Steve Kerr: ‘One of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of’
Team USA won in dramatic fashion to advance to the gold medal game.
On Thursday, Team USA put together a thrilling show at the Paris Olympics, overcoming a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to beat Serbia, winning 95-91 to advance to the gold medal game against Victor Wembanyama and France on Saturday.
The Americans got off to a fast-paced start, leading 15-12 ... with 14 of those points coming from Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, who exploded for 36 points in the game, including the game-clinching free throws with eight seconds remaining.
After the game, Curry’s coach with both Team USA and on the Warriors had the highest praise for the contest against three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and the rest of the Serbian squad. Steve Kerr, coaching in his first Olympics, called the game “one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of.”
Steve Kerr on his team's Olympic semifinal win over Serbia: "I’m really humbled to have been a part of this game. It’s one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of." Big statement for a man with nine NBA championships
— Ron Kroichick (@ronkroichick) August 8, 2024
That’s pretty high praise for a man who has been in the NBA in some capacity for about 35 years, who has won nine championships, who has played alongside Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan, and who has coached Curry and Kevin Durant (also on Team USA).
But it’s hard to argue with Kerr on this one. The game had everything: there were truly dominant performances from Curry, Jokić, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James. There was a thrilling comeback, with the game coming down to the final minute. And of course, it’s hard to beat the stakes of the Olympics stage ... a loss would have dashed Team USA’s dreams of winning gold, and staying on top of the international basketball world.
That loss never came though, thanks in large part to Curry. And a great basketball game it most certainly was.