Paul George (L) and Kyrie Irving of Team USA.
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While they spent the night rubbing elbows with Olympic champions tonight, the men of US basketball will have to wait for their shot at gold.
Team USA has had a spot on the podium 26 time during this year’s Olympics.
The ladies put on a show Tuesday unlike anything we’ve ever seen – and took home the gold for U.S. once again! Australian Kyle Chalmers had the fastest qualifying time on Tuesday, and he already shared in a bronze in the 4×100 freestyle relay. Australia is good – starting five National Basketball Association players of its own – but no one expected it to be terribly close.
Venezuela’s John Cox, a cousin of American superstar Kobe Bryant, scored 19 and Echenique 18.
Anthony was delayed in attending his postgame news conference, and when he arrived wearing a white US baseball cap adorned with the five Olympic rings, Krzyzewski congratulated the New York Knicks star on his accomplishment.
Venezuela had given the USA team its toughest test in pre-Rio warm-up games before falling 80-45.
In a game that most considered over before it even started, Venezuela executed their game-plan to perfection in the first quarter and ended the period tied with the gold medal-favorite. U.S. big men DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan were hampered by foul trouble, committing two personal fouls each during the opening frame.
“Once we settled down, made our adjustments to the way they were calling the game, the way that Venezuela wanted to play the game, that second quarter we picked it up defensively and turned it around”, Anthony said. For the Americans, Carmelo Anthony is closing in on the team’s all-time Olympic scoring record.
Carmelo Anthony is now the top scorer for Team USA in Olympic men’s basketball history.
That included the bookies in Las Vegas, who installed the USA team as a 27.5 point favorite after two laughers to open the tournament.
But Anthony, the first male to play in four Olympics, steadied the Americans in the first competitive game most of this new team had ever experienced. Tasmin Cook finished strong for Australia but the team was 1.84 seconds behind.
“But I think now the National Basketball Association is starting to come more to the team style of play”. He had 10 points on 4/4 shooting at the half. He had 14 of America’s 28 fourth-quarter points. It convincingly defeated two teams that are among the 4 best in Europe.
In the second quarter, coach Andrej Lemanis went to his bench and they provided the goods.
This is why Greece back-screened the helpless 2006 Team USA squad to pieces, and why Mike Krzyzewski told then-guard Kirk Hinrich to treat Vassilis Spanoulis like he was Stephen Curry. “Now I feel we’re back to our identity and we’re playing a lot better”. Matthew Dellavedova is the lead passer with 23 assists in two games and only one turnover.
The U.S. wouldn’t have been eliminated had it somehow lost, but there is a certain pride factor when it comes to U.S. Olympic basketball teams.
Bogut finished with 15 points for the Australians, who talked confidently of their chances in these Olympics.
Unfortunately, Bogut was beginning to tire late, and coupled with foul trouble for Aron Baynes, Ingles and Andersen, Australia couldn’t quite keep up late. The Serbians had three players score in double figures, led by seven foot Miroslav Raduljica, who scored a team-high 25 points. The Jordan Brand-sponsored forward added eight rebounds, two steals and an assist to his stat line.
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Four-time NBA Champion Tony Parker leads France in a 28-point rout of China in their Group A match. If they don’t, they get beaten to a pulp.
