Kevin Durant's Fiery Take On United States After Thrilling Win Over Serbia

Team USA trailed by as many as 17 points in Thursday's epic Olympic semifinal clash with Serbia, its dreams of winning a fifth straight gold medal fading fast.

The Serbians were splashing triples around Nikola Jokic from all over the floor, while the Americans failed to find similar continuity and consistency offensively despite Stephen Curry's red-hot hand. The United States was simply playing a half step slower than Nikola Jokic and company, too, also failing to match their force.

What a difference the fourth quarter makes.

After their thrilling 95-91 win over Serbia in Paris, Kevin Durant made clear he and his teammates' pride for country —despite the "bulls***" back home—helped fuel Team USA's come-from-behind victory.

“When you come to the Olympics, you see the pride representing your country," he said, per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. "You see the pride that Serbia has for their country. You see fans singing the anthem during the game. We love playing for the US, especially when a lot of bulls*** goes on in our country.”

Durant, the newly minted all-time leading Olympic scorer in USA Basketball history, scored nine points and grabbed three boards on Thursday while taking a backseat to Curry, LeBron James and Joel Embiid offensively.

The Phoenix Suns superstar played the entire fourth quarter despite starting the game on the bench, however, an indication of just how significant Durant's presence is to the Americans' hopes for gold. The hyper-competitive, ever-prideful mindset he provides for Team USA sure seems increasingly important, too.

Related: Ja Morant's Five-Word Admission About Stephen Curry's Onslaught In Win Vs. Serbia