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Micić Wins Olympic Battle vs. Hornets Teammate Josh Green

The Hornets' Olympians battled for a semifinal berth in an instant classic.

Albert Bottcher

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
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Despite winning two of their three group-stage bouts, some questions surrounded the Serbian national team heading into the quarter-finals. A hefty defeat to Team USA was followed by a win against a subpar Puerto Rico squad. Lastly it took a 30-point masterclass by Atlanta Hawks Guard Bogdan Bogdanović to beat a gutsy South Sudan.

Australia on the other hand had played three relatively close games, overcoming Spain before being defeated by Canada and Greece. Vasilije Micić and Josh Green had not done enough in the group stages to justify an appearance in their respective starting lineup and remained on the sidelines for the beginning of this one.

Both ball clubs tested the waters for about seven minutes until Australia took control behind great performances from their backcourt pairing of Josh Giddey and Patty Mills. Much like against Team USA, Serbia seemed unable to match the physicality of their opponent. The same could in large parts be said for Micić, who flashed his playmaking skills here and there but was often overwhelmed by the Australian's energetic Point of Attack Defense. Serbia conceded a 12-0 run to end the first quarter and trailed by 24 points early in the second. After the game, the Hornets trade deadline acquisition didn't know how to explain his team's early struggles:

I don't have any special answer. It just happens. Nobody goes into the game with the intention of losing by 20 points. Luckily, practically all of us have some kind of experience, so we got extra energy and responded in the right way.

- Vasilije Micić

There was no comeback in the works just yet, but Serbia was indeed able to get better looks on offense and Australia had cooled down since the hot start. This slight upward trend continued until halftime, where Micić and his team were down 54-42. After the break, the boomers' worries continued. Turnovers became more and more regular for Patty and Co., while the once again brilliant Nikola Jokić led his team to a 67-65 advantage after thirty minutes of play.

Up to this point, it had been a pretty bland performance by both Green, who had only played one second for defensive purposes, and Micić, who had been lacking the assertiveness he displayed towards the end of the group stage. That wasn't the case in the final minutes though. The Serbian point guard either scored or assisted on every bucket Serbia made in the last quarter. That included some good reads out of pick-and-rolls, as well as an incredible three with the shotclock winding down.

With the score at 81-80 in favor of Serbia, and nine seconds remaining in the contest, Micić stepped to the charity stripe. He missed the first and converted the second, leaving the door open for a Patty Mills equaliser from midrange. Finally, after clawing their way back from a 24-point deficit, the Serbians proceeded to finish off Australia in Overtime.

Player Grade for Vasilije Micić: B

14 pts (4/8 FG, 2/4 3pt, 4/5 FT) | 1rb | 6as

Overall, this was not Vasilije's best game. He was practically invisible for large parts of the first half. But when his team needed him the most, he showed up in a big way. Everything Serbia did on the offensive end in the Crunch time was somehow connected to the former EuroLeague MVP. It's almost safe to say that without his fourth-quarter play, Australia would be going to the semi-finals right now.

Player Grade for Josh Green: N/A

1.3 seconds of playing time.

There's not much to say about this performance by Josh Green. He played the final defensive possession of the first quarter, which ended in a missed three-pointer. So you could say he accomplished his sole mission of the game.

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Albert Bottcher

ALBERT BOTTCHER

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