When they first met in the group play opener, Team USA beat Serbia 110-84. That may look like an easy blowout win for the four-time defending gold medalists, but diving into the box score turns up a stat that may mean this semifinal could be an absolute barnburner. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokiu0107, who just led Serbia on a 24-point comeback to beat Australia in the quarterfinals, had an even plus/minus rating in that opening game.
That's to say: the game was 81-81 in the 31 minutes he played. While the U.S. won the nine minutes he sat 29-3, the reigning league MVP averaged 34.