Team USA Rallies in the Fourth to Beat Serbia and Earn Olympic Final Berth
This was the biggest moment that fans have been waiting for in a long time.
Team USA was clearly out of the game for three straight quarters – before the big three of LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Stephen Curry caught fire in the fourth and did not look back as they took over the game to finish off Nikola Jokic and Serbia with a monumental comeback, erasing a 17-point lead that could have been the biggest upset for Team USA.
Instead, the American squad emerges triumphant – punching their ticket to the battle for gold against home team France this weekend. It seems that the storied chase for the so-called “Avengers” are definitely making their way to the top of the game, and it cannot be denied that they are starting to look like the best team in the world – as they should be.
Stephen Curry led the charge with 36 points and 8 rebounds to go along with his nine threes made. Joel Embiid finally silenced his critics in the win by tallying 19 points and 4 rebounds, while LeBron James put on a superhuman effort in the win by tallying a triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists while missing only three of his nine shots.
A Historic Performance to Remember
Team USA has been dominant for most of the Olympics with wire-to-wire victories in the previous stages. It does seem that the team was poised to continue its pace, except that it encountered a massive roadblock in Serbia, which showed off in the earlier stages of the competition of the game. Serbia took advantage of the poor shooting from the United States as they built an 11-point lead by halftime.
However, Joel Embiid went on to rally big in the second half with a 7-0 run of his own. James would then pull off a coast-to-coast finish with a layup to tie the game, and later Curry drilled a massive three – his ninth of the game. James and Curry would later pull off two layups to extend the lead by seven points – which was already the biggest lead for the team.
Serbia tried to pull off a last-second heave in the final seconds of the game but missed it by a bit. James pulled down the board and calmly dribbled the ball as Team USA wrapped up its impressive comeback victory.
A Chance at History Once More
Team USA’s win sets them up for a golden opportunity in the Olympics. France managed to survive Germany in the other semifinal game to earn a spot in the gold medal game. This means that Team USA will be facing France in front of their home crowd – which is definitely going to be one of the most challenging environments in the game so far. It cannot be denied that facing Victor Wembanyama, the NBA’s Rookie of the Year will prove to be quite a challenge in the weekend.
France managed to knock out favorites en route to the final, beating World Cup bronze winners Canada and World Cup gold winners Germany in the semis. This has been quite a journey for France, which has seen some impressive blows in their roster, especially after Joel Embiid chose to play for the United States instead.
On top of that, the United States can pull off a promising win for the late Kobe Bryant, who has been one of the elite Olympic performers for the team. The date of the gold medal match is slated for August 10, 2024. That sums up three numbers worn by the Lakers legend at 8, 10, and 24, with the number 10 being his Team USA jersey number.