“When he’s done playing basketball, he’s going to be the all-time leading scorer in N.B.A. history,” he said.

But Durant played down his night, saying he would worry only about his team winning the gold medal on Sunday. Perhaps his final moment on the court spoke for him. After scoring his final points, Durant pirouetted and smiled at his team’s bench. He wore a Jordan-like expression on his face, shrugging his shoulders as if to suggest how easy it was.

“The only thing that will hit me is if I come back with the gold,” Durant said.

That will not be easy for the Americans, who will play in an atmosphere here unlike any they have experienced. During Turkey’s last-second semifinal win Saturday, the Turkish fans chanted throughout, blasted artificial noisemakers and went wild when Kerem Tunceri escaped for an easy layup with five-tenths of a second remaining.

“Tell them there’s nothing comparable in the States to this,” said Tony Ronzone, USA Basketball’s director of international player personnel. “Nothing. You can’t compare to this crowd and atmosphere. You just saw people in the stands crying that their team won.

“The patriotism in this country, you get goose bumps and chills in your body watching it.”

There were also some eye rolls among the American scouts watching from a luxury box. With 1 minute 18 seconds remaining, Turkish center Omer Asik drew a foul, then fell to the court as his teammates visibly encouraged him to fake an injury. Asik had shot 15 for 41 from the free-throw line in this tournament, and he was replaced by Ender Arslan, who is considered one of the best Turkish free-throw shooters. He hit 1 of 2 shots.

“I think that fair play died in this game,” Serbia Coach Dusan Ivkovic said. “No question. Fair play died. It was pure and clear. You’re a journalist or what? The question is clear. Everyone understood what happened there.”