Team USA pulled out an incredible 95-91 win over Serbia in the semi-final of the Olympics, overturning a 17-point deficit led by Stephen Curry 's 36 points. In the post-game huddle, captain LeBron James hyped up Curry and Joel Embiid for their game-winning performances, with Embiid scoring 19 points and leading a solo 8-0 run to change the game in the second half.
“One more. One f***ing more. We already knew we were going to be tested in this f***ing tournament. Mothaf***in Chef & Joe, y’all motherf****rs carried us tonight. One more, goddammit.”
Curry's 36 points made Team USA history as the second-most scored in a single game, one point behind Carmelo Anthony's 37 against Nigeria at the 2012 London Olympics. Embiid's 19 points were good enough for this to be the best game of his Team USA career, shooting 8-11 from the field.
LeBron did what a good leader does and motivated the troops by sharing well-earned praise, but he wasn't far behind as one of the key contributors as well. James made Olympic history by becoming the first player to notch multiple triple-doubles in the tournament with his 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in the narrow win.
Team USA will now be heading to the Gold medal game against the host country, France. The fan support for the French throughout this tournament has been rabid, so the USA will head into a hostile atmosphere for that game. The team is full of the NBA's best, but James is the leading voice in that locker room. He'll take the responsibility of keeping his team locked in and completing the mission.
Stephen Curry And Joel Embiid Had Their Fun In The Win
Both Curry and Embiid seemed at ease with the pressure they were under in this game, as a loss would send them into the Bronze medal game and be arguably the biggest failure in Team USA history. It would be a bigger failure than the 2004 Olympics, but that team was not nearly as loaded as their 2024 counterparts.
Curry reflected on his defining Olympic performance after the game ,
"This is everything I imagined it to be. Obviously, this is my first go-around in the Olympics. Knew we were going to get challenged by a great Serbian team and, we had to beat them three times this summer - it was going to be tough. I just kinda got lost in the moment of understanding how big this stage is and what's at stake for this team. And it was special. This is the most fun I've had in a very long time. To dig deep like we did with this group and get a win, it's special."
Joel Embiid didn't receive the plaudits that Curry had, but his solo run of scoring in the second half made this win possible for Team USA. He openly celebrated the semi-final win in front of the booing French audience, crotch-chopping after the win and telling the fans to 'suck it.'
Curry is averaging 13.0 points and 3.6 rebounds at the Olympics, while Embiid has put up 13.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Both will be expected starters for the Final, alongside LeBron James.
Related: 5 Things We Learned From Team USA’s Victory Over Serbia In 2024 Olympics
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