By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Everyone just witnessed greatness at the highest level in the sport of basketball.
Completely in shock after going down by as much as 17 points, Team USA showed poise under pressure and banked on a huge fourth-quarter performance to complete the comeback against Serbia, 95-91, during their Paris Olympics semifinal showdown on August 9, 2024.
For the first time in their Paris Olympics campaign, the mighty Team USA couldn’t win a quarter and got outscored by the Serbians from the first frame up to the third.
Serbia almost played a ‘perfect basketball’ after going unconscious from the three-point line while also abusing their strength in the pick-and-roll game that ballooned their lead to 17 points with still six minutes left in the second quarter.
The Americans fought back and trimmed their deficit back to 10 points twice but the sharpshooting Serbian national team ended the first half on a high note to build an 11-point cushion heading into the last two periods.
Team USA received a huge wake-up call after going down by double digits in the first half for the first time in Paris, putting them in a tough spot in terms of player matchups and defensive adjustments.
However, the talented USA hoops squad amped their defensive pressure at the start of the third, setting the tone for their incoming assault.
Just when Team USA thought they already figured out Serbia, the European team showed they still had enough gas left in the tank and protected their double-digit lead at the end of the third.
With the pressure mounting up for Team USA, the superstar lineup of Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker ignited their fire inside that steered the Americans to a huge offensive run in the fourth.
Down by 11 points, 78-67, with still 7:22 left in the final canto, Durant kicked off Team USA’s spirited come-from-behind effort after draining a three-pointer that cut their disadvantage to eight points.
After a completed defensive stop, Booker fired another trifecta that pulled them to within five points, 78-73. Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic was able to answer back with a tough fade-away shot but Durant turned it up and converted a pull-up jumper that continued Team USA’s fiery streak.
In the last six minutes of the game, Team USA stepped on the gas pedal and ended the game with a fantastic 20-9 scoring run that handed Serbia the total shocker.
Embiid dominated the paint and got Team USA to within a deuce off a fade-away jumper over Nikola Jokic while James tied the ball game after a layup from the top of the key.
The Americans finally tasted the lead after Curry drilled a clutch three-pointer, 87-86, that put the whole crowd on their feet.
James increased their lead to three points off a coast-to-coast layup before Durant put the icing on the cake when he scored on an isolation jumper that proved to be the dagger in the final 35 seconds of the game.
Curry played the game of his life for Team USA after erupting for 36 points, his best performance wearing the national team jersey so far. The superstar guard from the Golden State Warriors converted a total of nine three-point shots, the most by any player in the ongoing Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, Embiid showed why he was a former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) after dropping 19 markers built from an efficient 8/11 shooting from the field.
James ended with a triple-double performance of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 dimes while the clutch Durant chipped in nine markers.
With the win, the mighty Team USA will be facing Victor Wembanyama and the French national team in the gold medal match of this year’s Olympics.
