Team USA Wins Gold

The United States men's basketball team defeated Spain in the gold medal game 107-100 on the final day of the London Olympics.  Team USA completed an extremely entertaining Olympic tournament by winning its 50th consecutive game, and its 2nd consecutive Olympic gold medal.  

Team USA brought home the gold (sneakernews.com)

The title game was a hard-fought, back and forth affair between the top two teams in the world.  This must watch event was attended by countless celebrities including Henry Kissinger, Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Arnold Schwarzenegger and even the Queen of Spain.  

From the opening tipoff it was clear that the Spaniards had arrived ready to challenge the Americans.  Spain played with a desperation that it had been missing for the entire duration of the tournament, and its defensive effort and intensity was readily apparent.  Offensively, the Spanish game plan centered on exploiting the size advantage of 7 footers Pau and Marc Gasol.  The Gasol brothers combined  for 41 points in the game, with Pau scoring 24 to go along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists.  The Gasols' effectiveness scoring in the paint on an array of jump hooks, turnaround jumpers and dunks forced the Americans to focus their defensive efforts on preventing interior scoring, which created open outside shots for Spain.  Juan Carlos Navarro was the main beneficiary, scoring 14 of his 21 points in the first quarter.

Celebrating the gold medal (business insider)

The U.S. did a fantastic job making the extra pass to find open 3-point shooters on the perimeter.  In the first quarter Team USA converted on 7 of 10 3-point shots which spread out the Spanish zone and created driving lanes to the basket.  Spain was forced to switch to man-to-man defense in order to counter the Americans' scorching outside shooting, which allowed the US to take advantage of the various mismatches it posed.  Kevin Durant was the star of the game for Team USA, scoring a game high 30 points with 5 threes.  Durant was extraordinary in every facet of the game.  His spot up shooting was sensational, he got the Spanish into foul trouble by earning 10 shots at the charity stripe, blew by defenders on his way to the basket, led the break, forced turnovers on defense, and controlled the boards by having a game high 9 rebounds.  Lebron James, who has already won a championship this year with the Miami Heat, had yet another excellent game with 19 points, 7 rebounds and a team high 4 assists.  James had two consecutive baskets with 2 minutes left in the game to put the game out of reach and secure the victory for Team USA.  The first was a mesmerizing dunk  and the second a back breaking 3-pointer with a man in his face.  Kobe Bryant also had a huge game for the US, scoring 17 points including 3 three pointers.  Chris Paul, who earned the game ball, scored 8 of his 11 points in the decisive 4th quarter.

Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Carmelo Anthony (USA Today)

While this US team did not dominate their opponents in the manner that the Dream Team did in 1992, its incredible accomplishments against very tough international opponents are worthy of a round of applause and will be remembered for years to come.

Team USA dominates Argentina in the third quarter to remain undefeated

Chris Paul
(Abaca via Si.com)

The United States' men's national basketball team defeated team Argentina 126-97 to remain undefeated in group play heading into Wednesday's quarterfinals.  Team USA had a very poor first half, its third consecutive subpar half following its historic 83 point drubbing of Nigeria.  At halftime the US led by only one, having ceded 59 points to the Argentines, and defensive effort was evidently lacking.  Argentina exploited the US's lackadaisical defense by spreading the ball to create open 3's, and getting the ball to the rim via backdoor cuts.  Manu Ginobili  had a brilliant first half for the blue and white, scoring 16 points and making full use of his dazzling array of crafty moves, including his patented eurostep.  Chris Paul's 14 first half points, among them 4 timely three pointers, kept the Americans in the game.

Kevin Durant (US Presswire)

As soon as the second half began, team USA opened the floodgates, outscoring Argentina 42-17 and demonstrating why it is the most feared team on the planet.  The US began the half by repeatedly posting up Lebron James, the best player on the planet and a mismatch regardless of who is trying to defend him.  Lebron bullied his way inside, scoring 9 of his 18 points in the 3rd quarter, and worked the ball out to shooters on the perimeter.  Kevin Durant caught fire in the quarter, draining 5 consecutive three pointers, and scoring 18 of his game high 28 points.  Durant, the NBA's leading scorer in three consecutive seasons, had previously stated that he was excited to take advantage of the shorter international three point line.  He put his scoring prowess on display for the world with his 8 for 9 shooting performance from downtown.  Carmelo Anthony, whose 37 points in the blowout win over Nigeria set an Olympic record, hit a buzzer beating three pointer at the end of the quarter, and fell over in agony after being punched in the groin by Argentina's point guard Facundo Campazzo.  Campazzo's cheap shot earned him scornful looks from many of the Americans, and an earful from Kobe Bryant.
Durant, James and team USA's swarming defense put the game out of reach by the time the 4th quarter rolled around.  One of the most incredible highlights from the game was a forceful dunk by Andre Iguodala in the second quarter that sailed through the net, bounced off his chest, went back up through the net, and was ruled a missed field goal.
Team USA will meet Australia in the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament on Wednesday, while Argentina will face Brazil.  If the two sides each win their respective games they will face off in the semifinals on Friday.