Or maybe because numerous players have been in this position before – a win away from another Olympic title. I’ve been a lucky man to be able to do that.
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For the third straight Olympics, Team USA will be playing in the Olympic finals for the gold medal. She’s averaging 9 points and 5 rebounds per game. “We’re still not there”. This is the best competition we’ve faced, but it’s obvious that we haven’t played quite as well as we’d have liked to play, either. “We talked about it all summer and to be here for the final game, to win the gold, for all the marbles, we like our chances”. Whenever he got the ball down low, his teammates cleared out and let him go to work.
Coming here, Spain figured to be the American’s worthiest foe.
The U.S. held 10 point or more leads in the second, third and fourth quarters but each time Spain would claw their way back into the game, keeping the outcome in doubt although the United States never appeared in danger of losing control.
Spain made just 8-of-26 three-pointers (31 percent).
“There’s a big difference in our team the way we played today and the way we played the other six games”.
The American women said they are taking Spain seriously even though they defeated them by a resounding 103-63 in their second game here.
“Our hearts right now are bleeding”, Scariolo said. “I can’t really put it into words”.
Meanwhile, back in Brazil, a witness told the Globo network that the Americans were “terrified” by the situation and the International Olympic Committee said the athletes will face a disciplinary commission. When Jordan and Carmelo Anthony gush about the importance of Olympic gold, they are accused of minimizing their failure to win an National Basketball Association title. They thought it would be Cirque de Soleil on hardwood, a breeze. They’re three of the greatest worldwide players to ever play.
But in two months together, the players have grown close.
“For me, it’s great”, Jordan said. “We have to forget this game quickly”. He was clearly out of gas by the end of the game, which is what you would expect of a 36-year-old carrying such a heavy load on offense and playing through a nagging calf injury. That’s what this feels like. “We are going to play our game and we will see if it’s enough for a win”. “It would be a great thing for us”. We play for each other. It’s still on us. Adjustments while learning to play with one another.
And in case you were wondering what happens behind the scenes when an American gets drunk and causes trouble overseas, there’s this illuminating look at the work of consular officers. That takes time, and we don’t have a lot of time.
After blowing out China and Venezuela in their first two group play matches, it’s been anything but a smooth road for USA Basketball – and it’s been both ugly and worrisome.
Honestly, it didn’t seem unusually physical or chippy, but these guys, they were channeling their inner Joey Crawford.
You’ve been warned. And so have they. “Expect a great effort from all of us”. There’s no question that they’ve been challenged, though. They just hit you [with the technical].
The Americans couldn’t relax until the final minute of the last one, when Krzyzewski leaped triumphantly in front of the bench – nothing approaching the Olympic high jump record, but the best he can do.
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With a mountain to climb in the second half, Australia was unable to fire a shot against a team they had beaten 95-80 earlier in the tournament.
