The indomitable United States stormed to a third straight basketball gold, swatting aside Serbia in the last event of the Rio Olympics. When Anthony exited the game with two minutes remaining, the New York Knicks forward shared a extended embrace with Durant and Mike Krzyzewski, who is stepping down as US head coach after these Olympics, before taking his place at the end of the bench.
Advertisement
However, it was a different story in Sunday’s final as 30 points from Kevin Durant helped secure the most emphatic of American victories in Mike Krzyzewski’s final game as head coach. The Serbians held the lead a number of times in the early going, but just as the quarter ended, National Basketball Association superstar Kevin Durant hit a 3-pointer to give Team USA a 19-15 lead. He walks away with three gold medals.
“I committed to something”, he said, getting choked up as fans chanted Melo behind him.
Gold medal-winning USA players celebrate after the final of the women’s basketball competition at the 2016 Rio Games Saturday. All three opponents in bracket play shot less than 40 percent from the field after the US allowed their last three opponents in pool play (Australia, France and Serbia) to shoot better than 50 percent from the field.
And 10 teams – including the independent team – won their first golds, including Monica Puig in women’s tennis for Puerto Rico. That sparked a two-game win streak that lifted them into the medal round on a tie-breaker, followed by wins over Croatia and Australia.
Cousins had 11 points and 12 rebounds in the first half, which ended with the Americans ahead 52-29 and playing like the flamboyant side most expected to see once the roster was named.
They were down just 16-15 before Durant made a 3-pointer for the final points of the first quarter, and before they knew it he had turned the game into a blowout.
Spain, which lost to the United States team in the past two Olympic finals, edged Australia 89-88 in the bronze medal game. For the first time since 2004, many top American players opted to skip the Olympics, forcing them to bring some here who wouldn’t have been considered otherwise.
It was by now an exhibition, underlined by DeMar DeRozan’s breath-taking alley-oop, as the United States’ men won a 15th basketball gold.
With the win, Carmelo Anthony won his third Olympic title, setting the record for most Olympic gold medals won by a single player.
Advertisement
Then, coming out of the gate in the second quarter, Durant took the team on his back, scoring eight consecutive points in a 40-second spell as the USA suddenly moved into a 40-22 lead, gaining full control of the contest.
