Team USA survives Serbia to set up Olympic final rematch with France

Suddenly, the USA Men’s NationalBasketball Team looked vulnerable and were on the brink of losing –something that was unfathomable coming into the Olympics. Not onlydid Team USA bring their best players and the best roster possible,they also had been dominant to start the tournament. However,Serbia did their homework after facing them for the third time andplayed a perfect game.

However in the end, Team USAeked out a tough 95-91 win over the Serbians to book the gold medalrematch against hosts France. It did not come easy at all for theAmericans after trailing by 17 in the second quarter and trailed by13 points going into the 4th. What did Serbia do right,then?

The Serbians were making everyshot attempt in the first half, shooting a blistering 9/19 fromthree. The Americans were not bad either, making 8 threes, howeverthey just could not get stops on the other end.

That brings the question, howdid Team USA mount the huge comeback?

It all started with Golden StateWarriors superstar Stephen Curry, who poured in 36 points with 9impressive threes. He kept the game close in the 1st half with abarrage of threes to counter Serbia, and he made the three that putthe USA for good in the 4th. Curry then had a breakaway layup andsank two pressure-packed free throws to seal the deal.

Sixers superstar and NBA MVPJoel Embiid played his best game of the Olympics with 19 points,making big shot after big shot in the 4th quarter in Team USA’scomeback. Embiid also played phenomenal defense against rivalNikola Jokic, providing the size and physicality that threw Jokicon some possessions.

LeBron James was his usualdominant and captain self, making history as the only player inOlympics history to record multiple triple doubles. James first didit in 2012 and then he had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assistsagainst the Serbians. James scored on two coast-to-coast layups inthe 4th that sparked the run and bring the crowd to their feet,with chants of U-S-A breaking out in the Bercy Arena.

Kevin Durant, who struggled inthe 1sst half, bounced back big time to finish with 9 pointsincluding the dagger at the end of the game when he broke down aSerbian defender and raised up for the midrangejumper.

With the win, Team USA sets upthe gold medal match against France on their home turf. Team USAand France faced each other in the Tokyo Olympics gold medal game,with Team USA eventually taking home the gold. France aims toredeem themselves in front of their fans this timearound.