Speaking after the US men’s basketball team won a third straight gold medal with a rout of Serbia, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said other countries need to find a way to be more competitive. In the three close games Team USA had in pool play – a 98-88 victory over Australia, a 100-97 win over France and a 94-91 win over Serbia – Durant scored only 43 total points.
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U.S. forward Carmelo Anthony became the first man to win three Olympic basketball gold medals.
But all that was forgotten as the Mike Krzyzewski-coached team completed the United States medal tally in Rio, its 46th gold to comfortably top the table from Great Britain.
Serbia however also brought a considerable basketball pedigree to the gold medal game, having been part of the former Yugoslavia, once a European basketball power. The team only lost one game while he was on the bench, and went undefeated in Olympic play.
“Basketball is the ultimate team game”, Colangelo said.
They had one of the youngest teams in the field – forward Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is 21 – and gave the US a major fright in pool play before losing by three points. The Americans averaged a 22.5-point winning margin in the tournament. I’ve seen the losing side and I’ve seen what it’s like to win three gold medals.
“To be alongside Coach K, he sacrificed so much of his time, his family, coming from a collegiate level instilling his trust into NBA players and being the face of United States of America basketball”.
This year, the Americans were fortunate to have the two Olympic vets that they did.
They dropped three games in the group stage but had the look of a team that could challenge the Americans after almost knocking them off earlier in the tournament and overwhelming Australia in the semifinals.
Galen Rupp won the first medal for the Americans Sunday, when he scored the bronze prize in the men’s marathon.
The Brazilians closed out the Rio Games in style Sunday.
He was on the 2004 team that settled for bronze, a result that sparked a re-organisation of the US programmed that has gone unbeaten in the Games since. Carmelo Anthony’s third gold made him the most decorated male in Olympic basketball history.
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American Galen Rupp, running only his second marathon, added bronze to the silver he won in the 10,000 meters in London.
The race began in an early morning drizzle while the host nation was still basking in Neymar’s kiss and impossible-to-forget penalty kick that secured the gold medal in soccer.
At the finish, the Americans were dancing at mid-court in celebration. He ruled out returning for Tokyo 2020. Mossely took off and made a golden leap into Yoka’s massive arms, just as she did after her victory.
In women’s wrestling, Claressa Maria Shields beat the Netherlands’ Nouchka Fontijn for a gold medal in the middle weight 69 to 75-kg final bout.
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Anthony grew over his Olympic run spanning games in Europe, Asia and South America. But there were also empty seats, ticket fiascos, spread-out venues, green water, street crime, traffic chaos and lack of a clear Olympic feel in the parks.
