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As the United States’ chances of a fifth straight Olympic gold medal seemed to be fading rapidly, Stephen Curry and LeBron James took over and led the United States to a thrilling win over a surging Serbia in the semifinals.
PARIS, France — The United States kept its dream alive by defeating Serbia with a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback. 95-91advanced to the men’s basketball gold medal final of the Paris Olympics on Thursday, August 8 (Friday, August 9, Manila time), where they will face France.
The Americans trailed by double digits for much of the game, trailing 76-63 at the end of the fourth quarter, and their chances of a fifth consecutive gold medal quickly looked slim.
NBA stars LeBron James and Stephen Curry then took control of the game, wowing the sold-out crowd at Bessie Arena with a fiery comeback.
In a rematch of the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medal match, it was a fascinating matchup between James, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and four-time MVP, and Nikola Jokic, the current three-time MVP of Serbia.
But it was two-time MVP Curry who had the hottest performance, scoring 14 of the United States’ first 15 points in the first four minutes.
Curry eventually scored a game-high 36 points, including 9 three-pointers and 2 key free throws with 8 seconds left in the game, helping the team seal the victory.
“To come back like this … I’ve watched a lot of Team USA basketball, it’s special,” Curry said.
The United States’ victory gave basketball fans the long-awaited final and is sure to be one of the highlights of the Paris Olympics as the American Dream Team will face a spirited French team at a hostile Bercy Stadium on Saturday, August 10.
With the enthusiastic support of the home crowd, the French team was in high spirits and won the 73-69 In the semi-finals they beat Germany.
France was led by 17 points from Guerschon Yabusele and 16 from Isaia Cordinier, the highlight being a pair of free throws with seven seconds left that stopped a German comeback and sealed the win.
After the Serbian team’s lead was gradually reduced, James drove the ball to the basket and tied the score at 84-84. A few seconds later, Curry finally made a three-pointer to help the United States lead 87-86.
The two sides continued their quick offense. James dribbled the ball again, and Curry then stole the ball and made a layup. In the end, Serbia fell behind 86 to 91 and fell into despair.
“My teammates believed in me, and I was able to help them,” said James, who finished with a triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
“I tell them it’s good to get tested. It’s great to get tested,” he added.
“I’m 39 years old and I’m going into my 22nd season. I don’t know how many more opportunities and moments like this I’m going to have, to be able to compete for … big accomplishments, to be in big games, and tonight was a big game.”
Joel Embiid scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the U.S., which trailed by as many as 17 points, 25-42, in the second quarter.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points for Serbia, and Jokic added 17 points and 11 assists. – Rappler.com
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