Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Argentina small forward Andres Nocioni (13) loose ball control of the ball against United States of America forward Draymond Green (14) and US forward Kevin Durant (5) during the men’s basketball quarterfinals in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. “And as fierce a competitor that as a coach I’ve had to face in my entire time in global basketball”, Krzyzewski said.
Advertisement
“What a remarkable run by Argentina and so we knew we had to match that energy tonight”.
“I wouldn’t call it relief, I just think we are evolving”, said USA coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Emphatically ending a stretch of three straight close games, the Americans turned a slow start into an early ending with a 27-2 run in the first half.
This Friday, August 19, team United States of America will face Spain, a tough opponent they have struggled with in the past.
Argentina’s Manu Ginobili (5) walks off the court with a game ball after the team’s loss to United States in a men’s quarterfinal round basketball game at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016.
The answer might be nothing. At least it there wasn’t anything wrong against Argentina.
The momentum began to change when Paul George came in for Carmelo Anthony. It was the first time since 1988 that the US was denied the gold medal in basketball, and Argentina announced its presence on the world stage with incredible authority by securing gold in 2004. “The longevity, the way we played the game, all the things we accomplished, the friendships and the camaraderie we created”.
As France and Argentina made their quarter-final exits, they not only said goodbye to Rio but also bade farewell to standout players who put their respective countries on the basketball map. “We formed part of something unique we did for our country and it’s going to be there”. Jamaica swept the medals in this event four years ago, but it’s going to be a lot more hard to pull that off in Rio. Some of the same laissez-faire efforts continued to plague the Americans early on, including Kyrie Irving jogging back on defense and causing all sorts of breakdowns that allowed Argentina to get easy buckets and explode to a 10-point first quarter lead.
Three-point plays by Cousins and Jimmy Butler around Durant’s 3-pointer in an 11-0 start to the second made it 36-21 before Facundo Campazzo stopped the onslaught with a three-point play. The U.S. edged Spain 118-107 in the 2008 final and 107-100 four years ago in London.
The loudest crowd yet for a USA game, filled with chanting, flag-waving Argentina fans, boxer Floyd Mayweather and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, was treated to an explosive performance by the Americans, with devastating crossovers by Durant and Kyrie Irving that left defenders helpless and brought teammates to their feet on the bench. Durant scored the Americans’ first seven points to keep them in the game.
Argentina played longtime stars Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola and Andres Nocioni deep into the fourth quarter despite the score.
Ginobili was taken out in the last few minutes of the game and saluted by the fans, then embraced by each of his teammates on the bench.
Even Argentina’s proud veterans didn’t consider themselves medal contenders, especially after the Americans blew them out 111-74 in an exhibition game last month in Las Vegas and came to Rio as the overwhelming favorite. If the USA can manage a victory over them, they will move on to replay either Serbia or Australia for the gold medal this Sunday, August 21.
Ranked 11th, Australia may be an underdog but they have been one of the top teams in Rio and punched above their weight on Wednesday with a 90-64 upset win over third-ranked Lithuania to close in on what would be a first ever Olympic basketball medal.
With a 135-5 record in Olympic competition, losses are rare at the Games for the United State but Argentina can claim one of them. “We got all the talent in the world”. Please see our terms of service for more information.
Advertisement
You are reading news and information on LongIsland.com, Long Island’s Most Popular Website, Since 1996. For the protection of AP and its licensors, content may not be copied, altered or redistributed in any form. Doing so may result in civil and/or criminal penalties.
