Mens Basketball Wire

Team USA looks to be in fine shape for the upcoming Olympics after blowing away the Argentines for the second time in a week, and taking home the gold in the FIBA tournament.  The Americans beat the Argentines by 15 on Thursday, but Sunday’s game for the gold was a 118-81 laugher.  The game was only close for the first 6 minutes, then an 18-0 run by Team USA out it out of reach.  Argentina’s team played the tournament short-handed, as four of their star NBA players: Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Walter Hermann, and Andres Nocioni sat out the tournament.  Still, even with those stars, the Argentines would have had a tough time with an American team firing on all cylinders and looking to make a statement about its place in the world of basketball.

The U.S. played with focus and intensity, but most importantly, the players played as a team and without the squabbles and in-fighting that plagued the previous version.  During the last Olympics, players fought among each other and with then-coach Larry Brown regarding playing time, touches, and other things.  From all accounts, this team–especially stars Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant–seemed to relish their time together.  Bryant especially seemed to blossom (likely due to the fact that in a few weeks he’ll return to his star-challenged Laker squad), and he and Kidd cultivated a relationship that grew from the two trying to bring Kidd to the Lakers.  LeBron James, fresh off seeing his Cavs team dismantled by the Pistons in the NBA Finals, apparently has channeled the defeat into his play and only gotten stronger.  For the tournament, James shot an unbelievable 76% from the field and a scorching 62% from 3-point range.

But the final game was almost over before it really began.  Dwight Howard was perfect, going 7-7 from the field for 20 points.  James scored 31, and Bryant accounted for 8 assists.   In the gold medal game, the team shot 57.5% from the field, and just under 50% from behind the arc.

Filed under: Uncategorized