Team USA 's come-from-behind win over Serbia in their Olympic semifinal assignment stands out as one of the best in the recent Summer Games in Paris. The Americans were down for most of the game and trailed by 13 points at the start of the fourth quarter. But despite facing great adversity, the team did not panic and slowly chipped into the lead before finally taking it in the final two minutes of the game.
According to Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards , who watched the scintillating fourth-quarter rally on the Team USA bench, he was impressed with his veteran teammates' poise while under pressure. He said that if that happened to him in Minnesota, he would have turned into Superman to save the day. But they did not, and that was the key.
"Watching them just like individually 'swing, swing, shoot'; 'swing, swing, drive; 'pass, pass, pump fake, drive'; I'm like 'Damn, they're really moving the ball.' Like it's no hero ball going on. Everybody's taking their shots, they playing within the system. It was impressive cuz it was him(KD), Steph, and Bron on the floor at the same time," said Ant-Man on Boardroom Talks.
No panic for Team USA
The Americans trailed by as many as 17 points at 25-42 in the second quarter after a red-hot shooting start by the Serbians. Team USA cut the lead to 11 points at 43-54 at the half. Serbia continued its strong play in the third quarter, outscoring the U.S. 22-20 to add to their lead.
In the 4th, the trio of LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant presided over the game as the U.S. buckled down on defense. After Nikola Jokic gave Serbia a 78-67 lead with 8:06 to play, Durant and Devin Booker hit back-to-back three-pointers to cut the lead to 73-78. According to KD, that was the turning point of the game.
Following a KD basket, Joel Embiid scored seven straight points to cut the lead to 82-84 before LeBron's layup tied the game at 84-84 with 3:41 left to play. Steph Curry then gave the U.S. team an 87-86 lead and never looked back. The game ended with a score of 95-91, their closest game in the tournament.
Related: ESPN insider says Rich Paul stopped LeBron James from the GSW trade: "He wanted to insulate James from potential backlash"
Ant-Man gave credit to D-Book
Aside from giving props to the holy trinity in the Serbia game, Edwards also praised Phoenix Suns superstar guard Devin Booker for playing a role on the team. Ant-Man referred to Book as the most important player on the Avengers.
"Steph had great games, he [Kevin Durant] had great games, LeBron [James] had great games, but Book was guarding the best player, turning down shots. … Not gonna lie, I was impressed watching him," Edwards added.
Heading to the tournament, Ant-Man half-heartedly boasted that he would still be the number one option in the loaded team. Of course, that didn't happen. However, he will not return to the NBA without learning valuable lessons that will help the Timberwolves become championship contenders. Perhaps the most valuable one is realizing teamwork is better than hero ball.
Related: "Completely changed his role from the NBA to now" - Kerr calls Booker Team USA's unsung MVP
Most Popular
Comments / 0