"You gotta get it the hard way."
LeBron James' message after Team USA completed a comeback for the ages in the Olympic semifinals was simple, yet encapsulated everything that made the win so impressive.
In the first half, the Americans trailed Serbia by as many as 17 points. The team then trailed by 13 points to begin the fourth quarter. Somehow, the United States still came away with a four-point win in regulation.
Led by James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid, Team USA completed a comeback that you'd almost have to see to believe. If you weren't able to see it, however, here's a look inside the Americans' incredible effort against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic's squad.
MORE: Three takeaways from USA's thrilling win over Serbia | Stephen Curry's 36-point explosion leads USA's miraculous comeback
USA comeback vs. Serbia, explained
While Team USA did trail by 17 points in the second quarter, things were a bit closer in the second half. Serbia had responses for each Team USA run, keeping the Americans at arm's length throughout the third quarter.
After Jrue Holiday cut the deficit to six points with 3:30 remaining in the third frame, Serbia responded with an 11-4 run to close the quarter and take a commanding 13-point advantage into the fourth.
That's when Team USA was finally able to turn things around completely.
In the first 2:42 of the fourth quarter, buckets from James, Curry, Durant and Devin Booker made up a 10-2 run that cut the deficit to five points with over seven minutes to play.
Team USA pulls within FIVE. We got a game at Bercy Arena.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2024
📺 USA Network and Peacock | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/mGrkXZ8PNu
Durant's 3-pointer was a major swing play as Anthony Davis drew a foul on the play, meaning the ball would stay with Team USA for another possession. Booker drained a 3 off of an inbounds pass, making it a six-point possession for Team USA.
Trailing 78-73 with that much time remaining seemed much more manageable for Team USA.
The USA and Serbia traded buckets for the next few minutes before an and-one finish from Embiid cut the deficit to four points after the free throw. With five minutes remaining, the deficit was now four points.
On the next offensive possession, Embiid cut the lead to two points with a finish and the next USA stop led to a transition finish from James, who would clearly not be denied by anyone on his path.
LEBRON JAMES TIES IT UP FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 👑🇺🇸#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC, USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/B3puaz0kmJ
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2024
With 3:41 remaining, the score was 84-84.
A Filip Petrusev dunk with 3:20 left gave Serbia its final lead of the game as a 3-pointer from Curry with 2:24 gave the USA an 87-86 lead, the team's first advantage since much earlier in the game.
STEPHEN. CURRY. TEAM USA LEADS.#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC, USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/C4MUUl1v78
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2024
A few more stops and back-to-back buckets from James and Curry put Team USA up by five points with 1:41 remaining, and while there was plenty of time left on the clock, the momentum had completely shifted in Team USA's favor.
Serbia had a few more chances but Curry iced the game with two free throws to bring his total to 36 points in the game, one shy of a USA Basketball Olympic record.
MORE: Inside Stephen Curry's incredible performance in USA's comeback win
In a 95-91 win, Curry flirted with history with his scoring while James made history, turning in the fourth triple-double ever seen in Olympic basketball by scoring 16 points, pulling down 12 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists.
After a slow first half, Durant finished with a massive nine points while Embiid turned in his best performance of the tournament, scoring 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
After getting it the hard way, Team USA will go for its fifth consecutive gold medal when it meets host nation France in a rematch of the gold medal game from the Tokyo Games.
