In Group C play and in the quarterfinal against Brazil, the United States trailed for just over 16 minutes of game time. Against Serbia, Team USA trailed by double digits for much of the game with Serbia's largest lead being 17 and taking a 13-point lead to the fourth quarter. However, Team USA outscored the Serbians 32-15 in the fourth quarter to pull out a thrilling 95-91 victory to advance to the gold medal game. Host France and a raucous environment awaits, but our staff will have more coverage before Saturday's tip (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC). Here are my takeaways from today's game.
Should This Have Been a Surprising Result?
Team USA had faced little resistance in its first four games of the Olympics. The biggest talking points have been which stars did not get minutes in particular games with Steve Kerr showing a peculiar aversion to playing Jayson Tatum against Serbia. However, the competition ratcheted up in the semifinals with Serbia easily covering a 15.5 point spread and being a few bounces away from shocking the US. However, given what we have seen from Team USA under Steve Kerr, this game should not have been a surprise.
The United States entered the Olympics as the heavy favorite to claim gold once again with an all-time stacked roster and that is no surprise. Entering the Olympics, my two concerns about this team were Kerr himself and to a lesser degree 3-point shooting. Team USA knocked down 16-of-32 3-point attempts in today's game so that was not an issue today, which leads me back to Kerr.
In last year's FIBA World Cup, the United States did not win the gold medal. In fact, it did not medal at all after losing to Canada in the third place game. While some would call last year's team a C or D roster especially in comparison to this year's team, a roster led by Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, and Mikal Bridges among others should have been plenty good enough to win gold. Instead, Kerr's insistence on playing small -like his Warriors- left the United States vulnerable cleaning the glass and protecting the rim.
Moving back to this game, Kerr's lineup decisions remain questionable. Kevin Durant, USA Basketball's all-time scorer, remains out of the starting lineup after missing all five preliminary games with a calf injury. Durant has provided an impact leading the second unit, but played just seven minutes in the first half and did not score. That certainly contributed to the United States falling behind when they struggled to score inside the arc.
Stephen Curry sparked the team with 17 of the team's 23 points in the first quarter. Curry exited the game with 1:42 left in the first quarter with the United States down by 4. When he returned at the 7:40 mark of the second quarter, Serbia had pushed the lead up to 14 points. With the Warriors, Kerr remains steadfast in sitting Curry for the first half of the fourth quarter and Curry often has to bail out the team when he returns, which earned him 2023-24 Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year.
As a four-time NBA champion as a head coach, Kerr will join many of his current players in the Basketball Hall of Fame one day, but not because of him being a great strategist. The United States looked shellshocked when Serbia's went into a zone and zone offense counters should have been ready with the 3-point shooting questions. Also on staff is Erik Spoelstra, who is also a two-time NBA champion himself and lately has done more with less, recently leading the Heat to the NBA Finals as an eighth seed with several undrafted players. I can't help but wonder why Spoelstra did not get the head coaching job instead of Kerr.
Nikola Jokic is the Best Player in the World
Nikola Jokic's closing stat line in today's game did not end up looking that impressive as he shot just 7-for-17 from the field with 17 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists in 37 minutes. However, the game still was another illustration of why he is currently the best player in the world. Aside from Jokic, Serbia has just one other NBA starting-level player in Bogdan Bogdanovic, who led the team with 20 points today. Yet going against a team with loaded All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, Jokic controlled much of the game.
Jokic was able to get his teammates several open looks, many of which they converted into assists for him. Serbia scored 54 points and shot 54% in the first half. Ultimately, the United States' depth prevailed as it wore down Serbia in the fourth quarter. However, after losing to the United States by 26 points in each of the last two meetings, Serbia nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic basketball history.
The United States has several players from contenders with the Celtics, Lakers, Sixers, Timberwolves, Suns, Pacers, Warriors and Heat being represented. Jokic proved once again that even with roster turnover, the Nuggets will remain a force to be reckoned with.
Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant Stepped Up When It Mattered Most
LeBron James (39), Curry (36), and Durant (35) are the oldest players on this United States' roster, but also the most accomplished. Combined, they have 10 NBA championships, 44 NBA All-Star appearances, and seven NBA MVPs with James being the all-time leading scorer and Curry being the all-time leader in 3s made. The trio still drive most NBA debate topics and played in a role in the NBA's ratings and new mega television. Once again, they showed what all the fuss is about.
Curry had struggled in the Olympics entered this game, but he stepped up when the team needed him most like he has many times for the Warriors. At one point in the third quarter, Curry had 29 of the team's 56 points. He finished with 36 points, eight rebounds, and made 9-of-14 3-point attempts. Curry scored the second-most points in a single game in the United State's Men's Basketball National Team Olympic history.
James has been the engine of the team to this point. Today, James finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists for the second triple-double in the Olympics in the United States' history. The triple-double came 12 years to the day that James had the first against Australia.
Durant started slow, but scored nine points in the second half. The last two seemingly iced the game when he put the US up by four with 34 seconds to go. It was a patented Durant play as everyone cleared out, he crossed over his defender, creating the separation he needed to elevate for a midrange jumper.
Curry, James, and Durant scored team's final 13 points and 22 of the 32 fourth quarter points. It just would have been nice to see them play together more throughout these Olympics.
Reason to Worry in 2028?
As thrilling as the three legends' performance was today, it also made me think about the next Summer Olympics. While the three of them, particularly James, are still marveling with their production at their age, presumably at 43, 40, and 39, respectively, they will likely not be on the next Olympic team. All three may even be retired.
That could prove to be problematic because while the United States can usually overwhelm most teams with the depth of the stars at its disposal, it may not have the best player on the floor without James, Curry, and Durant. In addition to Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo finished 1-4 in NBA MVP voting last season. Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo helped Canada and Greece advance to the quarterfinals this year while Doncic helped Slovenia finish fourth in Tokyo. Of the three, Canada could prove to be a real threat if it adds more size to its next Olympic team. Additionally, Victor Wembanyama, who the US will face on Saturday, will be four years older with at least a couple years of Gregg Popovich's tutelage under his belt. As it is, France will be battling the United States for gold for the second consecutive time.
Players to lead the United States in 2028 likely include Tatum, Edwards, Devin Booker, Haliburton, Bam Adebayo, and Paolo Banchero among others. However, that also makes Kerr's benchings of Tatum even more puzzling given that he may be the leader next time around. Adding to the pressure in 2028 is that the United States will be hosting the Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. The United States will play for its fifth straight gold medal on Saturday. However, anything less than a gold medal as the host country in 2028 will be seen as an embarrassment to many.
