Saving their best for last in a tournament that had been hard, the Americans convincingly won their third consecutive gold medal, beating Serbia 96-66 on Sunday.
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– The USA’s men’s basketball team on Sunday confirmed its historic hegemony in basketball, raising to 15 its Olympic titles by drubbing Serbia 96-66 for the gold at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
Kevin Durant scored 18 of his 30 points in the second quarter to trigger the rout, stretching the USA’s Olympic winning streak to 25 games and its decade-long unbeaten string to 76 in what was the final gold medal match of the Games.
It was the lowest-scoring game for the Americans in the Olympics since the 2004 semifinals, when they managed 81 in a loss to Argentina.
Carmelo Anthony also picked up his third gold to go with a bronze, becoming the most decorated male in Olympic basketball history.
“I just told them, ‘Look at the highest flag, ‘” Anthony said, “and that’s what we did”. This is it for me. “I committed to something”.
“I feel really good about what we’ve done, how we’ve done it, and I feel great about Pop taking over and the relationship we formed this summer and the succession that will take place”, Krzyzewski said.
Krzyzewski acknowledged that the competition in Rio was better than that at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, where he captured his other two gold medals.
Now there’s nothing left to do for Anthony, whose Olympic career began in disgrace and ends with him being the most decorated player to ever wear a US jersey. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will take the reigns when the team takes the floor at the 2020 #Olympics in Tokyo.
With the win, Melo became the first US men’s basketball player to ever win three Olympic gold medals, an incredible feat considering the monumental stars that have played on the team throughout the years.
It signifies the beginning of a new era, with Durant emerging as Team USA’s undisputed star player. “Who knows? We’ll see”. I think we made them (proud).
DeMarcus Cousins added 13 points and 15 rebounds in the title match, the United States cruising to the basketball gold for the 15th time.
The Americans, led by Durant, outscored the Serbians 33-14 in the second quarter to take a 52-29 halftime lead. “Winning’s not always easy”, Cousins said. Serbia outscored the Americans in the second half 50-44.
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More significantly, Serbia had given the United States their biggest scare in Rio, battling the Americans right down to the final buzzer in a Group A clash that offered up at least the possibility of an intriguing final.
