LeBron James’ record, Curry’s confession and the controversial quotes from the Serbian coach: the gems of the United States’ triumph in Paris 2024

All the three-pointers from the match between the United States and Serbia for the semifinal in Paris 2024Follow all the information about the Olympic Games and the results here

The United States did it again. Despite being 17 points behind Serbia, the Dream Team showed why they should never be given up for dead and took their second ticket to this Saturday’s final at 4:30 p.m. (Argentine time) against France, their same rival from Tokyo 2020. The reigning four-time gold champion will go for their fifth gold in a row against the host after facing one of the most complex commitments of Paris 2024.

The Americans entered the final quarter 63-76 having lost every quarter and had a dream finish of 35-15 (95-91 final) to complete the comeback thanks to the excellent performance of Stephen Curry. The Golden State Warriors point guard finished the night with 36 points, the highest individual score in history in an Olympic semifinal or final, according to statistician Mister Chip. In general terms, the highest mark for Team USA belongs to Carmelo Anthony, when he scored 37 points against Nigeria in the group stage of London 2012.

The Chef supported his team from the three-point line because he alone scored 9 of the 16 effective shots from the 3-point line out of 32 attempts from distance. LeBron James (2), Joel Embiid (2), Devin Booker (1), Jrue Holiday (1) and Kevin Durant (1) contributed the rest. The game was decided in that subject because the Europeans lost efficiency in the final quarter and finished with a meager percentage of 38% (15/39). Even, the distribution was more equitable because Aleksa Avramović led the collective list with 4 three-pointers. All the shots were compiled by the official Claro Sports broadcast in a video that lasts five minutes and contemplates the excellence of two teams that were favorites for the top prize before the Olympic Games.

The specialized media, Pasion Basket, echoed Curry’s statements after the match at the Bercy Arena in Paris: “I can say without fear of being wrong, that this has been one of the best games of my life.” He was not the only one who stood out because LeBron has achieved the fourth triple-double in the history of the Olympics with 16 points, 12 rebounds (all defensive) and 10 assists with one detail: it is the second time he has done so in his personal account. The previous ones were by Alexander Belov in 1976 and Luka Doncic in 2020.

The late comeback was so unique that the United States is only the second team to win a men’s Olympic tournament match after losing the first three quarters. Lithuania opened the match against Croatia in Beijing 2008. It will be the fourth time that it has faced France in an Olympic final. Previous history has shown a total dominance of the United States with three victories.

The finalists took advantage of the moment of relaxation after their duty was accomplished to get away from the paint and rest in the warmth of the French night. Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker posted a photo on his personal Instagram account, followed by more than five million users, with the 12 players who make up the Olympic squad, showing the excellent camaraderie of the delegation in the face of a decisive moment.

The photo uploaded by Devin Booker with the complete United States squad at the Olympic Games

However, there was also room for controversy because Serbian coach Svetislav Pesic made some surprising statements. Journalist Donatas Urbonas posted one of the quotes on social media, focusing on the referees: “We tried to talk to the referees, but they didn’t try to talk to us, but that’s okay. The United States doesn’t need that kind of help against us. We didn’t have that kind of help when they grabbed us with both hands and all that. We played the best we could.”

“Strange things have happened. I am calm, I am not angry, I am disappointed because this team did not get the respect of the referees. I told my players not to talk to them, but to fight,” was another of the statements published by the journalist and historian, Sergio Rabinal.