Team USA had a pretty close shave during the recent Semi-Final game against Serbia at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the European country secured a close lead during the first quarter and maintained it even in the second and the third. By the time the game reached the final minutes, Serbia was leading by a score of 76-63. It was at this point that Stephen Curry, who had mostly been off the boil during the Olympic games, stepped up alongside LeBron James. The duo’s offensive prowess made sure Team USA held their nerve and secured a spot in the Finals by recording a 95-91 score.
The close escape for the star-filled NBA roster brought out an immediate reaction from former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas, and co. In a recent segment of ‘Gil’s Arena’, alongside co-hosts Rashad McCants, Sheryl Swoopes, and Lexie Brown, Arenas was doing a live reaction, as the game progressed. The chants of “USA, USA” kept getting louder, as the deficit was reduced and USA got back into the game.
Arenas even brought out the American Flag for the occasion and after the win, the crew was in awe of Stephen Curry. “I would say Steph because he kept hope alive,” said the 3× NBA All-Star, when highlighting his pick for who deserves the most credit for USA’s win. “Like, there was moments in the game where we needed that three. Every time he shot that three, we needed it. Because whatever happened, it could have been a real blowout. Like, this could have been a 2020-some blowout, like the way it looked. But he always hit a three that kind of kept us there.”
Curry initially faced trouble during the first few matchups at the Olympics. The worst of it came in the game against South Sudan, when he went 1-9 with his field goals, and 1-9 with his three-pointers. NBA’s All-Time Leader in three-pointers previously blamed his abysmal stats on having trouble adjusting to the different rules with which the international games are played. However, his tune completely changed against Serbia, and so did his performance, when Team USA was very close to leaving without a medal for the first time since the 1980 Games.
While LeBron James dropped a triple-double, Stephen Curry led the scoring effort with his jaw-dropping 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists during his highest playing time of 33 minutes. The 36-year-old went 12-19 with his field goals and a mind-boggling 9-14 with his three-pointers. With just 2:24 minutes remaining on the clock, Curry successfully made a long-range shot to get the USA in the lead for the first time during the game. That moment was something that not only the viewers, but the player himself ended up deeply contemplating.
“Knocking down a big shot like that, you live for those moments,” said Curry, “(I) haven’t shot the ball well the whole tournament. But it doesn’t waver your confidence to meet the moment.”
A driving layup by LeBron that followed the three-pointer, along with a steal and drive by Curry, powered the lead to five points. Serbia tried their best from there onward, but couldn’t catch up, as Team USA kept their Olympic journey well and truly alive.
No one can deny that Stephen Curry emerged as a last-minute miracle to keep the hopes of over 332 million Americans alive. As a result, the former players aren’t the only ones sending out their praise, his teammate Kevin Durant is also very impressed.
Kevin Durant sends ‘God-Like’ praise to Stephen Curry after USA-Serbia matchup
Through the group stage and the quarterfinal, it was Kevin Durant who mostly led the scoring effort for Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, in the game against Serbia, the experienced Olympian struggled a little bit, scoring only 9 points during his 24 minutes on the court. If it wasn’t for Stephen Curry, Durant might have lost the chance to compete for his fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal. And that’s why KD was appreciative of how Steph turned things around.
The Washington Post reporter Ben Golliver highlighted the 35-year-old’s reaction in the aftermath of the USA-Serbia matchup. Elated, all that the player could muster up was, “Man, that was a God-like performance,” with regards to Curry. For the USA fans, who had been waiting for the GSW legend to make a mark during his Olympic debut, “Chef Curry” finally cooked!
Kevin Durant’s praise did not stop just there in the post-match interview. Only a few hours after the historical matchup, the Suns star took to his official Instagram account to share a series of stories. Each of them carried a picture of Curry during that particular moment when he made a long-range shot to get USA in the lead. Despite the pictures carrying no captions, everyone who watched the game knew what Durant was trying to tell them.
