Bogdan Bogdanovic (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Following Serbia’s defeat against Team USA in the Olympic semi-finals, Bogdan Bogdanovic was feeling particularly giddy. Following the match, Bogdanovic expressed his opinion that the officials gave Team USA players some physical advantages and permitted some rough play. Still, they were unwilling to explain any of their rulings.

It’s evident that Bogdanovic is upset about the defeat and has reasonable cause to be. Even with the referees’ officiating, Serbia had established a comfortable advantage. However, Team USA was able to gradually erase the lead, turn it around, and win the game in the closing seconds because of the efforts of Stephen Curry and LeBron James in the fourth quarter.

Bogdan Bogdanovic told the reporters after their game, “We tried to talk to referees; they didn’t try to talk to us, but it’s ok. The USA doesn’t need that type of help against us. We didn’t have that type of help when they were grabbing us with two hands and all that. We played the best we could.”

It wasn’t just Bogdanovic who let their fury out following the match. Svetislav Pesic, the head coach of Serbia, became enraged with the officiating and vented about it following the game. It must be very frustrating for Serbia to have been so close to taking the gold from the current winners and winning the medal for the first time in their nation’s history. This defeat is made the more painful by the knowledge that the officiating contributed to that outcome.

Bogdan Bogdanovic Will Lead Serbia In Their Bronze Medal Matchup

When playing Team USA, the Serbian team performed admirably. Bogdanovic scored the most points for Serbia, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists. For Serbia, Nikola Jokic also had an excellent performance, scoring 17 points, pulling down five rebounds, and dishing out 11 assists.

The two played a vital role in the Serbian team gaining the upper hand over Team USA. Sadly, though, they were unable to maintain that lead. They won’t have time to dwell on their defeat now that they must prepare for the bronze medal match against Germany, the current FIBA World Champions.

Serbia should be proud of the way It fought against Team USA. It didn’t accept any such formality, even if many believed the game’s outcome was inevitable, given Team USA and Serbia’s previous two confrontations. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Co. battled Team USA valiantly until the very end of the match.

Team USA will turn their attention to the gold medal game on Saturday against the hosts, France. It won’t be simple to play against the home team. However, considering the caliber of players on the Team USA roster, they will be the overwhelming favorites to win and take home the gold medal again.