Nikola Jokić” I love being myself and consistency are the top priolity that make me a great legend of my time. so stop the critism.

So much for the idea that Serbia’s men’s basketball team was suffering from a Team USA hangover. On Saturday, two days after their heartbreaking loss to the Americans in an unforgettable Olympic semifinal—a game in which they played so well that American coach Steve Kerr called it the “perfect” game—three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and his teammates easily defeated Germany 93-83 in the bronze-medal match.

Jokić was dominant yet again, as the Denver Nuggets player finished with a triple-double (19 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists). Bogdan Bogdanović, the Serbian team captain and the program’s all-time leading scorer who also plays for the Atlanta Hawks, recorded 16 points. Guard Vasilije Micić of Serbia added 19 points as well. Once more, as demonstrated against Team USA, the Serbian basketball team demonstrated to the global basketball community that they possess one of the world’s top programs.

Serbia’s first Olympic medal since winning silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics is the bronze. Even still, the anguish will undoubtedly persist after Serbia allowed the gold to slip away, behind the Americans by 17 points at the half and 10 points heading into the fourth quarter.

“After Team USA’s defeat, it was hard to sleep,” Bogdanović remarked. “We didn’t get any sleep at all that day or night. Even though the game ended late, when we all woke up the following day, Serbian coach Svetislav Pešić had the team meeting ready. He was prepared with the same meeting that he conducted throughout the entire year, albeit somewhat longer. However, that was his method. We had faith. We did not voice any complaints. We arrived on time. Yes, we play with each other. Together, we triumph. Together, we fail. Together, we are. Together, we celebrate.

This finish filled Serbian big man Filip Petrušev with enormous pride, he said afterwards. Though they had the option, the Serbians managed to overcome their defeat at the hands of America to respond amid all that heartache.

“We weren’t going home without a medal, especially after what happened two days ago,” said Petrušev, who had 11 points. “We owed it to ourselves. We owed it to the country, to the people that supported us. We had to bring something home since two days ago, the entire nation was so proud of us. That was how people thought.

“You guys seen it happen two days ago against the greatest squad in Team USA history; perhaps they required a great deal of assistance as well as a little bit of luck to prevail. All I can hope for is that this is not our final encounter. This team can, in my opinion, get much better in the future. Perhaps one of the best teams is this one.

Just as proud was Serbian guard Aleksa Avramović, who finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

He declared, “This was an incredible game.” “I mean, 40 hours after the class game against the USA, with everything we did, our national representation, the way Serbians are viewed in the world, and our style of play. Really, it was huge—for our nation, for each other, and for the way we fight.

“We were barely able to defeat the greatest basketball team in history. With five (NBA) MVPs on the court during the last 15 years—LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid—that game may have been the greatest in basketball history.