Team USA won the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but not before getting an almighty scare against Serbia. The U.S. was down by as many as 17 points at one stage but eventually turned things around and won 95-91. During the Fanatics Fest in NYC, Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards broke down how the team was able to turn things around.
“With Minnesota when we get down 10, I start trying to play hero ball,” Edwards said. “Watching them swing, swing, shoot, swing, swing, drive, pass, pass, pump fake, drive, I’m like ‘Damn, they really moving the ball.’ They playing within the system.”
Edwards added that a three-pointer from Devin Booker to cut Serbia’s lead down to 78-73 was what changed the game. Durant, who had hit a three-pointer of his own the play before that one, stated Team USA knew the game was won after those plays.
“Yeah, once we went through that six-point stretch right there and we cut it to five, we all knew it was like, ‘Aight, this is our game now.’ And most of that fourth quarter, we ain’t really call too many plays,” Durant said. “We was just getting it off the glass and pushing, just making the smart reads and that’s what basketball at the highest level is about.”
(starts at 0:24 mark):
.@KDTrey5 and @theantedwards_ break down @usabasketball’s game vs. Serbia. pic.twitter.com/SUYTmYinhJ
— Boardroom (@boardroom) August 20, 2024
Durant also made it clear earlier in this clip that Bojan Bogdanovic doing Carmelo Anthony’s “three to the dome” celebration didn’t poke the bear. He added that the players didn’t care about that and it didn’t serve as motivation.
Durant felt the reason the U.S. went down big was because Serbia kept hitting crazy three-pointers early on. He and his teammates felt the law of averages would kick in at some point, and that was what happened. Serbia went cold in the fourth and the U.S. won the quarter 32-15 to win the game.
Durant would end the night with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist while Edwards had 2 points and 2 rebounds. These two didn’t play quite as well as they had in the lead-up to the clash against Serbia, but Stephen Curry ensured that wouldn’t cost Team USA the gold medal.
Curry finished with 36 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in the contest. He had struggled mightily up to that point in the tournament but delivered when it mattered most. Team USA then went on to beat France 98-87 in the final, to win their fifth consecutive gold.
Kevin Durant Was Hyped After The Win Against Serbia
Following that win over Serbia, Durant was very much in the mood to celebrate, just like the rest of the team. He didn’t want anyone criticizing them for that, as Durant stated that was a night they would all remember for the rest of their lives.
“Come on man, y’all acting like we won’t celebrate a win like that. Look at all our families here, look at this. That’s what this is about. All coming together as one on the other side of the world like this. Our section started USA chants, it was special tonight. We gotta celebrate. I know we ain’t win Gold, but you gotta celebrate the small moments too.”
“I guarantee that everybody here will never forget about this night. Everybody here will remember this night for the rest of their lives. That’s how special this is because we came back and showed how together we were in that fourth quarter. It was incredible.”
That was truly a special night, unlike any other that they had experienced in their lives. They knew the job was not done just yet, but there was no harm in celebrating the fact that they had come together to pull off a win for the ages.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
