By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
PARIS, France – LeBron James and Team USA had to put up quite a fight to bring down a sturdy Serbian side down the stretch after trailing by 15 points late in the third period.
It was the biggest challenge that the USA faced in the Olympics and LeBron James loved everything about it.
“We know he’s going to be challenging. We know it’s going to be the toughest game up to date, but it was a true total effort,” said James after putting up 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists for the fourth triple-double in Olympic Games history.
“I told them [the rest of USA players] that it’s good to be tested,” James said. “It’s great to be tested. In our ultimate goal, we are one game away. So, we look forward to the matchup on Saturday versus France”.
USA will face Olympic Games host France in the gold medal game in a rematch of the Final of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. James is aware that they will play against a team with a steady core that will have loud support from the home crowd.
“They are super competitive,” James said. “They’ve been playing together for a while. Obviously, this is Wemby’s first Olympics. But that team has been playing together for quite a while. They’ve been feeding off the crowd, you know. And so, we look forward to that matchup.”
This is James’ last Olympic tournament in his career and this is another reason he’s really hyped to finish his career in this stage with another gold.
“I’m 39 years old, going into my 22nd season,” James said. “I don’t know how many opportunities and moments I’m going to get like this to be able to compete for something. You know, compete for something big and play big games. And tonight, it was a big game.”
The game between USA and Serbia featured a clash between Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. James commended the center of his team for stepping up with crucial buckets in key moments down the stretch
“It’s the two best big men we got in our game in the NBA,” James said. “And both of them was great. Throughout the – Joel was – he was everything. He made every big shot that we needed. You know, throughout that run, when they kept making shots, they kept making shots. And Joel kept making plays. We needed the whole effort from him. Appreciate it.”