Serbia

indmmontieth

Paul George's comeback from the broken leg that threatened his NBA career ended with a gold medal Sunday, as Team USA dominated Serbia in the Olympic final in Rio de Janeiro, 96-66.

The U.S. now has won six of the last seven gold medals in Olympic competition, with 2004 the exception. Carmelo Anthony, a member of that team, won his third gold medal and completed his Olympic career as the all-time U.S. scorer.

"It wasn't always pretty," an emotional Anthony said afterward. "But we came together July 17 (to begin practice) and we committed."

The final game was anticlimactic given the challenge Serbia had posed to Team USA in their previous game, a three-point victory in which Serbia had a 3-pointer in the final seconds that could have forced overtime. The U.S., however, put together its most complete performance of the tournament after a slow start.

Kevin Durant led the U.S. team with 30 points, hitting 10-of-19 shots. Klay Thompson was the only other starter in double figures with 12 points. DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench to score 13 points and grab 15 rebounds.

In a fictional world, George would have played a starring role. He had suffered compound fractures of two bones in his right leg on Aug. 1, 2014 in an intrasquad game as part of the preparation for the FIBA World Cup – an injury routinely described as "horrific" and one that kept him out of all but the last six games of the Pacers' 2014-15 season. As it turned out, he had one of his lesser performances, finishing with nine points on 2-of-9 shooting.

Overall, however, George was a vital contributor throughout the Olympics and perhaps its most complete player. He provided further evidence of that on Sunday, when he effectively hounded Serbia point guard Milos Telodosic on defense, one of the reasons Serbia hit just 38 percent of its field goal attempts.

George had been the subject of a four-minute feature before the game, detailing his comeback from the injury.

Team USA started slowly, trailing 14-11 at one point. It hit just 7-of-20 shots in the first quarter, and had to hit its final two to accomplish that. But it closed the period with an 8-1 run to open a four-point lead, and dominated the rest of the way.

George opened the second-quarter scoring with a steal and breakaway dunk. Its lead was up to 52-39 at halftime, and was 79-43 at the end of the third period.

Spain, which lost to Team USA on Friday by six points, defeated Australia, 89-88, to win the silver medal.

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Game Rewind: USA 96, Serbia 66 (Gold Medal Game)

Wheat Hotchkiss

Seven down, one to go. Pacers All-Star Paul George and the United States men's basketball team are just one win away from securing the country's third consecutive Olympic gold medal in men's basketball. Standing in their way is a Serbian team that gave them their toughest game so far in Rio.

The Americans eked out a 94-91 win over Serbia in the group stage on Aug. 12. The USA controlled that game early, leading by as many as 18 points in the first half, but allowed Serbia to claw their way back. The United States only narrowly avoided overtime when Bogdan Bogdanovic missed an open 3-pointer just before the final buzzer.

George started that game and put together a solid all-around performance, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

A little over a week later, the two teams will meet again with a gold medal on the line. The United States will be looking for its 15th gold medal in 18 Olympics, while Serbia is guaranteed its first medal of any kind as an independent nation.

The USA advanced to the gold medal game with an 82-76 win over Spain on Friday afternoon. The game wasn't as close as the final score, as the United States led by double digits for the vast majority of the fourth quarter.

The Americans had some shaky defensive performances in the group stage, but they put the clamps down on Spain in the semifinal. The USA outrebounded Spain 53-41 overall and 21-14 on the offensive glass while holding the Spaniards to 38.9 percent shooting. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan led the way with a dominant performance in the paint, finishing with nine points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks.

The Serbians, meanwhile, stunned many by blowing out Australia in the other semifinal. Australia entered the contest with only one loss in Rio and a 15-point win over Serbia in the group stage. But the Serbians dominated the Aussies on Friday afternoon, stifling the Boomers' offense en route to an 87-61 victory.

Serbia held Australia to just five points in the first quarter and nine in the second to open up a 21-point halftime lead. The Australians struggled mightily to find any kind of rhythm offensively and finished the night just 4-for-31 from 3-point range.

Though the Serbian roster doesn't feature many current NBA players, the USA knows they can't take them lightly.

Nuggets 6-10 forward Nikola Jokic, a first-team NBA All-Rookie selection last season, comes off the bench for his country. Still, he terrorized the United States in the two teams' first meeting in Rio, finishing with 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

7-foot center Miroslav Raduljica has been a force for Serbia in the interior. Raduljica, who played briefly in the NBA for the Bucks and Timberwolves, leads all players in Rio in field goal percentage (62.3 percent) and ranks seventh in scoring (15.9 points per game).

Leading the Serbian backcourt is 6-5 guard Milos Teodosic. Teodosic led Serbia in their semifinal win with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting and five assists. He went 4-for-7 from 3-point range and dished out six assists against the United States in the group stage.

Given some of the United States' defensive struggles, it wouldn't be surprising to head coach Mike Krzyzewski stick George — the USA's best perimeter defender — on Teodosic to slow down the Serbian attack.

Their close call in the group stage notwithstanding, the Americans still figure to be heavy favorites to beat Serbia a second time. The American roster features so much talent and their biggest struggle in Rio has been guarding against complacency, particularly on the defensive end. But with an Olympic gold medal on the line, it's hard to imagine complacency being an issue on Sunday. If the United States can match the effort they put forth in their semifinal victory over Spain, that should be more than enough to secure one more win.

Serbia

Game Rewind: USA 96, Serbia 66 (Gold Medal Game)

Game Preview: USA vs Serbia (Gold Medal Game)