There were a few hiccups – his terrible shooting game against Australia, his passive game against Serbia – in group play, but he more than made up for it in the knockout round.
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Team USA is looking for its 18th consecutive win.
DOUBLE GOLD: French fighter Tony Yoka joined fiancee Estelle Mossely as gold medal winners, defeating Britain’s Joe Joyce in a super heavyweight bout Sunday. Early on there were questions of whether the 2016 iteration of Team USA fit into the proud and insanely dominant tradition of United States’ Olympic basketball.
The U.S. led 19-15 at the end of the first following a late 3-pointer from Durant, who was beginning to catch fire. Team members received shout-outs on Twitter, with fans praising Durant, Anthony, Kyle Lowry, and Paul George individually. If he had struggled or the team had failed, the criticism would have been endless.
The game went back and forth in the first quarter, with five lead changes and four ties. His box score numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but he was a shape-shifter, filling whatever role Team USA needed at a given moment.
Team USA beat its three opponents in knockout play by 73 total points.
Team USA had a slow start offensively, but the game was out of reach by halftime.
Kevin Durant led the way, hitting three-point bombs, driving for dunks, handing out assists and making steals on defense.
Hero: Durant and Cousins set the tone for the US and their team-mates were only too happy to follow their lead.
Instead, Durant came alive in the second quarter. Team USA at one point went on a 21 to 6 run.
The US, missing such greats as LeBron James and Steph Curry, reserved its best for last, having come under criticism for previous lackluster displays. Serbia had multiple open shots throughout the quarter, but for the most part was not able to convert. Patty Mills scored 30 and David Anderson 15 for the Aussies, who played nearly the entire second half without former Warriors center Andrew Bogut. Durant led all scorers in the first half with 24.
But the United States would not be caught off guard again, their class evident from the start. Team USA was twenty minutes away from Gold.
The second-half produced more of the same as the US’s skill and intensity at both ends of the floor proved too much for Serbia.
Team USA continued to stay motivated into the fourth quarter even with the game well in control. The Americans still hustled and fought for rebounds despite leading by over 40 at one point. The two teams originally competed against one another in a preliminary round on August 12, with the United States beating Serbia by only three points, 94-91.
US basketball’s only four-time Olympian, Anthony exits with three gold medals and a pack of USA team records.
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The United States finishes off a golden three-peat with a 96-66 clobbering of Serbia 96-66. He finished undefeated, 24-0, across the last three Games.
