After a fourth straight breezy win in Paris, the U.S. men’s basketball team now finds itself two more away from a historic fifth gold medal. But as dominant as Team USA has been thus far, the knockout round means you’re only one slip-up away from going home — and arguably the best player in the world is on tap next.
The semifinal matchup offers a familiar face, as the U.S. will square off against Nikola Jokic for the third time this summer. (In addition to the Group C opener last week, the two teams also played a pre-Games tune-up back in July.) And while the Americans won those previous two matchups with ease, no one is taking the next one lightly.
“Every game is its own test,” LeBron James said after Tuesday’s quarterfinal win over Brazil. “It don’t matter what happened in the first two, it’s about what goes down Thursday night. So we need to lock in on our film session tomorrow, lock in during the day on Thursday and then come out and be ready to go.”
What does the U.S. need to do to pass that test and move on to the gold medal game? Let’s dive in.
U.S. vs. Serbia: Keys to the game
How does Steve Kerr handle Joel Embiid?
The one damper on that big opening win was Embiid, who posted a -8 — the only U.S. player with a negative plus/minus on the day — with just four points and two rebounds in 11 minutes of action, all while struggling to handle Jokic on the other end. Embiid then sat the team’s next game against South Sudan, causing some to wonder exactly what his role would be moving forward.
Things have been trending up since then. Embiid was solid against Puerto Rico, then looked excellent in the win over Brazil, pouring in 14 points and seven rebounds in just a half of play. Of course, Puerto Rico and Brazil don’t offer anywhere near the sort of interior threat that Jokic presents, and those questions about Embiid won’t be fully answered until we see how he holds up against another elite center. Will Kerr once again slot Embiid into the starting lineup and ask him to go toe-to-toe with the three-time NBA MVP? Or will he change things up, slotting a quicker and more switchable big like Anthony Davis or Bam Adebayo into his first five. Davis and Adebayo would be at risk of getting bullied a bit by the larger Jokic, and the two of them have ran roughshod over opposing bench units. But if Embiid is once again an anchor, Kerr may be forced to make a switch.
Which Bogdan Bogdanovic shows up?
As great as Jokic is, he’s going to need some help if he wants to lead Serbia to an upset. The most likely source of that help? Bogdan Bogdanovic, the other notable NBA name on this roster. Bogdanovic missed the tune-up game between these two sides, then shot just 6-of-14 (2-of-6 from deep) in the group-play matchup, a big part of the reason why Serbia couldn’t keep pace with the U.S.
But the Atlanta Hawks guard has looked much better of late, torching South Sudan in the final game of Group C and then hitting several big shots down the stretch of the quarterfinal against Australia. As any NBA fan knows, Bogdanovic is more than capable of dropping 30 on any given night; if he heats up, look out.
SEE MORE: How to watch the U.S. men’s basketball team at the Paris Olympics: TV and stream schedule
How much will Nikola Jokic rest?
The last game between these two teams swung late in the first quarter. The Serbians led, 20-14, when Jokic checked out of the game for his customary break. By the time he returned, at the 8:04 mark of the second, the U.S. led 30-23 — a 13-point swing from which Serbia never recovered.
That was the group stage. This is the knockout stage, and there is no more margin for error. We know that Serbia, much like the Denver Nuggets, craters when Jokic isn’t on the floor. Just how much can the big fella go? Will he play all 40 minutes? And if he does hit the bench, can the U.S. take advantage?
How does Team USA respond to crunch time?
The U.S. hasn’t faced a competitive fourth quarter yet in Paris; heck, it hasn’t even faced a competitive second half. But there’s reason to think that this time could be different: It’s awfully tough to face any team for a third time, let alone a team featuring the best player in the world, and the return of Bogdanovic suggests that this could be more competitive than many expect. Which begs the question: If this is, say, a single-digit game with seven minutes remaining, how will Team USA respond? Will it stick to what got it here, or will it clam up and revert back to the iso-heavy offense we saw earlier this summer? Who gets the ball in late, crunch-time possessions, and is everyone on board with the hierarchy? It’s time for the rubber to really meet the road, and we should learn a lot more about this U.S. team over the next couple of days.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.