Micic, Serbia Fall Short of Shot at Gold Medal

Serbia falls to Team USA in one of the greatest international games ever

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

This has been a great run by the Serbian national team, which reached another height in the largest-ever Olympic comeback in the overtime quarterfinal win versus Australia. Since the 110-84 loss against Team USA in their first group stage game, both Hornets guard Vasilije Micić and the squad as a whole had found their stride, playing their best ball of the tournament in the second half of said quarter-final matchup.

Now came the chance to prove if this progress was real, as Team USA awaited once again, this time in a semi-final-bout. Micić stayed on the bench, as Serbia surprised a sluggish opponent. With the exception of Stephen Curry, who scored a flaming hot 17 points in the first quarter, the American rotation as a whole lacked concentration and allowed multiple easy buckets on the defensive end. The result was a 31-23 lead for Serbia.

And it didn't stop there. Steve Kerr's bench unit led by Anthony Edwards, previously a strong suit in these Olympics, was suddenly picked apart by Vasilije Micić, Aleksa Avramović, and every shooter on the Serbian roster. Every time a small hope of a comeback arose, marksmen like Bogdan Bogdanović hit a timely shot to change momentum. At halftime, both teams trotted towards their locker rooms accompanied by the sounds of a stunned audience. Nikola Jokić played great and because his teammates did too, they led at 54-43.

Everybody who finally expected an American surge to take off at the start of the third was proven wrong. Admittedly it was now a more focused performance from Team USA, but Serbia had caught fire and wasn't gonna let this one get away. A mostly even quarter ended with a stretch that spoke volumes to the level of Serbia's play.

Marko Gudurić, normally a rotation player for Turkish outlet Fenerbahce Istanbul, caught the defense off-guard with a move to the basket which resulted in two made free throws. On the next possession, he was hacked by Derrick White on a three, ended up making said three, and converted again from the charity stripe. But Kevin Durant had the last laugh, hitting from midrange to cut the deficit to 76-63.

The first real American breakthrough since the opening quarter did eventually come with about seven minutes left in the game. Micić was caught asleep on a switch and allowed a wide-open deep shot by Devin Booker that brought Team USA back within five. Thanks to a swift timeout by coach Svetislav Pešić, Serbia managed to keep the two-possession lead for the moment.

Up to this point, up to these last few minutes and possessions, Serbia had truly played an almost perfect game in every aspect. It wasn't enough. In an almost poetic crunch time LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry took the game over in a way few players in the history of the sport can.

Durant and Curry issued their usual offensive onslaught, bringing back memories from their tenure at Golden State. James barraged to the rim on multiple fastbreaks, exploiting Serbia's lack of speed. And on top of that, he took the Nikola Jokić assignment defensively, shutting him down as much as humanly possible.

And just like that, a game that was seemingly decided, a game that would normally result in a win for the team that shot the lights out and played three-and-a-half excellent quarters of basketball, turned into a loss for Micić and Co. In the end, the scoreboard read USA 95, Serbia 91.

There's still a chance for some by now well-earned silverware to find its way into Micić's home. It won't be gold or silver, but in the game for third place on Saturday against Germany, bronze will still be up for grabs.

Player Grade for Vasilije Micić: C-

8 pts (3/10 FG, 2/7 3pt) | 2rb | 3as

Could he have shot the ball better? Sure. Did he struggle with Team USA's athletic advantage? Yes. But even though he didn't stuff the stat sheet, this was a solid performance by Micić. He only committed one turnover in 20 minutes of playing time, pushed the pace again and again, and gave the Serbian bench a clear playmaking advantage. What pushes this grade down a notch is his defensive lapse in the fourth quarter.