Team USA got off to a strong start in the 2024 Summer Olympics, dominating Nikola Jokic’s Serbia, 110-84. In a tight opening game, Serbia tied the USA during Jokic’s 31 minutes on the court, but the Americans won by 26 points in Jokic’s nine minutes on the bench to seal a historic victory.
The U.S. team had several standout players. LeBron James finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists on 9-of-13 shooting, Jrue Holiday was his usual defensive mainstay with 15 points on 8 shots, and Devin Booker added 12 points on 4-of-5 3-pointers.
But the real standout was Team USA’s 10th player, Kevin Durant.
Coach Steve Kerr was cautious in Durant’s first game back from a calf injury, the same injury that caused Durant’s heartbreaking Achilles tear in the 2019 NBA Finals. Durant was the 10th man off the bench, but he was no sideline player. In fact, Durant was the star of the game, a near-flawless game that helped him build a historic Olympic resume.
Durant finished with 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including five 3-pointers. It didn’t take him long to get into rhythm — he wasn’t playing badly after weeks on the bench — and he looked like he was in his element, stabilizing Team USA’s offense and dominating a spirited Serbia team.
Even better, Durant’s return to the lineup forced Kerr to remove someone from his 10-man rotation. Tyrese Haliburton served as a benchwarmer and cheerleader and took pride in the role. But Jayson Tatum seemed less than enamoured with his position on Team USA’s sideline for all 40 minutes of Sunday’s game.
Jayson Tatum did not play today. pic.twitter.com/XLXdkbRLv5
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 28, 2024
Hey guys, Twitter (X, whatever) can be an uncomfortable, cruel hellish place. But sometimes, we collectively experience special moments and something truly beautiful and profound happens. Today is one of those days.
Check out some of the best tweets I’ve seen in a while: With all due respect to Boston Celtics fans, I think we deserve this after winning the title, someone’s got to drag the Celtics down a notch.
Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton highlights from the match against Serbia 🔥🔥
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) July 28, 2024
Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum handing Bron and KD Gatorade bottles pic.twitter.com/Ld3CjyOTMP
— G(rįžźGõät)🧣 (@grizzgoatsports) July 28, 2024
Jayson Tatum’s teammates will lead him to another championship pic.twitter.com/EKFXnpQz57
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) July 28, 2024
Jayson Tatum 2024 Olympic Men’s Basketball Highlights 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0DFXdVo30u
— Trace (@wakeuptrace) July 28, 2024
Great times spent on that cursed app. After the game, Steve Kerr said Tatum will eventually “make a name for himself” and that Durant’s return was the main reason Tatum was DNPed. So Celtics fans, don’t worry. Tatum will be on the court one day.
Of course, there’s no shame in getting a DNP-CD on such a loaded Team USA roster — Tatum is losing minutes to some of the best players of all time and some of the best perimeter defenders in the world — but I’m still in favor of the Shea Serrano theory.
Steve Kerr selecting Derrick White over Jaylen Brown for his Olympic team and then making sure they only play Derrick White over Jayson Tatum to upset the Celtics was Phil Jackson level mind games lol
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) July 28, 2024
The controversy surrounding Jaylen Brown is something we’ve already endured. The reigning Finals MVP posted a series of cryptic tweets after his teammate Derrick White was named Kawhi Leonard’s replacement on the U.S. national team. With both Tatum and Brown feeling disrespected, we’re headed for either the worst collapse in Celtics history or another all-out dominant season by the NBA’s best team.
Only time will tell. This is mostly a joke, a way to entertain ourselves while the U.S. team hurtles through the Olympic stadium. But let’s all savor the joke. There aren’t enough opportunities to pour cold water on a Celtics victory, in my opinion. Let’s all remember Bill Simmons in our thoughts and prayers tonight.