After a thrilling 95-91 victory for the U.S. over Serbia that saw the team come from behind, the action is still tough off the court, with one player taking center stage. Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic helped Serbia lose to the U.S. in the men’s basketball semifinals at the Paris Olympics. In 31 minutes of play, Bogdanovic scored 20 points on 8 of 18 shooting, making him Serbia’s leading scorer.

In the first half, however, Bogdanovic was at his best. After making a three-pointer, the sharpshooter turned to the sideline and stared at Carmelo Anthony, an American legend who was present at the Paris Games. Not only that, he even stole the former New York Knicks star’s “Three to the Dome” celebration as Serbia’s lead grew – drawing the ire of the US team’s fans and players.

But after Bogdanovic and Serbia squandered a double-digit lead, Devin Booker, the star of the US team and the Phoenix Suns, challenged Bogdanovic.

While it’s doubtful that Bogdanovic was disrespectful to Anthony, Booker is still being honest. Carmelo Anthony is one of the greatest Olympic players in U.S. team history, so if you’re going to smack down on the true king on the sidelines in Devin Booker’s eyes, you better be ready to back it up.

Will Devin Booker and Team USA compete for gold at the 2024 Olympics?

After coming back to beat Serbia, the U.S. team has a chance to win its fifth consecutive gold medal. Now another challenge awaits host nation France, fresh off a win over Germany and backed by a raucous home crowd. It’s a rematch of the Tokyo final, with everything on the line and some of the sport’s biggest stars in the game.

While Serbia was Team USA’s biggest challenge at the 2024 Olympics, the match against France was a different story. These will be the fourth consecutive games the USA and France have played, with the last meeting coming in the gold medal game in Tokyo. Team USA has a 6-1 record in seven meetings, with France’s lone win coming in the opening game of the group stage in 2020.

On paper, the USA has significantly better scorers and passers than France. The French team has struggled shooting the basketball throughout the Olympics and lacks natural playmakers for a more dynamic team. Team USA has a steady supply of both of those things and could give the Americans an edge in the gold medal final.

France is the better team defensively, however, so the U.S. team will have to be physical against Victor Wembanyama and force Les Bleus to take more long-range shots with effective closeouts. The formula for winning the gold medal is there for the Americans, as long as they don’t follow the pattern of the semifinal against Serbia.