Kevin Durant hails ‘God-like’ Stephen Curry after Olympic heroics
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USA's Stephen Curry dribbles the ball in the men's semi-final basketball match against Serbia at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on Aug 8.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – Kevin Durant called Stephen Curry’s 36-point effort in the United States’ 95-91 victory over Serbia a “God-like performance”, as the four-time reigning Olympic basketball champions pulled off an exhilarating fourth-quarter comeback on Aug 8.
Curry kept the Americans in the game as the Serbs dominated through the first three quarters and threatened a semi-final upset, leading by 13 going into the final period at the Bercy Arena.
The US then outscored their opponents 32-15 over the last 10 minutes to set up a blockbuster final with hosts France on Aug 10, a repeat of the gold-medal match three years ago at the Tokyo Games.
“Steph, man that was a God-like performance, because he felt like he was struggling throughout the whole tournament,” said Durant, a three-time Olympic gold medallist.
“We always said, ‘Each night it could be somebody different’. And tonight he showed up.
“Shot after shot, getting a steal at the end, finishing with the lay-up. He was everywhere tonight. It was one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen him play.”
Curry, a four-time National Basketball Association champion with the Golden State Warriors, shrugged off his personal contribution to the victory, saying his performance was merely what the game called for.
“I haven’t had many opportunities and haven’t shot the ball well the whole tournament,” insisted the 36-year-old.
“But it doesn’t waver your confidence to meet the moment... You live for those moments and doesn’t matter if you shoot three times or however many I shot tonight.”
He did not do it alone, as Joel Embiid hit a series of clutch shots and finished with 19 points.
“He showed why he’s one of the greatest ever to touch a basketball,” Durant added of Embiid, who helped put Nikola Jokic in foul trouble down the stretch.
Durant himself contributed nine points off the bench.
An astonishing five-minute burst to start the fourth quarter brought the US back into the game before the star-studded team took control.
“We tried not to get too discouraged. Late in the third quarter, they hit us pretty hard... but we just kept pushing. We were able to pressure them, get them to miss shots, and we were out on the break,” Durant assessed.
LeBron James, who had 16 points, ranked the win as one of the greatest in his record-breaking career.
“It’s up there. I don’t know how many opportunities and moments I’m going to get like this to be able to compete for something, compete for something big and play in big games, and tonight was a big game,” said the 39-year-old.
He added: “We knew we were going to be challenged, we knew it was going to be the toughest game up to date, but it was a true total effort.”
James is going for his third Olympic gold and knows it is unlikely to get any easier against the host nation.
“Super competitive. Obviously, this is Wemby’s (Victor Wembanyama) first Olympics, but that team has been playing together for quite a while,” he said.
“They’ve been feeding off the crowd, so we look forward to the match.” AFP, REUTERS
