The U.S. men’s national basketball team admittedly took its competition lightly, heading into the Rio Olympics.
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Team USA barely eked out a win over Argentina that started off with a bang but Kevin Durant’s 27 points on 9-of-13 from shooting and Paul George’s massive defense proved as game changer after initial period.
Emphatically stopping a stretch of three straight close games, the Americans advanced to the semifinals by sprinting past Manu Ginobili and Argentina, 105-78 on Wednesday night. When the Brazilians joined the Americans in chants of “U-S-A!” the Argentinians only grew louder to drown them out.
Argentina battled into the Rio quarters led by four veterans from that “golden generation” squad, including four-time National Basketball Association champ Manu Ginobili of the San Antonia Spurs.
The glaring accomplishment missing from Spain’s basketball resume is an Olympic gold medal.
Team USA has to do a better job of moving the ball on offense.
The United States will now face Spain, 92-67 winners over France, on Friday for a place in the gold medal final. It led Spain to facing Team USA in the 2008 gold medal game and the 2012 gold medal game.
“I’m not going to say the exact words (they used)”, said Ginobili, referring to the gesture of respect from Anthony and Krzyzewski.
But with the Americans trailing 19-9 midway through the first, Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins soon came off the bench and gave the USA a lift, especially on the defensive end and inside the paint. “I just try to play and be free out there, not worry about anything”.
For now, though, Durant is focused exclusively on this team, which is taking its cues from a player who once he steps onto the floor morphs from laid-back to into an offensive juggernaut.
Argentina led 19-9 in the first quarter, but Kevin Durant hit a pair of threes and George scored inside to cut the lead to two. This team has far more of a shoot-first, pass-second approach than it would have if LeBron James, Stephen Curry or both played.
And if not, well, according to an ESPN interview that will run today on ABC’s “Good Morning America”, it sounds like James might have one more Olympic run in him come the Tokyo Games of 2020, when he will be 35.
“We played with passion and energy”, Durant said. Their exits were bittersweet, as both of their squads crashed hard in the Olympic quarterfinals, Argentina losing to a revived US team and France to a resurgent Spain.
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The meet again: This will mark the fourth straight Olympics where the Americans and Argentines will clash.
