Anthony revealed that the gold medal game of the Rio Olympics signified the end of his worldwide playing career.
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However, Serbia also brings a considerable basketball pedigree to Sunday’s final.
“It was therapy for me after making a big change in my life”, Durant told The Vertical after leading Team USA with 30 points in its gold medal win against Serbia on Sunday.
Team USA’s best player stepped up when they needed him most as Kevin Durant scored a game-high 30 points to go along with four assists, three rebounds, three steals and a block.
The U.S. departs Rio finishing 8-0, taking home their third straight gold medal. Aside from the 2004 Olympics (in which they won a bronze medal), the program has dedicated itself to excellence since it started sending professionals. Anthony cried after the game. Instead, they lost 94-91. Serbia outscored the Americans in the second half 50-44.
“It sets the example for a younger generation in the United States to where now everybody is proud of U.S. basketball”. The Serbians did a tremendous job defensively, limiting the Americans to 19 points.
The Serbs, led by 14 points from Malaga guard Nemanja Nedovic, never remotely looked like reducing the deficit in shooting just 17 per cent from beyond the arc.
The U.S. men have always been an unstoppable force, taking gold in 15 of the 18 Olympics in which they have participated. United States of America led 79-43 after three quarters and coasted to the victory from there. The 2013-2014 NBA MVP drained four of his five three-pointers in the quarter, scoring an absurd 18 points.
Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Demarcus Cousins celebrate their new gold. The duo combined for 12 points during the pivotal second-quarter run. They entered the locker room with a commanding 52-29 lead.
Spain, which lost to the United States team in the past two Olympic finals, edged Australia 89-88 in the bronze medal game. They outscored Serbia 27-14 in the quarter.
There was no let-up in the third quarter as they defended sternly and attacked with intent, opening up a 36-point lead at the end of the third. The other three are LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen.
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Maybe their games wouldn’t have been as close if all of their first choices had accepted a spot on the team, but that’s purely hypothetical.
