Team USA was pushed to the brink by Serbia in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. They needed to mount a comeback from a deficit that grew as large as 17 points, and pulled it off, taking a 95-91 win that guarantees them the silver medal. But Team USA may not have been in a position to make a comeback had it not been for the stellar play of Stephen Curry, who kept them within striking distance with an MVP-like 36-point performance on 12-19 shooting from the field and 9-14 from beyond the arc.
Curry hasn't played at his usual level through his first four games in the Olympics. He was struggling from the field, perhaps as a result of having fewer touches than he's used to. But the Golden State Warriors went on one of his signature heaters, showing how invaluable he truly is. And in the process of doing so, he gave fans many memorable moments to hang on to, including an incredible picture that encapsulates just how much panic he induces on his opponents whenever he's wide open.
The Serbian player on the floor in the photo above was none other than Aleksa Avramovic. Avramovic is the starting point guard for Serbia, and he drew the unenviable task of matching up with Stephen Curry. What the matchup entails is a painful cardio session, as Curry is famous for tirelessly running around the court, with his team capitalizing on his sheer gravity on the hardwood.
Avramovic simply stood no chance, as do most defenders who guard the Warriors star. The photo above captures just how painful the feeling of chasing Curry around screens is only for him to find a split-second opening to exploit. Curry has had plenty of iconic moments over the course of his illustrious career, but this stellar outing for Team USA will rank high in the list of his best moments.
Stephen Curry comes alive and stars in Team USA's comeback win vs. Serbia
Prior to his masterclass against Serbia, Stephen Curry was having a lackluster stint for Team USA thus far. Curry was averaging 7.3 points per game on 35.7 percent shooting from the floor, with him being more than willing to take a backseat to his teammates. But over the course of the past decade, there may not be a player who has played in more big games than Curry, and he showed why he has the best winning percentage (minimum 500 games played) of any NBA player of the past 10 seasons by stepping up when the lights were at their brightest.
From the jump, Curry looked like he was not about to let Team USA go home without capturing the gold medal. He got into a rhythm as he became a featured part of the offense, and even with Serbia dominating the first three quarters, Curry kept his head up and continued to shoot the lights out from everywhere on the court.
As a result, Stephen Curry put up the second-highest scoring tally in the history of Team USA's participation in the Olympics, only trailing the 37-point masterclass Carmelo Anthony put up in just 14 minutes back in 2012.
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