Top men's team Serbia start Paris Olympics with crushing victory over USA

PARIS (France) - Two-time defending World Cup champion Serbia spoiled the Olympic debut of USA men's team with a comfortable 22-14 victory in a blockbuster clash between powerhouses on day one.  

In a rematch of last year's nerve-jangling World Cup final, between teams rated as the gold medal favorites, Serbia flexed their muscle and completely dominated the Americans as the game wore on. 

In the last game on day one, both teams showed off their chemistry in a high-octane start as American superstar Jimmer Fredette splashed a tough step back two to kick-off his Olympic debut in style. 

He then dished a pretty dime to big man Kareem Maddox, who finished with the powerful two-handed jam as USA were running on all cylinders. 

No.1 ranked player Strahinja Stojacic answered with a trademark drive to the rim as the teams continued to go toe-to-toe.  A Marko Brankovic two gave Serbia the lead and then Stojacic with a head of steam flew to the rim for the dunk and the foul. 

Stojacic continued to be aggressive and rattled USA's defense, who could not get stops. 

Serbia pulled away with USA's plight signified by Fredette missing an easy layup. The Serbs were spectacular and they finished off the game in style with legendary Dejan Majstorovic hitting a two before Stojacic fittingly closed it out with a long range bomb. 

He celebrated in style in an ominous warning for opponents, with Serbia determined for gold after settling for bronze in Tokyo. 

USA will need to lick their wounds quickly after their Olympic debut turned into a nightmare. 

Key Player: It just has to be Strahinja Stojacic aka 'Doctor Strange' who was in dominant form with 7 points and 7 highlights.

He was in an aggressive mood in his Olympic debut, while he also orchestrated the offense and combined well with Brankovic, who performed strongly with 8 points. 

FIBA