Because the U.S got an epic win on the men's side, because this Olympic team is basically the Avengers, and because it's August and we have nothing better to do, let's match up Team USA Basketball players with their corresponding Marvel superheroes.

-Gerald Bourguet

Matching Team USA Basketball players with Marvel superheroes

After an epic, pulse-pounding comeback against Serbia on Thursday, Team USA is heading to the gold medal game at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. It took a superhuman effort in the fourth quarter to eke out a 95-91 win over Nikola Jokic and company, with Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Devin Booker all providing heroic moments down the stretch.

When you see this type of unforgettable performance from a collection of otherworldly talent, it's hard not to think of Marvel's Avengers assembling for a big fight. The Olympics are often one of the coolest team-ups Americans ever get to see outside the pages of a comic book, and earlier in the week on the PHNX Suns Podcast, we tried to come up with MCU comparisons for every player on Team USA:

As the pod's resident nerd, I had a blast with the assignment. But as always, the pen is mightier than the pod for yours truly, who hasn't written in almost three weeks after a honeymoon trip to Thailand.

This is an itch that needed to be scratched for multiple reasons, so whether you missed the discussion on the pod, want to revel in that incredible comeback against Serbia, or are simply here as a fellow NBA/Marvel nerd, let's match up all 12 players on Team USA with their corresponding superhero.

Kevin Durant: Captain America

Look, I recognize the impulse to go with LeBron James as "LeCaptain America." He's been Team USA's best overall player through 10 games, and America's lead captain would make sense as Captain America even if he hadn'theld the star-spangled banner on that boat like George Washington crossing the Delaware.

But if we're taking history into account, nobody in Team USA history -- on the men's side or the women's side -- has scored more points in Olympic competition than Kevin Durant. He is the greatest and most accomplished Olympic basketball player in our nation's history, and if the Americans win on Saturday, he'll have more Olympic gold medals than any man who's ever worn the red, white and blue.

KD is Captain America, but the alternative for LeBron is hardly a consolation prize.

LeBron James: Iron Man

Just like Iron Man was the foundational pillar of the MCU, LeBron James was the face of the league for this current NBA era. Their journeys spanned decades, they fought in countless battles on numerous teams, and whenever it's time for James to hang it up, his exit will pack the same emotional punch as Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame.

The NBA is better-suited for life post-LeBron than the MCU was post-Iron Man, but when someone thinks of Marvel, they think of the charming-but-smug billionaire philanthropist who anchored the franchise for two decades. And when someone thinks of this NBA generation, they think of the charming-but-smug billionaire philanthropist who did the exact same thing.

Love him or hate him, LeBron James and Iron Man are synonymous as leading men who won over millions of fans despite their flaws, their shortcomings, and the excessive hype that came their way. We flirted with the idea of Wolverine here, since James doesn't seem to age and appears to be made of adamantium, but pairing KD and LeBron with Cap and Iron Man just made too much sense.

Stephen Curry: Thor

Spider-man was a popular suggestion in our chat, presumably because Steph Curry is also baby-faced, extremely likable and not overly impressive from a physical standpoint. But if LeBron and KD are Iron Man and Cap, Curry has to be one of the OG Avengers too -- someone who's powerful, close to universally loved, and prone to raining down destruction on his foes.

That brings us to Thor, the god of thunder. Obviously the son of Odin is a much more impressive physical specimen, but just as Thor had to prove himself worthy without his hammer, Curry had to prove he could overcome those ankle injuries early in his career. Both rose to the occasion, and both are seen as two of the most formidable heroes in their respective universes.

Curry rains down 3s on his opponents as a Splash Brother, while Thor summons lightning from the skies to strike down his enemies. It's not a perfect fit, but after coming back from a 3-1 deficit against Oklahoma City and stealing away Kevin Durant in the same summer, one could argue that Curry became the god of Thunder as well.

Devin Booker: Black Panther

Espo pushed for the new Captain America, Sam Wilson, since Book might have next for Team USA in 2028. Lindsey Smith, meanwhile, suggested Star Lord, if only for the retro connection (Peter Quill loves his cassette mixtapes and throwback jams just as much as Book appreciates his camcorder and classic cars).

But that's basically where the similarities end for Devin Booker and the more comically-inclined Star Lord. And because the new Captain America movie low-key looks like a stinker, we don't want to set Book up for failure. Besides, the Falcon was never cool enough to capture Book's persona anyway.

That leaves us with the Black Panther, one of the coolest cats around (pun intended). There's just a certain aura and gravitas surrounding Book and T'Challa, and both are underrated in the grand scheme of things. Phoenix's relevance to the NBA has often felt as hidden as Wakanda during the Suns' roughest years, but just like the Black Panther, Book has ushered in a new era where they've joined the rest of the outside world as a formidable superpower.

