The Americans got their gold, and they did it easily.
Advertisement
DeAndre Jordan helped the 2016 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team (8-0) beat Serbia (4-4) 96-66 for Team USA’s third consecutive gold medal on Sunday.
“It was a special moment for me”, Anthony said in an emotional interview with NBC Sports after wrapping up his fourth Olympic run.
The last medal event of these Olympics went the way almost everyone expected as Team USA reminded the world there is one global basketball superpower in a 96-66 rout of Serbia for the Americans’ third straight gold medal.
Durant picked up his second gold medal and while Carmelo Anthony and coach Mike Krzyzewski, coaching his last Olympics for Team USA before ceding to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, picked up their third.
“To go home as gold medalists and leave Coach K off with another gold was one of our main goals as well”, Durant said.
The U.S. continued to pour it on in the second half, making it a smooth gold-medal game after an Olympics filled with bumps in the road.
This win gave the US a 25-game Olympic win streak and a 53-game winning streak in the FIBA World Cup, Olympics and FIBA Americas Championship games combined.
“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. So did the US men’s basketball team. He had already become the leading scorer earlier in the tournament, capping an Olympic career that began with disappointment as a member of the USA team that finished third in 2004.
The Americans haven’t lost since, winning 25 straight in the Olympics. Spain took the bronze medal.
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 British, they had a Games to savor as well.
“I committed to this in ’04”, added Anthony, who would be 36 for Tokyo 2020. “I just want to say thanks for that”, said the New York Knicks forward.
Patty Mills scored 30 and David Andersen 15 for the Aussies, who played nearly the entire second half without Andrew Bogut. “It’s an incredible feeling”.
Advertisement
Valparaiso University grad Ryan Broekhoff hit three 3s and finished with 13 points for Australia.
