Welcome to the Olympics, Stephen Curry. It was only a matter of time before the Golden State Warriors superstar made his mark in these games. Like the showman Curry is, he did so in dramatic fashion. He scored 36 points, tallied eight rebounds, and made nine threes -- just one shy of the USA Olympic record set by Carmelo Anthony, and Team USA needed every point of it.
From the very start, you could tell Curry was in one of those zones that NBA fans have seen for the last decade. He knocked down a jumper on the game's first possession and didn't look back. An eruption in the first frame saw Curry pour in 17 points and five threes, including his patented no-look three in transition.
However, beating a team three times is tough, especially when that team has a 3x NBA MVP in Nikola Jokic. Serbia was not fazed by the early Curry flurry and raced out to an 11-point lead at the half. It seemed they couldn't miss from behind the arc, and Team USA was in serious trouble.
Serbia had a 13-point lead heading to the fourth quarter, and at that point, they had knocked in 15 threes. USA was in danger of one of the biggest Olympic upsets in history. Thankfully, the United States has three of the greatest basketball players of all time: Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. All three of these guys showed up huge when it mattered most.
As they battled back and forth, a Curry three gave the USA a one-point lead, followed by a LeBron bully-ball layup in transition. Finally, when the USA needed a closing bucket to seal the win, the all-time points leader in USA history, Slim Reaper, came through with the dagger.
The trio scored the last thirteen points for Team USA to complete the comeback. How lucky we are as basketball fans to see these three on display in the closing moments, representing Team USA for likely the final time.
A number of NBA and even global sporting legends took to social media in awe of Curry's performance, including former and current superstar guards in Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Damian Lillard and Ja Morant. Even soccer legend Toni Kroos chimed in just hours after his Germany lost to hosts France in the first Semi-Final.
Curry build different
— Toni Kroos (@ToniKroos) August 8, 2024
Chef Curry…
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) August 8, 2024
Team USA lives on to fight for gold after a tough battle against Serbia! Steph Curry carried US to a victory scoring 9 threes on his way to 36 points! 👏🏾
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) August 8, 2024
James labelled it a "vintage Chef Curry game", while his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis also paid credit to the Warrior star (and Joel Embiid) after a game Serbia had once led by 17 points.
The jobs not finished for Curry and Team USA who will now take on the hosts France for the Gold Medal on Saturday.