Instant reaction: Nikola Jokic and Serbia fall just short of shocking the world

Wow. What an incredible basketball game the world just got to witness as the United States pulled out the 95-91 victory over Serbia in the semifinals of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament. 

This was one of the wildest games in international basketball history as Serbia led for almost the entirety, leading by as many as 17 points in the first half and 13 in the 4th quarter.  The gameplan and execution from Serbia were immaculate; they had Team USA on the ropes and made them work harder than they have in 20 years.

Another all-time performance by Nikola Jokic

Serbia was able to stifle the United States with zone defense and a barrage of three-pointers on offense. Nikola Jokic was masterful in defeat, played almost the entire game, and left it all on the court. He finished with 17 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds, but shot just 7/17 from the floor, sitting for barely 2 minutes.

He was setting the table on offense like a magician and this time around, his teammates were up to the task, splashing the nets and opening up a big lead. Down the stretch, the shots finally went cold and Serbia couldn’t hit quite a few shots to push through the finish line.

Their defense was spectacular, but the USA finally got it going late, connecting on multiple threes in a short amount of time to quickly erase the double-digit deficit and pull ahead. It was an all-time performance by Steph Curry, who scored 36 points and hit 9 threes, including one to put USA up with just two minutes remaining.

Curry was the only player keeping the United States in the game early on, pouring in 17 in the first quarter. He kept the team afloat and just barely within reach, then LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and others showed up late to narrowly avoid a shocking and embarrassing upset.

Jokic and Serbia came close to pulling off one of the greatest upsets in basketball history

For Jokic and Serbia, there is absolutely no shame in this loss. While they were visibly devastated and emotionally drained at the buzzer, they should be proud of the incredible effort they put forth. The fact that such an overmatched team had this juggernaut USA roster on the ropes like this was an incredible achievement. 

Jokic will get a ton of credit, and deservedly so. Even in a losing effort, he showed the world what an incredible player he is. Carrying his team this far and this close to one of the greatest wins in basketball history is worthy of all the respect. 

Serbia will face Germany for the bronze medal, but win or lose, this tournament and run by Jokic should not be soon forgotten. This is the closest the USA has come to losing in an elimination game in the Olympics in quite a long time and we may not see it again any time soon. Appreciate the Joker.