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The United States Men’s Basketball Team finally accomplished their goal this morning, August 24, 2008. They won the Gold Medal in basketball at the Beijing Olympics and returned the honor of Best Basketball Nation in the World back to the USA with a 118-107 victory of the men from Spain.
It was a well-contested game by the Spaniards. It was far closer than then the double-digit score would indicate. And it was certainly far closer than most people expected given the USA’s 37-point victory over Spain during the opening round of the Olympic basketball tournament.
The U.S. didn’t start too well, falling behind by 5 points in the first few minutes of the 1st quarter. But they quickly turned it around and even amounted a 12-point lead at one point. Yet the story of the game was the U.S.’s inability to put the Spaniards away, as Spain quickly turned a double-digit lead into a 7-point lead for the U.S. by the end of the opening quarter. That lead was essentially the same going into the half and into the 4th quarter as well.
Foul trouble bothered the U.S. throughout the game. Both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James had picked up two early fouls in the 1st quarter which limited their minutes early on. Stepping up big were Tayshaun Prince, who scored some energizing baskets in the first half, and Dwyane Wade who put up a staggering 15 points in the first half alone. Prince and Wade also contributed immensely on defense, with Prince slowing down the early penetration and Wade collecting several steals in the process.
That inspired bench play from Wade and Prince did not deter the men from Spain. Pau Gasol put up 21 points keeping Spain within reach all game long, and his brother, Marc, was just as ferocious down low, grabbing 3 offensive rebounds and 11 tough points in the paint. Spain’s ultimate lynchpin was Rudy Fernandez, who scored 22 points off the bench, including 5 three pointers and a key “And-1” dunk over Dwight Howard that had to send great delight to the fans of whatever we’re calling Oklahoma City’s new NBA franchise.
In the end, Spain just didn’t have enough muster to finish the Americans off. Their inspired play and energy is what kept the game close, but as with most basketball games, that energy of the lesser-talented team sooner or later dissipates, except in those few and rare magical moments, but this was not one of those. One of the keys to their failure was certainly the absence of point guard Jose Calderon, who was severely missed as the 1 for 3, 6-point and 3-assists performance from his replacement Ricky Rubio demonstrated.
Spain’s decisive letdown came on the defensive end. Even though neither the USA or Spain played terrific defense, the US managed to play just well enough to maintain the lead throughout the game, giving them the luxury of being able to afford one or two miscues on defense; something that Spain could not afford to do. Despite their lack of a margin for error, Spain had miscue after miscue, eventually costing them their shot at the gold medal in basketball.
The star for the U.S. was undoubtedly Kobe Bryant. He hit several key threes in the clutch and served up a couple of assists (for a total of 6) in the fourth quarter that finished off Spain and helped the U.S. claim the Gold Medal. Dwyane Wade was also a major contributor, filling in early when both LeBron and Kobe were on the bench. He had 27 points in total, including a fantastically huge three-pointer that extended the lead to 7 with just over a minute to go in the game.
Given the United States’ loss to Argentina in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, this was a mammoth win for U.S.A. Basketball. While it wasn’t their best game of the tournament—it may have been their worst game—the fact of the matter is, they won decisively, and never trailed after the first quarter—you can’t really ask for much more than that against a championship caliber team like Spain. The fact that the game was as close as it was makes it just that much sweeter for the Americans. They hadn’t been contested the entire tournament, and they got their first test in the biggest team event of the Beijing Olympics, and all things considered, they handled that pressure as well as anyone could have expected—with a win.
Once again, it is just wonderful to see America reclaim the title. I called this team Dream Team III before the Olympics started and still hold on to that belief. They do belong in the same sentiments as that 1992 Dream Team. They played tougher competition in a more athletic age of basketball, and they dominated it all the way through. Is America the basketball supremacy that it once was? Of course not—it will never be. But for now, and probably for at least the next 4 years, Dream Team III, The Redeem Team, or whatever you want to call them, represents America as the land of men’s basketball, and call me an egotistical American if you want, but it sure does feel good.
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