USA coach Mike Krzyzewski guides the United States team for the final time, set to be replaced by NBA San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich after the Games.
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Prior to Saturday’s final, the USA women had racked up an average margin of victory of 38.4 points across its seven games in Rio. Serbia beat Australia 87-61 in the second semifinal. Sweden settled for silver on Thursday, falling to Germany 2-1 in the gold-medal game.
Humbled 103-63 by the U.S.in preliminary round play, Spain had looked determined to offer more resistance in the final, holding a 17-14 lead late in the opening quarter.
It wasn’t pretty, but Olympic gold never loses its luster.
“My first gold medal – it means everything to me”, said usa center Brittney Griner. “This is probably the best team sport you can play, and we made it that way”.
“It’s been so awesome I’m kind of sad it’s over”, said Elena Delle Donne, who had 10 points, four rebounds and two assists against Spain.
With an Olympic record of 137-5 and having taken gold in 14 of the 17 Olympics in which they have participated there is no disputing the United States credentials.
Even though this is a final and Spain should stand up more than they have done, the quarter-final and semi-final factor didn’t seem to affect the U.S. as they demolished Japan by 46 and France by 19, but even then they led from start to finish and unlike their male counterparts weren’t challenged at any point.
“I think it was a very emotional time”. “Their athleticism, their size, they made our offense get hard during most of the possessions”.
Before the women’s competition began, US coach Geno Auriemma said, “They know exactly what’s in front of them”.
With the two top-ranked teams, number one United States and number two Spain, both packed with National Basketball Association talent, the game had the familiar buzz of a gold medal final.
To get by Spain again, Team USA would have to win ugly.
The suffocated defence proved the key for success as the Americans extended the lead to double digits when they kept rotating the squad to build up the pressure on both ends. They scored 91 points against us.
Going into the gold-medal game, Team USA has already walloped Spain 103-63 on August 8.
The Americans will play Spain on Saturday in search of a sixth consecutive gold.
The Serbians lost to Spain in the semifinals, ending their pursuit of the Olympic final.
But the Spanish, as they had in the previous two Olympics, found their stride just in time to run into the Americans.
Klay Thompson scored 22 points for the Americans, who will play Serbia on Sunday for their third consecutive Olympic title. “It was about being the best team that we could”. One of them, on Durant, gave him a third foul, as technicals also count as personal fouls in global play.
Spain was able to stay close in the first quarter and trailed by only four points (21-17) at quarter-time.
The USA have dominated the tournament, and the last five Olympic campaigns.
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France began the second quarter on a 7-0 run, coming within one points of Serbia’s lead. “I said, ‘You OK?”