Jrue Holiday: Ant-Man

Small, but packs one hell of a punch. That Jrue Holiday description could apply to Spider-man or Rocket Raccoon as well, but we ultimately went with Ant-Man, since Holiday's ability to guard smalls or bigs felt like a natural fit for a superhero who can literally get really small or get really big.

Ant-Man is hardly one of Marvel's flagship franchises, but he's a great complementary piece and appreciated role player. The same could be said for Holiday. Ant-Man's latest outing (the box-office failure Quantumania) fared a lot worse than Holiday's, since Jrue's trade to Boston made the Celtics downright unfair as they steamrolled their way to a title.

But Ant-Man's little jokes serve as welcome doses of levity, and on this loaded Team USA roster, Holiday's defense and 3-point shooting provide similar dashes of relief for the main cast.

Anthony Edwards: Deadpool

Scott Lang and Anthony Edwards share the same nickname, but that's where their similarities end, so no, we're not going with the obvious choice of "Ant-Man" here. Spider-man (almost universally liked, could carry the franchise moving forward) and Loki (a formidable anti-hero and god of mischief) were solid options too, but the "Merc with a Mouth" made way too much sense for one of the game's elite shit-talkers.

Deadpool and Edwards are both elite when it comes to their (likely vulgar) smack talk, they're both wickedly funny, they're both badasses, and they both have a tendency of stepping up whenever they're needed most -- either in the playoffs or the third act of a movie.

Ant's blunt honesty and hilarious postgame interviews are so refreshing they might as well be breaking the fourth wall, and much like the box office hit Deadpool & Wolverine, Edwards looks ready to lead the NBA into its next era.

Joel Embiid: Fat Thor

Bear with me, Sixers fans! I promise that A) this wasn't my idea, B) this has nothing to do with body-shaming and C) it gets better from here.

In Team USA's exhibition games and group stage play, Joel Embiid looked a lot like the Thor we meet at the beginning of Infinity War: a washed up, depressing version of his prime self. Embiid was a hot mess for the U.S. early on, to the point that Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo both looked like superior options for the starting lineup.

But whether it was Steve Kerr playing politics or simply having faith that a former MVP would figure it out, trusting the process has worked out over the last two knockout games. Embiid has been terrific in the Americans' wins over Brazil and Serbia, just like Thor -- in all his The Big Lebowski glory -- eventually proved himself again.

They're also just, like, undeniably funny:

To sum up, don't ever count "Fat Thor" out. The god of thunder is still lurking in there somewhere.

Anthony Davis: The Incredible Hulk

Groot was my original idea, since AD's swarming limbs on defense are not unlike Groot's all-encompassing tree branches he calls arms. But I was overruled based on Groot's sweetheart disposition, and the undeniable fact that Davis has a unibrow while adult Groot...doesn't seem to have eyebrows at all.

In any case, the Hulk feels like a fair comparison for this bulked-up version of Anthony Davis, especially since he's the piece that makes Team USA unfair. How many other countries, when their starting center is struggling, can turn to a guy like AD to protect the rim, swarm passing lanes and finish at the basket on the other end?

"We have an army," other nations might say. "We have a Hulk," Team USA would respond.

Bam Adebayo: Groot

Remember that bit about all-encompassing tree branch arms? That still applies to Bam Adebayo, one of the best defensive players in the league. He can guard bigs or smalls, which is why Ant-Man was another option, and he's incredibly cool while still being underrated, which is why I also considered Daredevil.

But Groot fit Adebayo the best, especially since there are so many sides to both. They're both fully capable of stepping up as true heroes, providing comic relief, or just being downright sassy when the mood strikes them.

But no matter what, their approval rating remains high as more obscure stars who double as fan favorites.

Jayson Tatum: Spider-man

We considered Doctor Strange or Captain Marvel here, since they -- like Tatum on Team USA -- are incredibly powerful beings who are largely absent from most of the superhero team-ups. Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel are often too busy watching over other galaxies and realities, much like Tatum was off winning an NBA title and now finds himself glued to the American bench.

But Strange and Marvel might be too powerful for Tatum, since they're arguably two of the mightiest beings in the MCU. Tatum is close to that territory when he's in a Celtics jersey, but not so much in this setting.

So we went with Spidey -- a popular, young, well-liked superhero that everyone seems to be clamoring to see more of. It's not perfect fit, but you try coming up with a good MCU comparison for Tatum without pissing off a horde of angry Bostonians.

Derrick White: Winter Soldier

The Winter Soldier is a solid complementary piece, he's a useful fighter despite his lack of super powers, and he knows his role whenever he's surrounded by superior weapons. All of that applies to Derrick White as well.

We were tempted to go with a fellow baldy in Charles Xavier, but choosing an all-powerful telepath in a wheelchair felt like a poor fit for multiple reasons.

Tyrese Haliburton: Hawkeye

No disrespect to Tyrese Haliburton or Hawkeye! They both have elite vision, they're both long-range snipers, and they're both undeniably entertaining to watch when they start cooking.

But on this type of super-powered team...yeah, they're basically the guy with the bow and arrow.