team France Saturday in the gold medal game at sold out Bercy Arena.
“It was a god-like performance,” teammate Kevin Durant. suggested.
It was the 36-year Curry at his best in his first and likely his only Olympic experience.
This was a day for the older most experienced American players to shine. LeBron James, the 39-year- old grey beard, had a triple- double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
And Curry, James and the 35-year- old Durant, playing in his fourth Olympics, scored Team USA’s last 13 points to overcome a Serbian team that played close to a perfect game with a hellacious fourth quarter where they had to overcome an 11- point deficit with 7:19 to play that left them and the other two players on the floor, center Joel Embiid – who had 19 points– and Devin Booker completely spent.
Curry, James and Durant, who are three future first round Naismith Hall of Famers, have eight MVPs and 10 NBA titles between them. They are used to finding a way and they did in this game for the ages.
“We can look back at this game as one that challenged us and tested us,” Curry said. “The one you will remember because of the circumstances of being down the entire
game and needing to come back
.”I’ve seen a lot of Team USA basketball and that was a special one.”
The United States roster is a who’s who is basketball, the deepest most talented team here. but they did not have that Dream Team dominance the media was promoting against Serbia, which features the most undervalued superstar in the world, Nikola Jokic and almost turned off the lights on the Americans with some torrid shooting in the first half and swarming defense throughout the game before a late game surge.
“I’m really humbled to have been part of this game,” US coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of. /They were perfect. They played a perfect game. our coaches were saying Villanova-Georgetown, for all of our older readers and viewers out there.
“But they played the perfect game, and they forced us to reach the highest level of compete. But they forced us to reach the highest level of competition we could find. And our guys were incredible in the fourth quarter, and they got it done.”
Enjoy the moment.
The rest of the world is catching up. Serbia led for 35:12 — nearly 90 percent of this 40-minute game– and proved this group of ball dominant superstars who thrive in isolation but occasionally suffers from a lack of cohesion on both sides of the court was not invincible. Serbia, which camouflaged their game plan during a pair of 26-point losses in a friendly and a group game, lit the They lit the Americans up for 15 threes and forced the Americans, who shot 57.1 percent, to settle for deep threes while keeping them out of the paint. If James is Mr. America– one of the top 5 players of the modern era– Jokic is Thanos, destroyer of worlds. The 6-10 2023 NBA champion, who did not play with another All Star in Denver, scored 17 points and contributed 11 assists while grabbing 5 rebounds against Team USA while NBA veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic dropped 20.
Team USA didn’t take the lead for good until Curry nailed a three to break a 84-84 tie with 2:16 to play.
This was the same Serbian team that needed to come back from 24 down to beat Australia in quarterfinals.
No one expected the Americans to have to scramble for a win in the knockout round, even with improved international talent. No one expects them to lose to France in the finals, even though the gold medal game will be played in a hostile environment and French fans will be all over Joel Embiid, who opted to play for Team USA over the country that gave him citizenship when he migrated from Africa.
But the LA games in 2028 could be different. Curry, James, Durant and Anthony Davis will likely be gone, and the French will be better if 7-4, 19-year-old prodigy Victor Wembanyama emerges as the same dominant international force as Jokic.
