Superstar-Team sends shockwaves into the Olympic tournament
At least for half a season, Nikola Jokic and Serbia have shown why they are among the favorites for an Olympic medal. But then the invincible-looking USA team overpowers them - all the more so because one of the best scorers of all time is back.
"The first game is important, but not decisive," Serbia's national coach Svetislav Pesic had looked at the first match of his team against the big tournament favorite USA beforehand. On Sunday, Pesic, Jokic, and Co. suffered a clear and painful 84:110 loss in the first game between the two teams at these Olympic Games - because LeBron James and Kevin Durant individually, and the USA collectively, had an absolute shooting day.
James and Durant combined for 44 points and made 18 of their 22 field goal attempts. Durant scored 23 points with 8 of 9 field goal conversions, James scored 21 points (9/13 FG), 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. Team USA made 62% of its shots and 56% of its three-point attempts (18/32) on the way to their 110 points in total. Jrue Holiday (15 points), Devin Booker (12), Steph Curry (11), and Anthony Edwards (11) also scored in double digits for the best-prepared NBA stars, who were laughing, taunting, and goading each other on the sidelines.
"I've coached Kevin for three years (Note from the Red.: at the Golden State Warriors). He always comes back as if nothing had happened. He hasn't played for months and looked like he hadn't taken a break. Incredible," US coach Steve Kerr was thrilled about the return of his versatile megastar.
"Durantula" as the ultimate cheat code
"Having KD (Note from the Red.: also Kevin Durant) by my side is definitely a treat," James dictated into the microphone after the opening win. The story of the day was the return of the "Slim Reaper," as the filigree Durant is called due to his deadly shooting accuracy. The Americans only officially gave the green light for Durant's return to the court in the afternoon.
Despite being a two-time champion and Finals MVP (2017 and 2018), Durant had been eager to play for weeks and looked excellent in training and shootarounds before the warm-up games. However, the team management kept him out of live action on the court during all five preparatory games in Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi, and London. This caused increasing frustration for the superstar, who wanted to join in much earlier.
His debut in the summer could not have gone better. Durant came in after just under eight minutes and immediately scored. One of the best NBA scorers of all time - his points per game average of 27.3 is the fourth highest behind Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor (minimum 500 games) - hunted down his first eight shot attempts and ended the first half with 21 points in less than nine minutes. When he hit a fadeaway to take a 58:49 halftime lead for the USA, his teammates had already subdued their opponents.
Serbians lose rhythm
However, it didn't get much closer after the break. The Serbians could no longer maintain the pace of the first 20 minutes, missed 13 of their shots in the third quarter, and 12 in the final quarter, while the USA continued to build on their lead. Triple MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. NBA veteran Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks) scored 14 points, and Ognjen Dobric contributed 13 points.
Serbia led early (10:2) and forced Kerr to take the first timeout already after three minutes. The Balkan team kept the game evenly balanced in the first half and showed why they should be considered top favorites in this elite tournament. "They were a good test for us," said Anthony Davis afterwards. "They came out with a lot of intensity, played well. Durant kept us in the game in the first half with his scoring, and we took advantage of that."
Two minutes before halftime, the WM Silver medalist shortened the gap to 44:46 thanks to an 8:0 run. Durant then pressed the gas pedal. With a little more shooting luck, maybe more would have gone for the Serbians. However, from a distance, Pešić's team barely scored at all. In the end, they had a measly 41.9% from the field and only 24% from beyond the arc (9 out of 37 threes).
"We didn't talk much about defense. We know defense is important, it's the foundation of our game," said Serbia's coach after the game. "We had much more focus on our offense, we knew they would defend us aggressively. When we played with rhythm and executed our strategy precisely, we looked good. That's what we lost, took too many early shots. 34 threes, that's not our style - and a clear sign that we lost organization."
Meeting again in the semifinals?
For Durant, it was his first appearance since the Olympic final three years ago in Tokyo, where he threw 29 points to lead the USA to the gold medal. Initially, Coach Kerr only wanted to gradually bring him back into action - but a well-prepared Durant erased that plan. "I just wanted to make it happen. And be aggressive as soon as the ball touches my hand."
"I was tired, but I felt good," said the top scorer. "27,000 fans, that's crazy. I love it when so many people come together to watch basketball. That emotionalized me at the beginning of the game. We just have to play for each other. Nobody cares about statistics. We just want to win. That's what's beautiful about basketball - teamwork."
Durant has already won three Olympic golds (2012, 2016, 2020) and is the All-Time Leader of Americans in points (458), field goals (154), threes (79), free throws (71), and points per game (19.9 PPG). If the USA makes it to the final, he will overtake Carmelo Anthony (three golds, one bronze) as the most successful Olympian among US basketball players. Despite the shrinking lead over other nations and the revealing test phase: So far, it doesn't seem that anyone can seriously challenge the US-Americans.
"They're very good, but we can definitely play better. We didn't start well in the second half, and they just played better, rebounded better, fought better. We knew they would play better than in Abu Dhabi. We have to win against Puerto Rico on Wednesday and South Sudan on Saturday to survive Group C and make it to the quarterfinals," observed Serbia's guard Bogdanovic about the defeat. The Serbians must now win against Puerto Rico on Wednesday and South Sudan on Saturday to advance from Group C and reach the quarterfinals. They can't face the USA earlier than the semifinals at the earliest. It would certainly be another top-tier match - maybe even a full 40-minute one.
In the NBA, Stephen Curry is a renowned figure, often overshadowed by the discussions surrounding LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Regarding the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, while LeBron James and Kevin Durant have been shining for Team USA, it's important to note that Stephen Curry was also part of the team, contributing 11 points in their opening game victory.
