Kyrie Irving had 13 for the United States.
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There’s a lot of context that can go along with that statement, but that’s the bottom line.
The U.S. looked like they were on their way to a blowout victory after a sensational second quarter, and they kept up the stellar play in third.
“Coming to win the gold despite what the media say about this group – not talented, not point the team out”. Durant scored 30 points and helped the Americans jump to a huge lead by halftime. After the game, Carmelo Anthony announced that he would retire from Team USA.
A few of the victories were more hard than usual in this tournament, where half the Americans’ eight games were decided by 10 points or fewer.
Serbia’s Nikola Jokic admitted his team was nowhere near the US in the final.
So there will be lessons learned from an unusually bumpy road.
Gold medallists USA’s guard Kyle Lowry (L), USA’s guard Kevin Durant (C) and USA’s centre DeAndre Jordan joke as they stand on the podium after the final of the Men’s basketball competition at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 21, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He said he’d dig a truly wide-open field, but if that ever happens, it won’t be because Team USA has sunk to the world’s level. Kawhi Leonard, you have a 2020 roster spot if you want it.
Countries like Serbia who made it to the finals brought the best out of the Americans, but in the end, it’s still America’s sport, even without top tier players.
Other teams don’t train for much longer than that, but nearly all of them have more roster continuity than the USA does. This rematch looked nothing like that meeting, but it did resemble the final of the 2014 Basketball World Cup, which the Americans won 129-92. Serbia, meanwhile, returned nine players from the team that lost to the U.S.in ’14. Following that win, the head of USA Basketball, Jerry Colangelo, had a few words for the rest of the worldwide basketball community.
“We played a great game today”.
“To come out there and play as well as we did against a team that had stepped up their play as well, it showed that we came together at the right time”, Durant said. “When you’re around these players and you’re around Sue (Bird) and Diana and Tamika (Catchings), and you know that this may be their last and you’re able to send them out, it’s like graduating seniors back home”, Auriemma said. I’m glad I did what I did, I stepped up to the challenge. It’s justification for all that we’ve done.
“I didn’t leave my bed, because I was like, ‘Man, if I walk outside somebody might just try to hit me with their auto or say anything negative to me, ‘” he told USA Today. “We fought and gave it everything, playing for our people”. Then the Americans got going with a 16-3 run in the second that blew the game open and the rout and celebration was on.
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The Americans just secured their fifteenth Olympic gold medal. With that win, the United States has now won three-straight Olympic gold medals in men’s basketball.
