Steph Curry and LeBron James Lead Team USA’s Stunning Comeback to Secure Gold Medal Game Spot

By Joe Vardon

PARIS — They needed the Avengers.

The U.S. men, whose NBA titles, MVP awards and Olympic golds precede them, didn’t wear masks or capes, but they stormed Bercy Arena in the fourth quarter Thursday to lift Team USA over Serbia 95-91. The win — sure to be an instant classic — puts the U.S. into the gold-medal game against host France.

Some of the greatest players of all time, and certainly the faces of a golden era in the NBA that is watching its sunset, overcame not just a 17-point deficit, but a Serbian team that Team USA coach Steve Kerr described as playing “perfect.”

Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid — four former NBA MVPs on the floor for the fourth quarter of a furious comeback that was needed to stave off a reordering of the basketball universe.

Not only is the U.S. chasing its fifth consecutive gold medal, but a team of 11 NBA All-Stars with the aforementioned names on the marquee could not lose in a semifinal without being labeled a failure.

Instead, those four men and the others who joined them at times on the court wearing the American white uniform delivered a performance that will be remembered for a long time.

“Serbia was brilliant today, and I am really humbled to have been a part of this game,” said a hoarse Kerr, in a massive scrum of media at the arena’s loading dock. “It’s one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of.”

Curry scored 36 points — one shy of Carmelo Anthony’s U.S. Olympic record — including the go-ahead 3 with 2 minutes, 24 seconds left and two foul shots within 10 seconds that sealed the win. Curry’s point total was not only the most by any U.S. player this summer, but he eclipsed his total for his previous four Olympic games combined (28 points).

James delivered a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. He has the only two triple-doubles in U.S. Olympic history with the last coming 12 years ago in London. James tied Thursday’s game at 84 with a driving layup at 3:41, and it was his pass to Curry that assisted the go-ahead 3. James guarded reigning NBA MVP and Serbian superstar Nikola Jokić in the fourth quarter, which the Americans won 32-15.

Of course, Jokić has three MVPs and an NBA championship. Pause to consider the league royalty on the floor at one time — not all on the same American team — duking it out in a game that easily matched the intensity of a game late in an NBA Finals.

“I mean, I’m 39 years old going into my 22nd season. I don’t know how many opportunities and moments I’m going to get like this to be able to compete for something — compete for something big and playing in big games — and tonight was a big game,” James said.

Embiid played his best game with Team USA, scoring five of his 19 points in an electric fourth quarter in which he made Jokić work on the defensive end. He shot 8 of 11 from the field, added four rebounds in 27 minutes and delivered a monstrous, athletic-looking dunk in which he soared over a defender as the U.S. attempted to rally in the third quarter.

Durant is the Americans’ all-time leading scorer and he’s trying to become the first Olympic men’s player to win four golds. This was one of his worst games for Team USA, but seven of his nine points came in the fourth quarter. He was scoreless at halftime and didn’t get his first bucket until late in the third. But on defense, Durant was picking up full court as part of a relentless comeback.

The Serbians’ 17-point lead was in the second quarter. They were ahead by 15 with 32 seconds left in the third and hit 15 3s, played through Jokić and capitalized for three quarters on the wide-open shots he created for teammates.

Until the Avengers arrived.

 

“They’re a really good team and it’s hard to beat the team three times but to come back the way we did — I’ve seen a lot of Team USA basketball and that was special,” Curry said.

The United States will play France in a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final from three years ago after the French stunned World Cup champion Germany 73-69.