Every four years, men’s basketball allows us to revalue the feat of the Argentine national team at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the last team to beat the United States in this discipline. In Paris 2024, in the semi-finals, Nikola Jokic’s Serbia came very close, but the victory slipped away in the final against the Dream Team led by LeBron James and Steph Curry who will play for gold this Saturday against France, the host country.
The United States, winner of all the golds since Barcelona 1992, except for the achievement of the Golden Generation by Emanuel Ginobili, Luis Scola, Fabricio Oberto, Andres Nocioni, Leonardo Gutierrez, Pablo Prigioni, Carlos Delfino and company in Athens 2004, will seek a new Olympic title after beating Serbia 95-91 in the semi-finals on Thursday.
It was not easy for the team he leads Steve KerrSerbia made things really difficult for them. Although in their Olympic debuts they had faced each other with an overwhelming victory for the United States by 110 to 84, in these semis the story was very different.
LeBron James and Steph Curry, the stars of the United States. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
The Serbians were ahead on the scoreboard for almost the entire match. They closed the first quarter 31 to 20, led by their star player, Nikola Jokic (NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets in the 2022/23 season). And they reached a difference of 17 points: It was at the start of the second quarter when the score was 42 to 25 with a free throw by Jokic.
But, little by little, the United States was narrowing the gap despite having great difficulties defending Jokic (17 points), point guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks player, 20 points) and center Nikola Milutinov (5 rebounds, 4 of them offensive) and the other point guard Aleksa Avramovic (15 points).
The Dream Team, however, has consolidated its individual hierarchy. Its players do not fail: Steph Curry scored 9 of 14 three-point attempts (64% effectiveness)Kevin Durant shot 3 of 6 on doubles and Joel Embiid converted 6 of 8 on doubles (75%) and 2 of 3 on triples (67%). The United States is a bit lazy when it comes to defending, but it relies on its figures that have unbeatable firepower. And above them, the great figure of LeBron James, who scored 16 pointsbut he also stood up for the team in the most difficult moments.
But the key moment of the game was in the last quarter when with 2:35 left to play Ognjen Dobric was left alone with the ball in an ideal position for a three-pointer with the score 86-84 in Serbia’s favor, but he missed the attempt. LeBron James grabbed the rebound, moved up to the offensive line, assisted Curry and the Golden State point guard scored from the three-point line to turn the score around.
Jokic gave his all, but he was no match for the United States. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
He sprint final It was devastating. Vasilije Micic missed another triple and LeBron James got a double to extend the lead. And then Curry got a steal against Bogdanovic and went to the basket to make it 91-86. It was the end of the game. Then came the fouls, the shots from the line and a double by Durant that sealed the game.
The United States is in a new final and is going for gold against the local team, the team that has Victor Wembanyamathe Frenchman who shines for the San Antonio Spurs. The franchise that had in its ranks Ginobili and Oberto, the last NBA champions (not Americans) to win Olympic gold.
