Serbia completed an amazing comeback and clinched their semifinal ticket after beating Australia 95-90 after overtime. Even though people see them in a fight for bronze already, maybe there is room for surprises. I think there is, and I'm stating the reasons why.
Serbia fans can be a double-edged sword. Their extreme and second-to-none passion for sports has also shown to be a burden on the backs of athletes numerous times, and basketball is no exception.
Basketball is the only sport in Serbia that can be compared to football's popularity, and one of many reasons for that is the success of previous Yugoslavia or Serbia and Montenegro squads that won everything you possibly can in international basketball.
We all know how Serbs are able to celebrate wins properly, especially medals. But there is one thing they love almost as much as their accolades: playing against Team USA.
It's more than basketball. It's personal for Serbian people. It's like we are witnessing Monstars from Space Jam or Goliath against David. And in Serbia, people always want to see a favorite lose, especially when they play against Serbia.
And I'm here to tell you that, as bold as it sounds, there is a chance we will see a repeat of 2002 in Paris tomorrow. But before that, let's rewind a bit to see why this matters to people in the biggest country in the former Yugoslavia.
Recent history with Team USA
Serbia won its last gold medal before gaining independence, winning the 2002 World Cup in Indianapolis. Ask a random fan in Belgrade, Novi Sad, or Nis who they beat in the final game, and I won't guarantee that everybody will have an answer.
But I know for a fact that every single person in Serbia knows every exact detail about the quarter-final match against the USA.
Everybody knows where they were when Milan Gurovic scored a dagger three to silence the Indy crowd. That would be enough to solidify him as a cult hero of Serbian basketball, even if he didn't have a glorious career. Generations grew up watching that game, including players who play for Serbia now.
Nikola Jovic wasn't even born when it happened, but he can probably remember everything about that iconic duel. The oldest player on the roster, Bogdan Bogdanovic, was 10 years old when it was played, so he surely knows that game well.
And it's not just that one single occasion. Every game against the USA has its own beauty in itself, even without pressure of result. Nobody remembers that Team USA beat Serbia 78-60 in the preparation game for 2004 Olympics.
But every kid in the country up to this date knows that Dejan Bodiroga broke Carmelo Anthony's ankles with his behind-the-back dribble.
They could care less about the way the 2016 Olympics final finished – Team USA won 96-66 – but there was a play where all five of Serbia's players passed to each other, and it finished with Milos Teodosic assisting Nikola Jokic for a lay-up. And it's all that matters.
Serbia was in a state of despair. After basically having a full roster for the 2019 World Cup in China, they were knocked out by Argentina in the quarter-finals, in the most painful loss of the previous decade, including the semifinal defeat in the 2015 EuroBasket against Lithuania.
What did heal its wounds for a little bit? Victory against the USA in the 5th-place playoff. It may not have been the greatest team the USA ever assembled, but any win against the Americans is huge, no matter the importance of the game.
They faced each other six times in the previous ten years, excluding the 2019 win. The only time they were close was the 2014 Olympics Group stage clash, with a narrow 94-91 loss, as Bogdan Bogdanovic had a chance to send the game to overtime.
The rest of the head-to-head matchups ended with an average win margin of 30 points for Team USA. So, history is not exactly on Serbia's side. Neither is last week's battle, with the USA cruising past for a 110-84 win or a 105-79 loss in a friendly game this July.
Will that reduce the hype in Serbia? Absolutely not.
And I'm here to analyze why that hype might be... justified?
1. Nikola Jokic's presence
The sheer fact that you possess a 3-time NBA MVP is a good enough reason to motivate you, especially if your opponent is Team USA.
Nikola Jokic will be one of the greatest Europeans to ever play basketball when it's all said and done, and he is entering his prime.
But it's not just that he is present in the game, statistics speak for themselves.
In the 30:45 minutes Nikola Jokic spent on the court in last week's encounter, the score was 81-81.
In 9:15 minutes Nikola Jokic spent on the bench, Team USA won that stretch 29-3.
It is probably hard to imagine Nikola Jokic playing all 40 minutes, but if he gets a bit more than last week, Serbia definitely has a shot at an upset.
After all, if you can't contain Jokic in your own league, what makes you think you can prevent him and his influence on Serbia in the Olympics?
2. Serbia's specific spite
Serbian readers can fully understand that spite is the closest, but yet the not fully correct translation of the unique word "inat," which describes Serbians in general.
To try to explain it to foreigners, it is a force inside that makes you do something you would not think is doable in normal conditions out of pure spite.
For example, you may be laughed at by your friends in a pick-up game because you can't make shots, and they may leave you wide open while laughing at you.
But then you suddenly become a new Ray Allen and start hitting contested pull-ups that even Mike James would be proud of.
Something like that happened last night. Most people wrote Serbia off when Australia had a 24-point lead in the second quarter, but those who know Serbians definitely did not.
It is the same with their national team. The Serbian national team showed the whole world that it is possible to overcome a deficit like that out of pure spite because everybody started talking about Australia's semifinal against the USA.
Svetislav Pesic also knows that, and he skillfully inspired his players, harshly criticizing them in a timeout in the second quarter and attacking their personalities and pride.
"Five passes, you didn't commit a single foul. How many free throws did Mills take?" he shouted during the timeout. "Two free throws out of 20 points. And you're just watching, for f**k's sake. He gives you twenty points, we don't make a single foul?! We want to get it. How? Hit him a little. Make a foul, foul out."
Hence, coaches from the Balkans region can succeed with their intense and direct approach, and players from this region are born with a never-give-up attitude.
And that is precisely why Serbs think they will win. As no one thinks it's possible. Except them. Because of the spite. The Inat.
3. 3rd time's a charm
"It is extremely tough to beat one team three times."
That's Jayson Tatum's argument that Serbia remains the USA's biggest obstacle to the Olympic gold.
Germany and France are elite teams, and the current World Champions and Olympic hosts, respectively, but none of them are as hyped to play against the USA as Serbia.
As I mentioned before, it might be a star-struck moment for other teams, taking time to enjoy playing against the biggest stars in the world.
For Serbia, it is personal. And it always will be.
Jokic, Bogdanovic, Micic, and Jovic all play in the NBA and are finding their place by thriving under the American spotlight.
But if you asked all 12 guys Serbia had on its roster 10 years ago, would they rather beat the USA to win an Olympic medal for Serbia or have a successful NBA career? They would be celebrating in Belgrade, with tens of thousands of fans awaiting them after landing with a medal.
Gold or silver, it doesn't matter.
USA was beaten, which is more than enough reason for affirming a cult status.
And judging by the law of big numbers, if you lose by that much multiple times, as Serbia did in the last few games, eventually, it will be your turn.
I'd say it's their turn now.
