Final Four: Who is the United States’ biggest threat to winning gold in men’s basketball?

The United States men’s basketball team has not had much resistance during the 2024 Olympics, and are the heavy favorites to come away with the gold medal. With only four teams left in the tournament, we’ll look at how much of a chance the other three nations have of taking down the United States in the semifinals or the final game.

In order to have an opportunity to play for a gold medal, the United States will need to get through Serbia for a second time. The Americans soundly defeated Serbia in group play by a final score of 110-84.

While the final margin was comfortable, a closer look at the numbers reveals a potential problem for the United States. ESPN noted that Serbia played the United States to an even score while star center Nikola Jokic was on the court. When Jokic was on the bench, the United States blitzed Serbia 29-3.

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With a chance to advance to the gold medal match, it’s likely that Serbia will leave no stone unturned in trying to win the game. Jokic played 31 minutes against the United States in group play, but might go the full 40 minutes in the semifinals with so much at stake.

Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Atlanta Hawks is also a capable Serbian player that the United States will need to account for. He was held to 6/14 shooting in the first matchup, but has averaged 18.5 points per game in the first four tilts of the Olympics, according to FIBA’s website. Bogdanovic is the only other real threat for Serbia, so the United States can’t afford to let him get hot.

United States head coach Steve Kerr will have his hands full trying to keep his players motivated for the rematch against Serbia. ESPN wrote about the idea that they could “get lulled to sleep”, which would be the perfect storm for Serbia to pull off a dramatic upset.

The host nation was expected to be a factor in the gold medal hunt, and that expectation has come to fruition. France has had some interesting tests throughout the Olympics so far, which might help them in the long run.

In their second group stage game, France was able to slip by a Japan team that gave them everything they could in an overtime classic. The Olympics website wrote that star forward Victor Wembanyama saved the day for France, which may have been a big moment for him as he continues to work towards reaching his sky-high potential.

A lot of attention has been given to the lineup decisions United States head coach Steve Kerr has made, but perhaps just as interesting has been the choices that French head coach Vincent Collet has made. Collet stunned a lot of people by playing all-NBA defensive player Rudy Gobert just three minutes in the quarterfinal victory against Canada.

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Sporting News supported Collet’s choice, which ended up being the right move. They pointed out that Canada’s frontline did not pose much of a threat in the way of quality size, so France decided to go small. However, against the United States, which features the likes of Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, Gobert’s services would almost certainly be required.

The United States largely benefits from a crowd that wants to see them get up and down the floor with highlight plays. However, if they lock horns with France in the gold medal game, the atmosphere could be much different. The United States would have to operate in a tense, pressure-packed road environment, which they would not have experienced thus far.

Like the United States, Germany has yet to lose a game during the 2024 Olympics. They don’t have the same top-end talent that the United States possess, but their pieces fit really well together.

ESPN wrote of the German team, “Nearly everyone who steps on the floor for the team can shoot the three. The Germans move the ball well, are very active with their hands on defense and have terrific size.”

The United States narrowly defeated Germany in an exhibition game before the Olympics, 92-88. This comes on the heels of Germany winning the FIBA World championships last summer. Perhaps more than any other team left, Germany believes that they can knock off the United States, and has proven they can do it.

CBS Sports calls out Germany’s size up front as a reason why they are a force to be reckoned with. NBA players Daniel Theis and Moe Wagner will not be intimidated by the United States big men, and Johannes Voigtmann is another legitimate rotation player for the Germans.

Somewhat shockingly, Yahoo Sports believes that Germany’s Dennis Schroder, and not LeBron James, has been the MVP of the Olympics. There’s a case to be made for the point guard, as Schroder has averaged nearly 20 points and 10 assists through four games. Schroder would also have the opportunity to slow the tempo of the game down, which might hamper the United States.

Is Serbia, Germany or France the biggest threat to the United States winning the gold medal? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

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